Head of major donor fundraising jobs

Prospectus is excited to be partnering with our client in the search for a Head of Philanthropy on a maternity cover contract for up to 14 months. The new postholder will need to start no later than August 2026.

The Trust is the UK's leading social mobility charity. They believe every young person should have a chance in life, regardless of their family's income, the school they go to or where they grow up. But today in Britain, the opportunity to succeed is heavily shaped by socio-economic background. Each year, together with university and employer partners, they support over 14,000 young people to reach their potential through university, apprenticeship and career access programmes.

As the Head of Philanthropy, you will inherit a successful philanthropy area of fundraising for the organisation and will lead the team in securing major gifts and multi-year commitments across the individuals and trusts & foundations income streams. The postholder will join and at a brilliant moment of momentum for the organisation to secure income across the 2030 strategy period.  The Head of Philanthropy will also work closely with the Director of Development to ensure gold-standard stewardship for our high-value donors, coaching and developing line reports to ensure income generation targets are met across trusts, foundations, and individual donor income streams.

To be successful as the Head of Philanthropy will be an experienced leader and fundraiser, confident in securing new business through active prospecting and networking and ingrained knowledge of how to secure and steward HNWIs and trusts & foundations. This will ideally have been done at the six-figures-plus level and you will have significant experience in working with senior leaders and volunteers to cultivate meaningful relationships, steward HNWI, trusts, and foundations, and deliver robust prospect pipelines.

This role is a maternity cover contract position that will have hybrid working in the London offices for at least two days per week, for up to 14 months. The salary for this role is £60,000 to £72,000.  

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Please let us know if we can help you with the application process in any way. We are more than happy to make any reasonable adjustments to enable all interested candidates to apply. If you have any disability and would like assistance with completing an application then please contact Ryan Burdock at Prospectus. 

If you are interested in applying to this Head of Philanthropy position, please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will send you the full job description and will arrange for a call and/or meeting to brief you on the role. You'll then have all the information you need to formally apply. We are looking forward to connecting with you soon.

Our client is a charity based in Chelsea and Westminster with a mission to create world-class facilities, drive innovation and research, and enhance patient and staff wellbeing. This charity has grown an ambitious fundraising programme, from a £12.5m critical care redevelopment campaign to rapid-response COVID fundraising and a pioneering young people's mental health programme. Now, with over £19m raised towards Thirty at Thirty (a £30m appeal launched in May 2023), the charity is seeking an exceptional relationship fundraiser to help deliver the final phase of this major campaign and to oversee the philanthropic giving programme beyond.

Head of Major Gifts

London, SW10 9HS (hybrid, 2-3 days in the office)

35 hours per week

Permanent

Salary: £60,000 - £65,000 (depending on experience)

Reporting to the Director of Fundraising & Communications, the Head of Major Gifts will lead the high-value fundraising activity, personally managing a portfolio of key supporters while leading the Major Gifts team (two direct reports and one dotted-line report). Working closely with the CEO (an experienced and active fundraiser), you will oversee a robust and disciplined prospect pipeline across major donors, trusts and foundations, and corporate partners, and you'll lead the management of the Development Board - an influential group of senior supporters and open doors to transformational philanthropy. The role will also shape and deliver inspiring donor engagement, from curated events and private tours to bespoke proposals, reports and stewardship communications, working in close partnership with senior leadership, clinicians and volunteers across the Trust.

To be successful, you will bring a demonstrable track record of securing six- and seven-figure gifts (relationship-led fundraising), alongside strong influencing skills. You will be a collaborative, motivating manager, comfortable setting direction and driving a high-performance culture, and confident producing compelling written cases for support, proposals and donor reports. You'll be highly organised, detail-focused, and able to thrive in a target-driven, fast-paced environment. Experience of the healthcare sector or arts sector is advantageous but not essential.

How to apply

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity. If you have any disability and require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the process then please contact Femke Vorstman at [email protected].

If you feel you meet some of the criteria but not all, we really hope you'll enquire and learn more. Prospectus can advise and support on each part of the role and hopefully your application, so we look forward to hearing from you.

In order to apply please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a meeting to brief you on the role. You'll then have all the information you need to formally apply. To formally apply, you will need to complete a supporting statement (max. 2 sides of A4) by COB on 7 June. Interviews will be held during week commencing 15 and 22 June.

Compassion in World Farming International is a global movement transforming the future of food and farming. As our Global Head of Major Donors, you’ll lead and grow a high-impact global philanthropy programme, generating significant income from high-net-worth individuals and principal donors to support our mission to end factory farming.

Role type: Full-time; Permanent

Location: Godalming, UK (hybrid working pattern 2x days in the office: Team days Tuesdays & Thursdays)   

Salary: £55,000 -£60,000 per annum (depending upon skills and experience)   

About the role 

As our Global Head of Major Donors, you’ll help shape and deliver an ambitious global major donor strategy, building a strong pipeline of five and six figure donors across key markets, including the UK, US and Europe while personally cultivating high-value relationships. Alongside this you’ll provide strategic oversight of our growing global mid-level donor programme. As part of this role you’ll work closely with senior leaders across Compassion, where you’ll help translate our work into compelling propositions that inspire meaningful, long-term support.

As our Global Head of Major Donors, you’ll be responsible for:

• Leading the global major donor and mid-level fundraising programmes to deliver sustainable income growth across the UK, US and key European Markets
• Building and executing strategies to grow five- and six-figure gifts, with a focus on £50k+ donors
• Personally cultivating, soliciting and stewarding a portfolio of high-value donor relationships
• Developing compelling donor propositions and exceptional supporter journeys
• Driving pipeline development and prospect acquisition through insight led strategies
• Leading and developing a high-performing small team of fundraisers based in the UK, US and Europe
• Overseeing income forecasting, KPIs and CRM data quality to support strategic decision-making for this programme
• Collaborating across teams to maximise donor engagement, events, and global fundraising impact. 

About you

To succeed in this role, you’ll be a strategic and relationship focused leader, with a strong track record of securing high-value gifts and growing philanthropic income streams across different markets. You’ll need to bring a blend of strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and leadership capability, where you are able to inspire donors and team members, while delivering against ambitious income targets.

Skills and experience you’ll need to bring:

• Proven success securing five and six-figure gifts from high net worth individuals
• Experience working in international fundraising contexts, ideally with experience of the US and/or European markets
• Experience designing and delivering major donor growth strategies
• Experience of leading or contributing to mid-level giving programmes 
• Strong personal track record in cultivating, soliciting and closing high-value gifts
• Experience leading and developing passionate, high-performing fundraising or philanthropy teams
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including forecasting and pipeline management
• Ability to create compelling, tailored donor journeys and propositions
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with confidence to influence at senior level
• A collaborative, proactive approach with a clear commitment to our mission

If you don’t meet every requirement but believe you could thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Why join us

This is a rare opportunity to shape global philanthropy and deliver lasting impact for animals worldwide. 

We offer a supportive, flexible workplace with a strong focus on wellbeing and development, including: 

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays 
• Health Cash Back Plan and 24/7 GP access 
• Employee Assistance Programme and MHFA support 
• Premium Calm App subscription 
• Electric car scheme available
• Defined contribution pension scheme 
• Enhanced discretionary sick pay 
• Hybrid working model (role and location dependent) 
• Free onsite parking and office next to mainline station 
• Cycle Benefit scheme and other savings options 
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities 

How to apply and key dates

If you’re ready to make a global impact, we’d love to hear from you. Please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining how you meet the Person Specification. To support a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we kindly ask that you do not include a photo in your CV. 

Please note that we may begin interviews on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. 

Closing date: Friday 5 June 10am

1st Stage (Teams) Interview: Wednesday 10 June

2nd Stage (Face to Face at HQ) Interview, with task: Wednesday 17 June

“Join us in building a more compassionate future for animals, people, and the planet.”

As part of Stage 1 interviews, shortlisted candidates may receive pre‑shared, values‑based interview questions to support a positive candidate experience. If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know, we’re always happy to support candidates.

About Compassion

Compassion in World Farming International is a leading global organisation working to end factory farming. Founded in 1967 by British farmer Peter Roberts, we’ve spent over 50 years driving change, successfully campaigning to ban cruel practices such as barren battery cages, veal crates, and sow stalls across the UK and Europe.

Our work combines advocacy, campaigning, and collaboration with policymakers and businesses to promote animal welfare and sustainable food systems. We envision a future where animals are treated with compassion, and farming supports both people and the planet. To learn more about our mission, culture, and opportunities, please explore our Candidate Pack, and Careers Page. 

To comply with legal requirements in the UK and internationally, all applicants must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the country where the role is based. Compassion in World Farming is absolutely committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background.  We value diversity and live experience and acknowledge the underrepresentation of people from certain backgrounds, both within our organisation and across the sector.  We welcome applications from underrepresented groups, whether these be of ethnicity, gender, identity, religion, physical ability, sexual orientation or other.