Duchenne UK works tirelessly to challenge barriers, deliver practical solutions, and speed up progress for families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The charity collaborate with leading researchers, clinicians, industry and charity partners to deliver hope and measurable progress for people living with DMD in the UK.
Founded by two mothers whose sons were diagnosed with DMD, the charity has raised more than £34 million to accelerate research, improve care and help transform outcomes for families affected by this life-limiting condition.
As the charity enters a new phase of growth, it is investing in the structures, stewardship and fundraising expertise needed to build on that success while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit and close community connections that have made it so successful.
A newly created role, the Head of Relationship Fundraising will lead a diverse portfolio spanning Family & Friends fundraising, community fundraising, mid-value and major donor relationships, charity partnerships and corporate fundraising opportunities. Reporting to the Director of Income Generation, you will inherit an established portfolio of supporters and partners while identifying new opportunities for growth across the Duchenne community and beyond.
A key focus will be Duchenne UK’s Family & Friends Funds programme, a nationwide network of more than 50 family-led funds. You will combine ambitious income generation with exceptional supporter care, building trusted relationships with families, supporters, partners and donors whose connection to DMD is often deeply personal.
Working closely with the Director of Income Generation, CEO and co-founder Emily Reuben OBE, co-founder Alex Johnson OBE, and wider senior leadership team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of relationship fundraising and helping to build a more strategic and sustainable fundraising programme for the years ahead.
As Head of Relationship Fundraising, you will:
- Lead delivery of Duchenne UK’s relationship fundraising strategy, driving sustainable income growth across multiple income streams
- Develop and grow Family & Friends fundraising, community fundraising, mid-value, major donor, partnership and corporate fundraising opportunities
- Build and steward a pipeline of supporters and prospects, developing meaningful long-term relationships
- Develop the Family & Friends Funds programme, ensuring excellent and compassionate supporter experiences
- Develop supporter journeys, stewardship plans and relationship management processes that increase engagement and retention
- Strengthen fundraising systems, processes and ways of working to support future growth
- Operationally lead relationships with charity partners and key stakeholders
- Monitor fundraising performance, pipeline activity and KPIs
- Line manage the Community & Events Fundraiser and help shape the wider fundraising function’s future direction, structure and growth
Essential skills and experience:
- Significant experience in relationship fundraising, with a track record of delivering sustainable income growth
- Experience managing complex supporter or donor relationships in emotionally sensitive or values-led environments
- Experience working with high-value supporters or philanthropy audiences
- Experience developing community, peer-to-peer, high-value or partnership fundraising relationships
- Demonstrable success in achieving income targets and building fundraising pipelines
- Strong relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders
- Experience developing supporter journeys and stewardship approaches that improve engagement and retention
- Strong financial awareness, including pipeline management and forecasting
- Excellent communication skills and experience using CRM systems effectively
- Exceptional emotional intelligence, empathy and a commitment to outstanding supporter care
- A proactive, entrepreneurial and solutions-focused approach
Desirable:
- Experience within a health, medical research or disability-related charity
- Experience of diagnosis-led, in-memory or bereavement-related fundraising
- Knowledge of fundraising regulation, GDPR and Gift Aid
- Experience using Salesforce
Employee benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
- Summer Fridays – half days on Fridays in July and August (pro rata)
- Team wellness day and team away day
- Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
Application at this initial stage:
- Your CV, ensuring alignment with the person specification
- Answers to the two screening questions (click on Apply Now to answer these)
Suitable applicants will then be invited to an initial call and full support will be provided for formal application (CV and supporting statement).
Registered Charity 
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Title: Senior Corporate Fundraising Officer
Reporting To: Senior Corporate Partnership Manager
Location: Hybrid working, with a mix of home and minimum 1 day per week in West London office
Salary: £31,500 per annum
We aim to be transparent about remuneration at MHI. As a charitable organisation, salaries for this role are predetermined and not negotiable. Please consider the advertised salary before applying.
Hours of Work: 40 hours per week, inclusive of a daily 1 hour paid lunch
Contract: Permanent
Benefits:
- 25 days annual leave per year, plus public holidays;
- Company electronic devices;
- Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme;
- Private health insurance after completion of probation;
- Eligibility for a Blue Light discount card.
Closing Date: 26th June 2026 at 5pm. We reserve the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of applicants.
Click Here for the full Candidate Pack for this role.
Job Summary
Working closely with the Senior Corporate Partnership Manager, this role will support the delivery of high value corporate partnerships, including stewardship and engagement activities, as well as business development, identifying opportunities with aligned brands and up-coming charity of the year applications, to develop new corporate partnerships. The role is offered on a hybrid basis, with one day a week in the office in West London, and expectation to attend partner events where required.
You will be a creative, organised and reliable individual, ideally with experience in a fundraising team, supporting corporate partnerships or community fundraising. An excellent communicator, able to manage your time effectively and build good working relationships, you will support the Income team to deliver and secure corporate partnerships, working with colleagues across the charity to identify opportunities for engagement.
Key Responsibilities
- Support with high value corporate partnerships, including the delivery of employee engagement activities and communications, fundraising events and challenges
- Manage a portfolio of corporate partnerships, delivering first class stewardship and identifying and maximising opportunities for wider engagement
- Support the Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager to steward and engage partners and prospects, including thought leadership, communications, events, volunteering and fundraising activities
- Support with business development, utilising Salesforce, Pearlfinders and LinkedIn to identify and track opportunities
- Support the Senior Corporate Partnership Manager to create proposals, offers and presentations for new and existing partners
- Support with challenge events, including fostering corporate participant journeys, organising cheer points, being familiar with various fundraising platforms, coordinating event logistics, resources, and post-event wrap-up reports
- Support with stewardship of a select few high-value donors and ambassadors throughout their fundraising challenges, helping to deliver an engaging, bespoke and positive supporter experience
- Manage team administration, including merchandise orders
- Build excellent stakeholder relationships, keeping key contacts updated and ensuring partnership renewals
- Work with Commissioned Partnerships and Trust and Foundations colleagues to identify cross and upsell opportunities
- Work with the Marketing & Communications team to promote challenge events, secure spaces and identify opportunities for our corporate partners to get involved
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience developing and managing corporate partnership relationships.
- Proven ability to write compelling, creative, and tailored partnership proposals.
- Strong presentation and communication skills, including delivering pitches to external stakeholders.
- Demonstrable experience identifying, developing, and securing new business opportunities.
- Flexibility to support at challenge events, office fundraisers and awareness campaign activities.
- Ability to contribute and help develop creative ideas for challenge events and awareness activities.
- Ability to work proactively and manage multiple partnership opportunities simultaneously.
- Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience using CRM or database systems to manage partnerships and supporter information.
- Experience supporting or managing challenge event participant journeys
- Experience reporting on partnership performance and impact.
- Ability to analyse partnership trends and identify growth opportunities.
- Experience working within the charity or not-for-profit sector.
This role is subject to eligibility to work in the UK, plus satisfactory background and reference checks.
We understand that AI is increasingly part of everyday life, and you might choose to use it when putting together your application. While AI can be a helpful tool, we ask that anything you submit reflects your own skills, experiences, and perspective. We value authenticity and integrity, and we want to see what you uniquely bring to our team and why our mission resonates with you personally.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.