Philanthropy Research Officer

The HALO Trust; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

The HALO Trust is seeking a Philanthropy Research Officer to enhance their fundraising efforts by conducting research and managing donor relationships. This hybrid role is crucial for supporting HALO’s mission to restore lives affected by conflict through increased philanthropic income. Join a dynamic team and contribute to the growth of a vital humanitarian program.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Private medical health insurance

Non-contributory life assurance

Pension contributions matched by HALO up to 5%

Emergency medical insurance when travelling overseas

Flexible working policy

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in research for NGO or corporate sector.
• Ability to engage with stakeholders and donors effectively.
• Proactive and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on potential philanthropic donors.
• Maintain updated information on donors in CRM.
• Support the philanthropy team in global fundraising efforts.

Skills

Research and due diligence

Interest in philanthropic giving

Understanding of GDPR

Strong communication skills

Team collaboration

Tools

CRM software

Salesforce

Job description

Role - Philanthropy Research Officer

Hours - Full-Time

Contract - Fixed Term Contract until April 2027 (potential for the role to be extended or made permanent)

Location - Hybrid, with the requirement to work from HALO's Salisbury or London office at least once a week

Salary - circa 30k per annum, depending on experience

Reports to: Global Philanthropy Research and Insight Lead

Job Purpose - The Philanthropy Research Officer will deliver research, due diligence, and support the management of our philanthropic pipeline, in order to support the growth of philanthropic income, in line with The HALO Trust’s (HALO) strategic funding priorities and programmatic need.

About HALO:

HALO's mission is to protect lives and restore the livelihoods of those affected by conflict.

For over 35 years HALO has been saving lives and helping war-torn countries recover from conflict, by making their land safe. When conflict ends, land is often littered with landmines and other dangerous explosives. Families live in fear and poverty. They are unable to plant crops or graze cattle and day-to-day activities like getting to school and fetching water are fraught with risk. HALO recruits and trains men and women to clear landmines in their own communities, take back control of their own livelihoods and rebuild their communities.

HALO is now one of the leading humanitarian mine clearance organisations globally with programmes in 30 countries and territories with over 11,000 staff, most of who are local employees.

About the role:

Although HALO is over 30 years old, it had until recently a relatively small philanthropy programme. This has changed over the past five years with global income from philanthropic donors (including the US) increasing from £4 million to £44 million in 2023/24 of which UK philanthropic income (led by the Global Philanthropy Team) increased from £3.6m to £8.9m. The most recent increase is attributable to exceptional US donor support for Ukraine.

Underpinning this, is growth in six and seven figure partnerships with philanthropists, corporates and foundations, supported by our exceptionally well-connected network of trustees and ambassadors and overseen by our committed and professional global philanthropy team.

The Global Philanthropy Team is a team of 12 professionals, predominantly based in the UK, who are working to secure new support and steward donors across the UK/Europe and increasingly international markets including the Middle East and beyond. The team works collaboratively with philanthropy colleagues in the US who are responsible for US philanthropy strategy and implementation.

Following the success achieved to date, HALO has recently taken the decision to invest further in growing philanthropic funding to diversify to our income portfolio and provide greater agility in the face of a decline in Government funding. This will include developing mass market individual giving as well as bolstering our major gifts fundraising capacity through recruitment to new roles over the coming year.

This is an exciting time for a highly motivated individual with experience of prospect research to join our high performing team and contribute to the next phase of philanthropic growth.

Job Responsibilities:

• Identify, research and qualify prospective new philanthropic (non-governmental) donors with the capacity to make significant gifts to HALO (to include individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate partners).
• Map connections to HALO’s Trustees, ambassadors, existing donors and advocates.
• Proactively keep abreast of news and developments for key philanthropic partners/sectors and share with relationship leads.
• Ensure HALO’s CRM database contains up to date information about prospective donors with full adherence to GDPR.
• Share research and insights in a way that equips team members and other internal senior stakeholders (including the CEO) to respond quickly and effectively to new opportunities
• Support due diligence research, in line with HALO’s gift acceptance policy
• Proactively identify new prospects to match agreed strategic funding priorities and projects.
• Work closely with colleagues in the USA, UK and overseas programs as part of a distributed team to provide support to global fundraising efforts.
• Provide flexible support to priority areas of work across the philanthropy team.
• Ensure compliance with international fundraising regulations and ethical standards.

Skills & Attributes:

• Demonstrable experience of delivering research and due diligence to support pipeline development for an NGO, or in another sector

• Interest in philanthropic giving, key trends and the role networks and personal connections play in encouraging engagement and support
• Experience of using a CRM is essential; experience of using Salesforce is desirable
• High levels of discretion and an understanding of how GDPR requirements apply to fundraising and prospect research.
• Strong intellectual curiosity and the ability to understand complex information, identifying appropriate insights and presenting these concisely.
• A proactive, self-motivated approach with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Low-ego, collaborative team-player with strong ability to self-reflect
• An excellent communicator, written and verbal with exceptional attention to detail.
• A commitment to HALO’s mission and objectives.

• Salary: c. 30k depending on experience
• Annual Leave: 25 days leave, plus 8 bank holidays
• Private medical health insurance
• Non-contributory life assurance
• Pension contributions matched by HALO up to 5%
• Emergency medical insurance when travelling overseas (including on leave)
• Flexible working policy
• Cycle to work scheme

Location and Working Pattern

• Flexible. The Philanthropy Team is based between HALO’s office in Wilton, near Salisbury and our soon to be opened office in London. Depending on location team members work from one of our offices on at least a weekly basis and we try to come together as a team monthly.
• This is ideally a full-time role, with HALO operating a 40- hour working week (with the office closing at 3pm on Fridays).
• We are open to exploring working arrangements that meet the needs of employees whilst ensuring delivery against the role’s objectives and our strategic goals.

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter by 16th July 2025. We reserve the right to close the advert earlier than the advertised closing date.

The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

The HALO Trust is committed to a culture that is both diverse and inclusive and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

The HALO Trust is committed to ensuring that it provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards and promotes the welfare and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with, or is part of, the Charity, with a zero-tolerance approach to behaviours which challenge this.