Major donors fundraiser jobs

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in the UK. 

Job Overview
The External Relations (ER) department is comprised of three main but complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications, and Advocacy. The main objective of the department is to enable the organisation to have the resources needed to continue serving  millions of people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster.

The Director of UK Philanthropy will provide leadership and strategic direction for individual high net worth fundraising activities focused on the UK market, ensuring the delivery of significant, multi-year resources for the IRC's global mission. The Director will also serve as the primary high-value fundraising partner to the UK Executive Director as they facilitate cross-team collaboration, accountability, and success among all private fundraising teams in the UK (Philanthropy, Global Corporate Partnerships, Foundations & Trusts, and Mass Markets). The Director will play a leadership role in IRC UK more widely as a member of the UK Senior Management Team (UKSMT). The UKSMT is collectively responsible for achieving the cross-functional goals of IRC UK’s strategy and actively fostering an inclusive workplace at IRC UK.

This role will be responsible for:
•  Leading a team of fundraising professionals focused on raising unrestricted and restricted contributions from High-Net-Worth Individuals.
•  Managing a personal portfolio of significant donors and partners focused on securing six and seven-figure commitments.
•  Facilitating cross-functional collaboration, ensuring strong coordination and accountability across all UK-based high-value fundraising teams as well as with other team leaders in the UK (e.g. Communications, Advocacy, and Programmes).
•  Serve as the high-value fundraising representative on the UK Senior Management Team, directing and progressing strategic goals in fundraising as well as advising on the wider management of IRC UK. 
•  Serving as the primary fundraising/partnerships contact for the IRC's UK Board, leveraging their networks and influence to advance the team's revenue targets.
•  Directly driving the UK Executive Director's engagement in fundraising and external partnership activities.
•  Interfacing closely with US-based and other international colleagues in External Relations to ensure global strategic alignment.

The Director will craft and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies for the UK market, mentor and guide the team to optimise the size and impact of gifts and ensure donor-centric fundraising practices are consistently deployed. This critical role involves developing and implementing strategies informed by bold revenue targets. 

Major Responsibilities

Fundraising and Partnerships
•  Manage a focused, complex portfolio of individual high-value prospects and supporters that results in increasing gifts at the six and seven-figure level.
•  Design and execute customised fundraising and partnership strategies for their personal portfolio, to maximise size and impact of gifts to the IRC.
•  Travel and meet with donors and prospects across the UK and occasionally internationally as required.
•  Achieve personal and team-wide goals and metrics related to visits, solicitations, gifts/pledges closed, and other critical key performance indicators.
•  Serve as the primary staff liaison and resource for the IRC's UK Board on all matters relating to philanthropy and partnerships, ensuring their engagement is maximised for fundraising impact.

Leadership and Management
•  Lead and directly supervise a team of approximately 3 individuals across the UK-based Philanthropy team, inspiring, motivating and challenging them through active mentorship and fostering an environment that supports new ideas and innovative approaches to donor relationship management.
•  Provide comprehensive thought leadership for the team's efforts towards increased financial revenue and other modes of private sector engagement that support the impactful delivery of the IRC's mission.
•  Partner with the Senior Director of International Philanthropy to develop a strategic plan, including setting annual goals and key outcomes for the team. This will include but is not limited to collaborating with the UK Board and Senior IRC leadership in identifying, cultivating, and stewarding donors through strategic engagement opportunities such as meetings and events.
•  Provide strategic oversight and manage collaboration between the UK-based leads of the Foundations and Trusts, Global Corporate Partnerships, and Mass Markets teams, ensuring strong coordination in executing comprehensive donor engagement strategies across the UK market. 
•  Collaborate as a peer with other UK leaders on the UK Senior Management Team, holding collective accountability for achieving the goals of the UK strategy and advising on the wider management of IRC UK to support those goals. 

Executive and Global Collaboration
•  Proactively drive the UK Executive Director's fundraising activities, including identifying and vetting high-level engagement opportunities, preparing briefing materials, and ensuring excellent donor/partner stewardship.
•  Interface and collaborate superbly with US-based colleagues in External Relations to ensure consistent messaging, coordinated prospect management, and alignment with global fundraising priorities.
•  Facilitate the deployment of IRC leaders (including the UK ED and global Executive Board and programme leadership) throughout the donor life cycle to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward five, six, and seven-figure commitments.

