Philanthropy Officer

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London
Hours: Full-time 35 hours per week
Salary: £33,698 per annum (London)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our profile page
Contract type: Permanent
Travel: Occasional Travel to other UK offices and Volunteering Events
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Monday 30 November 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

We are looking for a motivated Philanthropy Officer to join our Philanthropy and Partnerships team, part of the Income and Engagement directorate. You will bring experience of identifying and cultivating significant prospects, writing compelling donor proposals and delivering thoughtful stewardship, and you will play a key part in growing the support we receive from major donors.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to help grow major giving at Arthritis UK. Reporting to the Philanthropy Manager, you will manage a portfolio of high net worth prospects and build a pipeline of new supporters with the capacity and inclination to give and deliver bespoke cultivation events.

You will implement and monitor our mid value giving programme for donors giving up to £10,000.00, and develop a programme of cultivation events, lab tours and engagement opportunities in partnership with other teams. Working closely with colleagues across Research, Public Fundraising, Finance and Supporter Care, you will package our priority projects for donors, create bespoke communications that reflect our organisational messages and keep our database accurate and up to date.

Events coordination will be a key part of the role, and you will support with the administration from start to finish, from venues, suppliers and budgets to invitations, guest lists, briefings, on the day coordination and follow up.

Above all, you will build meaningful relationships with the donors and volunteers who make our work possible, bringing them closer to the research and support that is helping to create a future free from arthritis.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

• Experience of researching and identifying prospects, and of devising and delivering stewardship plans that convert prospects into donors.

• Experience of packaging priority projects in an attractive way for different audiences, including writing compelling donor proposals and updates.

• Experience of prioritising your own workload across database management, event coordination and wider fundraising activity.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to listen, absorb information and present with confidence.

• A proactive and organised approach, with the ability to work independently, manage event logistics and deadlines, and balance several donor relationships and opportunities at once.

• The ability to build strong working relationships and work collaboratively as part of a team, including coordinating colleagues, researchers and speakers for events

• Financial literacy and an understanding of philanthropic fundraising and what motivates donors to give.

• Experience of securing philanthropic gifts or working in the charity sector would be an advantage, as would a genuine interest in improving the lives of people living with arthritis.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.