Assistant head of philanthropy jobs

Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising)

Salary £57,574.79 per annum

LocationLondon/Hybrid

Weekly Hours35

The Vacancy

Job Title: Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising)

Location: London/Hybrid

Salary: £57,574.79 per annum

Weekly Hours: 35

Reference: YMC1212513

An exciting moment to join us

YMCA England & Wales is entering one of the most exciting chapters in its fundraising history, launching our ambition to create 10,000 new homes for young people. Working alongside local YMCAs, we will support the development of new accommodation across the federation, helping young people move towards independence.

This role sits at the heart of that ambition.

You will lead the fundraising behind two critical components of the 10,000 Homes programme:
• Securing income from the public to build and sustain a central Centre of Expertise (mobilisation team), supporting local YMCAs to develop and deliver housing projects.
• Raising capital from individual supporters, mid-level donors and major donors to grow a replenishing national fund that provides upfront investment to unlock housing developments across the federation.

At the centre of this is the 10,000 Homes Fund: a bold, housing-focused proposition that offers the public a clear and tangible way to support young people into safe, stable accommodation. You will be responsible for growing this proposition, ensuring it resonates strongly with supporters and inspires giving at all levels.

You will lead an integrated public fundraising approach, bringing together individual giving, mid-level and major donors into one compelling, housing-led narrative. A key part of the role will be translating a complex, federated model into a simple, emotional and compelling case for support that connects with people’s motivations to give.

We’ve established strong early foundations and are now ready to scale. This role offers the opportunity to take a high-potential public fundraising proposition to the next level -expanding its reach, deepening supporter engagement, and unlocking significant new income.

We are looking for someone who is creative, data-driven and passionate about engaging the public to drive meaningful change for young people. We’re looking for someone comfortable working in a federated environment, with the ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling messages for the public.

The role

As Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising), you will lead and inspire a team of talented fundraisers, deputising for the Head of Fundraising and taking ownership of our most ambitious programmes:

The 10,000 Homes Fund driving forward our flagship proposition across individual giving, cash appeals and mid-level audiences.

Major Donors shaping the strategy for high-net-worth relationships, new giving circles and development boards.

RoomSponsor, YMCA’s flagship regular giving product, now in its third year of an ambitious growth strategy. You will oversee a unique partnership model across 45 local YMCAs, support the income distribution process, and see first-hand the impact of your work through a programme that directly supports young people with safe accommodation.

Legacies working with the Senior Fundraising Manager and Head of Fundraising to define and grow what is set to become a landmark legacy programme.

This is a hands-on leadership role: you will set direction, manage budgets, develop your team, while also being prepared to step into delivery when it matters most. You will balance strategic oversight with practical execution, ensuring programmes are both ambitious and deliverable.

About you

You are an experienced public fundraising professional with a strong track record in individual giving or direct marketing, alongside a well-developed understanding of major donor fundraising. You know how to bring different disciplines together behind a single proposition and deliver results.

You are an effective and confident leader, able to build, motivate and develop high-performing teams. You create clarity, set high standards, and support others to do their best work, stepping in when needed and leading from the front.

You are at your best when driving a clear proposition forward. You are excited by the opportunity to take a compelling idea and translate it into something that engages the public, inspires generosity and delivers sustainable income.

You are energised by a challenge, comfortable with complexity and working in a federated environment, where success depends on strong relationships and shared ownership. You are skilled at working with partners, whether agencies, internal stakeholders or local YMCAs, and know how to align people around a common goal.

You combine strategic thinking with operational delivery. You are data-driven, using insight and performance to shape your decisions, and confident working with (and occasionally building) financial models to plan, test and scale activity. You bring both creativity and discipline, generating new ideas while ensuring they are grounded, deliverable and effective.

Above all, you are a strong communicator and influencer. You can simplify complex ideas into clear, compelling messages, build confidence with colleagues and stakeholders, and position fundraising as a critical enabler of impact.

Why join us now

YMCA is the oldest and largest youth charity in the world, serving communities across England and Wales every day. The fundraising team is geared up for success, the strategy is set, the proposition is proven, and the results are already coming in. What we need now is a leader ready to take this momentum to the next level.

YMCA England & Wales is committed to equality and valuing diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Our recruitment process is anonymised and candidates' names are hidden. Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration, safeguarding training and undertake a DBS check.

