PlanetRomeo Foundation is an independent non-profit fund, established in 2009 to contribute to the fight for equal rights and opportunities for LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and non-binary) people. With the support of online platform Romeo BV, PlanetRomeo Foundation established itself as an accessible and recognized funding partner for both its funded initiatives and the international LGBTQIA+ funding field.
We are looking for a board member in charge of Fundraising, an unpaid volunteering position in the management board, for a period of 3 years, starting as soon as possible. The workload is about 4 hours per week, with peaks and lows throughout the year.
Job description
PlanetRomeo Foundation funds grassroots community organisers, shelters, sports and culture projects in the Majority World (Global South): our partners contribute structurally to gender equality, safety and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ individuals worldwide.
The Foundation currently receives about 80% of its funds from Romeo BV, complemented by occasional crowdfunding among the Romeo platform-users and a few private donors who make small recurring contributions. Currently, we receive more good quality applications than we can und. In the coming years, we want to be able to fund more projects. As we need to fund more projects, in a world that is going through a myriad of crises affecting LGBTQIA+ people specifically or unequally compared to our cis-straight peers.
The management board therefore chose to invest in professionalising the fund during the past 2 years: we’ve implemented an online applications platform to better service our partners, measure our impact and adjust our strategy. We’ve hired a freelancer to help with project administration and are currently finalising a Theory of Change.
These investments have proven successful in terms of applications received and funded. From now on,we have to better balance our overhead costs and project funding by raising more funds. Our current annual budget is about EUR 200k: we have set the goal to increase this to EUR 400k annually by the end of 2025. We have started working on a strategic communications strategy to clarify our message to potential (corporate) sponsors and institutional funds, and we are now looking for an experienced fundraiser to take our Foundation to the next level.
For the next three years, your essential tasks would be:
- Develop and execute the fundraising strategy: drafting a fundraising project plan for 2024-2025 with clear goals and clear planning. You involve the whole management board while drafting your plan, and work closely together with the communications person. During the execution of the plan, you involve the whole board, but you remain in the lead to track the progress and keep the plan moving forward.
- As the need for fundraising has become bigger than the need for administrative help in project administration, we are in the process of switching from freelance help in administration, to help in fundraising. We have a budget available to hire a paid professional to help you start up the fundraising in the first months. Who this is, what their profile is and what their tasks will be, is up to you to discuss and decide together with the rest of the board.
Like the other board members, you will read and assess funding applications during the two to four funding rounds spread across the year. You join the assessment meetings where we discuss and decide which projects to fund. - The board meets every third Thursday of the month, in the evening, to discuss all matters related to the Foundation. We alternate online meetings and meetings at the Romeo office in Amsterdam, next to Amsterdam Central Station. You need to be able to travel to the Romeo office when necessary. There are short check-in moments between different board members throughout the month. On top of the monthly meetings and check-ins, we have one or two strategy days per year, including a dinner, and two Supervisory Board meetings per year.
Who are we looking for?
Especially at an earlier stage in your career, we do not expect you to meet all requirements. The most important aspect is that you are enthusiastic about the work and the mission of the Foundation. You have relevant experience in fundraising, a relevant network, and time and energy to help the Foundation grow. You don’t need previous board experience.
- You are a LGBTQIA+ person, who wholeheartedly endorses our goals;
- You have at least 5 years of experience with corporate or institutional fundraising or raising investment rounds;
- You have a relevant network among funds, corporations or institutions, who might be interested in structurally funding PlanetRomeo Foundation;
- Project Management skills: drafting, planning and executing a strategic fundraising plan. You like working together and discussing your ideas with a team. You work in a structured and well-documented way, so our fundraising can successfully continue when your term ends;
- Hands-on mentality, flexibility and patience. You understand the limits of a volunteer organisation.
- You are excited to contribute to our overall work as an LGBTQIA+ fund, which includes communication, funding and finances;
- You are interested in reading the funding applications of the many small, grassroots LGBTQIA+ organisations that apply for funding throughout the year;
- You speak and write English fluently. You don’t need to speak Dutch (but we’re here for you if you want to practise).
The board consists of a chair, a vice-chair in charge of funding strategy and partner relations, a treasurer, general secretary and communications board member. We are currently a mostly-white board, 2 men, 2 women and 1 non-binary person, ages between 29 and 70. We encourage candidates who are womxn of colour, trans, intersex or NB people to apply.
What do we offer?
- An opportunity to gain board experience at an internationally renowned LGBTQIA+ fund;
- The opportunity to read, learn from and support incredible initiatives, that have a direct impact on LGBTQIA+ people and communities around the world;
- If our structural fundraising is successful due to your efforts, you will have been directly responsible for improving the lives of thousands of LGBTQIA+ people from Uganda to Fiji, Bolivia to Sri Lanka, now, and in the future, long after your time in the board;
- To gain knowledge about the functioning of an international fund, come into contact with other funds and (strategic) partner organisations, learn about impact measuring and (re)shaping fundraising and funding strategy.
We are a warm team of committed and passionate people who enjoy hanging out after meetings every once in a while.
About PlanetRomeo Foundation
PlanetRomeo Foundation gives one-time grants of a maximum EUR 6.000,- to grassroots, emerging LGBTQIA+ projects, where it’s needed most. We fund projects within 3 focus areas: Community Building, Shelter and Sports/Culture. We prioritise projects from the Majority World.
We are learning about trust-based finance, participatory grantmaking and decolonization, in our ongoing efforts to improve our organisation and impact.
Over the last 14 years, the Foundation funded over 366 projects and spent over EUR 1,48 million in funding, in 95 countries.
Read our Annual Report 2022 and Strategic Plan 2023-2025.
The Management Board takes care of the Foundation’s ongoing activities: reviewing and granting funding requests, evaluating funded projects, management of the Foundation’s resources, communications and fundraising, the Foundation’s long-term strategy and position in the international funding field. The Board reports about its work to the Supervisory Board. The Foundation has one paid freelancer.
Information & application:
Jos Koster,
[email protected]
You can email us a letter, resume, video, portfolio: whatever you feel shows you as a person, and your work experience, best.
Feel free to contact us first if you have any questions.
There is no deadline: the vacancy is open until filled.