Role: Development & Fundraising coordinator
Location: Garden Organic, Wolston Lane, Coventry, CV8 3LG

Key Requirements: The Development Coordinator will provide invaluable support for Garden Organic’s fundraising strategy. We are diversifying and scaling up our fundraising and income generation activity to increase our impact as a charity. This is a fast-paced and varied role for a committed and enthusiastic colleague. You will be expected to work to deadlines and collaborate closely with colleagues in other departments across the organisation.

Hours: 28-35 hours per week.
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £26,500 – £28,500 pro rata per annum
Role subject to DBS Check: No

About us:

At Garden Organic we care about organic growing, composting, seed conservation, research and citizen science. Our small but hugely knowledgeable and committed team is backed by a family of members and volunteers, all dedicated to growing food and flowers in harmony with nature. We are an established, experienced and innovative membership charity, working in communities around the UK and campaigning for organic practice which protects and promotes life above and below the soil. Now in our seventh decade, we are also home to the vitally important Heritage Seed Library a living collection of 800 rare vegetable varieties that otherwise would have died out.

Our mission is to show people how to be organic growers and in doing so, we strive to be a great place to work, volunteer or partner with. We care about what we do, how we do it, and the impact we make. We believe that our time is now – when people are actively seeking positive contributions that they can make in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change.

About the role:

You will be reporting to our Director of Communities and your core responsibilities and main duties are as follows:

Research opportunities to fundraise for key strategic projects.
Administer and update a pipeline of Trust and Foundation funders.
Be proactive about cultivation opportunities, including event planning and delivery.
Write and edit, in conjunction with your manager and/or team, fundraising submissions, including budgets, project summaries and initial approaches to Trusts and Foundations.
Build and look after relationships with current and potential new Trusts, Foundations and donors – assisting with stakeholder management.
Managing a planning schedule to ensure bids and reports are submitted on time and that all relevant compliance is observed.
Work with teams across the organisation to create and deliver fundraising appeals.
Acknowledge donations and thank donors in line with current procedures, ensuring all information is properly entered onto the database and records are maintained.
Provide regular verbal and written fundraising updates to the organisation, externally and to funders.
Provide proactive administration in meetings and for projects.
Write and deliver a quarterly plan detailing how you will identity new opportunities for fundraising and then progress those opportunities into positive connections and relationships.
Ensure you maintain up to date knowledge about Garden Organic's work, research, successes and ongoing projects at all times, in order that you can confidently represent us and seek out appropriate fundraising opportunities

What we are looking for:

We are looking for someone to join the team who’s not just good at making connections—but great at cultivating them. The successful candidate will have a mindset and approach for seeking, forging and pursuing meaningful and positive relationships. A background and extensive experience of fundraising is not essential, however, you should be able to demonstrate and evidence a strong track record of developing and maintaining professional relationships. You will be super organised and able to juggle competing priorities.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative, motivated self-starter, keen to take ownership and play a significant role in driving Garden Organic forward.

What we can offer:

•    Salary: £26,500 - £28,500 pro-rata per annum
•    25 days Holiday plus bank holidays and additional leave at Christmas (pro-rata)
•    Additional long service holiday
•    Group Pension Scheme with 8% employer contribution
•    Employee Assistance Programme
•    Salary Extras benefits platform (Instant discount scheme and health, wellbeing and financial support)
•    We Care benefits platform (With access to virtual GP consultations, nutritionist support, get fit programmes, smoking cessation and further health and wellbeing support)
•    TOIL for additional hours worked
•    Life Assurance
•    Garden Organic membership

Person Specification:

Experience	Essential	Desirable
Donor/client relations or fundraising background: Familiarity with cultivating relationships, managing pipelines, making asks.	ü
Event Planning: Experience planning and coordinating events.	ü
CRM/Database Proficiency: Knows way around platforms to manage donor data. (Access CRM desirable but not essential).	ü
Supporting grant writing or proposal development: Understands how to format and structure asks in ways that resonate with different funders.		ü
Working knowledge of the Code of Fundraising Practice, GDPR and related compliance.		ü
Using digital tools in a professional capacity – specifically in fundraising would be a bonus.		ü
Skilled in managing schedules, planning projects, recording meetings and keeping things moving forward.		ü
Knowledge and Skills	Essential	Desirable
Relevant experience within the development and/or fundraising sector.	ü
Educated to GCSE level or equivalent, with a high standard of literacy and numeracy.	ü
Excellent administration skills.	ü
Good attention to detail and has an editing eye.	ü
Scheduling and project planning.		ü
Ability to gather data and build evidence to support proposals.		ü
You will be able to communicate to a high professional standard, both in person and in writing.	ü
You will be confident and skilled at building professional, genuine and courteous relationships.	ü
You will be naturally curious, enjoy asking questions and will be enthusiastic about meeting new people	ü
You will have the ability and confidence to deliver formal presentations.		ü
Approach and Mindset	Essential	Desirable
Team player: we all work together to succeed and the ability to contribute to the team effort is essential.	ü
Empathetic listener: Picks up on subtle cues, understands motivations, and builds genuine trust.	ü
Persuasive communicator: Can tailor messages to different audiences, speak with confidence, and inspire action.	ü
Resilient and adaptable: Handles rejection of funding requests or shifting priorities without losing momentum or morale.	ü
Authentic and personable: Comes across as sincere and warm, not transactional or pushy.	ü
Creative approach: Able to adapt to appeal to donors and funders.		ü
Access to reliable transportation is required as this role will require some travel.	ü

How to Apply:

All applicants must complete a Garden Organic Application Form along with a covering letter explaining why you think you would be a great fit for the role. We pay close attention to covering letters so please do send us one.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early depending on response levels.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion applications will be anonymised before being submitted to our recruitment panel.

Recruitment Timetable:

Application Deadline: Monday 22nd September 2025

Equal Opportunities:

At Garden Organic we embrace diversity and recognise the value it brings to our organisation. As such, we match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates and welcome candidates from various backgrounds irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity or reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and take pride in ensuring that everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered.

Garden Organic is also a Disability Confident Employer and aims to create opportunities wherever possible. It should be noted that some of our roles require travel and attendance at events where accessibility arrangements will vary.

Safer Recruitment:

Garden Organic is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects employees, associates and volunteers to share this commitment. We may require some candidates to undertake a DBS check relevant to the requirements of the role.

Please note that we only accept applications from individuals with the right to work in the UK. We are unable to sponsor working visa applications.

To find out more about our Charity, our ambition, our successes and why it is a great time to be joining Garden Organic, along with our Privacy Statement please head to our website at www.gardenorganic.org.uk