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For nearly 20 years, Lively Minds has been proving that parents are the sleeping giants of early childhood development. With strong evidence and a national scale proof point in Ghana, we have shown that parent powered approaches delivered through government systems can transform children's lives at scale.
We are now at a pivotal moment. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum, and we need the funding, profile and influence to match our ambition. This is a rare opportunity to lead income generation and external voice for an award winning NGO entering an exciting new phase of growth. You will lead our fundraising strategy and direct engagement with Funders ensuring that we maximise all funding opportunities as we continue our strategic evolution. You will also shape a compelling external narrative that will help position Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments strengthening their early childhood development systems.
If you are an exceptional fundraiser and communicator who is equally comfortable in a strategic conversation and writing a winning proposal, we would love to hear from you.
Read the full advert and apply below. Closing date: 3rd September 2026.
About Lively Minds
Lively Minds is an award-winning NGO with nearly 20 years of experience designing, testing and scaling early childhood development (ECD) solutions across the Global South. Our core idea is simple but radical: parents are the sleeping giants of ECD. Governments and donors have long overlooked parents, assuming that poverty and low literacy make them unable or unwilling to support their childrenʼs development. We have spent two decades proving otherwise. With RCT-backed evidence and a national-scale proof point in Ghana, we have demonstrated that parent-powered approaches, delivered through government systems, can achieve meaningful child development outcomes at scale.
Our 2026–2028 strategy marks a pivotal shift. Having demonstrated what is possible, we are now helping pioneer an innovative model of country-led sustainable scale. Rather than delivering programmes ourselves, we provide lean, time-limited technical advisory support to governments to help them integrate parent-powered ECD into their own systems, budgets and institutions. We are currently working with the governments of Ghana, Uganda, Oromia state (Ethiopia) and The Gambia in 2026, growing to six or more country engagements by 2028. Our ambition is to catalyse a sector-wide shift, positioning Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments seeking to strengthen their ECD systems.
Our scale strategy rests on three interdependent pillars: fixed-term Technical Advisory partnerships with governments; the development of a modular radio model simple and affordable enough for governments to adopt and fund independently; and an advocacy and sector influence agenda designed to make parent-powered ECD the norm globally.
Purpose of the Role
Lively Minds is at a critical inflection point. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum. We now need the funding, profile and sector influence to match our ambition. The Director of Fundraising and Communications is a priority hire, created to provide the dedicated, experienced leadership that this moment demands.
The Director will own and drive Lively Mindsʼ income generation, building new funder relationships, managing and deepening existing ones, and ensuring the organisation has the pipeline, discipline and quality of engagement to meet and exceed its fundraising targets. Working in close partnership with the Founding CEO, who retains ownership of a small number of long-standing strategic relationships, the Director will take primary responsibility for securing the funding that makes the 2026–2028 strategy deliverable, and that opens the door to greater scale beyond it. We need to raise approximately £3.4m over the next 3 years to deliver our strategy. But our ambition is to exceed that target so we can support additional governments.
Alongside fundraising, the Director will provide strategic leadership to Lively Mindsʼ communications and advocacy work, ensuring that the organisationʼs external voice is compelling and that we are building credibility in the spaces where funding decisions are made. The Director will lead and provide strategic coherence to a small but outward-facing team, including Head of Partnerships and Advocacy Lead who are active on the international stage. Lively Minds is committed to thought-leadership and active external engagement, but equally committed to ensuring that communications resource is deployed with discipline and rigour. The Director will set a clear strategic filter for where the organisation shows up, what it publishes and who it engages: prioritising focus and quality over volume, and always asking whether external activity is building the relationships and reputation that ultimately drive income and/or systems change.
