Major donor fundraising manager jobs in Manchester, greater manchester

About us

Our purpose is simple: to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue. We’re looking for a new Philanthropy Manager, homebased in the South East of England, to join our expanding Philanthropy Team. The Philanthropy Team supports the RNLI by working with individuals who are passionate about our work and want to make a difference through high-value gifts.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we are about to embark on a £150m capital appeal which the Philanthropy Team will be a key part of delivering. This is a new role, our second in the South East, and you will work closely with our experienced Philanthropy Manager who has been managing the whole area. You will have a dedicated geography of focus around but not exclusive to Essex, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and part of London.

Some of the benefits

• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Competitive pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan option
• Training & Development in Major Giving

Your role

As a Philanthropy Manager, you will be tasked with focus on the following areas:

• Growing and managing a portfolio of up to 70-90 major donors, to solicit and close five, six and seven figure gifts
• Building compelling cases for support that inspire and align with donors’ interests and identified needs
• Developing and hosting a small number of engagement, prospecting, and recognition events
• Providing excellent customer service and stewardship

About you

We’re looking for someone who loves meeting people and has a natural aptitude for selling and prospecting. You’ll thrive on developing relationships, inspiring others in the work of the RNLI. Your great communication skills will allow you to flex your style to a wider range of audiences, whether colleagues, senior stakeholders, donors or prospects. You’ll be self-motivated working as part of a remote team and be comfortable working outside regular office hours and travelling occasionally within the rest of the UK and Ireland as the job demands.

To be considered as a Philanthropy Manager, you will need:

• Ideally you will be able to have easy access to your key geographical areas highlighted above
• Relevant or transferable experience of account managing and developing and maintaining excellent relationships with individuals. You excel at Customer Service.
• Experience of working with stakeholders at all levels both internal and external, securing and managing meetings with senior stakeholders, flexing style to the audience.
• Excellent numerical skills and ability to prepare financial information, and ability to discuss and present complex information, and the ability to communicate with passion and authority
• This post requires a valid driving licence

So, as a Philanthropy Manager if you have the drive and enthusiasm to be part of our One Crew to achieve our Philanthropy goals and want to see how you can support our organisation’s aim to reduce drowning, this could be the role for you. To apply, please visit our jobs page.

Closing date: 9 August 2026.

Interview date: 18 August 2026.

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.

ABOUT THE JOB

This is a Home-based role, with occasional travel to London and within our operating areas of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Slough, Milton Keynes and Luton as required.

To make a full application, please send your CV & one side of A4 covering letter letting us know why you are interested in this position and provide information on any relevant experience that may assist your application. 

For the full job description & recruitment pack, please visit our website.

PURPOSE OF ROLE

Major donors and philanthropists are currently responsible for over a quarter of Caudwell Youth’s annual income – due in part to the generosity of the networks of our founder, John Caudwell.

As Caudwell Youth enters its fourth year, we are seeking a Senior Philanthropy and Corporate Partnerships manager to help us expand beyond our strong founder-led base into a sustainable major donor and corporate supporter portfolio.

Proactive and commercially-minded, you will be confident driving and developing all stages of the major donor and corporate supporter stewardship process. Confidence in engaging in new business research, prospecting, initial meetings and pitches is a must, as you will be responsible for growing our small pipeline of supporters and warm prospects into a long-term income stream.

This is essential to Caudwell Youth’s future sustainability, with corporate partnerships and major donor income currently making up 30% of Caudwell Youth’s annual fundraising income (forecast to be around £450,000 this year).

Our ambition is to increase this revenue stream by around 50% to over £800,000 by 2030, in order to support more at-risk young people from across the UK, as set out in our recently launched strategy, Going National.

This is a role for a self-starter who is excited to drive high value growth and be a key part of Caudwell Youth’s upward trajectory, working within a small but dynamic fundraising team. It offers significant opportunity to shape and lead this area of fundraising as it grows.

You will be an experienced fundraiser with a proven track record of securing major gifts of four, five and six figure gifts, familiarity with managing corporate partnerships and evidence of growing and developing new pipelines and revenue streams.

You will own a significant portion of this income stream, with responsibility for securing new high-value relationships and growing existing supporters.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Operating at a senior level within the fundraising team, this role will take the lead across Caudwell Youth’s philanthropic and corporate giving.

