Community Engagement and Fundraising Lead

About the Role

We’re seeking a proactive individual to lead our external communications and engagement, and drive the development of our fundraising and income generation. You will help refine how we communicate our work, maintain and develop key relationships, and contribute to building a more financially sustainable future.

As the Community Engagement and Fundraising Lead, you will be adept at working with people across backgrounds and sectors. You will confidently and clearly communicate your passion for Paradise Cooperative’s work, and the importance of community-centred and accessible opportunities to engage with urban nature.

As part of a small team, you will be ready to take initiative and able to prioritise what matters most — the ability to work pragmatically, make decisions, and keep things moving is essential. This is a role for someone who is excited by building and improving systems over time.

We’re looking for someone who genuinely cares about community-rooted work and is comfortable working with autonomy. You’ll need to be adaptable and responsive, able to shift focus with the natural rhythm of the seasons and the evolving needs of the organisation.

Role Details

Start Date: 15th June 2026, ideally (with potential for handover days earlier in June)
Location: Wandsworth, London. This role is primarily remote, with regular on-site meetings and event attendance required.
Working Days: 0.5 FTE, flexible, with core team days typically Tuesday to Thursday
Contract Type: Fixed-term employee contract to 31 October 2027, with the intention to extend subject to funding.
Salary: £33,000 FTE, pro-rata.

Key Responsibilities

This role has two main strands:

1. Engagement and Communication
   This strand focuses on building Paradise’s visibility, strengthening relationships and ensuring our communications reflect the energy, impact and values of the organisation. It includes leading external communications, coordinating community and partner engagement, managing external enquiries, and helping translate day-to-day delivery into clear and compelling stories, opportunities and partnerships.
2. Development of growth of diverse income sources
   This strand focuses on developing and coordinating diverse unrestricted income streams that support Paradise’s long-term sustainability. It includes helping grow earned income opportunities, managing paid activity enquiries and bookings, building supporter and partner relationships, and working closely with the Director to test and develop income approaches aligned with Paradise’s mission and capacity.

Engagement, Profile & Communications

• Maintain and refine Paradise’s strategic communication approach.
• Lead and produce Paradise’s external communications activity, including social media, website, newsletters, and promotional materials.
• Develop templates and processes that enable facilitators to manage event-level communications consistently and efficiently.
• Work with colleagues to gather stories, updates and impact from across programmes, and translate them into compelling external content.

Partnerships & External Relationships

• Act as a first point of contact for external enquiries and opportunities, responding directly or routing to the appropriate team member.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with mission-aligned organisations, including community groups and public sector partners, to extend the reach and impact of our programmes.
• Identify collaboration opportunities that support participation, profile or income generation.

Income Development and Diversification

• Lead the development of a focused range of unrestricted income opportunities, working closely with the Director to test and grow approaches aligned to Paradise’s mission.
• Manage enquiries and bookings across paid activities such as workshops, corporate volunteering and site hire.
• Build and maintain relationships with local businesses, corporate partners and individual supporters to generate income and grow our supporter base.
• Track performance of income-generating activity and use insights to inform ongoing development.

Wider Contribution

• Contribute as a member of the leadership team to the organisation’s overall direction, culture, and long-term strategy
• Ensure engagement, communications and income development are informed by programme insight and organisational priorities.
• Maintain a strong understanding of Paradise’s delivery by regularly attending, leading or supporting community sessions, events and activities on site.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation activities, using learning to strengthen engagement, communications and income development.
• Contribute to funding applications and monitoring reports as required.

Person Specification

Essential Experience, Skills and Approach

• Experience leading external communications, marketing or engagement within a small organisation or similar environment
• Strong understanding of how to plan, prioritise and deliver effective communications across channels (e.g. social media, email, website)
• Experience developing and managing partnerships or external relationships, with the ability to identify and act on opportunities
• Experience contributing to or leading income generation activity (e.g. fundraising, earned income, partnerships or business development)
• Confident using communications and data systems and tools (e.g. CRM systems, email marketing platforms, social media scheduling tools), and able to manage and refine these over time
• Able to carry out basic website updates and content editing
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work independently
• Comfortable working with autonomy in a small team, taking ownership of an area of work
• Pragmatic and solutions-focused, and interested in building and improving systems and processes over time
• Adaptable and responsive, able to adjust to changing priorities and seasonal rhythms

Desirable

• Experience working in a charity, community or environmental organisation
• Experience with CRM systems or basic data tracking
• Experience contributing to funding applications or reporting