Fundraising manager jobs in Cambridge
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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!
We're FIRST UK, a EdTech charity using robots, role models and competitions to make STEM more approachable and inclusive – empowering young people with the technical knowledge and soft skills to engineer better futures.
It’s an exciting time to join us as we move from startup into scaling mode. We’re backed by some of the world’s leading tech-enabled businesses including Arm, Purposeful Ventures, Smiths Group, Bloomberg, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and many more.
In summer 2026 we’ll publish a new 5-year strategy articulating how we will build more than robots in schools and community groups nationwide, alongside growing our annual income to £2m by 2027.
It’s easy to see why competitions like this really do help students develop the skills they’re going to need for the rest of their lives. Honestly, I wish I had something like this when I was at school.
Spencer Kelly, BBC Broadcaster
What we're looking for
A fundraiser, partnerships guru, and consummate relationship builder. Someone who can support the CEO to identify, go after, and convert opportunities which sustain and scale the charity’s impact. Broadly this means more money and greater participation. Through your ability to seek out and support the relationships which matter most you will ensure the charity secures:
- Income generating relationships with trusts, foundations, and philanthropists
- Corporate partnerships fuelling our programmes with funding and volunteers
- Collaborations with organisations supporting outreach and growth
- An ecosystem of proactive trustees, advisors, ambassadors and advocates
Working closely with the CEO you’ll get the charity in front of the right people, having the right conversations which grow investment and participation. Your tenacity will help build and steward a network to achieve our mission better and sooner.
Who this might suit
A people person. You love seeking out and building relationships, then maximising their impact. You might have worked in a charity fundraising position before. You understand what good looks like in terms of brokering strong partnerships – and relish the mix of research, prospecting, proposal development, pitching, and importantly onward stewardship of the relationships we win to ensure we amplify, leverage and retain them.
Whatever your background – the common, transferable skill set is being excellent at relationships. Understanding that it’s not just about the chat, it’s about the follow through. You do what you say you will – and do it well.
The experience you'll have
- Evidence of winning income (e.g corporate partnerships, sponsorship, grants etc)
- Evidence of driving growth (this might be in sales, membership, users, income etc)
- Experience stewarding relationships (partners, funders, trustees, volunteers, stakeholders)
You might also possess
- Passion for STEM, tech for good, inclusion
What you'll get
Responsibility, autonomy, sense of purpose. You’ll be working in a small organisation which is lean, agile and fast-paced. Unimpeded by hierarchy and bureaucracy you’ll have the freedom to experiment, fail fast and crack on. You’ll be presenting a compelling case for support against a validated impact model. Long before pandemics we were working flexibly and remotely – it’s embedded to our culture.
I'm in, what's next?
- Check out the full role profile on our HR platform
- Browse our website and get familiar with our mission
- Answer 3 short screening questions, upload CV and hang tight until Sun 08th Mar
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview by Thu 12th Mar
Safer recruitment
You must live in and have the right to work in the UK. In accordance with our Safer Recruitment Policy, all employees of the charity will be asked for two references which will be conducted by phone and are subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks upon appointment.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are looking for a fundraising manager whose core strengths are trusts and foundations fundraising, major donor cultivation, and excellent proposal writing.
The NCTJ is the guardian of the gold standard in journalism training. Through charitable initiatives including the Community Reporting Fund and Journalism Diversity Fund, we widen access to journalism careers, strengthen community reporting, and champion trusted journalism at a time when misinformation and public scepticism make high professional standards more important than ever.
Diversifying and growing charitable income is a strategic priority for NCTJ. Following the development of our fundraising strategy, this role will focus on building and growing income from UK trusts, foundations and high net worth supporters. You will have the autonomy to shape the grants and major donor pipeline.
Corporate partnerships are led primarily by our Head of Business Development. This role focuses on grants, major donors and stewardship.
About the role
You will:
- Research and manage a strong pipeline of trusts and foundation prospects
- Write and submit high-quality, tailored grant applications and expressions of interest
- Develop compelling cases for support, budgets, outcomes and proposal templates
- Build and manage major donor/high net worth pipeline through warm networks
- Lead on donor cultivation and follow-up
- Strengthen stewardship and reporting so funders feel valued and close to the impact
- Use HubSpot CRM to track pipeline, deadlines, reporting and performance
About you
You will have:
- A strong track record in trusts and foundations fundraising
- Experience securing substantial grants (five-figure and above)
- Excellent proposal and case for support writing skills
- Experience working with major donors/high net worth supporters (or strong transferable relationship-led fundraising experience)
- Strong organisation and CRM discipline
- Confidence working with senior leaders
Experience in journalism, media, education, social mobility or EDI is welcome but not essential. It is vital that you support the critical role professional journalists play in our democracy.