Candidate Requirements

•  Significant demonstrable years progressive experience or proven background of non-profit fundraising experience and expertise in high-net-worth individual fundraising, and/or foundation/trust/corporate partnership development.
•  Demonstrated history of being an empowering and supportive manager to front-line fundraisers.
•  Outstanding communication skills, including writing, listening, verbal presentation, and speaking.

Preferred Experience & Skills
•  Consistent track record of securing 6 and 7+ figure gifts/partnerships from a complex portfolio of diverse donors and prospects, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors.
•  Proven organisational leadership experience, for example on senior management teams. 
•  Experience in international organisational collaboration, including interfacing effectively with leadership and colleagues based in other countries.
•  Proven experience leading and directly supervising front-line fundraisers.
•  Experience in leveraging and managing a Board or high-level volunteer leadership for fundraising success.
•  Ability to develop creative and multifaceted donor strategy often carried out in partnership with programme staff or senior leadership.
•  Ability to navigate CRM systems.
•  Dedication to fundraising for international development, humanitarian, human rights, gender and racial equality, social justice, and migrant communities

Working Environment
•  IRC UK has a hybrid working policy. 
•  Occasional travel across the UK and internationally as required.

Internal Title: Fundraising & Operations Director
Location: Central London, hybrid working (office-based at least 2 days a week)
Contract: 4-5 Days a week, permanent
Salary: £55,000 pro rata
Hours: Flexible working pattern permitted, subject to organisational needs

About Refugee Legal Support
Refugee Legal Support is a dynamic organisation working in solidarity with people who migrate: we provide and promote legal support, training, and advocacy so that asylum seekers, refugees and migrants can access rights and justice. We are now recruiting a senior leader to join the three-person Director team (Executive Director; Legal Director; this role) and help drive our next phase of growth and impact.

Why this role matters
This is a career-defining role at a pivotal time for RLS. You will help shape the future of our organisation, ensuring we have the resources and organisational infrastructure to maximise our impact. If you are a senior fundraiser who cares deeply about justice for migrants, wants to lead at a strategic level and doesn’t shy away from operational leadership when it counts, then this role is for you.

The role in brief
As our Fundraising Director you will lead the income generation strategy for RLS and oversee operational elements when needed—making this more than a conventional fundraising role. You will work across the organisation, supporting strategy, sustainable growth, and systems development, while ensuring we meet urgent funding needs as well as build long-term resilience. The role suits someone who thrives in a dynamic, justice-driven environment, is comfortable with ambiguity and change, and has the gravitas and hands-on mindset required in a senior role.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and lead the fundraising strategy: securing income from trusts, foundations, major donors, corporates, and other sources.
• Build, deepen and manage relationships with funders, partners and stakeholders to secure existing and new funding.
• Monitor fundraising performance, budgets, forecasts and contribute to organisational financial sustainability.
• Work operationally as required across the organisation: supporting RLS’s systems, processes and leadership team to ensure effective delivery and growth.
• Be a key member of the senior management team, working closely with the Executive Director, Legal Director and Board of Trustees to shape RLS’s strategic direction.
• Ensure high standards of reporting, monitoring and impact-communication to funders and stakeholders.
• Help embed organisational systems and infrastructure to support scale-up and sustainability.

Person specification
We’re seeking someone who:

• Has great experience in senior fundraising roles (ideally including trust/foundation, donor relationships and multi-stream income generation).
• Is comfortable operating at a strategic level and also stepping into operational matters when needed.
• Has excellent communication and influencing skills, able to engage with senior stakeholders, funders and leadership teams.
• Thrives in a fast-moving, values-driven environment, comfortable with change, ambiguity and organisational growth.
• Shares a strong commitment to migrant justice, equity and the mission of RLS.
• Is organised, resilient, and able to manage competing priorities across fundraising and operations.

Working arrangements
This role is based in London with hybrid working: you will be required to be in the office at least two days a week, with the remainder of time flexible. The post will require occasional flexibility for meetings, events or travel as part of senior leadership commitments.

RLS is committed to equality of opportunity, particularly welcoming applications from candidates with lived experience of migration, forced displacement, or marginalised communities.

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.

About the role

You will be home based and will need to travel in the UK, Eire, Europe and further afield as the role develops. 

You will need some storage space available for Charity materials.

If you are self-driven, motivated, and want to help others achieve something amazing in support of Histiocytosis UK, we would love to hear from you.

You are likely to be in a similar role at another charity or have the right experience and transferable skills from another sector. You’ll be confident, enthusiastic, and an exceptional influencer with great customer care and communication skills.

