Bespoke events fundraising manager jobs in Cambridge, cambridgeshire

About Chapter One

Chapter One is a growing charity dedicated to ensuring every child has access to one-to-one reading support at the time they need it most. 

We support children at every stage of their primary reading journey through three programmes - Early Literacy Intervention, Online Reading Volunteers, and Book Clubs - helping them build both the will and the skill to read. Our innovative Online Reading Volunteers Programme aims to support 3,500 children facing disadvantage during the 2025-26 academic year, pairing five to eight-year-old children with reading support volunteers from over 180 local and national businesses. Our unique approach requires volunteers to commit just 30 minutes a week for an entire academic year, using our bespoke digital platform. The results are transformative, significantly boosting children's reading confidence and ability. 

For more information about our programmes please visit our website. Please also take some time to visit our social media channels and watch our videos.

About the role

With ambitious targets to support thousands more children by 2029, Chapter One is seeking a passionate, energetic Fundraising Officer to be an integral part of our Fundraising team. Reporting to our Fundraising Manager, you’ll generate income from a range of existing and new trusts and foundations, along with individual fundraising activities, to contribute towards the 2025-26 fundraising target. The fundraising budget in 2026-27 will be £356,000, when you’ll have an individual target.

This role is ideal for an early career professional who can write creative, compelling proposals and build impactful relationships to make your mark in a fast-growing charity which is flexible and agile. You’ll be a proactive, determined self-starter and have high standards for yourself and others. You’ll develop and manage a funding pipeline by investing in thorough research and relationship cultivation, and you will thrive in working with funders, partners and supporters on a day-to-day basis. 

Key responsibilities

Deliver the fundraising plan 

• Work collaboratively with the Fundraising Manager to grow Chapter One’s fundraising portfolio and meet agreed income targets from trusts and foundations. 

• Maintain a portfolio of existing trusts and foundations, ensuring an excellent cultivation and stewardship journey​ in order to build relationships and maximise income. 

• Proactively identify and research new prospective trust funders, finding creative ways to engage with them to secure support.

• Create compelling and tailored fundraising applications and reports, ensuring there is a strong emotional case for support and accuracy, to inspire prospects and supporters across trusts and foundations. 

• Contribute to the highest levels of donor care for supporters, including creative stewardship, adhering to all grant conditions and responding in a timely manner to all enquiries from supporters and prospects. 

• Research, interpret and present data about literacy and impact that makes a compelling case for Chapter One’s programmes. 

• Contribute to internal planning and budget setting for restricted and unrestricted activities, setting out clear plans and a pipeline for income generation from trusts and foundations.

• Work with the Fundraising Manager, Corporate Partnerships team and Communications team to support the development of strategies and campaigns to grow individual giving from existing volunteers and supporters.

• Undertake administrative duties to support the delivery of individual fundraising initiatives including matched-giving campaigns and Payroll Giving. 

• Work closely with the Fundraising Manager, Corporate Partnerships team and Communications team to ensure a cohesive approach and maximise all fundraising opportunities.

General

• Oversee and maintain specific fundraising administrative processes, including recording of activity on the Salesforce CRM and internal databases.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of fundraising regulations, networks, and developments across the sector. 

• Adherence to Chapter One’s Donation Acceptance Policy.

• Contribute to forecasting and regular reporting, producing verbal and written reports for senior management as required.

We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others:

• A commitment to Chapter One’s mission and values.

• Experience of fundraising, ideally from trusts and foundations. 

• A demonstrable track record of successfully generating income and achieving targets. 

• An ability to create compelling and successful fundraising applications and proposals. 

• Excellent written communication skills, with an understanding of how to tailor communications for different audiences/contexts.

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and manage relationships with a range of stakeholders, both internally and externally. 

• Evidence of effective prospect research, growing and managing a pipeline, planning for your portfolio and increasing income​.

• Good financial acumen and proven ability to present complex financial information accurately.

• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.

• Ability to effectively work under pressure and manage conflicting priorities.

You’ll be more successful in the role if you have:

• Experience of individual giving or employee fundraising.

• Experience of working in a charity that has a strong corporate volunteering offer.​

• Experience using the Salesforce CRM.

How to Apply

Please send your CV (maximum 2 A4 sides) and a covering letter via Charity Jobs. Your covering letter (maximum 1 side of A4) should:

1) Detail your relevant experience, including clear examples.

