Fundraising officer jobs in London

1. Role Purpose

A key element of Trussell’s high value income is from individual donors and Trusts, who support our work and mission. The Philanthropy Officer is accountable for managing a caseload of trusts and major donors who are giving up to £10k annually, stewarding them effectively to help secure income to fund Trussell’s work.  

The Philanthropy Officer is responsible for developing appropriate engagement and stewardship journeys for this group of donors, with the aim of retaining and increasing financial support for Trussell.  

This role is part of the Together with Trussell programme, the goal of which is to build stronger connections with our supporters, partners and donors in order to increase funding, campaigning, and other forms of support for our work.   

2. Key Responsibilities

1. Steward a caseload of major donors and trusts

Manage a caseload of c.150 major donors and c.600 trusts (c. £5k-£10k per annum giving levels). Effectively steward a cohort of donors and Trusts who support Trussell’s work and mission to ensure that Donors and Trusts are updated, understand the impact of their support, loyalty is strengthened and income secured.

2. Deliver high‑quality stewardship communications

Produce personalised thank‑yous, updates, impact reports, and tailored asks, and developing some one-to-one relationships to ensure donors and Trusts receive timely, meaningful engagement that demonstrates the impact of their support and inspires them to continue giving.

3. Develop and submit funding applications

Prepare and submit bespoke applications to trusts when required, in order to secure additional income through compelling funding applications. Opportunities to secure income and cultivate relationships are maximised.

4. Maintain accurate supporter records

Maintain accurate records on our database; facilitating accurate data management and effective stewardship. Delivering analysis, forecasting and segmentation for mailings, to enable compliant, insight‑led fundraising activity.

5. Design and manage supporter journeys

Context: Work collaboratively across the team to design and manage supporter journeys for Major Donor and Trusts which enhance the consistency and quality of engagements, building stronger donor experience and improved engagement.

6. Provide administrative and team support

Context: Support the team with administrative tasks, when required to ensure smooth operations and timely delivery of team projects and tasks, supporting efficient team delivery and coordination.

3. Person Specification

Core Knowledge:

- Understanding of major donor and/or trust fundraising principles.

- Knowledge of GDPR and fundraising‑related data protection.

- Knowledge of CRM systems and data management.

Essential Skills:

- Excellent written communication.

- Strong verbal communication.

- Ability to manage multiple projects and meet conflicting deadlines.

- Ability to distil complex information into compelling and succinct communication.

- Accurate data handling.

- Collaborative and proactive approach.

Key Experience:

- Experience in high‑value fundraising or transferable experience.

- Experience using CRM databases.

- Demonstrable relationship‑building experience.

4. Stakeholders

Internal: Line Manager, Philanthropy Manager (Trusts), Supporter Care, Comms & Marketing, High Value Team.

External: Major Donors, Trusts, Donor Research Consultant, Suppliers.

Reporting to: Community & Challenge Events Manager

Hours: Full time, Monday to Friday, normal office hours are 9:00 to 5:00, 37.5 hours per week.  Flexibility is available around start and finish times

Location: Hybrid working – Minimum 40% of working time to be spent in the office based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Includes occasional local, regional and national travel.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious fundraiser with a track-record in income generation. This role forms an integral part of the Community & Challenge team, a small team that works with supporters including individuals, local businesses, schools, our beneficiaries, and community groups.

Job purpose

• To develop community fundraising activity and campaigns to support Willow’s strategic income goals.
• To work across Community and Challenge Events to deliver agreed financial and non-financial targets.
• To proactively develop relationships within the community including companies, schools, groups and organisations to raise income and awareness.
• Develop innovative fundraising initiatives with the Senior Community Fundraiser informed by sector insights and trends.
• Contribute to the successful delivery of Community, Challenge, and wider Fundraising Team targets.

Main duties/responsibilities

• To support and deliver the Community Fundraising strategy within agreed budgets to achieve financial and non-financial targets.
• To raise awareness of our work and to inspire support through the following activities:
  • To steward our network of fundraising supporters to maintain engagement and build loyalty, by providing a highly personalised approach to supporting Willow’s fundraisers ensuring our supporters receive a positive experience throughout their fundraising activity, including sending thank you communications and ongoing stewardship. 25%
  • To develop proactive relationships with various organisations within the community setting, including, schools, societies, community groups and companies. 25%
  • To deliver presentations to a variety of community audiences. 5%
  • To organise and deliver a calendar of fundraising activity that creates opportunities for supporters to help Willow. Ensure participation and income targets are achieved.  10%
  • To develop the charity’s social media fundraising activity in collaboration with the wider team.10%
  • Collaborate closely with the Communications Team, to help plan and develop multi-channel campaigns including on and offline activity that inspire and engage people. 5%
  • To work with the Communications Team to produce campaign materials, share interesting stories and fundraising updates. Prepare content for newsletters, website, and social media. 5%
  • To develop a team of volunteers to support fundraising activity. This could include delivering talks, attending events, and promoting Willow at community events. 10%
  • To foster relationships with Willow’s network of charity shops and explore collaborative opportunities to mutually support each other's initiatives. 5%
• To ensure accurate recording of supporter information and reporting on activity through:
  • Updating the charity’s database, Raisers Edge (RE) recording all donor contact and fundraising activity.
  • Using RE as a tool to aid fundraising using data insight and reporting
  • To prepare end of campaign reports to improve results for future campaigns and capture learnings.
  • To prepare regular income reports and updates as required.
• To keep up- to- date and comply with the rules as set by the Fundraising Regulator, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and other relevant legislation and codes of practice and good practice.
• To keep up to date with changes and trends in the UK fundraising environment
• To undertake any other tasks required.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in Community Fundraising
• Proven record of accomplishment in delivering and meeting targets
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative
• Well organised with attention to detail
• Ability to inspire and influence others to support Willow
• Ability to develop, motivate and manage individuals and groups of individuals
• Ability to manage several projects and tasks simultaneously and skilled at prioritising
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Effective negotiating and influencing skills
• Strong numeracy skills
• Decisive problem solver with the ability to adapt easily to change
• Innovative outlook and a willingness to suggest new ideas.

Desirable

• Experience of producing fundraising reports for activity and outcomes
• Experience in delivering fundraising campaigns and initiatives
• Fundraising database experience – preferably Raiser’s Edge
• Experience of working in the charity / fundraising sector.

Other

• Regular travel across the county (occasional national travel) will be required. Willing to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends as required.
• Full driving license and access to a car

 Special Conditions

Essential

• Able to work irregular (unsociable) hours and weekends where necessary.