Community Fundraising Assistant – East

Are you ready to take on a new challenge with a leading charity making a real difference in brain tumour research?

Brain Tumour Research is an exciting, innovative, and ambitious charity. We are passionate about finding a cure for brain tumours through the establishment of dedicated Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence around the UK.

After a successful 2025, we’re building on our momentum and looking ahead with ambition. As our work continues to expand, so does our impact. We are now looking for passionate people to join us on the next stage of our journey!

It is a fantastic time to be joining us and we are keen to share this with likeminded and talented individuals. We currently have an opening for a Community Fundraising Assistant - East, to join our Income Generation and Development team.

• Do you want to make a difference in one of the most innovative and exciting medical research fundraising charities in the UK?
• Are you able to provide friendly and professional support to fundraisers and supporters?   
• Do you have experience in supporting events or community activities?
• Do you live in our East Region (which includes Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex)?

Have you answered Yes to these questions?

Does this sound like the opportunity to really take the next step in your career?

Excited to learn more about this position? Then please take a read through our recruitment pack below. 

If you have the skills and ambition that we are looking for we are excited to receive your application.  We are really looking forward to welcoming a new member to our team!

We are asking for a CV as the first step but applicants may be asked to provide a targeted covering letter as part of the selection process.  Interviews will be conducted during the application window as appropriate, and will consist of a first interview via MS Teams, progressing, if successful to a face to face second interview, held at our offices in Milton Keynes.

We reserve the right to close the application window early and advise candidates to apply in good time to avoid disappointment.

Closing Date: 30th August 2026 

We are looking for people who share our passion for finding a cure for brain tumours and who have the skills and experience to make a difference. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages. We believe that diversity enriches our organisation and helps us achieve our mission. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute to our vision.

Prostate Cancer Research exists to honour the men and families who have been through things no family should have to go through, and to work for a future where no one needs to fear a prostate cancer diagnosis. 

We are always working to provide resources to help, support and empower patients. Giving them the information they need to make better choices about their treatment, while working to identify and target specific unmet needs in the prostate cancer ecosystem, such as racial inequality and bone metastasis. 

Our dedicated staff team is the key to our success, expanding the amount of research that we fund five times over in four years.  

Over the past three years, PCR has won:  

• the Change Project of the year award in 2023 
• the Excellence in Healthcare Partnerships award at the Communiqué 2025 awards 
• Fundraiser of the Year award at the National Fundraiser Awards 2026 
• The Mark Collins Award for Most Powerful Use of Insight to Improve Supporter Experience at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Awards 2026 

It’s been a successful few years for the Events & Community team with good results across the board, increasing income by over £1 million every year since 2023. And we recently won Fundraising Charity of the Year at the National Fundraising Awards 2026!

Now’s an exciting time to join us as we work on a new multi-year strategy and expand the team yet again, bringing in new resource to give the different activity areas space to grow and ensure we can do our best work – contributing to PCR’s lifesaving mission, developing our careers and enjoying work within an ambitious and supportive environment.

This role is new, created to focus on community fundraising which is a growing area with huge potential for PCR. We currently receive significant unsolicited income from our brilliant supporters, but there is a key opportunity to take a more proactive approach to recruiting new community fundraisers, improving their supporter experience and testing new offerings & products. You will work with the team to create and deliver a plan for this new proactive approach and will lead on day-to-day relationship management with fundraisers.

You will also lead the project management and delivery of some community-focused fundraising events. For example,our annual Snowdonia for Science event or testing new PCR-owned products which work for a community fundraising audience. We currently expect the split of time to be roughly 75% on community fundraising and 25% on events, but the two areas will be closely connected, and this split may change over time. We are excited to work with you to develop the direction of this role as the team and portfolio grows.

You will report to the Head of Events & Community and work closely with the whole team, as well as colleagues across PCR. We have flexible working arrangements, so you can choose to be office based, remote or hybrid, although the Events team currently try to work together once a week when possible, at our office in Chancery Lane, London. You’d also be needed to travel to team building and strategy days in London on an ad-hoc basis, and to supporter events across the UK when required.

Key Responsibilities

At PCR, we make team members’ development a key priority and there is always a % of time available to collaborate more widely for your development and interest. However, your main focus will initially be:

Project management and income growth

· Create and lead a plan to implement a proactive community fundraising portfolio, identifying new approaches to test and audiences to target which build towards a long-term sustainable income stream, ensuring alignment with the Public Fundraising strategy.

