Volunteer Fundraising Trustee for Cadet Adventures

Love creative ideas and making things happen? As Fundraiser you’ll help secure funding, plan fundraising events and support opportunities that give cadets unforgettable experiences. Your efforts directly help young people access adventure and training.

The Fundraising Trustee has a direct and meaningful impact on the opportunities available to young people within Waltham Forest Sea Cadets & Royal Marines Cadets. By helping the Unit Management Team develop and strengthen its fundraising approach, this role supports the financial sustainability of the organisation and enables the unit to continue delivering a wide range of activities for cadets.

Running a Sea Cadets unit involves maintaining equipment, supporting training activities, improving facilities and ensuring that programmes remain accessible and affordable for young people. Fundraising helps make all of this possible. The Fundraising Trustee helps guide the organisation’s efforts to secure grants, build partnerships, organise fundraising initiatives and explore new sources of support.

The impact of this role can be seen in the experiences offered to cadets. Successful fundraising can enable young people to access sailing and water-based training, attend camps and national events, take part in expeditions and gain recognised qualifications. For many cadets, these opportunities build confidence, independence and leadership skills that stay with them throughout their lives.

The Fundraising Trustee also helps strengthen the long-term resilience of the organisation. By supporting a sustainable approach to funding, the trustee helps ensure that the unit can plan for the future, maintain its facilities and continue expanding opportunities for young people in the local community.

This role also plays a part in connecting the organisation with the wider community. Through fundraising activities and partnerships, the unit can build stronger relationships with local businesses, organisations and supporters who share a commitment to helping young people thrive.

The difference made through fundraising is tangible and visible. Each successful funding opportunity translates into real experiences for cadets — from learning to sail, to taking part in adventure training, to developing the confidence and skills that will support them throughout their lives.

By helping unlock these opportunities, the Fundraising Trustee contributes directly to the growth and success of the unit and ensures that more young people can benefit from the life-changing experiences offered by Sea Cadets.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a Fundraising Trustee who is enthusiastic about helping young people and motivated by the opportunity to unlock new opportunities for the organisation through successful fundraising. The most important quality for this role is a passion for making things happen. Fundraising plays a vital role in supporting the activities and opportunities available to cadets, so someone who enjoys exploring ideas, identifying opportunities and helping bring projects to life will make a significant difference.

Experience in fundraising, grant writing, sponsorship development, community fundraising or income generation would be very valuable. This might come from professional work, volunteering or involvement with other charities or community groups. Understanding how to identify potential funders, write strong funding applications or build relationships with supporters can help the organisation strengthen its financial sustainability.

However, direct fundraising experience is not essential. We are equally interested in people who have transferable skills such as marketing, communications, business development, project management or networking. These skills can be extremely helpful when promoting fundraising initiatives or building partnerships with local organisations and supporters.

Creativity and initiative are also important qualities for this role. Successful fundraising often involves thinking about new ways to engage the community, develop partnerships or support events that bring people together around a shared purpose. Someone who enjoys generating ideas and working collaboratively to develop them would thrive in this role.

The ideal trustee will also have an interest in helping the organisation think strategically about income generation. This includes contributing to discussions about long-term sustainability and helping ensure that fundraising activity supports the organisation’s overall goals.

We welcome applications from individuals with connections to the local community or with experience in sectors such as business, events, marketing or philanthropy. These networks can help create opportunities for partnerships and sponsorship. Equally important is a genuine interest in the organisation’s mission and the young people it supports. Trustees who feel connected to the cause often bring energy and commitment that helps drive successful fundraising initiatives.

Lived experience of volunteering, youth programmes or community organisations can also be valuable, as it helps bring an understanding of the difference these opportunities make to young people.

Ultimately, we are looking for someone who is motivated by impact, enjoys working with others and wants to play a key role in ensuring that the organisation can continue providing exciting, life-changing experiences for cadets.

What will you be doing?

Our Unit Management Team currently consists of volunteers who support the strategic direction and sustainability of the unit. Like many youth organisations, one of our biggest challenges is ensuring we have the financial resources to maintain equipment, support activities and expand opportunities for cadets.

We are seeking a Fundraising Trustee to help strengthen and develop our fundraising efforts. This trustee will guide and support fundraising activity, helping the team identify opportunities such as community fundraising, grant applications, partnerships and local sponsorship.

Working alongside other trustees and volunteers, the Fundraising Trustee will help shape a sustainable approach to income generation so the unit can continue offering affordable and accessible activities to young people. The funds raised help directly support cadet training, outdoor adventures, equipment and improvements to the unit’s facilities. Every successful funding opportunity translates into new experiences for cadets – from sailing and expeditions to leadership training and national camps.

This role offers the exciting opportunity to help unlock new possibilities for young people in the community while playing a central role in the future growth of the unit.