2) Tell us the story of a successful fundraising relationship that you have been involved in, how much you raised and what you did to make it succeed.

3) Tell us about how our organisational mission is in line with your values.

Applications that fail to meet these criteria will automatically be discounted. We understand that you may use AI to help craft your application, but do remember that we will be looking for individuals who write a letter that stands out. We want you to have every opportunity to shine and to show us your talents - please let us know if there is anything we can do to make sure the assessment process works for you.

As a charity that values and celebrates people's diversity and champions opportunities for all young people, we are keen to receive applications from people who have experienced disadvantage and from those who are of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who are currently underrepresented in the organisation. We believe that a diverse organisation is one that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results.

Chapter One is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All post holders are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure. Copies of our Safeguarding Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy are available on request.

Are you a skilled relationship-builder with corporate fundraising experience? Do you love spending time in the outdoors and want to help young people from Somerset? Join the Youth Adventure Trust's small but mighty team and use your skills to help transform the lives of vulnerable young people.

The Role

Having launched our Youth Adventure Programmes in Somerset in 2024, we are now looking for somebody who wants to take the next step in their fundraising career to build on the foundations of the last two years and significantly increase our presence in the county. 

As our Regional Corporate Fundraiser,  you'll be the driving force behind our local business partnerships, working with both large companies operating in the region and smaller local businesses looking to support their communities. 

Your role will encompass:

• Relationship building: Identifying and securing new corporate partnerships while providing high-quality stewardship to our existing Somerset-based supporters.

• Community Engagement: Championing our work in Somerset by giving engaging talks to community groups and networking with local businesses.

• Event delivery: Playing a key role in delivering local fundraising challenge events, the bi-annual Somerset Adventure Dinner and developing new opportunities to unite the Somerset business community behind our mission.

You'll work closely with the Corporate Partnership Manager and the Director of Fundraising and Communications to ensure each proposal is bespoke and every corporate partner understands the impact of their support on local young people.  You must live in Somerset, have a good local awareness and be willing to travel around the county and beyond to nurture long-lasting, strategic relationships.

About You

We are looking for a people-person, who is self-motivated and highly organised. You are as comfortable in the board room engaging business leaders as  you are standing on a mountain side in your waterproofs! You will be:

• Experienced: A proven track record in building successful corporate partnerships and achieving income targets;

• A relationship fundraiser: building long-lasting meaningful relationships should be at the heart of every single corporate partnership;

• An inspiring communicator:  You will be telling our story in a variety of different ways to inspire support and grow our networks;

• Self-motivated:  You are comfortable working from home but eager to be ‘out and about’ in the business community;

• Pro-active and creative: No corporate partnership is the same, so you will be proactive in understanding a corporate partner’s motivation and coming up with creative ideas to build successful relationships;

• Local: You must live in or near Somerset to maximise local networking opportunities, attend regular in-person meetings and events  and confidently talk about local issues facing both businesses and the young people we support through our programmes;

• Outdoorsy: A genuine love for the outdoors, comfortable in wellies and waterproofs with an understanding of 'the power of the outdoors'.

The Charity

At the Youth Adventure Trust, we use outdoor adventure to empower vulnerable young people from Swindon, Wiltshire and Somerset to fulfil their potential and lead positive lives in the future. We work with them to build resilience, develop confidence and learn skills that will last a lifetime, helping them to face the challenges in their lives. Dedicated support, guidance and mentoring from our staff and volunteers ensures young people receive the maximum benefit from our long-term intervention. Our aim is to make a lasting improvement to the lives of vulnerable young people. All our services are provided completely free of charge to the young people who are nominated by schools and other youth organisations to take part.

We’re proud to offer our programmes completely free of charge to participants which means the fundraising team is crucial. With ambitious plans to help more young people from Somerset over the coming years, our Regional Corporate Fundraiser role is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference for local young people.  Whilst you will have the flexibility of a 21-hours-per-week role, this could increase as more corporate partnerships are secured. You’ll be part of a small fundraising team with a big heart, with plenty of opportunities to visit our programmes and see the tangible impact of your work. 

Safer Recruitment

The Youth Adventure Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and requires all employees to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

We have created an exciting new position in our UK team for an ambitious and confident relationship fundraiser to contribute to ambitious fundraising targets and enable Human Practice Foundation’s (HPF) impactful education programmes.  Working closely with the UK Country Manager, the position will build on existing relationships with individuals who make significant personal donations, aiming to grow their contributions, as well as making approaches to new prospects, through compelling, donor-centred approaches and excellent stewardship. 

