Fundraising officer jobs

This all-round fundraising role will support a range of income-generating activities, working closely with the Head of Engagement to ensure the events programme and our challenge events programme expands and grows from strength to strength. 

The successful applicant will be proactive, enthusiastic and organised and is someone who thrives in busy environments and is passionate about engaging supporters. They will have experience in charity fundraising and challenge events, have great organisational skills and strong communication skills. 

Please read our full Recruitment Pack which contains full details and person specification. We do require a covering letter and a CV to consider your application.

HFT-Barking Food Bank is looking for someone exceptional to help us fight hunger in our community. We’re on a mission to increase our fundraising income from £200,000 to £500,000 and need a passionate, results-driven individual to lead this effort. In this role, you’ll be a crucial part of our growth, enabling us to achieve our goal of increasing fundraising income and impact.You’ll build strong relationships with trusts, foundations, businesses, schools, and individuals, crafting impactful campaigns and proposals that inspire support. You’ll be at the heart of our local efforts, driving the financial support we need to continue our essential work, and ensuring that no one in Barking and Dagenham goes hungry.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for more details.

Direct Marketing Manager-Acquisition at the Disasters Emergency Committee delivers key direct marketing activities during appeals for major disasters. You will work with the Direct Marketing Manager-Retention to deliver a programme of supporter communications to feedback to donors on the impact of their donations and to retain their future support. 

The purpose of the role is to:

• Contribute to and develop DEC direct marketing strategies,
• Implement the direct marketing strategies during each appeal with income maximisation and supporter acquisition as the key focus,
• Manage the capturing and analysis of results to ensure channel optimisation between appeals,
• Lead the benchmarking process of DEC Member Agency fundraising performance.

The role will deliver responsibilities for strategy and planning, fundraising, networking and building relationships.

You must have strong direct marketing experience with a focus on high volume donor acquisition. Demonstrable knowledge of offline marketing techniques in press, outdoor, direct mail and telephone. A proven track record of developing effective digital and direct marketing strategies, which resulted in significant growth of income. Experience of managing complex budgets and proven ability to manage a complex operational plan within very short timeframes and within budget.

Ideally you will have experience of working in the international humanitarian aid sector, have used Salesforce and Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Google analytics.

You must have excellent communication skills both written and spoken, with the ability to write compelling and emotive fundraising copy. Significant technical marketing expertise across a range of direct marketing channels. Excellent numeracy, budget development, planning and project management skills.

An ability to work under extreme pressure during appeals and to very tight deadlines with excellent attention to detail is a key driver for success in this role.

You will join a collaborative team, department and organisation that excels in maximising their fundraising effort in response to disasters and keeps donors and recipients of funds updated and engaged throughout and beyond the journey of an appeal.

Please download the job description for full details of the responsibilities and expectations of the role.

Brooke’s work across Africa, Asia and Latin America transforms the lives of animals and people in the communities we serve. Our vision is of a world in which working horses, donkeys and mules are free from suffering and have a life worth living.

As the Supporter Relationship Officer (Legacies) you will join Brooke’s Fundraising & Communications (FundComm) directorate at an exciting time, as we continue to deliver our five-year strategy. Embedding a new Supporter Engagement Funnel, a framework designed to guide supporters from initial awareness through to donating and long-term loyalty.

As part of the Legacy & Community Engagement team, which generates over half of Brooke’s income (approximately £13.5 million per year), you will play a vital role in deepening relationships with some of our most committed supporters those who choose to leave a gift in their Will.

This role will be focused on growing and retaining our legacy community by inspiring more supporters to include a gift to Brooke in their Will, while nurturing and stewarding those who already have. This will involve delivering a wide range of stewardship activities, from personalised communications to virtual and in-person events across the UK, all while working collaboratively across teams to champion a supporter-first approach across multiple channels.

