The Head of Public Fundraising will lead the design and delivery of a mass audience fundraising strategy for The Children’s Trust. Taking a supporter centred approach, the postholder will lead a team of individual giving and relationship fundraisers to generate income through the strategic and long-term engagement of new and existing supporters.
The role will include setting and delivering income and expenditure budgets across individual giving, legacy, events, community and partnerships income streams as well as evaluating new opportunities for voluntary income growth.
The postholder will play a key part within the Fundraising, Retail and Communications directorate and champion fundraising across the organisation.
This role is not open to sponsorship.
Staff benefits include shuttle bus, and more… Read more below.
Role Requirements
- Develop, implement and monitor a fundraising strategy across all public fundraising areas aligned to the voluntary income strategy.
- Working with the Director of Fundraising and Communications, set income and expenditure budgets, agreeing activities and initiatives to deliver these budgets ensuring. cost control regular forecasting and taking corrective action to achieve budgets.
- Establishing and monitoring KPIs and quality standards for the Public Fundraising team
- Review and build on The Children’s Trust supporter journey, ensuring that all supporter relationships are strengthened and that donors are engaged on many levels.
- Review and revise The Children’s Trust case for support, working with the Head of High Value Philanthropy to develop appeals and/or products relevant for different audiences.
- Using a donor centred approach, explore opportunities to maximise income growth and long-term relationship development.
- Work with Senior Events and Partnerships Manager and Senior Individual Giving Manager to strengthen relationships and cross-team working within the Public Fundraising team with a view to maximising supporter engagement and fundraising opportunities.
- Lead the team to create a supporter-focussed plan to refine assumptions around product offerings and audience needs.
- Using CRM principles, work with senior managers to optimise acquisition planning, and channels and campaigns within agreed budgets.
- Build and strengthen internal relationships across the organisation to co-produce fundraising propositions and ensure that budget relieving, organisational priorities are at the centre of all fundraising relationships.
- Work with Heads across the Fundraising, Retail and Communications Directorate to manage relationships, scope of work and overall budgets when commissioning external data analytics, creative and media agencies.
Interview Date:
1st Stage - w/c 27th April 2026
2nd Stage - w/c 4th May 2026
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY – ‘How to Apply’
Terms and Conditions
PLEASE NOTE: The Children's Trust Application Form MUST be completed and submitted, for your application to be considered. As part of the shortlisting process, gaps in employment will be examined and further explored during the interview process.
Strictly no agencies, please.
As we often receive high levels of applicants for our roles, we regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for interviews. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume you have not been shortlisted for an interview on this occasion.
About Us
The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via our Brain Injury Community Service.
Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of: Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.
Staff Benefits
The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits, including our staff flexible benefits platform, on-site nursery, free eye tests, enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay, time out days for those experiencing menopause symptoms and time off for gender reassignment.
We also offer additional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlements ranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your length of service.
Other benefits include free on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation (subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable), Teacher’s pension (where applicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
Many roles at The Children’s Trust are exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020) and as such, are subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Successful applicants will be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, which will disclose all unspent convictions and adult cautions and any spent convictions or adult cautions that would not be protected. The exceptions to this are our retail roles within The Children’s Trust shops, which are subject to Basic DBS checks which will disclose unspent convictions or adult cautions.
Equal Opportunity Employer
To help us achieve our ambition to give children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability the opportunity to live the best life possible, we want to accurately reflect the UK’s diverse population. We want equity, diversity, and inclusion to be at the heart of everything we do, and our people, services, and culture to reflect the diverse needs of all. Through our diversity and inclusion strategy, we have made a commitment to increase the diversity of our charity and create an inclusive culture. We have networks across the organisation working to ensure that these aims are met - including an LGBTQIA2S+ group, Ethnic Diversity Group, and Spark – our broad EDI group. Read more about our EDI work here. We welcome applications from all who share our ambition regardless of background. We will strive to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made in respect of interview and working arrangements.
