• Lead the next phase of philanthropy growth at Wesley Mission
• Drive major donor, trusts & foundations and corporate fundraising
• Executive package | Hybrid working | Sydney-based role

The Organisation

Wesley Mission is a faith-based organisation delivering essential services and advocacy to support people and communities across New South Wales, the ACT and nationally, including through programs such as Lifeforce suicide prevention. Guided by its promise of “driven to do more good because every life matters”, Wesley Mission combines frontline service delivery with a strong advocacy voice, working not only to support individuals and communities, but to address the systemic drivers of disadvantage.

Operating across aged care, housing, disability, mental health and community services, Wesley Mission is uniquely positioned to deliver both direct impact and long-term social change. Over recent years, Wesley Mission has invested significantly in transforming its marketing and fundraising capability, including a refreshed brand, new website, stronger strategic marketing capability and a growing fundraising function. Philanthropy has been identified as a major strategic priority, with strong support from the Executive Leadership Team and Board to build long-term philanthropic growth.

Benefits & Culture

• Purpose-led organisation combining service delivery with advocacy and reform
• Strong executive and Board support for philanthropy growth and investment
• Collaborative, values-driven culture with autonomy and executive exposure
• Executive salary package with hybrid working arrangements

The Role

Reporting to the Executive General Manager, Marketing & Fundraising, this position will lead Wesley Mission’s philanthropy strategy and growth across major donors, high-net-worth individuals, trusts & foundations and corporate partnerships.

This is a strategically important leadership role, tasked with building on the strong foundations already established while shaping the next phase of philanthropic growth for the organisation. Working closely with the executive, CEO, Board and senior operational leaders, you will deepen donor engagement, strengthen fundraising capability and drive sustainable revenue growth.

Importantly, this role is not about starting from scratch. Significant groundwork has already been completed, including strategy development, case for support refinement, donor identification and foundational philanthropy infrastructure. You will bring the judgement, ambition and strategic capability to build on this momentum and translate it into long-term growth.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and implementing philanthropy strategy across major donors, HNWIs, trusts & foundations and corporates
• Growing and strengthening Wesley Mission’s major donor and HNWI pipeline
• Building compelling fundraising propositions, donor engagement plans and cases for support
• Developing strong internal relationships across programs, leadership and church networks
• Driving supporter acquisition, stewardship and long-term relationship management
• Leading and mentoring a growing philanthropy function
• Contributing to broader fundraising and organisational strategy through to 2028 and beyond

Skills Required

You are an experienced and relationship-driven philanthropy leader with a proven ability to grow income, build strategic relationships and create momentum within complex organisations.

You may currently work within a major charity, university, hospital, faith-based organisation or sophisticated fundraising environment and are motivated by the opportunity to help shape a significant growth phase within a highly respected organisation.

You will bring:

• Demonstrated success in major gifts, trusts & foundations and/or corporate fundraising
• Strong strategic fundraising capability, including growth planning and pipeline development
• Experience building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, donors and partners
• Ability to balance ambition with pragmatism and long-term sustainability
• Experience building or scaling philanthropy functions, programmes or portfolios
• A proactive, self-directed and outcomes-focused working style
• Strong leadership capability, with the ability to mentor and support a growing team

You will bring the energy, humility, relational capability and cultural alignment required to thrive within a values-driven Christian organisation. An alignment with, and ability to work within, the ethos and values of a Christian organisation is important. Experience engaging with faith-based communities or church networks will be highly regarded.

next steps

If you are inspired by the opportunity to lead and grow philanthropy within one of Australia’s most respected community organisations, we would welcome your application.

Please click 'Apply Now' to submit your CV and covering letter responding to the skills required or contact Judith Marks or Richard Green at NGO Recruitment on (02) 8243 0570 for a confidential discussion.

To request a full information package please email: [email protected] using the subject line: Head of Philanthropy - Wesley Mission enquiry via EthicalJobs (no applications here please).

Please note there is no formal closing date for this role, if you are interested, we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

NGO Recruitment values equitable recruitment practices and is committed to representing candidates reflective of the diverse organisations and communities we work with. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds, ages, and identities, and are happy to adjust our recruitment process to support accessibility needs. If you are interested in this position and have most of the skills or experience we are looking for, please go ahead and apply.