The ideal candidate will bring experience in stewardship or sales, with a proven track record of cultivating and maintaining lasting relationships with supporters or clients. You will be an excellent communicator with the ability to spot and maximise opportunities as they arise, as well as being confident in telling compelling stories through copywriting and tailoring content to specific audiences.

If you’re passionate about building meaningful relationships and want to play a key role in securing Brooke’s future impact, apply now and help create a legacy that lasts.

At Brooke, we celebrate diversity and the creative new ideas it brings. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds, in particular global majority candidates, candidates from a social mobility background, disabled and neuro-diverse candidates, and candidates under 25 as these groups are currently under-represented at Brooke. 

We are aware that studies have shown that women and global majority candidates are less likely to apply for a role if they feel they do not meet the full criteria of the job description. If you feel you meet the majority of the criteria, we would love to hear from you. 

We offer a variety of flexible working options to best support our staff and to ensure our working practices are as inclusive as possible. 

Income from donations from wills makes up approximately a third of our charity’s annual income. This new role will provide our charity with a dedicated member of staff to grow and develop income from this stream; strengthening relationships with pledgers, future pledgers and solicitors and other will writing service providers. The post holder will also coordinate marketing activities to promote this form of giving.

This role will also support colleagues in creating and support events to engage wider donors. We have a close-knit fundraising team and you will provide support for our community, individual giving and corporate giving teams.
 

We are seeking a motivated and experienced relationship fundraiser to join our team. This is a new role for the organisation, and we are particularly interested in hearing from candidates who have a good level of experience in relationship fundraising who can support us to develop our unrestricted fundraising. A successful candidate would hit the ground running with fundraising activity as well as helping to shape the future of fundraising for St Nicks by supporting with the development of a fundraising strategy. This is a really exciting opportunity to shape the future of fundraising for a highly regarded and well-established charity, allowing us to sustain and develop our much-needed work in the city.

Key Dates: 

Closing date for applications: 21st April 2025 

Interview date: Monday 28th April 2025 

About St Nicks 

We are St Nicks, a local environmental charity with a mission “build and connect flourishing communities through urban greenspace generation, nature-based wellbeing and sustainable living”. Based at St Nicks Environment Centre hidden behind residential properties in the Tang Hall area of York, we have a thriving 24-acre nature reserve that is free to explore 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Our volunteer team help us maintain and manage our reserve for the benefit of people and wildlife. 

In addition to managing the local nature reserve (LNR), we have three key pillars to our work: 

Green Corridors York strives for “more, bigger, better and more joined up” green spaces. Conserving nature whilst supporting our communities. As a city, we can work together to reduce pollution, challenge harmful developments and improve land management.  

Nature-Based Wellbeing deliver both education and mental health support services. At St Nicks we all see and feel the benefits of being outdoors and connected to nature. These benefits can be physical, mental or a combination of both! Our Nature-Based Wellbeing team run a series of Ecotherapy groups to help adults find this nature-connectedness. 92% of Ecotherapy participants told us that these activities meant that they noticed and sought out nature more in their daily lives. 

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at St Nicks. When we talk about sustainability, we are looking to ensure we are doing the least harm possible. Whether that is relating to human, social, financial or environmental. Our Waste & Sustainability team collect recycling, carry out waste audits and run events across the city. Together our teams work to make York a more sustainable city.

Our values 

Collaboration – Our approachability and inclusiveness ensure that everyone who is affected by our work is involved in shaping it. 

Integrity – We are honest, inclusive and have respect for all life through our ethics, authenticity and commitment. 

Innovation – We are committed to constructively exploring ideas that help us get closer to our vision by doing things differently and taking pioneering approaches, recognising the learning and development that comes with this path. 

Professionalism – All of our actions to our beneficiaries, stakeholders and each other demonstrate our mutual respect, competence, proactivity and the way we make a difference. 

Job Description and Person Specification 

About the Role 

This exciting new role provides an excellent opportunity to help shape and deliver our approach to fundraising, helping to ensure that St Nicks can continue our vital work in supporting planet, people and nature.  As the sole fundraiser and reporting directly to the chief executive officer, you will be given the autonomy to shape and develop and deliver on all aspects of our unrestricted fundraising, building key relationships with existing and new supporters and maximising support from community, corporate and individual supporters.

Although fundraising in this sense is new to St Nicks, we have a strong foundation of existing supporters and partners which we can build our fundraising and relationships on.

Job Title 

Relationship Fundraiser 

Contract Type 

This role is initially for a 2-year fixed term contract, with the possibility for extension dependent on the success of the role. 

Hours  

21-28 hours per week, negotiable. This is based on an FTE of 35 hours per week. 

Salary  

£30,000 per annum pro-rata 

Place of work 

Primary place of work is the St Nicks Environment Centre and Local Nature Reserve (LNR) with the opportunity for hybrid arrangements in line with St Nicks policy. Some travel around York is expected with this role.

Working pattern 

Negotiable. Typically, hours are worked Mon-Fri between the hours of 09:00 – 17:00 with occasional weekend or evening work by prior agreement. 

Responsible to  

CEO 

Responsible for 

Fundraising volunteers 

Purpose  

To lead and develop our newly formed fundraising function, creating a new strategy to maximise income generation from corporate and community supporters, build strong working partnerships with local businesses and community groups and deliver on annual unrestricted income targets. 

Please see our website for details on how to apply. 

Are you passionate about social justice? Do you want to help women heal and thrive?

One25 is a Bristol-based charity supporting women to move from crisis and trauma towards independence in the community. The Supporter Development Manager is a key role to help achieve our ambitious fundraising goals.

We’re looking for someone who is an enthusiastic people person, a skilled team leader, has proven experience securing donation income over time, is well organised, and is a good team player with a collaborative approach.

Leading a small team of talented fundraisers, you’ll work with the Community Fundraiser, Fundraising and Engagement Officer and the Fundraising and Communications Assistant to deliver on our supporter promise.

This is a unique time to join our charity at a pivotal stage of growth. The Supporter Development Manager will work closely with the Fundraising and Communications Manager and be crucial in shaping our income growth strategy and growing our supporter base to achieve long-term sustainability for the charity. Join us in this exciting new chapter.

In this role you will:

· Be inspired as you see the real difference your work makes for marginalised women in Bristol and beyond.

· Champion the needs of women and spread awareness to effect change.

· Have autonomy to develop individual giving whilst also working closely with our Philanthropy Manager and Grants Manager to ensure a seamless approach.

· Get to know our fabulous supporters and play a key role in growing the One25 community.

· Be part of a passionate, creative and dedicated fundraising and communications team.

One25 is committed to being an inclusive workplace that represents the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We particularly encourage applications from ethnic minority, LGBTQ and disability groups, and those who have lived experience of multiple disadvantage as these groups are underrepresented within our workforce. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability or age. We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process, on commencement, or once in post.

Benefits: Generous leave allowances: 33 days holiday inc. bank holidays; additional holiday linked with length of service, 2 days wellness leave; up to 13 additional days’ time off in lieu; plus, additional time off on any working days that fall during the Christmas and New Year closure.

Option to join the 4 Day Week pilot following successful completion of probation period (work 20% less for the same salary)

Enhanced company sick pay

Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity/partner pay

Access to Employee Assistance Programme

Access to HSF Health Plan

Mental Health Champions

Reflective practice sessions

Cycle Scheme

Opt-out pension scheme.

Hours: 37.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday (including occasional evening and weekend commitments). After successful completion of probation period, employees have the option to join the 4 Day Week pilot following (work 20% less for the same salary).

Salary: £36,447 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Location: This role will be a mixture of office-based and homeworking. We are open to options around this.

Applications by: Thursday 1 May at 9am

Interviews: Tuesday 13 May

Start Date: As soon as possible

We know sometimes the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist, and that people can be put off applying for job if they don't tick every box. If you're excited about working for us, and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. You could just be what we're looking for!

Fundraiser (Community & Events) is an important link between the hospital charity and the local community. The post holder will be responsible for managing community events and being an active member of the charity team in securing financial support from these areas of fundraising.

The purpose of this role is to ensure that fundraising campaigns and events are in place that will have high profile and will generate funds to agreed targets. The post holder must be inventive and highly organised in order to initiate and then deliver highly successful events. Working closely with groups and individuals, the ideal candidate will have an outgoing personality, good at motivating others and self-confident.

You will also work closely to design, deliver and evaluate a community events fundraising programme in partnership with the wider charity team, which maximises the potential of community groups, associations, corporates and clubs.

Working across a thriving Brighton community you will help establish and grow the charity sub brands delivering fundraising activity in a number of exciting fields including music, comedy and art.

If you are looking for a new challenge in a friendly, caring and ambitious charity, then Head of Charity at Oxford Health Charity (OHC) may be the role for you.

We are seeking a dynamic leader who will drive the strategic leadership and delivery of all OHC functions and lead Volunteering Services across the Trust. A key focus will be leading on major gift fundraising and major donor relations through an ambitious and sustainable fundraising strategy. 

You'll lead our charity team, overseeing all operations and ensuring delivery of strategic and operational plans. Your financial oversight will ensure resources are managed effectively, and you will be responsible for producing the charity’s Annual Report and Accounts, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Leading on major gifts fundraising, building relationships with major donors, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners, you’ll develop a strong pipeline of major donors securing gifts of £5,000 and above while promoting legacy giving and corporate partnerships. 

We are seeking an experienced charity leader with a strong background in fundraising, a proven track record in securing high-value gifts and developing donor relationships. Strong leadership skills, strategic thinking, and experience managing complex budgets are essential.

If you’re ready to lead with purpose and compassion and make a lasting difference to our patients, staff and community, we would love to hear from you!   

Main duties of the job
This is a rare opportunity to make a tangible impact by securing philanthropic support to enhance patient care and staff wellbeing. Main duties of this role include: 

• Develop and implement a charity strategy for OHC and other relevant supporting strategies in collaboration with the Board 
• With the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs, provide vision and leadership for the charity setting the overall vision and strategic direction, ensuring alignment with its mission and values
• Take ownership and lead on major gifts fundraising including solicitation and stewardship plans to establish a portfolio of major donors and prospects to include High Net Worth Individuals, Trusts & Foundations and corporates. A specific focus is on securing donations in excess of £5,000 from major donors by initiating, promoting legacy giving and developing long term relationships between supporters, prospective supporters and Oxford Health Trust/Charity
• Ensure appropriate governance is in place for reporting to the Charity Committee and the Charity Board on the charity’s activities.
• Lead, manage and support the Charity Team, empowering them to develop and deliver to the highest level.
• Developing and implementing volunteer roles across the organisation in line with the Volunteer Strategy and organisational strategy and ensuring that appropriate systems and processes are in place for the management of volunteers.

Objective

To increase fundraised income for BRACE and dementia research through major donors and high-value supporters, both cultivating existing supporters to increase their support and networking to develop new major donors.

Role

As our Major Donor & Philanthropy Fundraiser, you will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive major giving programme to increase revenue from high-value supporters. This is a new and exciting opportunity to establish and grow this income stream for BRACE, requiring proven experience in securing major gifts.

Key Tasks:

Major Donor Fundraising

• Develop and implement a strategic plan to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high net worth individuals.