Online Searches
In accordance with statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance, online searches will be conducted for shortlisted candidates before interview. The online searches will be conducted by a person who is independent of the interview and selection process and will focus on relevant information returned via searches of the candidate’s name (and variations thereof). Social media searches will be limited to professional platforms such as LinkedIn. Any concerns relating to suitability for work with children and young people will be forwarded to the interview panel, for discussion during the interview.
Registered Charity 
501 - 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Manager (Chief Executive) – Chorlton Good Neighbours
Location: Chorlton, Manchester
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent, full time
Could you be the steady, friendly, hands-on leader who helps more people in Chorlton feel connected, fulfilled and valued?
About Chorlton Good Neighbours
Chorlton Good Neighbours is a small, well-loved neighbourhood charity with roots back to the late 1960s, working to reduce loneliness and support older people across Chorlton and adjacent neighbourhoods. Our work is local, practical and volunteer-led: befriending, home visits, transport, weekly activities, monthly teas, intergenerational groups and occasional day trips are all delivered with warmth and care.
Our volunteer base is extraordinary - around 100 volunteers support drivers, befrienders, activity leads, admin roles and trustees - and in 2024–25 we supported 474 people in total. Funding is a mixed model of public grants, local donations and modest earned income and the charity holds healthy funds to deliver our work.
This is a practical, hands-on, delivery-focused leadership role: you will lead a neighbourhood organisation through planned transition, preserving the community culture that makes CGN trusted, while introducing proportionate systems and succession approaches that secure its future. You will also spend substantial time supporting and supervising volunteers and facilitating activities alongside strategic duties.
As our next Manager (Chief Executive), you will:
• Strategy & Impact: Lead the development and delivery of a clear long-term strategy that sustains CGN’s neighbourhood impact and reduces social isolation amongst older people.
• Governance & Finance: Strengthen proportionate financial controls, grant monitoring and reporting while working closely with trustees including the Treasurer.
• Operational Leadership: Manage day-to-day delivery of volunteer-led services and introduce accessible procedures and safeguarding arrangements.
• Income Generation: Support fundraising and bid activity to secure multi-year funding and diversify local income streams.
• Community & Partnerships: Act as CGN’s visible ambassador, maintaining and developing relationships with Manchester City Council, NHS partners and local organisations.
• Volunteer Development: Recruit, induct and support volunteers and facilitators, building a resilient volunteer pipeline and clear role pathways.
• Brand & Profile: Promote CGN’s offer across local channels to maintain footfall, attract new supporters and celebrate members’ stories.
• Premises & Risk: Work with trustees on lease and premises issues and maintain a robust risk register to protect continuity of service.
Who you are
• An experienced, hands-on manager with significant experience of running small, community-facing charities or local services and a hands-on approach to operational delivery.
• Demonstrable expertise in recruiting, supporting and retaining volunteers, with confidence in DBS/safeguarding practice and volunteer supervision.
• Highly organised with strong event/activity planning skills, practical problem solving and attention to detail.
• Financially literate - comfortable with budgeting, grant monitoring and basic financial controls and able to work with volunteer finance leads.
• An excellent communicator: approachable, diplomatic and skilled at building trust with older people, volunteers, trustees and statutory partners.
• Values driven, emotionally resilient and committed to inclusivity and dignity in later life.
• Desirable: experience of Age-Friendly programmes or befriending schemes and local credibility or knowledge of Manchester/South Manchester.
Why Chorlton Good Neighbours?
• Meaningful local impact - lead a well-regarded neighbourhood charity with deep community trust and a broad activities programme.
• Strong volunteer culture - join an organisation supported by around 100 committed volunteers and an engaged trustee board.
• Secure footing to build from - healthy funds and a clear focus on securing multi-year funding and premises.
• Hands-on role with strategic scope - keep delivery at the heart of the job while developing proportionate systems and succession planning.
• Supportive transition - trustees have planned a careful handover and you will be supported through induction and the subsequent recruitment of a part-time assistant.
For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via the apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 13th April 2026
As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.
