We are looking for a full-time Fundraising Event Specialist to lead the delivery of our signature and peer-to-peer fundraising events, including 24-hour Treadmill Challenge, A Very Special Ride, Footy Finals Fever, A Very Special Ladies Lunch, Piggy Bank Appeal and more. Help us grow income, increase engagement, and raise awareness through the development, implementation, and evaluation of our fundraising events.

As a key member of our team, you will lead the operations of all fundraising events, ensuring they are impactful, well-executed, and aligned with our mission. You’ll also play a vital role in stewardship and engagement, cultivating lasting relationships with supporters and stakeholders, while leveraging data and analytics to drive continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the strategy, planning, and delivery of all fundraising events and peer-to-peer campaigns.

Manage event logistics, budgets, suppliers, and risk to ensure seamless execution.

Build and nurture relationships with sponsors, event committees, and suppliers.

Champion stewardship and supporter journeys to drive retention and long-term engagement.

Use Salesforce and reporting tools to track performance, optimise campaigns, and inform decision-making.

Lead and develop a high-performing fundraising events team, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

About you

You’re a strategic thinker and hands-on leader with a passion for delivering exceptional events that inspire action and generosity. You bring:

7+ years’ experience in fundraising, event management, or nonprofit development.

Proven success in delivering high-impact events and achieving income targets.

Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Experience leading teams and managing cross-functional projects.

Proficiency in CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and data-driven reporting.

A genuine connection to the mission of Very Special Kids and empathy for the families we support.

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 a strategic thinker and hands-on leader with a passion for delivering exceptional events, a talent for building relationships, and a data-driven mindset that ensures continuous improvement and measurable impact. You will bring:

Proven experience in leading and developing high-performing teams.

Strong background in stakeholder relationship management, change management, conflict resolution, and negotiation.

Demonstrated success in fundraising and event strategy and operations.

Skilled in using data and reporting tools to evaluate performance and drive improvements.

Exceptional organizational and communication skills.

Passionate about creating memorable experiences that make a difference.

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 description on our website https://vsk.org.au/who-we-are/careers/.

Applications are open until Sunday 19 October 2025. Please include a cover letter, addressing the key selection criteria and an updated copy of your resume via [email protected]. We will review applications as they are received.

Very Special Kids is committed to providing a child-safe environment and requires all staff to have Working with Children Check and Police Record Checks. Clinical Services staff are also required to provide evidence to demonstrate vaccination against COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccinations.