Senior Challenge Fundraising Officer

About Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis

Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis (APF) is the UK’s leading patient charity dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by pulmonary fibrosis. Our mission is underpinned by values of compassionate, bold, expert and collaborative. We believe in creating a supportive environment in which both our employees and beneficiaries can thrive.

Founded in 2013 by people affected by PF and clinicians, APF has grown into a respected national charity rooted in community and evidence. We provide trusted information and support, help a growing network of support groups, campaign to improve access to care and invest in research to bring hope of new treatments. APF strives to be an organisation of equity and inclusion, welcoming people from all backgrounds – our team and volunteers aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve.

We have just launched an ambitious five-year strategy (2025–2030), co-created with the PF community, which focuses on expanding support, transforming care, and accelerating research. This strategy marks a step change with a clearer focus, stronger delivery model and greater ambition to ensure no one faces pulmonary fibrosis alone.

Role purpose

The Senior Challenge Fundraising Officer will lead the delivery and growth of APF’s third-party and mass participation challenge events portfolio.

This role exists to significantly grow income and participation by managing end-to-end third-party challenge events, developing community-facing charity-owned fundraising products and delivering excellent supporter stewardship

Working closely with the Head of Fundraising and colleagues across Communications, Services and the Operations Team, you will increase recruitment, empower supporters to raise ambitious funds, and create journeys that encourage long-term engagement with APF.

Success in this role means more people fundraising for APF, raising more income and feeling valued, supported and inspired to stay connected to our mission.

Key Responsibilities

1.    Grow participation in third party

• Manage the full lifecycle of third-party and mass participation challenge events, from planning and recruitment through to stewardship and re engagement.
• Develop and execute creative marketing strategies to boost participation and attract new event participants.
• Draft engaging promotional content that inspires and engages our supporters in collaboration with the Communications team.
• Promote third-party events proactively across relevant channels and networks.
• Work with the wider Fundraising team to improve and refine the stewardship journey for challenge participants to maximise the participant experience.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to grow participation in new and existing events.
• Attend key events as required, managing on-the day logistics and volunteer coordination.

2.  Community Product Development

• Work with Head of Fundraising to shape and improve APF’s fundraising offer and remote products.
• Test and refine new fundraising concepts that increase accessibility and broaden participation.
• Work collaboratively across teams to ensure our community fundraising products align with wider campaigns and strategic priorities.

3.    Income growth and fundraiser mpowerment

• Inspire participants to achieve ambitious fundraising targets through engaging, creative communications.
• Develop and enhance fundraising materials, including participant packs and digital resources to support our fundraisers.
• Use insight and sector trends to identify opportunities to boost event visibility and maximise fundraising efforts.
• Monitor fundraising performance to ensure we’re meeting targets and delivering strong ROI on our challenge activities.

4.    Stewardship and re-engagement

• Foster personal connections with supporters through thoughtful, tailored stewardship that keeps them engaged and feeling valued.
• Create clear re-engagement plans to encourage repeat participation and long-term loyalty.
• Collaborate with wider Fundraising and Services teams to support acquisition and ensure our supporters have a smooth, high-quality supporter journey.
• Represent APF publicly when required, acting as a confident ambassador for the charity at events and in public settings.

5.    Data, insight and compliance

• Support on the management of CRM data to enable accurate segmentation, performance tracking and reporting.
• Monitor recruitment, participation, income and ROI to help inform future planning and improvements.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge with GDPR regulations and compliance and ensure personal data is handled responsibly and securely.
• Work closely with the Governance and Operations Manager to ensure our fundraising activities are fully compliant with GDPR and the Code of Fundraising Practice.

How to apply

Please submit a CV and a covering letter (maximum of two pages) highlighting your skills and suitability to the role, reflecting the key responsibilities in the job description.

First stage interviews to be held virtually on 1st May 2026, second stage interviews to be held at the Peterborough office on 8th May 2026.