Working closely with the Fundraising Director to drive income growth and strategic development, your key duties will include:

MAJOR DONORS & PHILANTHROPISTS

You will manage a mixed portfolio of existing supporters and warm prospects, while building a pipeline of new high-value opportunities. To do this, you will:

• Take personal responsibility for securing, retaining and growing high-value (four, five and six figure) gifts and philanthropic partnerships, by engaging in detailed prospect research and building contacts with high-net-worth individuals and their intermediaries to create a pipeline of new opportunities.
• Provide a high-quality supporter stewardship experience to Caudwell Youth’s existing major donors and philanthropists and warm prospects, tailoring this to their wishes to create a unique journey for each donor which seeks to deepen their engagement with the charity. This may include:
• Personalised reporting
• Bespoke communications
• Face-to-face meetings and events
• Unique ways to be consulted on and engage with our work
• Opportunities to be recognised.
• Lead on the continued growth, development and stewardship of Caudwell Youth’s Oracles fundraising board in order to maximise its annual revenue.
• Support John Caudwell’s Charity Pioneer with the stewardship of existing and potential Life Changers Circle donors, including through hosting cultivation and network events.

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS AND FUNDRAISING

• Develop our corporate support pipeline, seeking to strengthen connections with existing corporate donors. This will include developing partnerships typically in the £10,000 - £100,000+ range through CSR, fundraising and sponsorship opportunities which align with Caudwell Youth’s values.
• Work with major donors and philanthropists, colleagues across the charity, volunteers and other stakeholders and contacts to proactively identify new corporate fundraising opportunities for Caudwell Youth.
• Work on Charity of the Year applications, pitches and proposals in conjunction with the Senior Leadership Team and representatives from volunteering and operations as required.
• Act as an account manager and first point of contact for corporate supporters of Caudwell Youth, coming up with tailored programmes of supporter engagement to maximise their fundraising, increase connection with our cause and engage them in strategic multi-year support partnerships.
• Supported by our Supporter Engagement Coordinator, encourage our corporate donors, major donors and philanthropists to meaningfully engage with our challenge fundraising programme.
• Review our existing Torchrunners model as a means of engaging corporate supporters as a group.

ACROSS THE FUNDRAISING TEAM

• Promote other ways to support Caudwell Youth, including gifts in wills, payroll giving, help in kind, challenge fundraising, charity-wide appeals and campaigns, events and digital content to your network of major donors, philanthropists and corporate supporters as appropriate.
• Work in partnership with the Grants and Impact Lead to develop applications and reporting for family philanthropic trusts where required.
• Work effectively as part of the fundraising team, together seeking ways to enhance and strengthen each others’ activities and diversify our revenue streams as required, including in relation to systems, policies, supporter engagement communications and fundraising events.
• Attend team meetings, personal work reviews and relevant meetings proactively and as a contributor.
• Deputise for your line manager as required in their absence, with support from the rest of the SLT.

ACROSS CAUDWELL YOUTH AND EXTERNALLY

• Work with Caudwell Youth’s operations and volunteering teams to create bespoke and sustainable opportunities for major donors, philanthropists and corporate supporters to engage in our work, while ensuring the needs of the at-risk young people that we support are always put first.
• Collaborate with our communications team to develop compelling copy and content which promotes our corporate fundraising offering and major donor support as required.
• Develop strong collaborative working with the wider teams to maximise income generation, and promote good communication and shared focus

ADMINISTRATION

• Use our CRM database, Beacon, to ensure all activity is properly captured, manage your pipelines, forecast income, track trends and data.
• Provide timely reports internally on performance, informing budget setting and subsequent reforecasts as required

GENERAL

• Behave and communicate in a way that is courteous and professional at all times, including representing the charity professionally to anyone you come into contact with and role modelling appropriate behaviour to colleagues.
• Express and promote equal opportunities and encourage inclusion and involvement.
• Ensure your work is aligned with the vision, mission and values of the charity.
• Ensure your work involves and reflects our young people’s views and voices where appropriate.
• Undertake and identify training as required and take a positive approach to personal development.
• Fulfil the duties and responsibilities of an employee as regards to Health and Safety at Work, including own safety and self-management.
• Undertake any other reasonable tasks deemed necessary as required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ON APPOINTMENT, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE:

• Significant professional knowledge and experience in your specialist area
• The ability to take on substantial responsibility quickly
• Critical and detailed understanding of the specialty.

IN YOUR ROLE YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO:

• Solve complex problems creatively
• Make judgements requiring analysis and interpretation
• Carry out duties with significant strategic influence
• Lead and line-manage others
• Deputise for your line manager, including handling serious issues, where required.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• In-depth understanding of major donor and philanthropy fundraising, including a demonstrable track record of managing a portfolio of high value supporters and securing and managing four, five and six-figure gifts.
• Knowledge of corporate fundraising and partnership development, including experience developing and managing corporate partnerships worth £10,000 and upwards.
• Ability to identify, qualify and cultivate high value prospects, with evidence of strong commercial awareness to spot opportunities, grow fundraising income and build new pipelines.
• Understanding of impact-led fundraising and how to communicate charitable outcomes effectively to supporters.
• Exceptional networking and relationship-building skills, with experience developing long-term fundraising plans and tailored donor engagement journeys.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for presentations, proposals, pitches, reports and stewardship materials.

