World Change Starts with Educated Children®
2025 is our 25th Anniversary! Join Us in Celebrating 25 Years of Progress.
IMPORTANT: All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located. Room to Read is not able to provide sponsorship.
Fundraising Coordinator, Sydney, Australia
Location: Sydney, Australia (must be willing to meet donors and prospects in person)
The Opportunity
Room to Read is seeking a dynamic, personable, and results-oriented Development Associate to cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and partners across Australia. This role is critical in strengthening existing relationships and building new ones to grow financial support for Room to Read’s mission.
Reporting to the Development Director, Australia, you will manage a portfolio of mid- to high-net-worth individuals, corporate partners, and foundations. If you are Sydney-based, motivated, and experienced in fundraising or high-value relationship management, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Do
Fundraising (85%)
- Generate a minimum of AUD 600,000 annually by managing a portfolio of ~75 donors and prospects at the AUD 5,000+ giving level.
- Partner with the Development Director to implement a mid-level giving strategy, engaging and upgrading donors at the AUD 1,000+ level.
- Cultivate and steward high-value donors by developing tailored engagement and long-term giving strategies.
- Identify new fundraising opportunities and build a robust pipeline of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects.
- Match donor interests with organizational priorities by staying current on Room to Read’s programs and strategy.
Donor Engagement & Events (15%)
- Support events in Australia, including fundraising galas, boutique donor gatherings, virtual events, and leadership engagements.
- Collaborate with Room to Read’s global team to create donor communications, proposals, updates, and stewardship materials.
- Represent Room to Read at cultivation meetings and fundraising/awareness-building events.
- Analyze donor trends and track revenue using Salesforce CRM and other tools to inform strategies, forecasts, and reporting.
In Your First 3–6 Months, You Will
- Build knowledge of Room to Read’s programs, fundraising operations, and global team.
- Develop annual stewardship plans for your donor portfolio.
- Support and contribute to fundraising events, especially the annual gala, and other donor engagement activities.
What You’ll Bring
- 3–5 years of fundraising or high-value sales experience, with demonstrated success securing AUD 20,000+ gifts or equivalent sales results.
- Strong track record in managing and growing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and/or foundations.
- Persuasive communication and presentation skills for donor meetings, proposals, and events (in-person and virtual).
- Experience supporting or leading fundraising events such as galas, cultivation dinners, or donor engagement activities.
- Proven ability to create and execute strategies that strengthen donor engagement and long-term giving.
- Skilled at building and managing fundraising pipelines.
- Proficiency in Salesforce or similar CRMs; comfortable with data-driven analysis and reporting.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Experience from the private sector (e.g., private banking, family offices, luxury brands, or corporate foundations) also welcome.
Compensation & Benefits
At Room to Read, we want our team to thrive both professionally and personally. We offer:
- Competitive salary range: AUD 86,110 – 102,359, commensurate with skills and experience.
- Superannuation contributions to support your financial future.
- Generous paid leave including 20 days of annual leave, personal/carer’s leave, and recognition of all national public holidays.
- Paid parental leave in line with Australian legislation to support you and your family.
- Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid options, to help you balance work and life.
- Professional growth opportunities, with access to global colleagues, learning resources, and skill development initiatives.
- A mission-driven, supportive workplace culture where your work directly contributes to creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality.
Child Protection Principles
- Room to Read is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation
- Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation.
- All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation, including neglect, maltreatment, and physical, mental or sexual violence, injury or abuse.
- All children should be treated with respect and dignity.
- The well-being of the child is Room to Read’s first priority when dealing with all identified or suspected cases of child abuse.
- Room to Read shall integrate child protection into all its organizational strategies, structures and work practices.
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Principles
- Room to Read Representatives must create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
- Room to Read has zero tolerance for adult sexual exploitation and abuse.
- Sexual exploitation and abuse are serious violations of fundamental human rights and will not be accepted or tolerated.
- All adults should be treated with respect and dignity.
- Room to Read implements a survivor-centered approach, putting the survivor’s rights and dignity at the forefront.
- Survivors referred to available professional assistance (e.g. mental health counselling), upon consent.
Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.
Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel must adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy, Child Protection Code of Conduct and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy.
About Room to Read:
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow – creating lasting change. Through our Literacy Portfolio, we train and coach teachers of the early grades in literacy instruction; create and publish quality books and curricular materials in local languages; and establish children’s libraries filled with diverse children’s books that can be enjoyed at school and home. Our Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality, helping them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions.
We support young people of all genders to overcome gender biases and build the knowledge and skills to create a gender-equal world. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations, publishers, and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 50 million children in 28 countries.
Learn more at
www.roomtoread.org
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