Event organiser jobs in Edinburgh

As the Challenge Events Fundraiser, you will manage the charity’s sporting, runs and challenges event places, working with the fundraisers to maximise income.

You will help shape and deliver our Challenge Events Fundraising strategy. You will develop new ways to engage supporters, review and improve our fundraising events, and make sure our activities are inclusive and impactful.

Main Responsibilities

• Be the main Child Bereavement UK sporting/race/challenge event contact, co-ordinating and managing all event activities with race organisers and participants.
• Manage and deliver fundraising Challenge events and from start to finish
• Work with the Challenge and Mass Programmes Manager to secure and liaise with volunteers for event attendance. Provide suitable volunteer requests and briefings and manage volunteers on event days.
• Assist in the development and implementation of Child Bereavement UK’s Challenge Events Fundraising strategy, embedding an audience-led approach to innovation
• Support the review of performance, opportunities, and help take action to leverage opportunities that maximise income, engagement, and brand exposure, and minimise risk.
• Contribute to driving innovation and identifying opportunities to grow income.
• Support the Special Events team and Regional Fundraising team on Child Bereavement UK events, promoting the events to Challenge Event participants and attending events as and when required.
• Put our supporters first by developing inclusive supporter journeys and materials.
• Present the work of Child Bereavement UK at individual fundraiser and community events, schools, conferences and other venues where a speaker is required. This includes giving informational presentations to audiences and accepting cheques and donations from fundraisers.
• Accurately input supporter information onto our database in accordance with the Data Protection Act, ensuring that all communications are up-to-date at all times.
• Work with Finance and Supporter Experience teams to ensure timely and accurate recording of donations and delivery of thank you letters.
• Regularly report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and support business planning.
• Prepare appropriate documents/policies in relation to fundraising at Child Bereavement UK as required.

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven successful experience of event organisation and supporter care
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate with a wide range of people at all levels
• Experience of overseeing fundraising activity, including the development, support and management of volunteers
• Proven relationship-building skills and a track record of establishing and stewarding partnerships
• Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise work, handle conflicting demands and meet tight deadlines
• A creative thinker and quick to respond to opportunities
• Ability to be passionate and inspiring when communicating about the work of Child Bereavement UK
• Experience of using databases and excellent general IT skills.
• Strong attention to detail and project management skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and as part of a team environment.
• Willingness to work out of normal office hours, with time off in lieu (TOIL).

Desirable

• Understanding of child bereavement.
• Thorough understanding of relevant legislation/charity law affecting fundraising practice, including Health and Safety.

Benefits

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata if applicable) with increase for long service.
• TOIL for our hours work.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Company sick pay.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Life assurance.
• Training loans.
• Enhanced family friendly policies.

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 16th June 2026 at midnight

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications for the role before the closing date.

Please refer to our recruitment pack for further details on the interview process.

Job Roles:

Ronald McDonald House UK is seeking a proactive and creative Mass Participation Events Manager to lead the delivery and growth of our mass participation portfolio. The role will lead on the strategy, performance and delivery of our challenge events programme, ensuring events achieve agreed income and participation targets and work closely with the Head of Mass Engagement to shape and test future Ronald McDonald House UK owned mass participation events, supporting sustainable, diversified income growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Event strategy and planning

• Develop and deliver a clear strategy for challenge and mass participation events, aligned to fundraising targets and audience engagement objectives
• Identify and assess new event opportunities, including third party and bespoke challenges, to diversify and grow income
• To play a key role in developing new events, taking them to market and adopting a test and learn approach in collaboration with the Head of Mass Engagement and wider Engagement Directorate

Event delivery and logistics

• Support the Senior Event Fundraiser to lead the end-to-end management of events, including budgeting, planning, supplier coordination, risk management, and on-the-day execution
• Ensure all events are delivered to a high standard, providing an exceptional experience for supporters

Supporter engagement and stewardship

• Build strong relationships with event participants, providing excellent supporter experience and tailored stewardship journeys
• Support the development, delivery of and evaluation of effective supporter journeys across the events portfolio, focused on maximising net return and supporter retention
• Create and develop engaging communications and materials to inspire fundraising and deepen supporters’ connections to the charity

Marketing and promotion

• Lead the delivery of an audience and insight led events marketing programme, working closely with the Brand, Communications and Digital Engagement team to maximise participation and net return
• Keep abreast of income and data trends across the sector to help inform future activities and events fundraising programmes

Monitoring and evaluation

• Agree and deliver against ambitious income and acquisition targets, maintaining costs within agreed budgets
• Set, manage and report against budgets, milestones and KPIs across the events portfolio, demonstrating accountability for performance
• Use data and insight to evaluate event performance, inform decision making and continuously improve participant experience
• Produce regular performance reports and insights for internal stakeholders

Collaboration and partnership

• Work closely with senior managers and colleagues across the department to maximise opportunities for collaboration and integrated delivery
• Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders, including but not limited to - McDonald’s Relationship Team, House teams, fundraising partners, suppliers, and third party event organisers

Skills & Experience:

Essential

• A proven track record of excellent management of an event portfolio to meet income and acquisition targets
• Experience of delivering data and insight led marketing and stewardship programmes to drive acquisition and net income
• Experience of managing multiple projects with complex budgets, multiple stakeholders and stretching KPIs.
• Line management and team development experience
• Knowledge of health and safety, risk management in event delivery and fundraising compliance

