Are you passionate about building lasting relationships that create real impact? Join Guide Dogs as our Major Donor Fundraising Officer and help change lives by securing vital funding from high-value supporters.
In this exciting and rewarding role, you’ll focus on cultivating and managing relationships with philanthropists capable of giving £10,000 or more. Working with existing supporters, your goal will be to deepen their connection to our cause and inspire transformational gifts that support our work with blind and partially sighted people across the UK.
You’ll manage your own portfolio of major donors, taking ownership of income targets and leading face-to-face ‘asks’ to secure significant and multi-year funding. Whether you’re building compelling cases for support, planning prospecting events, or guiding senior stakeholders through a donor meeting, you’ll be at the heart of our mission—ensuring every supporter feels valued, heard, and inspired.
This is a truly collaborative role. You’ll work closely with colleagues across Guide Dogs, from our services teams to senior leadership, to match donors with projects that speak to their passions. You’ll also nurture a strong network of advocates—Trustees, volunteers, and staff—who can help open doors and deliver powerful donor experiences.
If you’ve got a background in major donor or high-value fundraising, love creating meaningful connections, and thrive when meeting bold targets, this could be your next big step.
About Us
No two people with sight loss are the same, and none of our people are either. So, we are proud to offer a range of person-centred benefits that can support each member of staff in ways that really mean something to them – and show them how much they mean to us. We offer a flexible benefits package, discounts and cashback scheme, a generous holiday allowance and matched contributory pension scheme to care for our people.
We value in-person collaboration with our teams and those we support, so the ability to travel to our sites is needed. This role offers flexibility in location, with the option to be based near one of our key office sites in Leamington, Reading, London or our National Centre near Warwick.
However, we understand that the right candidate may be based elsewhere, and we’re open to discussing other locations. The role requires a presence in a Guide Dogs office one to two days per week, but beyond that, we offer a hybrid working arrangement that allows for flexibility while ensuring strong collaboration with colleagues and teams. Home-based could also be considered for this role. Most team meetings take place in Reading or National Centre, Leamington so access to either of these locations is important.
You’ll be working 35 hours per week, worked 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
How to apply
Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.
As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.
If you want to know more about the teams who work at Guide Dogs, you can find it on our Careers Page
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.
If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.
Every day is different at Guide Dogs. And no person with sight loss is the same. We work side by side, on our sites and in the community, in schools and on our streets, supporting people to live the life they choose. Our staff therefore also work in different ways to support the delivery of our life changing work.
Safeguarding
Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.
At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.
Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.
For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Fundraising and Communications Executive is a new role and will play a pivotal part in advancing our communications and fundraising strategies. As OTR continues to grow, this position will be instrumental in expanding our online presence and ensuring we connect with a broad audience, including young people, families, professionals, and supporters of our mission. It’s an ideal opportunity for someone who is both creative and analytical, skilled in producing compelling content and using data to amplify digital impact. This role would suit someone who can take initiative, think proactively, and confidently manage projects independently – qualities that are especially important in our small, dedicated team.
You’ll work on a wide range of projects, creating engaging content that aligns with OTR’s brand and values across our website, social media, and email campaigns. This includes developing multimedia content (including graphics, videos and blogs) to promote our work and highlight our impact in the local community.
From a fundraising perspective, you will help drive our fundraising activities and ensure efficient administration using the newly acquired ‘Donorfy’ database. This includes leading on the stewardship of donors and community fundraisers, managing our fundraising CRM database, and working on small and medium-sized trust and grant applications. You’ll also support digital campaigns and new initiatives, to encourage sustained support for our work. You’ll directly help to secure the financial support needed to expand OTR’s services and reach more beneficiaries. In addition, you’ll analyse the performance of our digital channels – interpreting website analytics, social media metrics, and email campaign results – to provide recommendations that enhance our communications strategies and ensure ongoing impact.
This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a supportive and passionate team. If you’re a skilled communicator driven by purpose, enjoy creating compelling digital content, building strong relationships with donors, and using data to inform creative strategies, this could be the role for you.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Fundraising and Communications Executive
Location: Hybrid or office-based – OTR has two offices, both based in Leigh Park. PO9 3SU and PO9 5BG.
Reports to: Head of Fundraising
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Part-time (up to 22.5 hours a week, with hours and working pattern negotiable)
Salary: £15,795 - £16,380 per annum (FTE £25,974 - £26,936)
JOB PURPOSE
The Fundraising and Communications Executive will play a key role in implementing OTR’s fundraising and communications strategies. The role involves planning, creating, curating and managing high-quality digital content across our website, social media platforms and email marketing campaigns. Furthermore, you will support key areas of our fundraising strategy, including trust and grant applications, horizon scanning and ensuring excellent fundraising administration across all areas of activity.
This position is instrumental in supporting the Head of Fundraising in developing and strengthening OTR’s income streams and increasing awareness of OTR’s services through effective communications.
Specific role duties
Supporting the fundraising strategy
• Lead on OTR’s donor and community fundraiser stewardship through excellent communication and effective relationship management.
• Lead on the implementation of fundraising communications across channels.
• Responsible for small to medium size trust and grant applications, including horizon scanning
• Support the stewardship of small and medium-sized trusts and foundations including scoping, applications, reporting and funder management.