· Design and deliver ambitious fundraising budgets for your area which contribute net income towards PCR’s mission.

· Lead the project management and delivery of the community fundraising and events activities you are responsible for.

This will include monitoring objectives, budgets and the bigger picture to ensure opportunities are seized & risks are minimised.

· Carry out supporter data and income processing tasks as required, including on the CRM and other internal systems.

· Work with the team to create and deliver effective marketing plans which meet recruitment targets.

· Analyse results based on KPIs & supporter feedback, proactively implementing changes & improvements.

· Ensure your fundraising activities are delivered in line with fundraising law & regulations, and with PCR’s policies.

Stewardship and relationship management

· Lead on the delivery of a great supporter experience for community fundraisers in line with our Public Fundraising manifesto, motivating fundraisers to raise more and remain loyal supporters of PCR.

· Interact with supporters via a range of communication channels and in-person, attending events and presenting about PCR’s work when required. This will include travel, for which TOIL will be given and reasonable expenses covered.

· Lead on relationship management for your area, spotting potential for fundraisers to have a greater impact with PCR as a whole, and working with colleagues in Philanthropy, Partnerships, Patient Projects & across the organisation to achieve this.

· Carry out stewardship tasks using tools like Mailchimp, GivePanel and JustGiving, for which training will be provided.

· Oversee stock management via our fulfilment house and ensure we have high-quality fundraising merchandise.

Product development and innovation

· Seize new opportunities for products, journeys or events which would engage a community fundraising audience, taking a test & learn approach. For this, there will be realistic budgets & an understanding of the investment needed for new ideas.

· Stay up to date with sector trends and maintain a strong understanding of PCR’s existing (and target) supporters to create and implement products and experiences that motivate and inspire.

· Use feedback and data to spot opportunities for the constant improvement of fundraisers’ experience with PCR.

· Work to engage supporters beyond their initial activity, testing ongoing journeys and maximising their life-time value for PCR.

Teamwork

· Alongside line managers within the team, help to oversee the relevant day-to-day work of the Supporter Engagement Officer/ Assistants who are supporting your activities, to ensure effective delivery and collaboration.

· Contribute to team strategy and capacity planning.

· Work with the team to embed our agile ways of working, modelling the principle of collective responsibility.

· Contribute to the improvement of relevant processes & infrastructure to ensure efficiency, compliance & best practice.

· Attend and actively contribute to meetings, sharing new ideas and learnings that might be useful for the wider team.

· Model PCR’s organisational values: innovation, collaboration, accountability & empathy (championing the patient voice).

The Community Fundraising & Events Manager may also get involved with other work to support Public Fundraising activities as appropriate. Attendance will be required at weekend and evening events, for which TOIL will be given.

Skills and Competencies

Our ideal candidate would be proactive team player, with:

· A willingness to get stuck in, eagerness to learn and strong sense of personal accountability.

· First class relationship management skills, with an ability to build rapport and to choose the right method at the right time in order to inspire a range of audiences through great stewardship and storytelling.

· Great written and oral communication skills, and an ability to present PCR’s work confidently in front of an audience.

· Strong event and project management skills, including end-to-end planning, budgeting & results tracking.

· The ability to see opportunities and drive progress within existing activity – and finding our next successful ones!  

· Excellent organisational skills and the ability to juggle competing priorities, identifying the most valuable use of your time.

· An ability to oversee others’ work, to delegate effectively, and to give constructive feedback aligned with goals.

· Good attention to detail and IT Skills, with the ability to use relevant tools and a CRM database (training will be provided).

· A good understanding (or ideally experience) of community fundraising or similar peer-to-peer fundraising activity.

· A strong belief in the work we do at PCR, and a commitment to our values and mission.

How To Apply

Please apply by submitting your CV and a short supporting statement (maximum 600 words) outlining why you would like the role and why you think you’d be a good fit, giving examples of previous experience.

There will be a one two-stage interview process. The first interview will be online, and the second will be an in-person interview at our office in London.

For more information about the role, please contact our hiring team at the email provided in the full job description for an informal chat.

For more information about our organisation, visit the Prostate Cancer Research website, the Prostate Progress webpage and the PCR online patient resource, The Infopool.

PCR is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.