We are seeking a motivated, creative and confident individual, who thrives on getting out and about and meeting with supporters and can work proactively within a small team.You will have experience of securing gifts from high net-worth individuals making gifts privately or through family trusts, donor advised funds and corporations.

We welcome applicants from within and outside the charity sector. 

About the Human Practice Foundation

Founded in 2014 in Denmark, the Human Practice Foundation works in some of the most marginalised regions in Nepal and Kenya, where poverty and lack of opportunity keep children from reaching their potential. Our goal is simple but powerful: to empower children through education, so they can shape a better future for themselves and their communities. We take a long-term, holistic approach to this goal. Through our Child Empowerment Model, we build and upgrade school infrastructure, train teachers, support parents in creating sustainable incomes, and help students bridge the gap between education and employment. Every project is co-designed with local communities and aligned with public authorities, ensuring it meets real needs and builds lasting ownership.

Our supporters and the communities HPF works with deserve complete transparency about donations and how funds are spent. Thanks to the support of a group of Founding Partners who cover all administrative costs, 100% of project donations go directly to our programmes.

Conditions and Benefits:  

• Salary: £24,000 - £27,000 (£40,000 - £45,000 FTE) 

• Part time (3 days/week).
• 27 days holiday (pro rata) + bank holidays

• Remote working/home-based, accessible for travel to London for meetings. Occasional travel to Copenhagen.

• Flexibility to work outside of normal ‘office’ hours for events and meetings.
• Reports to UK Country Manager. 

• Works closely with other colleagues across HPF and with committed and well-connected HPF Boards. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Donor Identification, solicitation and management 

• Work with the UK Country Manager to grow the donor portfolio in the UK by identifying prospects, building relationships and secure gifts from high net-worth individuals and other philanthropic donors. 

• Identify and deliver unique stewardship and cultivation opportunities for donors.

• Manage a portfolio of major donors through various personalised approaches, including face-to-face meetings, phone calls, events and written and verbal communications. 

• Ensure excellent and timely response to enquiries and stewardship and acknowledgement of gifts. 

Events coordination 

• Work with the UK Country Manager to help shape and deliver events and other engagement opportunities to generate income, cultivate and steward donors. 

• Take responsibility for tailored and timely event follow-up to maximise relationships and using learnings and data from past events to develop donor engagement, referrals and gifts. 

Research, communications and administration  

• Research potential new donors and funding streams.

• Support the production of proposals, pitches, reports and general supporter communications. 

• Use Salesforce to manage the accurate recording of interactions and progression related to all donor relationships 

• Provide executive assistance to the UK Country Manager and senior stakeholders in relation to scheduling supporter meetings, drafting communications and provision of information to underpin successful supporter engagement. 

• Maintain strong knowledge and understanding of HPF’s programmes. 

• Carry out administrative activities and other duties, as required, to maximise fundraising. 

Skills, Qualifications and Experience 

• Experience developing relationships with and securing funding from high-net-worth individuals and other philanthropic donors. 

• Entrepreneurial approach to relationship management and creating new fundraising initiatives. 

• Experience in coordination and delivery of bespoke, high-quality events for influential audiences. 

• Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills, and a proactive networker, able to act as a spokesperson and ambassador for HPF. 

• Experience of writing inspiring, emotive, and technically fundraising communications and materials tailored to a major donor audience. 

• Exceptional organisational and time management skills to prioritise and manage own workload. 

• Results driven self-starter, able to operate independently and under pressure, whilst also able to engage meaningfully in a virtual team. 

• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, across multiple teams and geographies. 

• Strong IT skills, including an understanding of CRM systems. 

• Strong affinity with HPF mission, values and approach.  

Desirable: 

• Experience working in an international organisation. 

• Experience working with a fundraising board or high value committee. 

• Experience of working closely with and reporting to Boards of Trustees. 

• Experience using Salesforce, or another fundraising database. 

About the role

Research has shown that there is significant potential for new and existing wealth holders to use their resources to fund climate action, and demand for trusted advisors to accelerate both the pace and efficacy of philanthropy. The Impatience Earth team has a track record of delivering quality philanthropy advisory for climate action, and with a growing team we have the capacity to take on new clients.