• Build and maintain a strong portfolio of potential funding sources through thorough prospect research.​

• Manage a diverse portfolio of existing and new major donors, delivering excellent relationship management to meet ambitious individual fundraising targets.​

• Build, manage, and maintain a full and consistent pipeline of prospects, ensuring timely progression through each stage from identification to stewardship.​

• Conduct frequent and regular contact with donors and prospects by phone, video, and in-person meetings, utilizing the Head of Fundraising and CEO for potential new and existing high net stakeholders.​

• Develop compelling, tailored proposals and funding applications to secure significant donations.​

• Create and implement bespoke stewardship plans to ensure long-term support.​

• Represent BRACE at networking events to build relationships with potential high-value supporters.​

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all major donor activity in our database.​

Strategy & Planning

• Work closely with the Head of Fundraising to develop and implement a major donor fundraising strategy.​

• Monitor performance against budget targets and analyze data to support future budgeting.​

• Contribute to the overall fundraising strategy of the charity.​

• Stay informed about the latest trends and best practices in major donor fundraising.​

General Responsibilities

• Be an active and supportive member of the BRACE team, supporting colleagues across the organization to support the charity’s wider organizational goals and objectives.​

• Gain and maintain in-depth knowledge and understanding of the charity's work, priorities, and future plans.​

• Assist the CEO, Head of Fundraising, and other colleagues with charity-wide development initiatives.​

• Attend meetings and events as required both during and outside normal office hours, including the annual Let’s Talk Dementia.​

• Carry out any other duties compatible with this post as directed by the Head of Fundraising.

Candidate requirements

Essential:

• Demonstrable experience in major donor fundraising or equivalent high-value relationship
  management
• Proven track record of securing large and repeat donations from individuals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with good copywriting and proofreading ability
• Experience in creative proposal writing and the ability to demonstrate clear outcomes and impact
• Confident and persuasive presentation skills
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with high-net worth individuals
• Experience in developing and implementing stewardship plans for major donors
• Strong research skills with experience in identifying quality new business leads
• Proven ability to form good working relations, both internally and externally with people at all levels
• Innovative and keen to find solutions to problems
• Strong interpersonal skill set with the ability to be persuasive
• Excellent IT literacy
• Excellent planning, time management, and organisational skills
• Willingness to work flexibly in order to adapt to the needs of supporters and the charity
• Able to work unsupervised and independently from home and on the road

Desirable:

• Excellent ability to motivate, inspire, and influence people
• A self-starter with entrepreneurial spirit
• Experience in launching or growing a major donor program
• Understanding of the medical research funding landscape
• Experience using Raiser's Edge to manage donor relationships
• Empathy with the cause that BRACE represents (knowledge of dementia and research is not essential, as information and informal training will be provided)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced social and digital media professional to join the leading international horse charity World Horse Welfare. 

The Social and Digital Media Officer plans, creates and publishes the charity’s social media and digital communications, ensuring accurate content and the right brand look, feel and messaging.  Working to the Head of Communications and with the wider team, you will organise and proactively seek out stories and other content from across the charity to engage audiences through our digital media channels, including social platforms, the website and email. A key part of this role is testing and refining approaches to increase reach, engagement, website traffic and donations and to rigorously monitor and evaluate results to inform further activity. 

We are looking for someone who has experience in the management of social media channels, a passion for social and digital media with a creative approach to engaging online audiences.  You will possess first-rate written and oral communications skills, digital content creation including images and video, excellent attention to detail and the ability to write quality copy in a variety of styles quickly.  You must be proactive, confident and capable of working with people at all levels in a variety of spheres. You must have a flexible approach to your work and be willing to work outside of normal office hours where necessary.  Equine knowledge and experience is highly desirable.

The role is based in Norfolk and is a hybrid split of 2 days in our head office in Snetterton and 3 days at home.  You may be required to attend events around the UK and visit the charity’s four rescue and rehoming centres to gather content. 

Benefits include a generous pension scheme and cash health plan, paid employee sickness absence scheme and a minimum of 31 days’ holiday (including bank/public holidays and mandatory shutdown between Christmas and New Year).  Death in service, free parking and bike to work scheme.

