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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
Communications, Brand & Advocacy
Organizational Leadership&TeamDevelopment
Person Specification
Essential Experience & Skills
Desirable Experience
Behaviours & Ways of Working
What We Offer
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.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
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.
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.
To find a cure for all types of brain tumours To increase the UK investment in brain tumour research
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This is an exciting opportunity to join Cause4’s Development Team as a Development Manager, supporting a varied portfolio of charities and social purpose organisations with fundraising, strategy and organisational development.
This opportunity provides a fantastic opportunity for someone to work as part of a passionate and hard working team to hone their consultancy skills to fast track into more senior positions within the organisation.
The role offers the chance to work across multiple sectors including arts, heritage, education, health, sport and community organisations, helping clients to develop fundraising strategies, secure funding and build sustainable income streams. Alongside client work, you will play an active role within the wider Cause4 Development Team, contributing to research, organisational planning, training delivery and business development activity.
This position offers broad exposure across a wide range of organisations, fundraising disciplines and consultancy projects, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to accelerate their career within the charity or consultancy sectors.
THE OPPORTUNITY WHO THIS ROLE MAY SUIT
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising & Client Support
Research & Consultancy
Team & Organisational Development
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Cause4 is a fast-paced consultancy environment offering significant opportunities for learning and career development.
Skills & Experience
We are particularly interested in candidates who are ambitious, adaptable and keen to grow within a consultancy environment. You may already have experience in fundraising, charity operations, programme delivery, arts administration, partnerships, research or strategy work.
We are looking for:
Experience across fundraising or income generation is desirable, but we are equally interested in candidates with strong transferable skills and the ambition to develop into a client-facing consultancy role.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send your CV together with either: a Cover Letter (maximum two pages), or a Cover Video (maximum three minutes) to Ben Wilson, Director of Development and Enterprise.
The deadline for applying is 5pm on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
Please also include a completed Equal Opportunities Form downloadable from the Cause4 website.
Job Purpose
Sequence ME & Long Covid is one of the most ambitious whole-genome sequencing studies ever undertaken into ME and Long Covid, co-led by Action for ME. Building on the success of DecodeME, this proposed £20 million study will use large-scale, long-read whole-genome sequencing to analyse the entire genetic code of 9,000 people with ME and 9,000 people with Long Covid - making it the world's largest 'long-read' whole-genome sequencing study of any disease.
Current funding supports project mobilisation, partnership development, and the development of the Long Covid arm of the study, including agreeing case definitions and gathering expressions of interest from people with Long Covid. Phase 2 has recently been confirmed, backed by £4.75m from the UK government and a further £174,414 from the WE&ME Foundation, and will focus on sequencing 6,000 ME/CFS samples previously collected through DecodeME using Oxford Nanopore's long-read sequencing technology, running alongside Phase 1.
You will play a pivotal role supporting the Sequence ME & Long Covid project in several different ways. Working closely with the project's management team and other team members, you will help ensure the smooth day-to-day running of this landmark study, providing administrative support to the various people and partners involved in delivering it.
As a self-starter, you will manage a range of tasks including meeting scheduling, taking meeting minutes, preparing governance documents, event administration, and broader project support - no two days will be the same.
You will need to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times, particularly when supporting governance meetings and handling sensitive project documentation.
As a team player, you will provide comprehensive, confidential and organised administrative support, developing a deep understanding of the project and building strong, effective working relationships with colleagues, researchers and external partners.
Remote working at home can be challenging for some and works incredibly well for others. You will need to be able to work independently, use your own initiative, and remain proactive in maintaining good levels of communication with colleagues.
Key Duties
Person Specification
Essential skills and experience
Desirable skills and experience
Please note, the salary of £24,642.09 FTE per year pro rata is based on a 35-hour week.
Our mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ME. Better meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.