Desirable

• Experience of virtual fundraising and development of new events
• Ability to plan, prioritise and balance a busy and varied workload
• Familiarity with digital fundraising platforms and Microsoft Dynamics
• Experience supporting innovation or new product development, working with agencies to deliver new fundraising products

Challenge Events Assistant

Location: Edinburgh or Stepps (Hybrid)

Salary: £26,807 - £28,324 per annum, pro rata

Contract Type: Temporary for 12 months, Full time 35 hours per week

Closing Date: 03/06/2026 23:59

The Vacancy

This is a really exciting time to join Children’s Hospices Across Scotland – better known as CHAS. A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Challenge Events Assistant to join the fundraising team to play a key role in CHAS’ More Than a Hospice Appeal - an ambitious, once‑in‑a‑generation campaign to change the future of care for children who will die young.

Challenge events are some of the most exciting and fast-paced fundraising activities at CHAS – from running events and virtual challenges to adrenaline-fuelled experiences. This role is hands-on and varied. One day you might be supporting participants preparing for their first marathon, and the next you could be at an event pit stop, setting up, welcoming supporters, and keeping energy high throughout the day with a team of volunteers.

During event season, you’ll often be out and about, attending events, working occasional weekends, and being part of the buzz that comes with live events. At the same time, there’s a strong administrative and planning side – coordinating logistics, managing data, responding to supporter queries, and helping ensure every event runs smoothly behind the scenes. It’s a role for someone who enjoys being busy, can adapt quickly, and is just as comfortable with spreadsheets and emails as they are cheering participants across a finish line.

Key Responsibilities

Working within the culture, ethos and philosophy of CHAS, you will assist the Mass Participation Events Manager with the management and evaluation of challenge events and the recruitment and stewardship of supporters. Key responsibilities include:

• Assisting with the management of in-person challenge events, including liaising with third party event organisers, suppliers and attendance on the day
• Assisting with the development of the virtual events programme, stewarding participants through social media and answering queries
• Producing copy to promote events for website, social media, press and email
• Assisting with the recruitment of supporters for events in the challenge event calendar, and stewarding them to raise as much as possible for CHAS
• Assisting with event research
• Administration

About You

In order to help CHAS achieve our goal of reaching every family in Scotland that needs us, you will have:

• Experience of fundraising / events or HNC level qualification (or equivalent) in either Public Relations, Marketing, Media, Communications, Event Management, Fundraising or related discipline
• Demonstrable working knowledge of Microsoft Office or similar packages
• Demonstrable experience of keyboard skills and maintaining information databases
• Good communication skills to deal with staff, volunteers and general public in an appropriate and effective manner
• Competent on social media
• High level of accuracy and numeracy skills, as this role requires cash handling
• Demonstrable attention to detail
• Planning and organising skills for effective management of event calendar
• Experience in an office and customer services environment
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle

Why CHAS?

At CHAS, we support families during the toughest of times. We have ambitions to reach every family in Scotland who is living with the heart-breaking prognosis that their child is dying and offer them our care and support to empower them to make the most of the short time they have together. The skill, determination and creative flair of our Fundraising Teams makes this possible. 

This is a pivotal moment to join CHAS. We’ve just launched More Than A Hospice - a £20 million appeal to change how Scotland cares for children who will die young, and for the families who love them. Every week, three children in Scotland die from an incurable illness, and advances in medicine mean more children are living longer with complex, life‑shortening conditions - a gift, but one that demands change.

Right now, too many families don’t have real choice throughout their child’s life, or at the end of it - and are sometimes forced into decisions because the care they need isn’t always there when it’s needed. We believe Scotland can - and must - do better. Joining CHAS now means being part of an ambitious appeal that aims to ensure care follows the child - at home, in hospital, or in a hospice so no family faces that moment alone

We offer

• Flexible Working: our teams work flexibly and in a hybrid manner with time split between at home and onsite in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
• Development Opportunities: exposure to a variety of fundraising activities
• Professional Growth: Work with industry leaders in a high-performing team where you will be encouraged and supported to excel and develop your skills.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Including generous annual leave and pension, incremental salary progression, access to Blue Light discounts, and health and wellbeing support.

How to Apply

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply and you will be redirected to our careers page to complete your application.

The Navigators is a Christian discipleshp charity working across the UK. We are seeking an organised and proactive Events Executive to provide maternity cover and lead the delivery of our key external events, including the National Conference and launch of our Alongside course.

The role involves co-ordinating event logistics, managing budgets, working closely with internal teams and helping ensure events are used effectively to engage people with our work and support the growth of a movment of 'Alongsiders'.

We offer a friendly and supportive team to work with, the opportunity to take responsibility for two high profile events based on solid foundations from previous successes and a competitive remuneration package.

We would ideally like to have a candidate working fully or hybrid from the Southampton Office. However we are willing to consider applications from exceptional candidates who would only be able to take the post working fully remotely from within the UK with the ability to travel to events. 

The attached candidate pack contains more details about our work, the role and the person description for this post.

Please note that there is an occupational requirement for the post holder to be a practicing Christian.