Lively Minds is a dispersed, remote organisation. The Directorʼs team the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer - are internationally distributed. The ability to lead, develop and maintain high standards across a dispersed team is essential. The role requires regular travel to international conferences and events.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy & Income Generation
- Own and deliver the multi-year fundraising strategy with clear priorities, targets, income streams and a disciplined pipeline to support the 2026–2028 strategy and future scale
- Steward existing funder relationships, turning strong partnerships into long-term supporters, advocates and connectors to new funding opportunities.
- Lead the shift towards Big Bet and catalytic funding, personally cultivating and negotiating high-value, multi-year partnerships and positioning Lively Minds for system-level scale
- Maintain a high standard of fundraising quality, pipeline management and forecasting, while coaching the team to produce compelling, sophisticated fundraising materials
- Build and continuously strengthen a diverse funding pipeline, identifying emerging opportunities, new funding markets and strategic partnerships that reduce concentration risk and support long-term financial sustainability
Communications, Brand & Advocacy
- Own and deliver Lively Mindsʼ communications and marketing strategy, balancing visibility and sector influence with the need to strengthen fundraising and systems-change objectives
- Partner closely with the CEO to shape and steward a coherent external narrative, brand and messaging framework across all audiences and channels
- Oversee high-quality core communications and fundraising materials, including cases for support, pitch decks, website content, proposals and donor reports
- Provide strategic communications expertise to Advocacy, Partnerships and MEL, ensuring evidence and learning are translated into compelling narratives and consistent external messaging
- Lead efforts to strengthen Lively Mindsʼ profile and thought leadership in the ECD sector, identifying opportunities for strategic media, events, publications and external platforms that reinforce its positioning and influence
Organizational Leadership&TeamDevelopment
- Contribute actively to SMT and organisational strategy, bringing funder intelligence, external perspective and communications expertise to strategic decision-making.
- Work closely with Finance and MEL to align fundraising targets, forecasting, budgets and evidence, ensuring proposals are credible, accurately costed and evidence-led
- Act as the organisationʼs communications subject matter expert, providing guidance and challenge to ensure high-quality, consistent external communications
- Lead and develop the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer, fostering a team culture of quality, accountability, strategic clarity and continuous improvement
- Build strong cross-organisational collaboration, ensuring teams understand how fundraising, communications, advocacy and evidence work together to advance Lively Mindsʼ strategic priorities
Person Specification
Essential Experience & Skills
- 10+ years of significant senior-level fundraising experience within international development, education, philanthropy or a comparable sector
- Proven track record of securing major grants from foundations, institutional donors and high-net-worth individuals, alongside demonstrated experience securing or meaningfully progressing large-scale, catalytic funding from Big Bet philanthropy programmes such as the Audacious Project, Skoll Foundation or comparable funders. A strong understanding of what these funders look for and how to position an organisation compellingly within their processes is essential
- Exceptional fundraising writing skills, with the ability to personally develop compelling cases for support, funding proposals, award applications and pitch decks tailored to sophisticated impact funders. This is a hands-on role requiring both strong writing capability and the ability to coach others to consistently produce high-quality fundraising content
- Experienced in developing and owning a marketing and communications strategy, with a strong understanding of how to balance organisational visibility, thought leadership and sector influence with coherence, strategic focus and income generation
- Demonstrated ability to work closely with a Founding CEO to shape and steward the organisationʼs external narrative and brand. Comfortable working in a founder-led environment, providing expertise and constructive challenge while ensuring the organisation maintains a clear, consistent and coherent external voice
Desirable Experience
- Experienced fundraising for a technical advisory, systems change or government-facing organisation
- Knowledge of the ECD, education or early childhood sector and its funding landscape
- Familiarity with the Big Bang Philanthropy network or equivalent impact-focused funder communities
- Experience working alongside advocacy and partnerships teams, providing communications expertise and strategic coherence to their external activity
- Familiarity with the funding landscape for organisations operating in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Experience working remotely across multiple countries and effectively collaborating with cross-cultural teams
Behaviours & Ways of Working
- A doer, equally comfortable in strategic conversations and writing a funding proposal
- Sets a high bar for quality and clarity in all external communications and holds it consistently
- Builds a strong, trust-based partnership with the Founding CEO, provides honest challenge and operates effectively within a founder-led dynamic without losing their own voice or judgement
- Collaborative and cross-organisational. Invests in strong relationships with programme, MEL and finance colleagues, understanding that the best fundraising is grounded in organisational reality
- Calm and focused under pressure - able to manage competing priorities and maintain quality when the stakes are high
What We Offer
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience
- 25 days annual leave
- Health insurance
- Pension contribution
- Generous learning and development budget
- Flexible, remote working
Application Instruction
Interested candidates are encouraged to read the Job Description carefully before applying to ensure they understand the role and meet the required criteria.
