Fundraising event specialist

• Create unforgettable experiences that make a real difference
• Support children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
• Join a compassionate, purpose-driven team
• Full-time role based in Malvern, with flexible work options

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.

As Fundraising Event Specialist, you will:

• 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 not for profit 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.

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 organisational and communication skills.
• Passionate about creating memorable experiences that make a difference.

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.

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.

Applications are open until Tuesday 9 September.

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.