Gifts in Wills Manager

Gifts in Wills Manager

Harrogate, North Yorkshire

We offer hybrid working and we are committed to paying the Real Living Wage.

About Us

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.

Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer – in Yorkshire, and beyond.

As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.

The Benefits

We offer all employees a wide range of benefits including an enhanced contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service), flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, enhanced maternity leave, career progression, learning and development, wellbeing initiatives, offices within walking distance of Hornbeam Park train station, free onsite parking and a whole lot more.

We’ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do and we’re looking for people who are aligned with these. As our Gifts in Wills Manager, you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.

The Role

As our Gifts in Wills Manager, reporting to the Head of Fundraising and working closely with colleagues from across the charity, you will be responsible for implementing and delivering all aspects of the legacy strategy, including pipeline development, supporter acquisition and stewardship. 

You will develop and use insights to enhance the supporter experience, build relationships with solicitors and Will writing companies to promote the charity’s legacy offer and embed a Gifts in Wills culture across all stakeholders to ensure growth plans within this important income stream are achieved.

Specifically, you will:

Supporter Experience

• Develop and, with the support of colleagues, deliver exceptional customer journeys and on-going stewardship for Gifts in Wills prospects, enquirers and pledgers including written and verbal communications.

Data and Insight

• Ensure relevant details, interactions and preferences for all prospects, enquirers and pledgers are recorded accurately on the charity’s CRM resource.
• Work with colleagues to monitor levels of affinity and engagement amongst prospects, enquirers and pledgers, using insights to improve the Gifts in Wills supporter experience.

Gifts in Wills Proposition

• Work with colleagues in the Marketing Team to develop a Gifts in Wills proposition and marketing plans to acquire new supporters and build the legacy pipeline.

Culture

• Champion Gifts in Wills across the charity, ensuring all colleagues and stakeholders are aware of the importance of legacies and are comfortable communicating with supporters about this way of giving.

Management and Legacy Administration

• Lead the Yorkshire Cancer Research Legacy Steering Group (marketing, administration, and fundraising) to review performance and develop operational plans to deliver the strategy.
• Work with the Legacy Administrator to monitor and progress legacy gift notifications, establishing working relationships with professional executors, next of kin and lay executors as required.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will need:

• To be educated to A-level or equivalent level.
• To have evidence of continued professional development.
• To have experience of working in a similar role to acquire and steward supporters/customers.
• To have experience of using insight to inform decision-making.
• To have experience of collaborating with other teams to develop appealing propositions and attractive marketing communications.
• To have experience of developing clear Key Performance Indicators and reporting against.
• To have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships.
• To be happy to work independently and to ask for support where this is needed. Also likes to work with, and support, colleagues as part of a team working towards a common goal.
• To have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with an ability to use active listening skills, and write professionally and appropriately for a range of diverse audiences.
• To have high levels of computer literacy with comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, especially Word, Excel and Outlook.
• To be confident working with MS Office and customer/ fundraising databases.
• To have strong organisational skills and performs work to an extremely high level of accuracy.

Application

Before applying, please visit our Careers Page to view the full role profile and find out more about working for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

To apply please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to Claire Wooldridge, Head of People, before 27 June 2025. Please read our privacy notice before applying.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer.  We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual’s circumstances against the needs of the charity.

We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us via our website.