World Horse Welfare is committed to championing equality and diversity in all aspects of employment and in the services that it provides. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, particularly ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQ+ and disabled people.

World Horse Welfare takes great pride in being realistic, compassionate and forward-thinking and the successful applicant will be expected to share these values.

Are you an innovative and certified Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM professional who wishes to be a valued member of a busy and friendly fundraising team, taking responsibility for the management of the charity’s future Dynamics 365 CRM? 

The charity shall shortly begin the discovery phase of its CRM project, to deliver its future Dynamics 365 CRM.  The new Dynamics 365 CRM will be at the heart of the charity’s success, to deliver excellent supporter data quality for its fundraising and communication campaigns to supporters. 

Reporting to the Director of Fundraising, and collaborating closely with the Head of IT, CRM Project Manager and Data Analyst, the CRM Officer shall be a vital and visible role, fundamental to the charity’s fundraising success, to further its vision of a world where every horse is treated with respect, compassion and understanding.

Through your proven Dynamics 365 CRM skills and experience, you will also lead on the charity’s CRM business processes and data quality, collaborating with fundraising, communications, IT and finance stakeholders, colleagues and third party suppliers.

If you want to make real and positive difference to a leading charity’s fundraising and campaigns success, through your professional Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM management skills and experience, then we’d love you to apply.

Location

This position is based remotely.  But you must be a resident of the United Kingdom with all the necessary legislative ‘right to work’ documentation.  You will be required to attend the charity’s head office located in Norfolk a minimum of 6 times per year and this will be at your own expense for travel and accommodation.

About World Horse Welfare

World Horse Welfare is an international equine charity whose vision is a world where every horse is treated with respect, compassion and understanding. 

The charity’s work covers horses in need, sport and leisure, work and production within both the UK and abroad.  The charity runs four farm centres for rehabilitation and outreach work within the UK. The charity has four key strategic themes under which its programmes of work nationally and internationally are structured, these are: Care, Research, Education and Influence.

In 2023, the charity fundraised c. £15.6 million, including significant Legacy income.

Benefits include a generous pension scheme and cash health plan, paid employee sickness absence scheme, a minimum of 31 days’ holiday (including bank/public holidays and mandatory shutdown between Christmas and New Year) and death in service.

World Horse Welfare is committed to championing equality and diversity in all aspects of employment and in the services that it provides. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, particularly ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQ+ and disabled people.

Do you have the expertise to manage complex legacy cases and want to make a meaningful impact?

At Guide Dogs, we are looking for two dedicated Legacy Case Officers to help people with sight loss live the life they choose. In this role, you will provide an accurate and efficient service to process legacies, ensuring they are handled in line with legislation, policy, and best practice. By using your skills, you will contribute to one of our most important income streams, supporting our work in transforming the lives of people with sight loss.

You’ll manage a diverse caseload of pecuniary, residuary, and life interest legacies. You will correspond professionally and sensitively with personal representatives, professional advisers, charity co-beneficiaries, and other stakeholders to resolve legacy cases effectively. Your role will involve preparing briefing notes for Trustees, managing estate and trust account reconciliations, and ensuring that taxes, including Capital Gains, Income, and Inheritance Tax, are handled correctly, safeguarding Guide Dogs’ interests. You’ll also protect Guide Dogs’ position when property or land is involved, securing necessary valuations to achieve the best possible value. Additionally, you will stay up to date with changes in probate, tax, and trust law, ensuring your approach is always in line with the latest regulations and practices.

No two people with sight loss are the same, and none of our people are either. So, we are proud to offer a range of person-centred benefits that can support each member of staff in ways that really mean something to them – and show them how much they mean to us. We offer a flexible benefits package, discounts and cashback scheme, a generous holiday allowance and matched contributory pension scheme to care for our people.

