Major donor fundraising manager jobs in Manchester, greater manchester

We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Spurgeons, who believe in creating brighter futures for children, young people, and families. As one of the UK's leading children's charities, firmly supported by Christian beliefs and values, Spurgeons helps vulnerable children and their families by delivering projects that support them and their communities to find long-lasting solutions to the challenges they face.

We are seeking a Senior Philanthropy Manager to secure transformational income through high-value giving strategies across major donors, legacies, trusts, foundations, and corporate partnerships. By building meaningful relationships and inspiring generosity, you'll create long-term partnerships that deliver life-changing support for children, young people, and families.

As a member of the fundraising management team contributing to shaping and delivering the overall Fundraising & Engagement strategy, you'll provide supportive line management to two direct reports. You'll develop and implement high-value donor giving strategies to drive sustainable year-on-year income growth, while building and nurturing meaningful relationships with high-value donors and managing your own portfolio with robust cultivation and stewardship plans.

Working with the Director of Fundraising & Engagement, you'll collaborate with senior leaders and trustees to identify new income opportunities. You'll implement and drive the Legacy and In-Memory strategy, oversee stewardship programmes for legacy pledgers, lead strategic pipeline development for Trusts and Foundations, and develop and deliver a Corporate Fundraising strategy. Conducting in-depth research and wealth screening, you'll identify and evaluate prospects while monitoring KPIs, budgets, and ROI against strategic plans.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:

• Proven experience of line management and team leadership
• Proven experience of donor management, demonstrating the ability to build and steward high-value, income-generating relationships
• Demonstrable experience of achieving or exceeding income targets, delivering year-on-year net income growth
• Track record of developing, managing and growing high-value pipelines across major donors, trusts and foundations, legacies and corporate partners
• Proven success in major gift fundraising, including securing five or six figure gifts through face-to-face asks

By month 3, you'll have reviewed current high-value fundraising strategies and met key internal stakeholders including the Director of Fundraising, SLT, and Trustees. By month 6, you'll have launched refined Major Donor and Legacy strategies, developed a robust prospect pipeline, and initiated at least one new corporate partnership. By month 12, you'll have delivered a measurable increase in high-value income across all streams, embedded legacy messaging across all fundraising channels, and secured multi-year commitments from at least two major donors or trusts.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team that isn't just goal-driven, but fuelled by creativity, passion, and a love for bold ideas to drive positive change! You'll be part of a team that celebrates successes and believes in fostering a positive and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and inspired to do their best work.

For more information, please contact Nick Thomas, Senior Consultant, Charisma Charity Recruitment. Your application should be submitted through the Charisma website and include your CV and supporting statement.

Charisma is committed to inclusive and accessible recruitment processes. If you have any reasonable adjustments or wish to apply for this role under the Disability Confident Scheme, please confirm in your application, or contact our Operations Teams separately. Charisma will ensure all candidates who disclose that they wish to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and that meet the minimum criteria for the role will receive an opportunity to interview with the Charisma Consultant representing the vacancy.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or other category protected by law.

Location: Home based

Closing date: Sunday 8th February 2026

Charisma vetting interviews must be completed by Tuesday 10th February 2026

1st round interviews with Spurgeons: w/c 16th February 2026

Final round interviews with Spurgeons: w/c 23rd February 2026