Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

Oxford City Farm – Fundraising Officer Job Description

Location: Hybrid working available. Site located within Oxford, with main working location at Oxford City Farm, Cornwallis Road, OX4 3NH.

Hours: 15 hours per week (0.4 FTE); this will include one evening or weekend event each quarter

Salary: £27,000 FTE (pro rata)

Contract: Fixed-term for 1 years

Reports to: Farm Lead

Reports: None initially (may work closely with Communications and Events Coordinator)

Annual Leave: 25 days + bank holidays (pro rata)

 

About Oxford City Farm

Oxford City Farm is a welcoming, green space in East Oxford. We connect people to food, nature, and one another through hands-on activities rooted in sustainable farming, community learning, and wellbeing. Each week, we support hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds to grow, cook, care for animals, and take part in a range of accessible outdoor programmes.

We are entering an exciting period of growth and change. In 2025-26, 35% of our income came from grants, 35% from earned income (produce sales, room hire, workshops), 15% from service contracts, and 15% from individual donations. Our fundraising has to date been led by the Farm Lead, supported over the past year by a Fundraising Officer and by a committed team of trustees and volunteers. We are now ready to grow our fundraising capacity and create more sustainable income streams.

 

About the Role

This role supports Oxford City Farm’s fundraising activities which have increased across the last year.  You will manage the bid pipeline and prospecting, lead on writing and coordinating funding bids, and work closely with the Farm Lead and Communications and Events Coordinator to grow our community-based fundraising, regular giving and crowdfunding efforts.

The role is ideal for someone with a mix of trust fundraising and community engagement experience, and a passion for local, inclusive, environmentally focused work. You’ll be joining a friendly, collaborative team and contributing to a charity that is deeply rooted in the Oxford community.

 

Role Responsibilities

Individual Giving and Community Fundraising

• Continue to develop and build initiatives such as a Friends of the Farm scheme, Root Supporters, to grow regular giving and build supporter loyalty.

• Ensure regular, warm communication with individual donors through thank-you letters, impact updates, and invitations to events.

• Explore ways to improve how we engage with donor interactions and gift history.

• Collaborate with the Communications and Events Coordinator to:

  • Plan and deliver an annual crowdfunding campaign, and/or matchfunding campaigns to support general farm activities and core costs.

  • Organise and promote seasonal fundraising appeals or events (e.g. an autumn farm celebration, winter warmer).

  • Develop engaging fundraising content for newsletters, social media and on-site materials.

Trusts and Foundations

• Prepare, write, and submit high-quality funding applications to small and medium-sized trusts and foundations.

• Maintain and develop relationships with existing funders through timely updates and reports.

• Work closely with the Farm Lead and wider staff team to gather outcome data and case studies to strengthen bids and reporting.

• Support the Farm Lead in building a long-term funding pipeline, including multi-year bids and partnership funding.  

Monitoring, Reporting and Administration

• Liaise with the Finance Officer and Farm Lead to track income from grants and donations, and ensure correct allocation.

• Maintain up-to-date grant reporting schedules and support timely report submissions.

• Monitor and manage fundraising budgets for community initiatives and appeals.

• Provide regular income updates to the Farm Lead and board of trustees.

Collaboration and Representation

• Attend and input to the Farm's Fundraising Sub-group meeting (held at least quarterly) which is chaired by a Trustee

• Work alongside staff and trustees to develop a shared fundraising culture across the organisation.

• Attend community events and funder meetings to represent Oxford City Farm and build relationships.

• Take part in all-staff activities such as seasonal celebrations, community open days, and annual strategy reviews

 

Person Specification

Criteria

Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

• Experience writing successful grant applications E
• Experience planning or supporting fundraising campaigns or events D
• Experience managing donor relationships and communications D
• Excellent written communication and storytelling skills E
• Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to build relationships across a diverse community E
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and track income and grant cycles E
• Confident using fundraising platforms and digital tools (e.g. Enthuse, Crowdfunder) D
• Experience using a CRM system D
• Commitment to Oxford City Farm’s mission, values, and inclusive approach E
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively E

 

We Offer

• A warm, inclusive team culture

• Flexible working hours and hybrid working

• Opportunities to shape your role and develop professionally  

• Training: We provide internal training related to animal husbandry, community farming, and working with young people. Additionally, external training opportunities are available through OCVA.

• Pension: You'll be enrolled in the NEST pension scheme, with a 5% contribution from the employer and 3% from the employee.

• Annual Leave: Enjoy 33 days of annual leave per year, including bank holidays, pro-rata based on your FTE.

Application information

Please send:

• Your CV  

• A supporting statement (no more than 2 pages of A4) outlining how you meet the person specification  

to admin@oxfordcityfarm.org.uk by midday on November 13th 2026

We welcome applications from all parts of the community and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs