Senior events manager jobs in Bexley, greater london

We are sector leading with our heritage, connections, and relationships. Our friends are superbly connected and ready to use their networks to help us. With a talented, hard-working team, we deliver amazing, creative and innovative fundraising events that have a huge capacity to inspire people.

We are looking for a strategic and relationship-driven Senior Philanthropy Manager (Events) to join our growing Philanthropy team. This role is pivotal in cultivating and deepening relationships with War Child’s philanthropic supporters, through the power of our high-value events.

Working in a fast-paced environment, you’ll bring deep expertise in the strategic role high-value events have for a philanthropic audience. With exceptional interpersonal skills, and a strong understanding of major donor fundraising you'll provide strategic input into the planning and donor experience of our high-value philanthropic events, ensuring these moments strengthen relationships and inspire giving.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and experienced events fundraiser who has previous experience of working in a high-value team, with a passion for international development. You’ll join a high-performing, values-driven team at a time of exciting growth. You will shape the future of our high-value events programme and work closely with inspiring supporters, this role offers both influence and impact.

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you.

Your role

As Senior Philanthropy Manager (Events), you will lead War Child’s high-value events programme, engaging high-net-worth supporters and Global Ambassadors to maximise income from major donors. You will focus on shaping and delivering the donor engagement strategy for high-value events, working collaboratively with colleagues to maximise fundraising impact. You will partner closely with the Ambassador & Advocate Manager, who is responsible for operational planning and delivery of events across War Child.

This role requires a strategic thinker who is comfortable building trusted relationships with high-net-worth individuals, C-Suite level executives, philanthropists and senior event volunteers and advisors, managing multiple priorities, and operating confidently in a high-profile environment.

Your responsibilities

• Lead the development of the philanthropy team’s high-value events portfolio, ensuring events are strategically designed to support cultivation and stewardship goals, including those hosted by Global Ambassadors.
• Advise the Head of Philanthropy on the development of War Child’s high-value events strategy, identifying opportunities to enhance impact and income.
• Work closely with the Head of Philanthropy and Philanthropy Lead to deliver income targets, contributing to wider team strategy and planning.
• Act as the team’s subject matter expert on high-value events, setting clear objectives and KPIs to measure success over time.
• Build and manage relationships with high-net-worth individuals involved in events, including event committees and advisory boards. Identify and progress prospects to develop long term, high-value relationships, progressing event attendees through the major donor pipeline.
• Represent the team at events, building relationships, identifying new opportunities, and ensuring a high-quality donor experience.
• Use Salesforce to provide donor insights and guidance on high value events, including guest list management, briefings evaluations, and development of data dashboards to inform future event strategy track attendee journeys, and assess long-term value.
• Working closely with the Research & Insights Manager, to produce high-quality, post event evaluations using an insights led approach to continuously improve philanthropic events.
• Ensure philanthropy messaging and donor experience at events reflect War Child’s values and impact.
• Collaborate across War Child UK and the War Child Alliance building strong internal working relationships that benefit the high-value events strategy.
• Engage senior leadership, trustees and key external stakeholders in high-value events where appropriate, providing briefings and strategic advice to maximise their effectiveness.
• Represent the Philanthropy function in cross-organisational projects, helping to shape strategic initiatives that strengthen philanthropic engagement and provide inspirational departmental leadership.
• Provide first-rate line management to the Philanthropy Assistant, modelling excellence in management that will result in line reports thriving in their role, with high standards of performance and behaviour.
• Monitor progress against income targets and contribute to accurate forecasting, reporting and budget planning.
• Contribute to organisational learning by capturing insights from event attendee interactions, staying up to date on sector trends and proactively identifying new opportunities.
• Champion best practice in fundraising, data protection, and donor care, ensuring compliance and ethical standards at all times.
• Always maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current activities of War Child and be an advocate of the War Child brand.
• Responsible for creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children, and adults and compliant to War Child’s Safeguarding and PSEAH (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment) policies.
• ·We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable workplace. All staff are expected to actively contribute to this by embedding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into their day-to-day work, decision-making, and interactions with colleagues, partners, and supporters.

​These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

You are

•  Confident, engaging high value events specialist and fundraiser with exceptional networking and interpersonal skills (for both internal and external audiences) who can inspire high net worth and high-profile individuals to support War Child’s mission
• ·Significant experience in a similar special events/high value events role, with a specialist knowledge of high net worth major donor fundraising ideally within an international development or humanitarian NGO so you can present War Child’s work with authority.
• Experience advising on and optimising high-value supporter engagement at events, with a strategic understanding of how to deepen relationships through tailored experiences and be confident working alongside high profile individuals and Ambassadors who support our events
• Able to work independently in a target led environment with a proven track record of delivering successful high value fundraising events that achieve results, delivering against targets (including securing six-figure targets) and income growth.
• An excellent communicator, confident in managing relationships at all levels, influencing and negotiating as well as writing compelling formal and informal communications.
• Strong experience of project leadership and organisation including critically evaluating activities to achieve strategic priorities and maximise their effectiveness.
• Able to understand and clearly articulate international development issues and trends including War Child’s vision, mission and values and present War Child’s work with authority.
• Organised and able to plan and prioritise to meet multiple deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• Flexible and committed to supporting high-profile donor engagement, including attendance at events in the evenings or on occasional weekends, as part of delivering a sector-leading fundraising programme.
• Experience in line management is desirable but not essential.
• Up to date knowledge of fundraising regulation, compliance and GDPR, and its implications for fundraising policy and practise. Experience of using a CRM database, such as Salesforce.