Sydenham Garden is seeking to appoint a Community Engagement and Fundraising Lead for two days per week on a fixed term contract for two years. They will join our team of 14 staff and 70 volunteers supporting people living with mental ill-health and dementia in south-east London.
Positions: Community Engagement and Fundraising Lead
Contract: Fixed term for 1 year,
Hours: 0.4 FTE 15 hours per week
Salary: £38,000 pro rata
Annual leave: 33 days including bank holidays pro rata
Location: Sydenham Garden Resource Centre, SE23 2LW or working from home – minimum 1 day a month in office
Our Organisation
Sydenham Garden, based in Lewisham in South-East London, is a special, unique and beloved wellbeing centre utilising its gardens, nature reserve and activity rooms to help people living with and recovering from mental and physical ill-health. We were established in 2002 and will celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2027. We provide nature and arts based creative, social and therapeutic activities for co-workers (the name we give our primary beneficiaries). People are referred to us from community organisations and health professionals and we use an integrative approach where those with different degrees of mental and physical ill health come together with volunteers from the local community to reduce social exclusion and prejudice. Each year we work with on average over 250 co-workers and over 70 volunteers.
About you
You’ll have experience in building relationships with individual donors, increasing income from community sources and engaging and enthusing volunteers and supporters around a cause. You’ll have excellent communication and people skills and feel comfortable both thinking strategically and managing competing priorities day-to-day. Most importantly, you’ll thrive in a small team working to make a big impact for people living with mental ill-health and dementia.
Why you should join us
Sydenham Garden is a small team rooted in our local community, and that community is at the centre of everything we do; from the people we support, to the volunteers and neighbours who get involved in our gardens and our work in all sorts of ways.
We work collaboratively, support each other across different areas of the organisation, and aren’t afraid to try new approaches and learn from what doesn’t work. We’re values-led, we care deeply about our impact, and we hold ourselves accountable to the people and communities we serve.
We’re also confident advocates for our work, and comfortable making the case for Sydenham Garden to funders, partners and the wider community.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Sydenham Garden is committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We want to build a diverse and inclusive staff, volunteer and trustee team where everyone feels that they belong and that reflects the profile of the communities we serve. Therefore, we will welcome and consider applications from candidates of all backgrounds and protected characteristics, and we particularly encourage applications from people of African or Caribbean heritage to ensure our staff team represents the communities we serve.
How to Apply
To apply, please send us a CV together with a supporting statement that addresses how you meet the following criteria in the Person Specification:
- A proven track record of increasing charity income through community fundraising activities.
- Proven relationship management experience with individual donors or stewarding donor journeys
- Experience of developing and delivering a fundraising strategy in a small charity or Experience contributing to or supporting the development of a fundraising strategy in a small charity or similar setting
- Passionate about community-based work and committed to Sydenham Garden’s mission and values.
The supporting statement should be no more than two A4 pages, minimum font size 11. Applications should be made by email to: jobs@sydenhamgarden.org.uk with ‘Community Engagement and Fundraising Lead’ in the subject line.
A note on the use of AI for your supporting statement:
We understand applicants may use AI tools for accessibility support and for proofreading, or structuring their thoughts. However, we’re looking for authentic examples from your own experience and your genuine voice. We ask that your supporting statement is not drafted entirely through generative AI.
Recruitment Timeline
Deadline for applications: 9am Monday 13 April
Interviews: Friday 24 April
Do you have any questions? If you would like to find out more about the role then we can arrange an informal chat with Beth or Lowell, our Co-Directors, please contact jobs@sydenhamgarden.org.uk to arrange a call.
A diverse workforce is important to us, and for this reason, we request that you complete our equal opportunities form here, which is kept separately from the recruitment process.
Download the full Job Description and Person Specification here.
