Fundraising and Development Officer

European Environmental Bureau

Start date
1st November 2026

About the Organisation

European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe. We bring together over 190 member organisations in more than 40 countries, representing some 30 million individual members and supporters. We advocate for progressive policies to create a better future where people and nature thrive together.

About the role

Come join Europe’s largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations and contribute to strategic fundraising for a resilient, mobilised and vibrant civil society and a better future where people and nature thrive together. As our next Fundraising and Development Officer, you will be at the heart of the implementation of the EEB’s fundraising strategy, supporting donor relations, directly initiating and managing applications and coordinating fundraising efforts across our teams. This is an exciting role for someone with an entrepreneurial mindset. You will join one of Europe’s leading environmental NGOs on its journey to secure and diversify its funding streams at a pivotal moment of time leading up to the 2029 European elections and beyond.

In your role, you will support the Senior Management Team and internal Fundraising Team with the implementation of action plans in line with our Fundraising Strategy, engage in networking and pitching to donors, proactively lead on funding applications, develop new ideas for fundraising, ensure submitted proposals are of high quality, and support the various teams with their thematic fundraising as we operate with a decentralised approach. The development side of the job entails keeping our donor- and project database up to date, organising trainings for staff, researching funding opportunities, and engaging the membership in our fundraising efforts to generate win-win opportunities.

This role offers room to grow, professionally and personally. You will have opportunities to deepen your expertise, take on new responsibilities, and help further strengthen a strategic approach to donor stewardship in a hands-on fundraising role at a large, European network. You will work closely with and report to the Director of Membership and Governance, support the internal Senior Management and Fundraising Team, and coordinate and support the fundraising efforts across the different EEB teams.

Who You Are

As the EEB’s next Fundraising and Development Officer, you will typically have 2-3+ years of relevant experience in fundraising, proven direct fundraising experience with some successful project applications on your CV, an entrepreneurial mindset and a personal commitment to the work we do.

Responsibilities

Implementation of the 2025 - 2030 EEB fundraising strategy:

• Supporting the Senior Management Team and internal Fundraising Team with strategic fundraising, donor relations and meetings;
• Monitoring the implementation of the EEB fundraising strategy and annual action plans and capturing learnings.

Research and proactive fundraising in line with agreed priorities:

• Researching funding opportunities and supporting the various EEB teams with their thematic fundraising in line with our decentralised approach;
• Coordinating the EEB application and reports for the EU LIFE Programme operating grant.
• Developing and submitting own project proposals.

Donor, Member and Partner Relations:

• Coordinating the EEB’s donor outreach to avoid overlap;
• Supporting and presenting at meetings of various EEB initiatives, donor groups and membership fundraising task forces;
• Encouraging joint fundraising with EEB members and partners.

Managing the EEB project database and donor tracker:

• Keeping the EEB project database and donor tracker up to date;
• Organising regular check-ins with team leads to ensure that data related to fundraising efforts is up to date.

MEL Frameworks and training:

• Proposing ideas for improvement or change in all operational areas;
• Keeping the EEB Project Management Guide and other fundraising support material up to date;
• Organising regular staff trainings on fundraising and project management.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Skills & Experiences:

• 2 - 3+ years of experience in fundraising and development with an initial track record of submitted and successful applications
• Good knowledge of the funding landscape for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating at European level
• Experience of direct fundraising as well as having supported others in their fundraising work (research on suitable donors, application writing, quality controls, budgeting, project implementation from A to Z)
• Good knowledge of healthy project management principles and suitable Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning frameworks for CSOs
• Strong command of written and spoken English
• Good communication and presentation skills (PowerPoints, etc.)
• CRM and contact database management skills
• Enjoys coordination, keeping overviews, supporting colleagues and helping the organisation to stick to agreed timelines and deadlines
• Solid planning skills, highly motivated, creative, proactive, friendly and diplomatic (mastering the art of the gentle reminder).