This role will be based on site at our Reading Hub in Burghfield, working closely with the Legacy Team.  You'll be working 28 hours per week. We are looking for you to attend the office at least 2/3 days per week, you will be required to complete a full day on Tuesday to attend a team day, there is flexibility to work your remaining hours across the week.

How to apply 

Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.

If you require any accessibility support to apply, our friendly recruitment team is ready and waiting to help.

As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.

Shortlisting will take place week commencing 28/04/25 with interviews taking place week commencing 05/05/25 in person at our Reading Hub.

If you want to know more about the teams who work at Guide Dogs, you can find it on our Careers Page

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.

As our Head of Philanthropy, you’ll lead and grow our major donor programme, securing six- and seven-figure gifts that fuel transformational change.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and deliver an ambitious philanthropy strategy, driving sustainable income growth.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with major donors, foundations, and networks of high-net-worth individuals.
• Position Practical Action as a thought leader in international development philanthropy, leveraging trends such as impact-based philanthropy and trust-based giving.
• Create high quality donor experiences, from exclusive events to field visits that showcase our life-changing work.

This is a rare opportunity to shape philanthropy at Practical Action and create lasting change. If you’re ready to take major donor fundraising to the next level, we’d love to hear from you!

What you’ll bring:

• A proven track record of securing high-value gifts from major donors, trusts, and foundations.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills and the ability to engage and inspire high-net-worth individuals.
• Strategic thinking with a flair for identifying and unlocking new funding opportunities.
• Passion for international development and a talent for powerful storytelling.

Accountabilities:

Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement an ambitious philanthropy strategy that delivers significant income growth from high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and foundations.

Team Leadership: Lead and develop a small team, fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring fundraising excellence.

Collaboration & Leadership: Work closely with senior stakeholders, including Trustees, the CEO, and global teams, to leverage influence and deepen donor engagement.

Innovation & Future-Proofing: Identify and implement innovative fundraising approaches, including digital philanthropy, giving circles, and social investment models.

Data & Insights: Use CRM and donor analytics to inform strategy, measure impact, and drive data-led decision-making.

Portfolio Development: Expand and diversify our philanthropic network, including engaging global high-net-worth individuals, diaspora philanthropy, and Donor Advised Funds (DAFs).

Major Gift Fundraising: Build and steward a pipeline of major donors, personally cultivating and soliciting six and seven-figure gifts to drive sustainable long-term support.

Engagement & Stewardship: Develop bespoke donor experiences, including high-profile events, personalised communications, and opportunities to see Practical Action’s work firsthand.

Global relationships: Working with country and regional offices, the International Directorate, the Impact & Influence Directorate and Finance, developing processes and proactively working to unblock issues crucial to successful philanthropic growth.

Skills Development: Champion and facilitates the development of skills and capacity among fundraising staff globally in support of the philanthropy strategy.

PERSON PROFILE

Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• We’re looking for an experienced philanthropy professional with a passion for international development and a strong track record of securing major gifts. You will bring:
• Proven expertise in major donor fundraising, with a track record of securing six and seven-figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals and foundations.
• Strategic vision and leadership, with the ability to develop and implement successful multi-year philanthropy strategies.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills, able to engage and inspire senior donors, Trustees, and high-profile stakeholders.
• Creative and entrepreneurial mindset, with experience exploring innovative fundraising models such as impact philanthropy, digital philanthropy, and DAFs.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills, with the ability to craft compelling cases for support.
• Experience in leading and developing high-performing teams, fostering a culture of ambition, innovation, and collaboration.
• Knowledge of international development and the motivations of philanthropic donors in this space.
• A proactive, results-driven approach, with strong financial acumen and the ability to manage budgets, pipelines, and income targets.
• Cultural Sensitivity with experience of remote working, working with people from diverse backgrounds and working with multiple teams.
• Language Skills: Fluency in English required. Competence or fluency in Spanish, French and/or Arabic, desirable.
• Alignment with our work and commitment to development principles.