To apply, please complete the pre-screening questions and submit your updated CV
PLEASE NOTE - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Timeline
Closing Date: 3rd September 2026
Our Stance
Lively Minds operates a strict Safeguarding Policy and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable people. As part of our recruitment process, the suitability of successful candidates will be verified through appropriate background checks including professional references and police checks.
Lively Minds is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities throughout our recruitment process. We want this commitment to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, experiences and perspectives.
We are committed to ensuring that recruitment decisions are based on merit, skills, experience and suitability for the role, and that all candidates are treated fairly and with respect throughout the recruitment process.
Thank you!
Reporting to: Products Manager
Hours: Full Time (35 hours per week)
Key Relationships: Products Manager, Stewardship Manager, Fundraising Lead, Director of Development, CEO, COO, Trustees, External Partners
Location: Remote Working, with national travel requirements for meetings, events and collaboration.
OVERALL PURPOSE
To support the Products Manager in the development, delivery and administration of innovative fundraising products and initiatives that generate income for NHS Charities Together whilst helping NHS charities increase their own fundraising income.
The Development Product Executive will play a key role in coordinating fundraising products including the lottery programme, the National Legacy Campaign, , fundraising toolkits and collective fundraising initiatives. The role will help ensure products are delivered effectively, members receive excellent support and product performance is monitored to drive continuous improvement.
Working collaboratively across the Development team, the Development Product Executive will help deliver high-quality fundraising products that are accessible, scalable and responsive to the needs of NHS charities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The main duties and responsibilities of the role holder are as outlined below:
Product Delivery & Development
- Support the Products Manager with the delivery and ongoing development of fundraising products, campaigns and initiatives for NHS charities.
- Support the administration and delivery of the lottery programme, including member onboarding, supplier liaison, reporting and responding to enquiries. The role will support NHS charities to recruit players to the lottery, so experience of engaging and growing membership or supporter bases, and understanding recruitment journeys, would be beneficial.
- Assist in developing, testing and evaluating new fundraising products and pilot initiatives.
- Produce and maintain fundraising toolkits, guidance documents, templates and other supporting resources.
- Coordinate timelines, project plans and actions to ensure fundraising products are delivered to schedule.
- Support the creation and delivery of collective fundraising initiatives that enable NHS charities to collaborate and maximise fundraising opportunities.
Member Support & Collaboration
- Act as a first point of contact for member charities with queries relating to fundraising products and initiatives.
- Build positive relationships with NHS charities, understanding their needs and supporting successful implementation of fundraising products.
- Coordinate member communications relating to fundraising products, campaigns and opportunities.
- Support the delivery of webinars, workshops and member events, including preparing materials, managing registrations and following up with attendees.
- Gather feedback from member charities and supporters to inform future product development and improvements.
- Support the delivery of consultancy projects where required.
Product Administration & Performance
- Maintain accurate project documentation, timelines, budgets and performance records.
- Collate income, participation and engagement data across fundraising products.
- Produce regular reports and dashboards to monitor product performance and support evaluation.
- Assist in monitoring budgets, expenditure and income against forecasts.
- Maintain accurate records on Raiser's Edge and other systems in line with GDPR and organisational policies.