Assets:

• Experience in having worked for a civil society, membership or other purpose-driven organisation is a strong asset
• Knowledge of the Salesforce environment is an asset (training will be provided)
• Working knowledge of French with any other language skills being appreciated.

Compensation & Benefits

• Permanent contract (80% role negotiable if preferred)
• An organisation committed to its values of democracy, fairness, respect, integrity, and sustainability, and a purpose-driven, supportive, and friendly team with 70+ people working for a better future in which people and nature thrive together.
• An attractive workspace in the heart of the EU quarter and a healthy organisational culture, including, for instance, staff away days and (optional) social gatherings.
• Possibility to work from home 4 days a week and from another EU country for up to six weeks per year.
• Flexible working hours with a transparent floating time system.
• Various monetary benefits, including a holiday bonus, a generous pension scheme, lunch vouchers, teleworking indemnity, transport allowance, and travel insurance.
• Quality training (group and individual), peer learning, and skills shares.
• Next to 20 days of legal leave, we offer 5 days of extra-legal leave during the winter break closure, 5 days of extra-legal leave anytime in the year, and 2 days of extra-legal leave for office-wide long weekends in spring and autumn, that is, a total of 32 paid leave days. (plus other forms of paid leave under certain conditions, such as leave for compelling reasons, and additional leave offered when having worked with the EEB for 4+ years).

Conditions of employment

• Candidate must commit to being officially registered in Belgium and working from our office in Brussels (with structural teleworking). The EEB welcomes applicants from outside the EU, and we consider it a privilege to have non-EU nationals amongst our staff members and to benefit from their perspectives and skills.
• If you are not an EU citizen, please let us know if you have a work permit for Belgium.
• Please note that it is not always possible for us to initiate and succeed with work permit applications for non-EU nationals due to legal restrictions, additional costs and practical issues for a medium-sized non-profit organisation. If you do not hold a work permit for Belgium, please feel free to reach out to request further information before you apply.
• If you hold a work permit, please mention if you hold a valid Single Permit (A card) or permanent residence permit (B card, long-term resident).

Working locations

• Brussels, Belgium
• The candidate is expected to work from our Brussels office at least one day a week

How to apply

• We are looking forward to receiving:
  • A short letter of motivation
  • Your CV (without pictures)
  • A completed questionnaire
• We value clarity, motivation, and authenticity more than formal letters and lengthy applications.
• Only applications comprising all three elements will be considered.
• Please send your complete application to [email protected].
• Please clearly indicate "Fundraising and Development Officer" in the subject line of your email.
• Shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide two references at a later stage.
• Please read our recruitment privacy statement before applying.
• Please answer the following questions in no more than 250/300 words each:
  • Describe a communications campaign, project, or initiative you are particularly proud of. What was the objective, what was your role, and what impact did it achieve?
  • Tell us where you believe you can contribute most to the EEB Communications Team. This could include media relations, press outreach, newsletter and editorial work, social media, digital engagement, content creation, design, community engagement, or another communications discipline. Please explain why this work motivates you and provide an example.
  • What do you think is the biggest communications challenge facing environmental organisations in Europe today, and how should organisations like the EEB respond?
• Please do not use AI tools to write your final answers. If we detect arguments or text blocks that appear to have been generated by AI tools, your application may be rejected. We are interested in genuine perspectives, personal experiences, and original ideas.
• The deadline for the application is Wednesday 2nd September 2026 at midnight CET.

Interviews

• Due to limited staff resources and the number of applications anticipated. Only candidates selected for interviews will receive a reply.
• First round of interviews online tentatively Wed-Fri 16th - 18th September 2026, second round of interviews in person at the EEB offices in Brussels tentatively Thurs - Fri 24th - 25th September 2026

Policies

The EEB strives to be a fair, inclusive, safe place and a welcoming and learning organisation. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. Your experience matters. Please consult our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy. Please do not use pictures in your CV. Do leave out any information that may contribute to unconscious bias, such as reference to your nationality, date, or place of birth. We respect our employees’ lives outside of work, support colleagues in care roles, and take work-life balance and wellbeing seriously.

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