• Create engaging content and campaigns to drive income generation.
• Help build the small pool of regular donors.
Website and CRM maintenance
• Work with OTR’s Head of Fundraising, the Administration Manager and web developer to maintain, update and enhance the OTR website.
• Monitor website performance, user engagement and SEO trends, suggesting and
implementing improvements to enhance user experience and visibility.
• Lead on ensuring our CRM (Donorfy) is utilised effectively to record, monitor and report on fundraising activity and income.
Social media
• Working with the Head of Fundraising, CEO and Volunteer Coordinator and Business Support Officer, contribute to OTR’s social media presence by creating and scheduling engaging, accessible, and informative content that resonates with our audience and supports OTR’s mission.
• Monitor social media platforms to ensure timely and appropriate responses to comments and messages.
• Identify new opportunities to grow OTR’s social media reach, building awareness of our services, fundraising and outreach work.
• Regularly report on social media performance, using insights to inform future content and strategy.
• Utilise paid ads to support fundraising and training.
Email marketing
• Support the planning, creation, and delivery of OTR’s, soon to be launched, email marketing campaigns, including newsletters, fundraising initiatives and service information and signposting.
• Ensure all email communications are engaging, well-structured, and in line with OTR’s brand and tone of voice.
• Assist in the promotion of key OTR events, such as the Big Charity Bash and annual Great South Run and other special events.
• Manage and grow OTR’s email marketing lists, ensuring they are up to date and GDPR compliant.
• Track and analyse the performance of email campaigns, providing reports and insights to the Head of Fundraising.
Content creation
• Create engaging, accessible, and informative content for OTR’s digital channels, including the website, social media and email marketing.
• Develop multimedia content (for example, videos and graphics) to enhance OTR’s
communication methods and increase engagement.
• Contribute to blogs, news articles and case studies that highlight OTR’s work, impact and achievements in the sector.
Brand and tone of voice
• Ensure that all digital content aligns with OTR’s brand, tone of voice and style,
maintaining a cohesive and recognisable identity across all platforms.
• Promote OTR as the leading place to turn to for support, ensuring that our content
reflects our professionalism, reputation and expertise.
Analytics and reporting
• Use analytics tools to track the performance of OTR’s digital communications, including website traffic, email engagement and social media reach.
• Provide regular reports on digital performance to the Head of Fundraising, including insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Provide regular reports from the CRM and other online fundraising platforms to the
Head of Fundraising.
Promote
• Promote OTR as an exceptional and specialist charity.
Equality and diversity
• Promote good equality practice and play a key role in ensuring equality of opportunity in the workplace.
• Observe all relevant law relating to equality of opportunities.
• Encourage a working atmosphere where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Any other duties
• The post-holder will work collaboratively with all OTR trustees, staff and volunteers to provide a seamless service.
• Any other duties commensurate with the post.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge, training and qualifications
Essential
• Understanding of charitable organisations.
• Understanding of principles of communications, marketing and fundraising.
Desirable
• Understanding of issues facing families in Havant and South East Hampshire.
Experience
Essential
• Experience of working in a communications or marketing role.
• Experience in planning, creating, and managing digital content across websites, social media, and email marketing.
• Experience in developing and managing content using online platforms including JustGiving, Mailchimp and Canva.
• Experience of managing a diverse workload in a busy environment.
Desirable
• Experience in utilising a CRM database to improve administrative systems.
• Experience in creating multimedia content, such as graphics and videos, to enhance digital communications.
• Experience in supporting fundraising initiatives, including donor stewardship and relationship management.
• Proficiency in using analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics and social media insights) to monitor and report on digital communication performance.
• Experience in upholding and applying brand guidelines in various forms of content.
• Experience in communicating expert information/advice to wider audiences.
Skills
Essential
• Strong writing and editing skills with a focus on creating engaging, accessible, and audience specific content.
• Exceptional customer service skills with proven ability to respond appropriately and effectively to enquiries on the phone, on social media, and by email.
• Strong time and project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build effective relationships and to be impactful with people of varying levels and experience.
• A flexible, pro-active approach to work including the ability to work to deadlines, plan, prioritise and manage own workload.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and demonstrate initiative.
• A team player committed to working collaboratively to achieve results.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office Packages including SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the internet.
• Ability to learn and better utilise IT systems.
• Ability to deal with sensitive information with discretion and to always maintain confidentiality.
Safeguarding
Our organisation implements safeguarding protocols in all aspects of service delivery and operations; we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. All successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check with the relevant barred checks in line with the role.
Other requirements
• A commitment to treating your colleagues fairly, consistently and with respect (Essential)
• An interest in and understanding of OTR’s mission and strategy (Essential)
• Resilient, creative, determined and hard working (Essential)
WHAT WE OFFER YOU
We will provide a laptop, and other necessary IT equipment to facilitate hybrid and home working.
As an employee, you will receive the following benefit package:
• Generous annual leave entitlement including bank holidays
• Flexible start and finish times between core hours of 8am and 6pm
• Flexible hours to take time off for medical appointments and caring responsibilities
• Hybrid working
• 3% employer pension contribution if eligible
• Paid sick leave
Registered charity number 1064275
Limited company 3333729
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Supporting young people’s mental health to fulfil their potential for a brighter future