Application Guide

How to Apply for Staff member in Philanthropic Partnerships

at Sentience

🏢 About Sentience

Sentience is a unique Swiss organization dedicated exclusively to advocating for non-human animal interests, with a specific focus on agriculture, consumption patterns, and animal dignity. Unlike broader environmental or humanitarian nonprofits, Sentience operates at the intersection of ethics, policy, and grassroots advocacy, making it an ideal workplace for someone passionate about systemic change for animals.

About This Role

This part-time Staff Member in Philanthropic Partnerships role involves securing sustainable funding through foundation grants and managing donor relationships to support Sentience's advocacy work. The position is impactful because it directly enables campaigns and initiatives that challenge conventional agricultural practices and promote animal dignity in Swiss society.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve researching Swiss foundations for upcoming grant opportunities, updating donor records in the CRM after a recent campaign, and coordinating with the campaign team to align a funding appeal with their animal agriculture advocacy work. You could also draft a progress report for a current foundation donor, ensuring it highlights Sentience's impact on animal dignity.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Sentience Is Looking For

  • Has 2+ years of hands-on experience writing successful funding applications to European foundations, particularly those focused on animal welfare, environmental sustainability, or social justice.
  • Is proficient with donation-specific CRM systems (like DonorPerfect, Salesforce for Nonprofits, or similar) and can demonstrate experience maintaining data quality and generating donor reports.
  • Has coordinated fundraising campaigns (like matching challenges) within small-to-midsize advocacy organizations, showing ability to work cross-functionally with campaign teams.
  • Is genuinely aligned with Sentience's mission, understanding the nuances of advocating for non-human animals in agricultural and consumption contexts.

📝 Tips for Applying to Sentience

1

Quantify your fundraising achievements: Instead of 'wrote grant applications,' specify 'secured €50,000 from [Foundation Name] for an animal advocacy campaign' in your resume.

2

Tailor your CRM experience: Mention specific donation CRM systems you've used and describe one improvement you made (e.g., 'implemented automated donor acknowledgment emails in Salesforce').

3

Research Swiss/European foundations: Before applying, identify 2-3 foundations that fund animal or environmental work in Switzerland and briefly note how your skills could help Sentience approach them.

4

Highlight part-time flexibility: Since this is part-time, briefly address how you'll manage the coordination with fundraising and campaign teams within a reduced schedule.

5

Use Sentience's language: Incorporate terms like 'animal dignity,' 'agricultural advocacy,' and 'systemic change' naturally in your application materials to show mission alignment.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Demonstrate specific knowledge of Sentience's work, such as referencing their focus areas (agriculture, consumption) or a recent campaign, to show genuine interest.", "Provide a concise example of a successful funding application you wrote, including the foundation type, amount secured, and how it supported the organization's goals.", "Explain how your CRM management skills could improve Sentience's donor tracking or reporting processes, suggesting one actionable idea.", "Connect your experience to part-time coordination, describing how you've effectively collaborated with teams in a flexible or remote capacity."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore Sentience's website and social media to understand their current campaigns, such as any recent work on agricultural policy or consumer outreach in Switzerland.
  • → Investigate Swiss and European foundations that fund animal advocacy (e.g., Stiftung fĂźr das Tier im Recht, Albert Schweitzer Foundation), noting their focus areas to discuss in interviews.
  • → Review Swiss animal welfare laws or agricultural policies to grasp the context Sentience operates in, showing you understand their advocacy landscape.
  • → Look into Sentience's public communications (blogs, reports) to identify their key messaging around 'animal dignity' and how it differs from general animal welfare.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Describe your process for researching and prioritizing foundations for funding applications, specifically for animal advocacy or related causes.
2 How would you approach maintaining donor relationships with foundations that may have differing views on animal agriculture?
3 Walk us through how you've used a CRM to evaluate fundraising campaign success, including specific metrics you tracked.
4 Tell us about a time you coordinated a fundraising campaign (like a matching challenge) with a program or campaign team. What challenges arose?
5 How do you stay informed about funding trends in Switzerland or Europe for animal welfare or environmental causes?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention Sentience's specific mission or use terms like 'non-human animals' or 'animal dignity.'
  • Overemphasizing corporate fundraising or event-based experience without highlighting foundation grant writing or institutional donor management.
  • Failing to provide concrete examples of CRM usage or fundraising metrics, relying on vague statements like 'managed donor databases.'

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Sentience!

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