Reporting to the Philanthropy Manager, the Philanthropy Specialist will play a key role in building and managing relationships with major donors to support income growth and long-term engagement.

As Philanthropy Specialist, you will focus on soliciting a portfolio of current and new donors, developing tailored stewardship and ask strategies, and supporting the development of compelling funding propositions aligned to donor interests.

The specialist will be responsible for prospecting and acquiring major donors to generate revenue growth, delivering multi-channel stewardship strategies, and supporting donor engagement activities including events, meetings, and communications. The busy and dynamic role will also support prospect research, contribute to the development of cases for support, and ensure all donor activity is accurately tracked and evaluated within the CRM (Salesforce).

This position is ideal for someone with strong donor prospecting and conversion capability, as well as relationship management skills. It offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the growth of the major gifts program and make a meaningful impact on the future of fundraising at Very Special Kids.

At Very Special Kids, we nurture and foster a culture where our team is empowered, supported and safe through the process of caring for children, young people, and families. Very Special Kids is committed to the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children. Our Child Safety Policy, Rights of the Child Charter and Charter of Rights outlines our commitment to child safety and the expectations we have for staff, contractors and volunteers when working with children and young people.

As part of our team, you will have access to education and training to enhance your personal and professional development; expert specialist resources; and the well-being support you need to make a bigger impact to the organisation that supports the children, young people and families in our care.

About Very Special Kids:

At Very Special Kids, we believe that all children and young people have the right to a quality of life, no matter how long or short their life may be. We are a highly respected organisation with circa 100 employees and over 600 volunteers who provide essential, free-of-charge, palliative care services for children and young people living with a life-limiting condition. Very Special Kids provides specialist services for the whole family, including counselling, peer support, bereavement support and respite and end of life care at Victoria’s only hospice for children and young people.

To be successful you’ll be relationship-builder with a keen eye for detail and a passion for purpose-driven work. You will bring:

Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Experience in fundraising, donor relations and stakeholder engagement

Excellent organisational and project coordination abilities

A proactive, collaborative, and donor-centric mindset

Familiarity with CRM systems (Salesforce experience a plus)

A passion for making a difference in the lives of children and families

Very Special Kids offers its employees a unique and rewarding environment including a supportive team, beautiful setting conveniently located in Malvern close to Glenferrie Road shops. Employee benefits including free onsite parking, not-for-profit salary packaging, health & wellbeing initiatives, and professional development allowance to support career development.

At Very Special Kids, our goal is for our workforce to reflect the diverse community we serve. We continually seek to employ people of any gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, with a disability, Aboriginal Australians and varied cultural backgrounds. If this sounds like you, please take a look at the position on our website at www.vsk.org.au