ESSENTIAL PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable with a high degree of autonomy.
• Entrepreneurial and commercially minded, with good business sense.
• Results-driven, with the ability to translate strategic ideas into tangible action.
• Confident and persuasive when working with senior stakeholders and major donors.
• Resilient and persistent when pursuing new opportunities.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Possess a passion for making a positive impact on young people's lives.

Harris Hill is delighted to be partnering with a fantastic international NGO charity in their search for a Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager.

This is an exciting role that will play a key role in driving income growth and will contribute to the delivery of an ambitious growth strategy.

As Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager, you will be responsible for raising income through philanthropy, trusts and foundations, major donors and strategic corporate partnerships. You will support the development and delivery of fundraising strategies, managing key donor relationships, writing high-quality funding proposals and supporting the organisation's growth plans. Working closely with the senior leadership team, you will identify new funding opportunities, strengthen existing partnerships and ensure communications support fundraising objectives. You will also lead on donor engagement and stewardship activities and line managing the Communications Officer.

To be considered for this role you will need: 

• Proven experience of securing income from at least two of the following areas: trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships or philanthropy.
• Experience of developing successful funding applications, proposals and donor reports.
• Experience of building and managing external relationships that lead to income generation or strategic partnership development.

• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to write clear, persuasive and tailored proposals and reports.
• Excellent relationship management and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders.

If this role sounds of interest to you and you want to have a chat and review the full job description, please do contact Dominic at Harris Hill on [email protected] or call him on 0207 820 7332

Salary: £40,000 - £45,000 per annum

Permanent, full-time

Location: Home based with regular domestic travel and infrequent international travel

Application process: CV and cover letter.

Closing date: Rolling. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so please apply ASAP.

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Major Donor Manager (Maternity Cover)

Salary: £45,600 – £48,000
Location: Hybrid, London (ideally once a week, but can be very flexible)
Contract: Fixed term until February 2027
Closing date: 6 July

Lead a high-performing major donor programme at a pivotal moment of growth.
This is a rare opportunity to step into a well-established and ambitious philanthropy team that has gone from strength to strength, doubling income over the past two years and generating over £1.2m in the last financial year.

Joining as Major Donor Manager, you will play a central role in driving the next phase of growth. With strong internal momentum, and a culture of collaboration and shared ambition, you will lead both strategy and delivery across major giving during a key period of maternity cover.

About the role
You will lead the strategic direction and day-to-day management of a thriving major donor programme, mentoring team members, working on specific projects related to next generation philanthropy.

Working closely with colleagues across fundraising and beyond, you will:

• Drive new income growth, personally cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals and securing significant gifts
• Lead and develop a small team, providing hands-on coaching, mentoring and support, particularly for team members newer to major donor fundraising
• Shape and deliver clear supporter journeys, ensuring a strong pipeline of prospects and a robust moves management approach
• Support the redistribution and development of donor portfolios, helping maximise long-term value and engagement
• Identify and unlock new opportunities, including corporate HNWI prospects and wider networks linked to existing supporters
• Provide strategic oversight of cultivation activity, including high-value events and donor engagement approaches
• Work collaboratively across teams, contributing to wider fundraising strategies and shared organisational goals

This role does not hold an active portfolio of existing donors but focuses on strategic leadership, mentorship, high-value asks and team enablement to maximise collective performance.

About you
You will bring significant experience in major donor fundraising, alongside a passion for developing others and delivering ambitious income growth.

We are particularly looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• A strong record of securing high-value gifts and developing new donor relationships
• Experience working with and influencing senior stakeholders, including leadership teams or trustees
• The ability to coach, mentor and inspire a team, supporting their development and confidence
• A creative and strategic approach to pipeline development, cultivation and stewardship
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Strong financial and analytical capability, with the ability to manage performance and improve ways of working

Why join?
You will be joining a team known for its supportive, collaborative and high-performing culture. This is a group that:

• Shares a clear sense of purpose and direction
• Works closely together to problem-solve and innovate
• Encourages challenge, growth and shared success
• Creates a positive, inclusive and motivating environment

The organisation offers flexible hybrid working, with most of the team coming together regularly in the London office, typically once a week on Thursdays being a popular day, but they are pragmatic about this particular requirement.

Our commitment
We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and experiences. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our work and help us achieve greater impact.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.