Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue (BLSAR)
Volunteer Grant & Bid Writer
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Could your writing skills help fund lifesaving Search & Rescue operations?
The Opportunity
Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue (BLSAR) is looking for a Volunteer Grant & Bid Writer to join our Fundraising Team and help us secure vital funding for our work.
BLSAR is a registered charity made up of around 80 volunteers who support the police and other emergency services in searches for high-risk vulnerable missing people across Berkshire and surrounding areas.
While our volunteers give their time freely, keeping a Search & Rescue team trained, equipped and ready to respond comes at a cost. We rely on fundraising, grants and donations to fund everything from specialist equipment and training to our vehicles and operational resources.
The Opportunity
Working alongside our Fundraising Lead, Finance Lead and wider Business Operations Team, you’ll help identify suitable funding opportunities and turn the work we do into compelling, evidence-based applications.
You’ll be involved in:
- Researching grants, charitable trusts, foundations and other funding opportunities
- Building and maintaining a pipeline of potential funding
- Writing persuasive, tailored grant and funding applications
- Gathering operational statistics, financial information and case studies from across BLSAR
- Developing supporting information such as project descriptions, budgets and impact statements
- Tracking applications, deadlines and outcomes
- Supporting reporting requirements for successful grants
- Helping us demonstrate the impact that funding has made
- Contributing to BLSAR’s longer-term fundraising and funding strategy
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Who we are looking for?
You’ll be a strong and persuasive writer with excellent research skills, attention to detail and the ability to bring information from different sources together into a compelling application.
Previous experience in grant writing, bid writing, fundraising, tenders or proposal writing would be particularly valuable.
Experience within the charity or voluntary sector would be beneficial, but it isn’t essential. We’re equally interested in people with transferable professional experience who would like to use their skills to support a meaningful cause.
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The Commitment
- 🏠 Predominantly home-based
- ⏰ Around 5+ hours per week, flexibly arranged
- 📍 Berkshire
- 🤝 Ongoing volunteer opportunity
The time required may vary around funding deadlines, so you’ll need to be comfortable managing your own workload and working towards agreed submission dates.
Why BLSAR?
This is an opportunity to use your professional skills and see the tangible impact of your work.
A successful funding application could help us purchase specialist search equipment, maintain a response vehicle, deliver essential training or provide other resources our volunteers need on a callout.
Your words could directly help keep our Search & Rescue teams trained, equipped and ready to respond when someone vulnerable goes missing.
Interested? Apply today or contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment@berkshirerescue.org.uk.
And if the role isn't for you but you know a brilliant grant writer, bid writer or fundraising professional, please share it with them.
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