Freelance Fundraiser
Posted Today by Walk Ride Greater Manchester
£250 Per day
Undetermined
Remote
United Kingdom
Summary: The Freelance Fundraiser role at Walk Ride GM focuses on establishing sustainable income streams to support the active travel campaign in Greater Manchester. The position involves engaging with existing supporters, exploring corporate sponsorships, and developing a membership model to enhance community engagement and funding. The role is time-limited, requiring approximately 20 days of work to create a structured fundraising approach. The ultimate goal is to secure more consistent funding to expand the campaign's reach and impact.
Key Responsibilities:
- Review existing income streams and identify opportunities for diversification.
- Design a supporter-to-donor journey and develop targeted donation appeals.
- Explore a low-overhead membership or supporter scheme.
- Identify realistic corporate sponsorship prospects and develop a sponsorship proposition.
- Conduct light-touch identification of grant opportunities.
- Deliver a fundraising plan and clear next-step recommendations.
Key Skills:
- Strong experience in individual giving and/or digital fundraising.
- Experience developing corporate sponsorship or partnerships.
- Ability to work within a small, volunteer-led organisation.
- Excellent persuasive writing and messaging skills.
- Understanding of campaigning or values-driven organisations.
- Desirable: knowledge of the active travel sector.
Salary (Rate): £250 daily
City: undetermined
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: remote
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
About Walk Ride GM
Walk Ride GM is the active travel campaign for Greater Manchester, working to make walking, wheeling and cycling the natural choice for everyday journeys. We campaign for safer streets, support local Walk Ride groups, and mobilise supporters to influence decision-makers across the city-region.
Purpose of the Role
We currently raise around £1000 a year through individual donors and occasionally receive larger one off donations from corporate sponsors or grants. We would like to take a more structured approach to increasing our revenue by engaging some external support to help us secure more sustainable funding. This will enable Walk Ride GM to:
- Expand campaign reach and community engagement across Greater Manchester
- Engage in more consultation responses
- Support and resource local Walk Ride groups
- Cover overheads for materials, events, and technology
- Move towards employing dedicated staff to strengthen delivery
Key Responsibilities
To use a time-limited freelance engagement (approx. 20 days) to establish practical, repeatable income streams focused on:
- Converting existing supporters into donors
- Testing regular giving and/or membership-style support
- Securing early corporate sponsorship or partnerships
This role is about building income systems and momentum, not ongoing delivery.
Priorities
Fundraising Review and Income Focus (3 days): Review existing income streams, supporter data, mailing list and Discord channel and identify opportunities for diversification (e.g., grants, trusts, corporate sponsorships, individual donors) Identify the most realistic individual giving and corporate sponsorship opportunities Set clear, achievable income targets for the next 6–12 months.
Individual Giving and Supporter Conversion (8 days)
Design a supporter-to-donor journey using:
- The Walk Ride GM mailing list
- The Walk Ride Discord supporter community
Develop:
- 2–3 targeted donation appeals (e.g. campaign-linked, seasonal or urgent)
- A regular giving ask (monthly donations)
- Advise on donation platforms, messaging, timing and basic donor stewardship
Membership Model Exploration and Light Testing (4 days)
Explore a simple, low-overhead membership or “supporter scheme” , including:
- Purpose and value proposition
- Pricing options and accessibility
- Alignment with Walk Ride GM’s campaigning ethos
If viable, support a small pilot or soft launch (e.g. regular donors framed as members) Provide a clear recommendation on next steps.
Corporate Sponsorship & Partnerships (4 days)
Identify 10–15 realistic corporate prospects , focusing on:
- Local or regional businesses
- Organisations aligned with health, sustainability, transport or place-making
Develop:
- A simple sponsorship / partnership proposition
- A short pitch deck or briefing note
- Support initial outreach and conversations (where appropriate)
Limited Grant Scoping (1 day)
Light-touch identification of 1–2 high-probability grant opportunities to pursue later No expectation of multiple applications within this contract
Deliverables
A concise individual giving and sponsorship-focused fundraising plan Supporter-to-donor conversion journey 2–3 donation appeals ready to deploy Regular giving / membership-style proposition Corporate sponsorship proposition and prospect list Clear next-step recommendations for the following 6–12 months
Skills and experience required
Strong experience in individual giving and/or digital fundraising Experience developing corporate sponsorship or partnerships Ability to work pragmatically within a small, volunteer-led organisation Excellent persuasive writing and messaging skills Understanding of campaigning or values-driven organisations Desirable: knowledge of the active travel sector
Contract Details
Type: Freelance/consultancy
Time commitment: Approx. 20 days total
Day rate: £250 a day
Total contract value: £5000
Duration: 6 months
Location: Remote, with occasional Greater Manchester meetings
Reporting to: Walk Ride GM Steering Group
Success Indicators
Improved conversion of supporters into donors
First regular givers or members secured
Corporate sponsorship conversations initiated
Clear, realistic pathway to sustainable income growth
Increased confidence and capability around fundraising
Email your CV and Cover Letter to harry.gray@walkridegm.org.uk