As the Philanthropy Catalyst Lead, you will be instrumental in building a strong pipeline of clients who would benefit from our climate advisory services. You are someone who is comfortable connecting with and engaging wealth holders, such as high-net worth individuals, family foundations and corporate foundations that have the potential to commit substantial resources (£200k+ year) to climate action. 

These clients may be based in the UK or Europe (as reflects the majority of our client base so far) although you will also work with colleagues engaged in catalysing philanthropy in other regions of the world. 

You will report directly to the Co-CEO, but also work closely with other members of the team and partners such as the Environmental Funders Network (EFN) to grow climate philanthropy. This is not a fundraising role for Impatience Earth: the primary focus will be to further develop and hone our business development strategy; to find, qualify and cultivate prospects; and to support the delivery of advisory services as needed once prospects are converted into clients. 

About Impatience Earth

Impatience Earth is a non-profit climate philanthropy consultancy founded in 2020 with a mission to educate, challenge and inspire wealth holders to take bolder funding decisions to address the climate emergency. 

Since 2020, our engagement with over 40 philanthropic foundations and businesses has supported them to make over £250m of new funding available for climate action, and we have already helped them make grants to over 200 different organisations. A great deal of these clients have come from word of mouth and from within our team’s existing connections, and we are now looking to expand our reach beyond our own network. 

We have ambitious plans to unlock greater funding for intersectional climate justice work, with bespoke advisory for new climate funders continuing to be a core pillar of our 2026-2030 strategic plan. 

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: 

• Further developing our business development strategy. This would include:

  • Reviewing and assessing previous and existing business development activities, and prioritising actions 

  • Identifying key target audiences and referral partners

  • Proposing realistic and stretch targets for our business development activities

  • Developing concise and effective communications for our target audience, for example, by crafting compelling outreach emails

• Researching, qualifying and engaging with prospective clients. This would include: 

  • Using your past experience of engaging wealth holders to suggest new business development or prospect research ideas

  • Reviewing funder databases for leads and relevant information 

  • Initiating a new (simple!) system of tracking client leads from identification to conversion

  • Arranging and joining scoping conversations with potential clients 

  • Identifying events and spaces to engage with prospective clients

• Initiating and managing key relationships. This would include:

  • Stewarding prospective clients who are not yet ready to engage with our services 

  • Re-engaging and managing strong relationships with key referral partners and intermediaries, such as EFN, private banks, wealth advisors, family offices and other philanthropy advisors

  • Representing Impatience Earth externally at meetings and events to meet our business development objectives 

• Working closely with colleagues to integrate business development across programmes. This would include:

  • Working with Impatience Earth colleagues who lead our Strategic Communications, Global South and International Partnerships work to guide and support their activities around business development 

  • General support and advice to strengthen all staff members’ business development knowledge and skills 

• Support client delivery. As and when you convert prospects into clients, we may need you to support client leads with delivery. This might include arranging and facilitating expert meetings and strategy sessions.

What we’re looking for

• At least 3 years previous experience of working in major gift fundraising, trust and foundation fundraising, private wealth advisory, or similar that gives you insight and knowledge into the philanthropic landscape, HNWIs, and the networks and ecosystem in which they operate

• Someone who enjoys engaging with philanthropists in-person and at events, and comfortable having interesting but sometimes challenging conversations 

• A proven track record of converting leads into confirmed high value clients (or funders) at the 6- or 7-figure level and managing successful relationships with them

• Strong research skills, including ability to use datasets and access information to find and qualify prospects

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• A self starter who is able to think both creatively and strategically about business development; able to work independently but also as part of a dynamic and highly collaborative team

• Confidence engaging with different types of stakeholders, especially high net worth individuals, and the emotional intelligence and social skills to build genuine, trusted relationships

• A good understanding of the role of philanthropy in the context of social, economic and climate injustices 

• Committed to tackling the climate crisis with a good grasp of its causes and solutions - though our team will provide training if you have not worked in a climate-focused role before

• Commitment to anti-oppression and social justice

You’ll have an advantage if you: 

• Have developed or contributed to the development of a successful fundraising or business development strategy 

• Have previously advised philanthropists, family offices, or foundations 

How you’ll know you’re doing a good job

• Impatience Earth is advising new clients that we had not previously engaged with

• You have converted prospects into clients that will contribute to our headline KPIs around funding catalysed and disbursed for impactful climate solutions

• You build and manage a high-quality pipeline of prospects

• You have stewarded trusted relationships with key partners turning them into a source of referrals and leads

