Trusts and Foundations Executive

ABOUT THE ROLE

 Variety is looking for a Trusts and Foundations Executive to join our Fundraising and Marketing Team. Reporting to the Trusts and Foundations Manager, the role will be vital in growing our income to fund life-changing practical support to disabled and disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

You will be responsible for building and sustaining Variety’s growth across our Trust and Foundations portfolio by expanding our low and mid-sized supporters. You will pro-actively approach, secure and steward a pipeline of Trusts and Foundations (ranging from £500 to £20,000) and support the Trusts and Foundations Manager on larger applications and impact reporting.

You will be working with a supportive and knowledgeable team who regularly work from our office in the heart of Camden, London. This role will also require a DBS check.

·         Department: Fundraising and Marketing

·         Reporting to: Trust and Foundations Manager

·         Salary: £30,000 - £33,000 (based on experience)

·         Location: Variety HQ, Camden Town, London (hybrid working)

·         Contract: Full-time, permanent

·         Working hours: 35 hours per week

ABOUT VARIETY

 In the UK, there are more than 1.3 million disabled children and nearly 4 million children living in poverty. Variety exists to improve their lives. We believe every child has a right to live their best life and reach their full potential, whoever they are. We fund and deliver life-changing programmes that enhance their quality of life and give children and young people across the UK a better future.

Over the past 75 years we have supported over one million children by funding almost 6,000 Sunshine Coaches, almost the same number of wheelchairs, and giving thousands of grants to individual children, schools, youth clubs and other organisations for specialist equipment.

In addition, each year thousands of children take part in day trips, special events and educational activities as part of our Variety Great Days Out programme and every single day we are improving more young lives. We achieve this by providing practical, tangible help, that makes a real and immediate difference.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Income generation

·  Managing relationships with existing funders to secure repeat funding.

·  Preparing and submitting high-quality funding applications for varied projects.

·  Independently managing a well-developed pipeline of prospective funders.

·  Leading on delivering small Trust mailings throughout the year.

Prospect Research

·  Proactively researching and evaluating potential grant funders using funding databases.

·  Identifying and aligning potential fundraising opportunities to our projects.

·  Directly building relationships with potential funders via telephone and email.

·  Keeping accurate records of trust prospects on our CRM, Salesforce.

Stewardship

·  Building and maintaining strong relationships with funders to secure grants and increase capacity to donate.

·  Delivering exceptional stewardship through timely, personalised and highly creative top-quality tailored reports for our restricted grants programmes.

·  Working closely with programmes team to gather insight, data and evidence to fulfil reporting requirements for projects funded by Trusts and Foundations.

·  Attending face-to-face events with donors, including occasional visits to schools for Variety Sunshine Coach Presentations.

Administration & Management

·  Ensuring that donations are accurately coded and acknowledged in a timely manner.

·  Monitoring income performance against agreed targets. This will include pro-actively updating the Trust and Foundations Manager on progress, risks or emerging income generation opportunities.

·  Assisting with the creation of fundraising templates for our various projects using our marketing templates.

·  Updating salesforce and maintaining accurate records and donor information in our CRM systems.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

 Essential

· Experience working within a fundraising team at a charity.

· Experience engaging with supporters across the cultivation cycle. For example, researching potential donors, engaging with or stewarding them.

· Good interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate clearly, persuasively, and confidently in-person and on the telephone.

· Strong creative writing skills, with experience gathering and simplifying complex information into accessible content.

· Excellent IT proficiency skills and confidence using Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.

Desirable

· Experience of working within a Trust and Foundations fundraising team.

· Demonstrable success writing funding applications.

· Demonstrable competence working with a CRM database.

· Experience using graphic design or marketing platforms, such as Canva.

FURTHER INFORMATION
• Variety, the Children’s Charity, is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults
• Proof of eligibility to work in the UK is required

MAIN BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS
• 25 days holiday (we also normally give between Christmas and New Year off, but this is not contractual).
• In addition, after one year's continuous service, there will be an extra 2 days annual holiday for every complete year of service, up to a maximum of five days' extra holiday.
• Enhanced Pension - 7% employer contribution and 2% employee contribution
• Life Assurance 4x annual salary
• Company sick pay scheme
• Cashback medical scheme

How to apply

Please submit your CV with a cover letter explaining why you’d make a great candidate for this role and how you meet the job description.

Applications will close at 5pm on Monday 18th May 2026, with first round interviews w/c 25th May 2026 and second round interviews, w/c 1st June 2026.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or need any adjustments for the interview.

Recruitment Timeline

We reserve the right to close advertisements early and we might assess candidates and arranging interviews as applications comes in, so please apply as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on this opportunity. 

Due to the anticipated large number of applicants, if you do not hear from us within four weeks of your application, we regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. Consequently, will not be able to provide feedback.