Community Fundraising Specialist

• Awarded Fundraising Team of the Year in 2022 by the Fundraising Institute of Australia, be a part of an exciting and collaborative team.
• Lead and drive the Community Fundraising and Peer to Peer program.
• Permanent, full-time, Richmond location with flexible working options.

The organisation

When people talk about the Flying Doctor, thoughts generally turn to red-bellied planes undertaking rescue missions in the Outback. Our history, however, is heavily based in Victoria with four of the major founding figures hailing from remote and rural communities across the state. Furthermore, the first ratified Section of RFDS was Victoria, after a formal constitution was signed at Melbourne Town Hall in 1934.

The current Victorian story is one that reflects today challenges for people living in remote and rural communities across the state, yet remains faithful to the original philosophy of “connecting people with care”.

While we do still transport people by air and by road, this work is complemented by delivering a range of primary health services.

These services address the most common issues people living in country Victoria face when accessing health care.

Our services:

• Help overcome the burden of distance.
• Enable people to receive care in their own community.
• Help people take control of their own health.
• Help overcome isolation.

The Flying Doctor is an iconic organisation that was recently awarded as Australia’s Most Trusted Charity in the 2024 Reader’s Digest Brand Awards for the fourth year in a row. This sits alongside our current title as Australia’s Most Reputable Charity from the RepTrak Survey in January – a position we have held for 12 of the past 13 years.

The team and position

Awarded Fundraising Team of the Year in 2022 by the Fundraising Institute of Australia, the RFDS Marketing and Fundraising team’s purpose is to acquire and grow strong relationships to enable the work of RFDS Victoria through meaningful support.

The Community Fundraising Specialist will work as a part of our high performing and collaborative Marketing & Fundraising team.

The role will be responsible for leading and driving the Community Fundraising program, with a specific focus on strategy, optimising recruitment and activation for individual fundraisers and teams to meet the revenue goals attached to each initiative.

This role requires a deep understanding of the Community Fundraising landscape, in particular Peer to Peer (P2P) and the intricacies of campaign delivery.

Through working with key internal stakeholders and supporters, this role will ensure a high level of initiative, donor-centricity, innovation, and growth across RFDS Victoria’s Community Fundraising program.

Tasks and responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing the on-going development of a successful Community Fundraising program and strategy.
• Managing and coordinating RFDS Victoria’s existing portfolio of Community Fundraising and P2P events, including expanding acquisition, activation and retention of participants in the Flying Doctor’s national campaign, Oceans to Outback.
• Grow the RFDS Victoria’s P2P brand, ‘Ground Crew’, including the promotion of mass participation events such as Run Melbourne and Melbourne Marathon and identify new opportunities to add to the Ground Crew calendar.
• Supporting and promoting community members and stakeholders to deliver their own fundraising initiatives.
• Working with the Innovation and Enablement Lead and Individual Giving team to enhance supporter experience.
• Ensuring data, insights and best practice including reporting of results are to highest standards and on time.
• Working with Fundraising Manager with input and year-round monitoring of budgets and expenditure to ensure they are in-line with targets.
• Frequent critical analysis, innovation of portfolio and developing business cases to ensure program is in-line with organisational strategy.
• Managing and coordinating of digital fundraising and e-marketing platforms.

Capabilities, knowledge and skills required:

• Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in Community Fundraising, Peer to Peer programs (essential), financial management and reporting.
• Demonstrable leadership skills in improving, driving and managing a Community Fundraising program.
• Experience in coordinating a range of successful Community Fundraising acquisition and engagement programs with devoted donor focus.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications (such as Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Business, Fundraising, Events or Marketing).
• Prior experience or knowledge of Raiser’s Edge or other CRM software.

Mandatory requirements:

In line with RFDS Victoria’s mandatory policies, all employees are required to undergo a National Police Clearance, hold a Working with Children Check and have 3 * Covid vaccinations and annual influenza vaccination.

For any queries, call David Rogers, People & Culture on 03 8412 0495.

Applications will be reviewed as received. RFDS Victoria hold the right to withdraw the position prior to close date.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Victoria, is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from individuals of underrepresented backgrounds to apply, including but not limited to, those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTQI communities. Please note all applicants require the right to work in Australia.