• You have collaborated with the client delivery team to ensure a smooth handover from agreeing the terms of the client project to starting the engagement

• You contribute to increasing the team’s knowledge around business development, and understanding our Unique Selling Point 

How To Apply:

Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor visas, nor are we able to have calls with candidates in advance of application. We are using CharityJob to accept applications, so please apply through the CharityJob portal. The only exception to this is if you would like to submit a video cover letter, in which case please email your full application to yelena @ impatience.earth

We are committed to inclusive recruitment. If you have any access requirements or need reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know so we can discuss how to support you. This might include extended time on the assignment or alternative formats for the interview. 

We recommend that you do not use AI for the content of your CV or cover letter. This is based on past recruitment rounds where applications that were written without the use of AI were more likely to go through to the next stage e.g. they were personalised with specific and relevant examples. 

Stage 1: Using CharityJob, please submit your CV and your short answers to the following two questions (no more than 1.5 pages): 

1. What experience do you have working with high-net worth individuals and are there any success stories you’d like to share as a result of their work with them?

2. What perspectives and skills make you a stand out candidate for this specific  role?

Stage 2: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a short initial video call carried out on Zoom to discuss your experience and what excites you about the role. We will send all candidates the interview questions in advance. 

Stage 3: You will be asked to complete a short assignment at a time that suits you. At this stage in the process, we will offer candidates a £50 stipend to cover the time invested in this exercise.

Stage 4: As part of the final interview stage, you’ll be invited to a full interview, and we will be sending all candidates the interview questions in advance. At this stage in the process, we will offer candidates an additional £50 stipend to cover the time invested in preparing for the interview.

As part of the interview process, you will meet our Co-CEO Yasmin Ahammad, Senior Manager Raysa Franca and People and Wellbeing Director, Heather Salmon. For more information, see our website impatience.earth.

Screening questions: 

Do you have the right to work in the UK or the EFTA/EU?

Have you worked with High-Net Worth Individuals before?

Have you contributed to a growing pipeline of clients or funders in your past work?

Job Title: Commercial Manager

Reporting To: Head of Retail, Wholesale & Food Service

Salary Range: £36,000 - £38,000 (dependent upon experience)

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: This is a field‑based role that can be based anywhere in the UK. You’ll manage several large accounts, with regular visits to their headquarters and key events. On average national travel can be expected a couple of times per week.

Working days/hours per week: 35 per week, Monday - Friday, 9am – 5pm

Requirements: As part of our safer recruitment policy, we do ask questions regarding unspent criminal records.

Our Vision: A UK where “No good food goes to waste”. 

The Felix Project and FareShare have recently merged to form the UK's largest food redistribution charity. Its vision is a UK where good food is never wasted, and nobody goes hungry.

The organisation rescues high quality edible surplus food, from across the food industry and gets it to over 8,000 organisations across the UK who are working to strengthen communities and improve lives.

The charity manages seven depots across London, Suffolk, Merseyside and Hampshire and works with 16 network partners who operate a further 26 regional depots across the UK.

Over the next year our ambition is to rescue enough food nationally to provide nearly 200 million meals, turning an environmental problem into social good with measurable impact for people, planet, and the economy.

Purpose of the Job

Commercial Manager will identify, develop and manage top food partners relationships and strengthen existing business relationships with companies in the food industry, generating value for the partner and to secure growing and sustainable volumes of surplus food for the FareShare Network. For designated top food partners, you will be their day-to-day point of contact with regular face to face contact at all levels.

You will undertake structured, strategic account management, leading and coordinating FareShare’s engagement across our organisation. This will mean agreeing and executing a bespoke joint business plan with each account to get more food, money and strategic support. You will also feedback on ways that we can better support our accounts and improve our services to them. You will work directly and be on-site with top food partners to help identify and overcome the barriers which exist to giving surplus food to people in need as well as increasing money and strategic resource.

You will also be required to work closely with FareShare colleagues within FareShare and across the UK in our partner organisations in order to identify and understand opportunities for creating mutual and shared value.

Duties and Responsibilities

Partnership Management

• Contribute to the development of consistent, structured Joint Business plans with

designated accounts that take into account food, funding and other strategic initiatives to drive growth in food, money and other strategic resources

• Work on behalf of the account to develop and embed services relevant to the account and agreed through the joint business plan – e.g. employability or store level redistribution 

• Execute joint business plans and report internally and externally on progress.

• Research and understand your accounts, including key ESG initiatives, waste streams, key personnel within the organisation that will help drive its success and engage the relevant internal departments through both desked based research and face to face contact.

• Proactively drive account forwards and progress these relationships with regular on-site visits and linking FareShare exec with key contacts.

• Keep up to date with industry and charity insights and ensure this is reflected back strategically across ways of working and account management.

Project and Initiative Management 

• Be responsible for managing and communicating key projects and initiatives to increase food volumes and strategic value, securing support from a range of stakeholders within food partners and across the FareShare network. 

• Work closely with Supply Chain and Logistics, Operations and Network Development teams with the aim of optimising food out to our network

• Develop and lead FareShare cross-departmental strategic activity to enable us to derive maximum value from key food partners including liaising with fundraising, marketing and volunteering teams.

Role Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to shape Shine’s strategic direction while managing the operational delivery of our services for children, young people, and families aged 0–25. Building on the success of our Little Stars/Ser Bach programme for members aged 0–12 and the development and extension of the FIRE (Friendship, Independence, Resilience, Empowerment) programme for those aged 13–25, you will play a key role in shaping the future of our support for children, young people and their families.

Working across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you will lead the delivery of an established, evidence-based programme that improves health, social, and emotional outcomes for those living with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and associated conditions.

You’ll lead a passionate team and work closely with Shine’s Adult Services Team (25+), Health Team, Wales and Northern Ireland Managers and wider colleagues across the organisation to ensure work is coordinated, complementary, and beneficial to members. At the same time, you’ll forge strong partnerships with NHS professionals, statutory services, and voluntary organisations—driving collaboration that will support our vision of providing consistent, high-quality support for children, young people and families nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Team Management
• Programme Development & Delivery
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting
• Member Support & Engagement

Please see the full Job Description & Person Specification below and on our website. 

Benefits to working at Shine:

• Competitive salary: Review due April 2027
• Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings)  
• 3% pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year
• Additional annual leave awarded for ‘long service’
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Broadband allowance for home-based roles
• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment  
• Access to our Employee Support Programme and Mental Health First Aiders 
• Support to learn and develop 

How to apply 

Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria for the job. 

If you would like to discuss the role with our Deputy CEO, Gill Valentine, please contact Shine to arrange a convenient time for a call. 

To apply please submit your CV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteria. 

We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of your application but we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated. We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications. 

*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted* 

Closing date: Thursday 16th April 2026 at 11pm 

Interviews:  Monday 27th April 2026  

Please note: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore we encourage applications as soon as possible. 

About Chapter One 

Chapter One is a small but growing charity, working to ensure that every child has 1:1 reading support at the time they need it most.

Our unique Online Reading Volunteer programme currently supports about 3,500 children a year. It pairs disadvantaged, struggling five to eight-year old (KS1) readers with reading support volunteers who come from over 180 local and national businesses. The volunteer task is very focused: readers commit 30 minutes a week to read with a child using a bespoke digital platform for an entire academic year. The results are transformative, boosting children's reading confidence and ability.

We have set ourselves ambitious targets and want to support 3,900 children by 2026/27, so this role, with responsibility managing, stewarding and nurturing our existing corporate partners, will be crucial to ensuring that we have sufficient volunteers and support to achieve this target. 2026 has been designated by the Government as the National Year of Reading, so we have a great opportunity to capitalise on this and secure business commitment for our work!

For more information about our programmes please visit our website. Please also take some time to visit our social media channels and watch our videos.

About the role 

Chapter One is seeking a proactive, energetic and enthusiastic Corporate Partnerships Officer to be an integral part of a team which aims to both maximise corporate income and deliver an excellent partner experience. 

Reporting to our Corporate Partnerships Manager, but also working closely with our Business Development Manager, you’ll support them both to deliver our annual volunteer targets and maintain our strong partner retention rate (currently 84%). This will involve supporting the account management of a portfolio of existing partners and the responsibility to nurture relationships to increase partner investment in Chapter One over time. The role involves collaborating across departments to ensure a seamless and positive experience for volunteers and partners.

This is a new role within Chapter One and is an opportunity for an early career professional to learn about charity-business partnerships in a dynamic, small charity which is flexible and agile.

Key Responsibilities 

Partner Stewardship

• As determined by the Corporate Partnerships Manager, lead the account management of a selected portfolio of corporate partners, achieving annual retention and growth targets for these partnerships.

• Focus, in all corporate partnership discussions, on maximising income and identifying opportunities to grow a partner’s support.

• Plan and conduct a regular cycle of partnership meetings, including mid and end of year reviews, proactively seeking out new opportunities that will maximise income and retain and grow partner support. 

• Support the Corporate Partnerships Manager to produce high quality written communications, reports and pitches as per the requirements of each partner, collaborating with the Data and Systems Officer and other teams as needed.

• Advocate effectively, with passion and enthusiasm, for Chapter One’s programmes in a variety of internal and external settings.

• Ensure, in conjunction with the HR and Finance Assistant, that partners are invoiced for their Chapter One donations accurately and in a timely manner. 

Partner/Volunteer Onboarding and Experience

• Work closely with the Corporate Partnerships Manager, Head of Corporate Partnerships and Volunteer Support Team to ensure that partner and volunteer onboarding is a smooth and positive experience. 

• Lead volunteer recruitment meetings as requested by partners, including presenting the programme to prospective volunteers and creating excitement and interest. 

• Alongside the Corporate Partnerships Manager, use internal systems to assign partner teams and volunteers to specific schools and ensure that their needs are met.

• Build proactive, supportive relationships with Volunteer Coordinators across partner organisations, providing timely, high-quality data and insights, and delivering an excellent partner experience to foster long lasting relationships.

• Working with Programme Manager team, Volunteer Support Team and IT team, to trouble shoot any issues arise. 

• Support the Programme Management team to liaise with partner contacts about the organisation of in-person school/office visits and virtual meet and greets.

• Attend Chapter One’s internal Volunteer Experience group and Corporate Engagement Group.

Marketing and Communications

• Work with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure that companies and volunteers have access to an array of promotional assets and recruitment materials

• Contribute content for the regular volunteer and corporate partner newsletters, including working with partners to gather volunteer testimonials and partner profiles

• Encourage corporate partners and volunteers to promote Chapter One through their own social media and channels

• Support the organisation of online and in person partner and volunteer recognition events

General

• Oversee and maintain specific Account Management related processes, including stewardship plans, recording of activity on the Salesforce CRM and internal spreadsheets and platform databases

• Regularly use Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets to analyse data and support decision-making

• Conduct administrative duties as required to support the Head of Corporate Partnerships and Corporate Partnerships Manager

• Attend conferences and events to represent Chapter One and talk about its work to existing and potential new partners

We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others: 

• A commitment to Chapter One’s mission and values. 

• Experience of account management of Corporate Partnerships or equivalent relationship-based roles in a fundraising, events, sales or marketing environment

• An ability to create compelling written pitches, ensuring messaging and brand are consistent 

• Outstanding presentation skills, with the ability to excite and inspire an audience 

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with business professionals at all levels 

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail 

• An understanding of CSR/social value and employee engagement 

• An understanding of social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn. 

• Able to take personal accountability for own workload and for delivery of targets 

• A ‘can do’ and flexible approach with an ability adapt to changing priorities 

• Awareness of the importance of data security best practice and GDPR regulations when processing a range of stakeholder data 

• Highly computer literate, particularly in Excel, with hands-on experience of using Google suite and platforms and tools such as Salesforce CRM, PowerPoint and more. 

You’ll be more successful in the role if you have: 

• Experience of using digital marketing platforms 

• Experience of working in the charity/non-profit sector 

How to Apply 

Please send your CV (maximum 2 A4 sides) and a covering letter via Charity Jobs. Your covering letter (maximum 1 side of A4) should: 

1) Detail your relevant experience, including clear examples.

2) Tell us about a partnership that you have initiated or been involved with and what you did to make it succeed. 

3) Tell us about how our organisational mission is in line with your values. 

Applications that fail to meet these criteria will automatically be discounted. We understand that you may use AI to help craft your application, but do remember that we will be looking for individuals who write a letter that stands out. We want you to have every opportunity to shine and to show us your talents - please let us know if there is anything we can do to make sure the assessment process works for you.

As a charity that values and celebrates people's diversity and champions opportunities for all young people, we are keen to receive applications from people who have experienced disadvantage and from those who are of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who are currently underrepresented in the organisation. We believe that a diverse organisation is one that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results.

Chapter One is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All post holders are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure. Copies of our Safeguarding Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy are available on request.