Head of Supporter Retention

Head of Supporter Retention

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Role Title: Head of Supporter Retention
Salary: £49,508 to £58,221
Location: Hybrid: London or Chard, Somerset
Tenure: fixed term - 1 year [Right to work in the UK required]

ActionAid UK is a member of the ActionAid Federation, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. We work with our partners and dedicated staff in 43 countries to end violence and fight poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want

Are you a keen advocate of women and girls’ rights in emergencies? 

Are you  a strategic leader with exceptional supporter retention expertise and a commitment to feminist principles and anti‑racist practice

Then we'd love to hear from you!

We are entering an exciting period with the launch of our 2025–2028 strategy, strengthening our feminist, anti-racist and decolonised approach across everything we do. We are committed to equity, inclusion and challenging power imbalances; both externally and within our own organisation.

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Supporter Retention to lead and develop our supporter retention programme during a pivotal year of delivery and organisational change.

You will provide strategic and people leadership to a high-performing team, owning the retention strategy end-to-end and ensuring supporters experience engaging, values-led and respectful communications that maximise long-term income and loyalty. You will work collaboratively across fundraising, data, digital and campaigns to deliver integrated, insight-driven supporter journeys.

This role plays a critical part in ensuring our communications authentically represent our rights holders, align with feminist principles and support ActionAid UK’s broader organisational objectives. You will be a confident, values-led leader with significant experience in supporter retention and direct marketing within a non-profit or comparable environment. You will bring strong strategic thinking, excellent analytical skills and a collaborative approach.

The successful candidate will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies to retain and engage our supporters, ensuring their continued support for our cause. Drive innovation by challenging the status quo and propelling our fundraising initiatives to new heights, ensuring that our strategies and communications reflect our commitment to social justice and equality- developing and executing campaigns that engage and inspire, utilising diverse fundraising methods and channels.

Some of the key accountabilities of the role will include developing and managing the retention budget, including planning, reporting, and re-forecasting. Providing leadership to the Retention team, supporting them to develop exceptional marketing
campaigns that comply with relevant codes of practice and meet targets as well as creating an environment that promotes best practices and empowers team members to run quality programs. As a key member of our fundraising team, you will have the chance to develop and manage the retention budget, oversee fundraising materials, and work closely with colleagues to ensure successful campaigns. With regular reviews and updates, you will have the chance to constantly improve and strive for positive transformational change. 

You will have:

-Proven experience leading supporter retention or direct marketing programmes across multiple channels (digital, mail, telephone)
-Strong people management experience with a track record of developing high-performing teams
-Experience managing large budgets and delivering against income targets
-Excellent communication and writing skills, with the ability to adapt style for different audiences
-Strong analytical capability, using data and insight to inform decision-making
-A commitment to feminist principles, anti-racism and safeguarding
-Knowledge of fundraising regulation, GDPR and best practice

Desirable (but not essential):

-Change management experience, particularly within fundraising or complex organisations
-Experience working within an INGO or international development context

If you have experience in leadership, funding diversification, managing staff, and public speaking, and a passion for making a difference, we want you on our team.

Additional information

Diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging:

Diversity, inclusion and belonging are key to our organisational culture. We are on a journey to become not only an anti-racist organisation but one that proudly celebrates the diversity of all applicants and employees. We look forward to you bringing your full self to work, proudly sharing your unique perspective and helping us to shape our combined future. We especially welcome applications from those from under-represented/marginalised communities.

AAUK is a Disability Confident Committed organisation and as such any candidate that declares a disability will be shortlisted for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the role.

Referencing and safeguarding:

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, safeguarding, criminal records and terrorism finance checks. By submitting an application the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

ActionAid UK is committed to preventing any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (including child abuse and adult at-risk abuse) and responding robustly when these harms take place. We expect all ActionAid UK staff and ActionAid UK representatives to share this commitment. We will not tolerate our staff or other representatives carrying out any form of sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse towards anyone we come into contact with through our work. 

Working practices:

ActionAid is committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share for this role, there will be space to do so during the interview process.

ActionAid UK has a hybrid working policy for many of our roles. The requirement will vary from team to team and the responsibilities of individual roles. As a minimum, all colleagues are expected to attend the office 12 days per year, plus additional time for induction, training, and company connection days. Some roles may require in-office attendance on all days and if so, these will clearly be marked as in-office roles.

Please note that ActionAid UK does not offer fully remote working options. We encourage you to discuss hybrid working expectations at interview.

Recruitment processes:

Please note that ActionAid UK may review, shortlist and interview candidates prior to the closing date so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible. If we receive a very high response, we may close the vacancy early and will not accept further submissions. Vacancies close at 23:55pm