- Support supplier administration, including raising purchase orders, processing invoices and monitoring contracts where required.
Marketing & Communications
- Work collaboratively with the Communications Team to develop and schedule marketing materials that promote fundraising products.
- Coordinate the production of product resources, case studies and promotional content.
- Identify member success stories and examples of best practice to share across the NHS charity network.
- Support campaigns that encourage member engagement and product participation.
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Monitor fundraising trends, emerging products and sector developments to identify new opportunities.
- Support the testing and evaluation of new fundraising ideas and product improvements.
- Assist with gathering insight and learning from product pilots to improve future delivery.
- Contribute ideas that improve efficiency, supporter experience and member engagement.
Cross-Team Collaboration
- Work closely with colleagues across the Development Team to ensure fundraising products complement wider fundraising activity.
- Collaborate with Data & Systems and Business Support teams to ensure effective administration and reporting.
- Support wider fundraising activity, including events and campaigns, where required.
- Contribute positively to team meetings, planning sessions and organisational projects.
Other Duties
- Visibly live NHS Charities Together's values, including our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Carry out duties in accordance with NHS Charities Together's Health & Safety policies and procedures.
- Work flexibly, prioritising workload and supporting colleagues across the organisation as required.
- Adhere to relevant legislation, fundraising regulation, GDPR and organisational policies and procedures.
- Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of duties. Flexibility is required and the post holder will be expected to undertake other duties appropriate to the role and within their skills and experience when reasonably requested.
Competencies
Teamwork – 'One Charity', working within and across teams
- Collaborates effectively across teams to ensure fundraising products are successfully delivered and continuously improved.
Building trust and respect – listen, feedback and learn
- Builds positive relationships with NHS charities, suppliers and colleagues through responsive communication and a collaborative approach.
Responsibility – owning your part in our success
- Takes ownership of product administration, project coordination and delivery to ensure high-quality outcomes. Demonstrates excellent attention to detail and follows through on commitments.
Professionalism – creating an environment to achieve success
- Organises work effectively, manages competing priorities and maintains accurate records and reporting. Upholds fundraising regulations and organisational standards.
Stakeholder focus – understanding the needs of our stakeholders
- Provides excellent support to member charities, ensuring fundraising products are practical, accessible and responsive to their needs.
Acumen – sound decision-making
- Uses data, feedback and learning to improve product delivery and identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential
- Experience working within a fundraising, marketing or project coordination role
- Experience coordinating projects or campaigns involving multiple stakeholders
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Experience producing reports and analysing performance data
- Strong IT skills including Microsoft Office, particularly Excel
- Experience maintaining databases or CRM systems
- Excellent attention to detail and administrative skills
- Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
Desirable
- Membership or subscription recruitment experience, particularly involving acquisition campaigns or supporter recruitment, would be advantageous.
- Experience supporting fundraising campaigns or products
- Knowledge of fundraising products including lotteries, legacy fundraising or individual giving
- Experience developing toolkits, guidance or fundraising resources
- Experience working with external suppliers or agencies
- Knowledge of fundraising regulation, GDPR and charity sector best practice
- Experience using Raiser's Edge or another fundraising CRM
- Understanding of NHS charities or the wider health charity sector
Thank you!
The young people, children and families that we support are at the heart of everything we do at Mermaids. The work that we do has significantly expanded and we now need a highly effective and experienced Youth Advocacy Manager to join the organisation. The Youth Advocacy Manager plays a crucial role in empowering trans youth, advocating for their rights and fostering inclusive and supportive communities where they can thrive. This role is a core part of our management team and will drive the organization to ensure that youth voice is centred across all of our work.
Mermaids is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from those with lived experiences (directly or indirectly) and/or close ties to the LGBTQ+ community. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us and shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from BPOC (black and people of colour) and/or disabled and trans candidates.
Registered Charity
11 - 20
Supporting trans, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families since 1995
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.