Benefits
- Salary c £40,000 (£37,000-£43,000) depending on experience
- Pension: 5% employer and 5% employee contribution
- Annual leave of 25 days plus bank holidays
- Discretionary bonus based on company performance
- Life cover
- Training and career development
How to apply
Please apply with your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 1,000 words total) addressing the following:
- Trusts and foundations track record (300 words)
Describe one trust or foundation grant of £30,000+ that you personally led. Include who the funder was, what the project was, how you shaped the proposal to meet their criteria, and the outcome. - Proposal writing approach (250 words)
When starting a new funding application, what are the first five things you do before you begin writing? Please be specific. - Working with senior stakeholders and impact information (250 words)
Give an example of how you worked with colleagues, senior leaders or contacts to gather the information needed for a funding proposal or donor meeting. What did you do and what was the result? - Interest in journalism and the NCTJ mission (200 words) What is it about the NCTJ’s work, values and mission that interests you, and why do you think it is important at this point in time for journalism and society?
Your supporting statement is an important part of the assessment for this role. We are looking for evidence of your own proposal-writing style, experience and judgement. Generic or highly templated responses are unlikely to score well.
Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short writing exercise as part of the interview process.
About the NCTJ
The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) is the charity at the heart of journalism education and training in the UK. We are the guardian of the gold standard in journalism training and qualifications, and we champion equality, diversity and inclusion so that journalism is accessible to people from all backgrounds.
Through charitable initiatives including the Journalism Diversity Fund and the Community Reporting Fund, we widen participation in journalism, support community reporting, and strengthen trusted journalism at a time when misinformation and public scepticism make high professional standards more important than ever.
NCTJ is financially stable and widely respected within the industry. However, diversifying and growing charitable income is a strategic priority for 2026–27. We have developed our first fundraising strategy to support sustainable growth and impact, and this role is central to delivering it.
Purpose of the role
This is a specialist role focused on securing and stewarding funding from trusts and foundations and developing a pipeline of major donors and high net worth supporters, underpinned by exceptional proposal writing and strong relationship management.
Corporate partnerships are led primarily by the head of business development. This role will support corporate fundraising through proposal/case development and stewardship where needed, but the primary focus is securing charitable grants and major donors.
Key responsibilities
1) Trusts and foundations fundraising
- Build and manage a strong pipeline of UK trust and foundation prospects that advance NCTJ’s charitable priorities (including diversity, community reporting, and training for a fast-changing media industry).
- Develop and maintain a grants calendar and tracking system, including deadlines, funder preferences, decision timelines, and reporting requirements.
- Write and submit high-quality, tailored grant applications and expressions of interest, working to agreed targets and timescales.
- Develop a suite of core fundraising materials (case for support, programme proposals, budgets, outcomes and evaluation narrative, boilerplate and templates) to increase quality and consistency across submissions.
- Confidently communicate the NCTJ’s purpose and impact through presentations, reports, and digital content and represent the NCTJ at meetings and events, both virtually and in person.
- Build and maintain strong funder relationships, ensuring excellent stewardship, timely reporting and opportunities for renewal and uplift.
2) Major donor / high net worth giving
- Work with the senior team to identify major donor prospects through networks and sector connections.
- Undertake proportionate prospect research and build a high-quality cultivation pipeline.
- Create tailored donor proposals and impact statements that support donor interests while advancing NCTJ priorities.
- Support cultivation meetings with briefs, materials, follow-up and stewardship plans, tracking all activity in CRM.
3) Impact, storytelling and stewardship
- Work closely with programme and communications colleagues to gather impact data, case studies and beneficiary stories to strengthen proposals and reporting.
- Develop and deliver a clear plan for thanking trusts and major donors, keeping them updated on impact, and staying in regular contact.
- Use NCTJ events and industry milestones as stewardship and cultivation opportunities, coordinating targeted follow-up and relationship management.
4) Systems, reporting and evaluation
- Maintain excellent data quality and discipline in HubSpot CRM, including prospect stage, relationship owner, next actions, submissions, reporting deadlines and contact history.
- Produce clear pipeline and performance reports for the HoBD/chief executive (eg, submissions, conversion rates, forecast, learning and next steps).
- Contribute to quarterly review sessions to evaluate progress and refine approach.
5) Collaborative working
- Build strong working relationships across the charity and its stakeholders to translate NCTJ’s work into fundable propositions and well managed projects ensuring effective delivery of programmes through cross functional collaboration.
- Bring innovative and creative concepts to the team, and develop valuable programmes and initiatives which add to the NCTJ’s new income stream.
- Contribute to shared messaging that reflects NCTJ’s mission: high standards, quality, trusted journalism, accessibility and measurable EDI impact.
Person specification
Essential
- Significant experience in trusts and foundations fundraising, including writing successful applications.
- Proven track record of securing substantial grants (five-figure and above, including multi-year where possible).
- Outstanding proposal and case for support writing skills (clear structure, persuasive narrative, strong budgets/outcomes, and tailoring to criteria).
- Strong pipeline management skills and ability to deliver multiple submissions to deadlines.
- Experience cultivating and stewarding major donors/high net worth individuals (or strong transferable relationship-led fundraising experience).
- Strong CRM capability and reporting discipline.
- Confidence working with senior stakeholders.
Desirable
- Experience strengthening fundraising systems, templates and stewardship processes.
- Experience in education, media/journalism, social mobility, EDI or local/community development.
Personal attributes
- A high-quality writer who takes pride in precision, tone and evidence.
- Proactive, organised and accountable.
- Warm, credible and professional with funders and senior stakeholders.
- Motivated by widening access, high standards, and trusted journalism.
Registered Charity
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Join a charity which helps families wherever and whenever they need us
Lia’s Wings is the only charity delivering life-saving aeromedical transfers by plane both within the UK and overseas. We make sure babies and children receive the vital treatment they need, no matter where they are. Alongside these urgent medical transfers, we provide tailored, wrap-around support for families to help them through a crisis, creating long-term improved health and well-being outcomes.
We are seeking an experienced Fundraising Manager to join our team on a fixed-term 14 month contract (maternity cover).
The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for the management and delivery of our challenge events, special events and community fundraising streams, but the post-holder would also be expected to regularly support activities across our corporate partnerships, individual giving and Family Fundraising streams of fundraising too.
You will play a key role in developing these income streams, engaging our supporters to motivate them to fundraise for Lia’s Wings and creating initiatives that introduce new people to our organisation.
Key Responsibilities:
Event Management
- To manage our Challenge, Community and Special Event fundraising streams to achieve set targets. This will include management of challenge events such as our flagship event, Ride for Lia, as well as London Landmarks and the Royal Parks Half Marathon.
- To manage our annual Air Ambulance Mingle and develop existing plans for a new Christmas Carol Concert
Corporate and Community Partnerships
- To assume account management of our smaller corporate and community partnerships (who are primarily engaged with us through event fundraising)
- To support the Director of Fundraising in the delivery of our larger corporate and community partnerships.
Supporter Engagement
- To effectively steward fundraisers to ensure an excellent supporter experience (resulting in year-on-year participation), including appropriate thanking and recognition, reporting and feedback on outcomes of events.
- To build strong relationships with existing and new stakeholders, including event committees and our Board of Trustees.
Essential Experience and Skills
- A minimum of three years proven experience in a fundraising role, preferably in a challenge, community or special events fundraising role.
- Demonstrable ability to build relationships and effectively steward and support fundraisers to exceed their targets.
- Experience in writing and developing stewardship plans and in creating engaging fundraising collateral to support donors and supporters of all levels.
- Demonstrable experience in developing and managing fundraising evens from design to completion, including logistical planning, budgeting, forecasting, stewardship and evaluation.
- Experience working with fundraising committees and/or Trustee Groups.
Essential Skills:
- A strong communicator, able to confidently engage with stakeholders of all levels, internally and externally, to share our vision and maximise fundraising success.
- Excellent project management skills, with strong attention to detail, comfortable working across multiple-channels simultaneously.
- A team player, willing to be hands-on and involved in the day to day running of a small charity.
- Excellent understanding and application of relevant charity legislation and codes of conduct relating to these areas of fundraising.
Values & Culture
We are a small team with a big heart. We value kindness, transparency, professionalism, and a deep commitment to the families we serve.
Registered Charity
6 - 10
The UK's only aeroplane ambulance charity: ensuring British children can access lifesaving and life-changing medical treatments when in urgent need.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.