Philanthropy Research Officer

About ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation working to reduce poverty for children in developing communities. Our mission is to partner to create communities and systems change, which enables vulnerable children and young people, in all their diversity, to assert and realise their rights.

We're also a member of the ChildFund Alliance – one of the world’s oldest and most experienced child-focused development agency networks. With a global network of 12 organisations, the ChildFund Alliance assists almost 23 million children and families in 70 countries around the world.

ChildFund Australia directly implements and manages development programs in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, while also supporting projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas;  our work is funded through, among other sources, generous public donations and government grants.

Join us in realising our vision of a world without poverty where all children and young people can say: "I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future."

About the role

Join a new and exciting phase of growth and success as part of ChildFund Australia’s Philanthropy team! As the Philanthropy Officer, Research, you will utilise your exceptional analytical skills to identify prospective supporters and assist in creating bespoke action plans in partnership with the other members of the Philanthropy team.

This brand-new position will be a key focal point for the Philanthropy team, and responsible for driving prospect research here at ChildFund Australia, in order to substantially increase major donor acquisition.

This role is a permanent, full-time role based in our office in Surry Hills, Sydney. We’re also supportive of flexible working arrangements, including allowing our employees to work-from-home some days if the responsibilities of the role permit it.

We’re always looking for talented & ambitious people looking to further their careers, so we strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t feel you meet every requirement right now! Being tenacious, determined, and enthusiastic will make you a great fit for this new, fast-growing team!

Key duties of the role

• Conduct research into potential philanthropic donor prospects; developing & managing the philanthropic prospect research process to generate major leads
• Act as the key focal point for donor research at ChildFund Australia
• Synthesise research to develop profiles, briefs and actionable recommendations to key stakeholders such as the Philanthropy team and Executive Team
• Coordinate Philanthropy team portfolio meetings, including by taking meeting minutes, recording action items and organising follow up
• Coordinate Philanthropy team workflow through project management software
• Assist the Philanthropy team with drafting and editing proposals
• Assist members of the Philanthropy team in other ways to drive major donor acquisition at ChildFund Australia

Qualifications & Experience

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant field

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

• Previous experience in philanthropy, fundraising, sales or market research
• Previous experience working in the not-for-profits & the international development sector
• Previous experience with productivity software (e.g. Asana)
• Demonstrated understanding of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent organisational and multitasking capabilities
• Exceptional communication skills
• Passionate about international development and children’s rights
• Tenacious, determined & confident project coordinator and facilitator of relationships & activities
• Intellectually curious, analytical, and always willing to learn

Working at ChildFund Australia

Some of the benefits of working with ChildFund Australia include:

• A remuneration package continuously benchmarked against local employment conditions to ensure we offer competitive employment conditions appropriate to our sector
• Support for flexibility in the ways you work, which allows our people to to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• A hybrid working model (we currently allow employees to work from home 50% of the time).
• Not-for-profit salary packaging benefits. This allows our employees to reduce their tax liability on a portion of their income.
• Access to mental health support through our EAP, Uprise, a service that gives our employees access to professional psychological support for personal, family, mental health, and employment-related matters for you and your family.
• Support for employee learning & development, including through on-the-job & external training, coaching, workshops, and our online learning platform, the ChildFund Academy.

Department: Fundraising, Philanthropy

Location: ChildFund Australia, Level 8, 162 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Employment: Full-time

Reports to: Philanthropy Manager

Other Information: Must have full working rights in Australia.

Email us at hr@childfund.org.au if you have any other questions about the role.

ChildFund Australia believes in a global community where children are safe and can reach their full potential. We take extensive steps to safeguard children in any work done by our people, i.e., our staff, volunteers and interns, supporters, partners, board members, ambassadors and suppliers. We strive to keep children safe through child safe practices, and rigorously ensure we prevent, oppose, and combat all exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people. As part of this commitment, all people working with us will undergo relevant background checks before joining ChildFund Australia.

At ChildFund Australia, all staff must remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding or sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment (SEAH) risks. Staff will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand our Child Safeguarding and PSEAH policies & procedures, promote strong safeguarding practices, and conduct themselves consistent with these policies.

In line with our values, diversity of people and ideas is critical to our work and our success at ChildFund Australia. We strive for a team culture that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. Childfund is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and strongly encourages people from all backgrounds, abilities, and identities to apply for any vacancies.