hilanthropy Officer (Major Donors & Trusts)

1. Role Purpose

A key element of Trussell’s high value income is from individual donors and Trusts, who support our work and mission. The Philanthropy Officer is accountable for managing a caseload of trusts and major donors who are giving up to £10k annually, stewarding them effectively to help secure income to fund Trussell’s work.  

The Philanthropy Officer is responsible for developing appropriate engagement and stewardship journeys for this group of donors, with the aim of retaining and increasing financial support for Trussell.  

This role is part of the Together with Trussell programme, the goal of which is to build stronger connections with our supporters, partners and donors in order to increase funding, campaigning, and other forms of support for our work.   

2. Key Responsibilities

1. Steward a caseload of major donors and trusts

Manage a caseload of c.150 major donors and c.600 trusts (c. £5k-£10k per annum giving levels). Effectively steward a cohort of donors and Trusts who support Trussell’s work and mission to ensure that Donors and Trusts are updated, understand the impact of their support, loyalty is strengthened and income secured.

2. Deliver high‑quality stewardship communications

Produce personalised thank‑yous, updates, impact reports, and tailored asks, and developing some one-to-one relationships to ensure donors and Trusts receive timely, meaningful engagement that demonstrates the impact of their support and inspires them to continue giving.

3. Develop and submit funding applications

Prepare and submit bespoke applications to trusts when required, in order to secure additional income through compelling funding applications. Opportunities to secure income and cultivate relationships are maximised.

4. Maintain accurate supporter records

Maintain accurate records on our database; facilitating accurate data management and effective stewardship. Delivering analysis, forecasting and segmentation for mailings, to enable compliant, insight‑led fundraising activity.

5. Design and manage supporter journeys

Context: Work collaboratively across the team to design and manage supporter journeys for Major Donor and Trusts which enhance the consistency and quality of engagements, building stronger donor experience and improved engagement.

6. Provide administrative and team support

Context: Support the team with administrative tasks, when required to ensure smooth operations and timely delivery of team projects and tasks, supporting efficient team delivery and coordination.

3. Person Specification

Core Knowledge:

- Understanding of major donor and/or trust fundraising principles.

- Knowledge of GDPR and fundraising‑related data protection.

- Knowledge of CRM systems and data management.

Essential Skills:

- Excellent written communication.

- Strong verbal communication.

- Ability to manage multiple projects and meet conflicting deadlines.

- Ability to distil complex information into compelling and succinct communication.

- Accurate data handling.

- Collaborative and proactive approach.

Key Experience:

- Experience in high‑value fundraising or transferable experience.

- Experience using CRM databases.

- Demonstrable relationship‑building experience.

4. Stakeholders

Internal: Line Manager, Philanthropy Manager (Trusts), Supporter Care, Comms & Marketing, High Value Team.

External: Major Donors, Trusts, Donor Research Consultant, Suppliers.