Senior Philanthropy and Partnership Manager

Save the Rhino International

1. Brief job description

Role: Senior Philanthropy and Partnership Manager
Salary: £35,000 – £45,000 based on experience
Holiday allowance: 25 days per annum plus UK bank holidays
Contract type: Permanent
Probation period: Three months
Hours of work: Core hours are between 10am and 4pm. You will work 7 hours per day (excluding a lunch break) 5 days per week. Start / end times can be flexible, so long as the core hours are worked (or a variation in agreement with your line manager)
Location: Save the Rhino International supports a hybrid work model. For this role, it is anticipated that you will work a minimum of three days a week from our office (Unit 3, Coach House Mews, 217 Long Lane, London, SE1 4PR). Further flexibility can be discussed with your line manager
Line Manager: Fundraising and Partnership Lead
Start date: As soon as possible
Application closing date: 23:59 (BST) on Monday, 7 July 2025. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

2. About Save the Rhino International leading the charge!

At Save the Rhino International, we believe rhinos are magnificent, in themselves and as champions of the incredible wild landscapes in which they live. And they are endangered. To thrive, both rhinos and people need a world that is healthy, diverse and resilient.

We connect people striving to conserve rhinos and their habitats with people who want to support that vital work, and we contribute our own knowledge and skills to the conservation effort. Every day we work with a wonderful community of passionate friends, partners and supporters, to ensure that all five species of rhinos thrive in the wild.

Our core values, on which we will never compromise, are Integrity, Collaboration and Determination. We express those values through how we behave and talk to the world who we are: Friendly, Knowledgeable and Passionate.

Save the Rhino International was established as a UK-registered charity in 1994. In the financial year ending 31 March 2025, we raised £3.4 million in support of our conservation partners in Africa and Asia.

3. About the Role

This is a brand-new role with the exciting opportunity to help shape and grow Save the Rhino International s fundraising from high-net-worth individuals, charitable family trusts and foundations, and corporate partners who share our passion for conservation. As Senior Philanthropy and Partnership Manager, you will lead on building and managing relationships with both new and existing supporters, helping to secure significant funding to support our long-term goals.

You ll be responsible for the full supporter and partner journey, from identifying and approaching new prospects, to developing tailored proposals, making personal asks, and delivering excellent stewardship. You ll bring a collaborative approach, strong communication skills, and a flair for building lasting partnerships based on shared values and trust.

This is both a strategic and hands-on role, working closely with colleagues across fundraising and communications. It s ideal for someone with a strong track record in philanthropy and partnership fundraising who s ready to take the lead and make a real impact for rhinos in the wild.

Save the Rhino International is a small and friendly organisation with big ambitions. Every day, we strive to achieve our vision of all five rhino species thriving in the wild. We have an informal, genuine, and supportive atmosphere, whilst expecting high professional standards of all our staff. All members of our team are required to support the work of each other: enthusiasm, flexibility, and a willingness to pull together when required are essential.

4. Key Responsibilities

• Strategic planning and direction
  • Review and refine the philanthropy and partnerships objectives and targets within our organisational strategy, annual workplans and budgets, with the aim of increasing five- and six-figure donations
• Prospect identification and pipeline development
  • Identify new prospects across high-net-worth individuals, family trusts and foundations, and corporate trusts and foundations
  • Maintain and develop a robust pipeline of prospects and funders, using data insights and forecasting to inform planning and prioritisation
  • Conduct due diligence to ensure alignment with Save the Rhino s values and ethical fundraising practices
• Relationship building, cultivation and stewardship
  • Nurture long-term relationships with existing and prospective high net-worth individuals, charitable family trusts and foundations, corporate supporters, and Donor-Advised Funds
  • Proactively build and leverage networks, including through Save the Rhino s Patrons and Ambassadors programmes, to unlock new opportunities
  • Assess and respond to new partnership enquiries (philanthropic or corporate), exploring alignment and developing tailored approaches
  • Design and deliver effective stewardship plans for all high-value individuals, charitable family trusts and foundations, and corporates, ensuring timely acknowledgement, reporting, and ongoing engagement
  • Collaborate with the communications and marketing team to create tailored materials and supporter journeys for corporate and philanthropic audiences, using automation where appropriate
  • Strengthen relationships over time by providing personalised impact updates through reports, conversations, thank-you notes and other meaningful touchpoints
• Proposal development and income generation
  • Develop and present engaging, personalised funding proposals, applications and pitches for philanthropic and corporate audiences
  • Manage grant processes related to high net-worth individuals, charitable family trusts and foundations and corporate partners, ensuring all funding requirements, deadlines and expectations are met
  • Support the wider fundraising team in managing shared donor or partner relationships as needed
• Data management and compliance
  • Ensure all supporter and partner activity is accurately recorded in the CRM and used effectively for relationship management
  • Manage administrative tasks, including creating invoices, preparing contracts and memorandums of understanding, and tracking income and expenditure against the budget
  • Uphold GDPR, data protection, and fundraising best practice across all philanthropy and corporate partnership activity, ensuring fundraising is ethical, inclusive and legally compliant

5. Person specification

Essential skills and experience

• Proven ability to design and implement fundraising strategies for high value donors, including developing cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans
• Minimum 3 years fundraising experience with high net-worth individuals, family trusts and foundations and proven track record of securing and managing significant five and six figure donations
• Experience in developing stewardship and recognition strategies that deepen engagement and foster long-term support
• Knowledge of key sector regulations and guidance, including from the Charity Commission, Fundraising Regulator, and Chartered Institute of Fundraising, with a strong understanding of GDPR and data protection
• Experience using CRM systems and fundraising databases, with an understanding of how to apply data mining and segmentation strategies to support donor engagement and income generation
• Experience of developing high-quality funding proposals and narrative and financial reports
• Very strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence with the ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships across geographies and cultures
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to translate complex issues into compelling content that engages and inspires through storytelling
• Ability to work independently and accurately with attention to detail and meet deadlines as well as collaboratively as a part of cross-cutting teams across organisations
• Financial competence in budgeting, income and expenditure management

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience working within the conservation, wildlife, or environmental sector
• Experience managing partnerships, whether with corporates or other stakeholders, to deliver shared value and long-term impact
• Knowledge of international philanthropy trends and cross-border giving mechanisms
• Experience working with Donor-Advised Funds
• Familiarity with Salesforce or other CRM platforms commonly used in the nonprofit sector
• Understanding of corporate fundraising, CSR trends, or experience applying to corporate trusts and foundations

6. Protecting your data

Save the Rhino takes your data protection seriously. Our full privacy policy for recruitment can be found on our website.