Application Guide
How to Apply for Fundraising Intern
at Lighthouse Relief
🏢 About Lighthouse Relief
Lighthouse Relief is a grassroots, independent NGO with eleven years of frontline experience supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Greece. Unlike larger humanitarian organisations, LHR is known for its adaptive, gap-filling approach—from emergency shoreline response on Lesvos to psychosocial support and sports programmes in Athens and mainland camps. This is a chance to join a small, agile team where your fundraising work directly sustains community-led impact for displaced people in Europe.
About This Role
As a remote Fundraising Intern, you’ll be embedded in the Communications and Fundraising Team, researching institutional donors, drafting grant proposals, and helping run campaigns like Giving Tuesday. Your work will directly fund psychosocial support and sport programmes for children and young adults in Greek refugee camps. This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to learn NGO fundraising from the ground up while contributing to a vital humanitarian mission.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a team check-in over Slack or Zoom, then diving into donor research—scanning foundation websites and EU funding portals for open calls. You’d draft a section of a grant proposal, coordinate with the Communications Coordinator on a Giving Tuesday social media push, and maybe join a call with a potential partner. By the end of the day, you’ll have moved several fundraising tasks forward, knowing your work directly supports psychosocial and sports programmes for refugees in Greece.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Lighthouse Relief Is Looking For
- Solid understanding of the migration context in Greece and wider Europe—you can speak credibly about asylum policies, refugee camps, and the challenges facing displaced communities.
- Strong research and writing skills, with the ability to draft clear, persuasive grant proposals and donor communications in English.
- Experience or coursework in fundraising, communications, development studies, or human rights—and a genuine passion for advocacy and community-led impact.
- Self-motivated and organised enough to thrive in a remote, volunteer full-time role, with a collaborative spirit and willingness to support campaign logistics.
📝 Tips for Applying to Lighthouse Relief
Highlight any direct experience with refugee, asylum, or migration issues—whether through volunteering, research, or coursework—and tie it to why you want to fundraise for LHR specifically.
Show you’ve done your homework: mention LHR’s shift from shoreline response to psychosocial and sports programmes, and explain why that evolution resonates with you.
Demonstrate grant-writing potential by including a short, tailored writing sample or describing a funding proposal you’ve drafted (even if it was for a student club or local NGO).
Emphasise your ability to work remotely and independently—this is a full-time volunteer role, so prove you can manage your own schedule and communicate proactively.
Connect your interest in fundraising campaigns (like Giving Tuesday) to concrete ideas you have for donor outreach or partnership development, showing you’re already thinking like a team member.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Why you’re specifically drawn to LHR’s gap-filling, community-led model rather than generic humanitarian work. Your familiarity with the Greek and European migration context, with concrete examples. Your research and writing skills, especially any grant or proposal experience. Your ability to contribute to campaigns and donor outreach, and your commitment to a remote, full-time volunteer role.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read LHR’s annual reports or impact stories to understand their programmes in Athens and mainland camps, and note specific outcomes you can reference.
- → Familiarise yourself with the broader funding landscape for refugee support in Greece—key institutional donors, foundations, and European grants that might align with LHR’s mission.
- → Look up LHR’s recent communications and campaigns (e.g., Giving Tuesday or emergency appeals) to see their tone, audience, and messaging style.
- → Research the migration context in Greece: EU-Turkey deal, hotspot camps, asylum procedures, and recent policy changes that affect refugees and NGOs.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that could apply to any NGO—failing to mention LHR’s specific programmes or the Greek migration context.
- Overstating fundraising experience without concrete examples; instead, be honest about your level and show eagerness to learn and contribute.
- Ignoring the full-time volunteer nature of the role—if you don’t address your availability and motivation for an unpaid, remote position, it looks like you haven’t read the details.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: September 24, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Lighthouse Relief!