There will be ample opportunity to shape the role, lead on specific projects and put your ideas into action.

The role will be mainly remote working so your experience and motivation will be key in this role so that we can achieve tangible results. 

Who we need?

You will be an excellent communicator, face to face, online, phone or email. You know the importance of listening, and you are the sort of person that brings focus and calm to difficult situations. Prioritising your workload is second nature. Perhaps most importantly of all, you’re energised and driven by a passion for learning and making life better for those with a long term and/or serious illness.

A degree is not essential, but a communication and fundraising skills qualification is desirable. It is important that you have a high standard of writing, and that you are on good terms with your computer, particularly MS office, email and maybe even Mailchimp, Zoom, Sage Accounting, Spreadsheets etc.

 

 

 

Are you a passionate, experienced fundraiser looking for a new challenge? Do you have strong partnerships and trusts experience, but also a good understanding of developing individual giving journeys? Are you excited by the opportunity to manage a new fundraising programme in a small, growing organisation? Then this might be just the role for you.

We are looking for an ambitious and proactive Senior Fundraising Manager to build on our past fundraising activity, diversifying income streams and nurturing new and existing partnerships with industry. In this role, you will also develop our member donations income stream and maximise our fundraising potential with the wider public, including patients and families with experience of intensive care. Working closely with the Head of Communications and Membership Engagement, you will contribute to shaping the fundraising strategy to support our new and enhanced organisational strategy and brand strategy.

Working closely with other members of the senior management team, including the Head of Sponsorship and Events, you will help develop relationships with industry for the long term and in relation to our yearly State of the Art Congress, aimed at the intensive care community.

You’ll have a strong track record in building and managing partnerships, securing grants from charitable trusts and foundations, and delivering successful fundraising campaigns. You will be a strategic thinker, confident communicator, and relationship-builder who is motivated by making a difference. Able to juggle both management and hands-on, operational activities, you’ll be keen to get stuck in and make a difference.

You will sit in a small, dynamic and supportive team also responsible for communications and membership engagement, and you’ll work with closely with them to integrate fundraising messages within our broader communications. You will also have a dotted line to other key teams within the organisation, in a matrix-style working set-up.

As an organisation, we have just reviewed our organisational strategy under the leadership of our new CEO, which means a lot of exciting developments are afoot needing additional funding. As part of this growth, we will be growing our offer for patients and families, which will have strong links to the fundraising strategy you will help manage.

About Cardiomyopathy UK

Cardiomyopathy UK is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting people affected by all forms of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis. We provide expert advice, trusted information, and support to individuals and families, while championing earlier diagnosis, better treatment and improved care. This is an exciting time to join a growing organisation with a strong, patient-centred mission and an ambitious programme of work across research, policy, services and awareness.

Role Purpose

The Communications & Marketing Manager will lead our communications, brand and digital presence, ensuring Cardiomyopathy UK reaches and engages the people who need us most. You will shape and deliver high-quality, impactful communications across all channels, strengthening our voice, raising awareness of cardiomyopathy, and supporting the growth of our services, fundraising and partnerships.

This is a hands-on role for a skilled communicator who can balance strategic thinking with delivery. You will work in a highly matrixed team, supporting colleagues across services, fundraising, events, research, and public affairs. You will collaborate closely with the Executive Leadership Team, clinical experts, fundraisers and our community to tell powerful stories and drive meaningful engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Communications & Brand

• Lead the development and delivery of Cardiomyopathy UK’s communications and marketing strategy.
• Manage and maintain the charity’s brand identity, ensuring consistency across all channels, publications and partnerships.
• Produce high-quality written content including blogs, newsletters, web copy, reports, press releases, campaign assets and patient stories.
• Support internal colleagues across departments with communications planning, copywriting and brand guidance.

Digital Marketing (Website & Social Media)

• Oversee content, structure and performance of the Cardiomyopathy UK website, working with external developers where required.
• Manage social media channels (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), including planning, creating and scheduling high-quality content.
• Monitor digital analytics and provide insights and recommendations to improve reach, engagement and conversion.
• Lead email marketing activity, including newsletters, segmentation and performance monitoring.

Campaigns & Awareness

• Plan and deliver integrated awareness and marketing campaigns aligned to strategic priorities including early diagnosis, patient support services, fundraising and major events.
• Coordinate campaign content creation, timelines and measurement, ensuring campaigns are impactful and audience driven.
• Work with partners, funders and patient contributors to develop compelling stories and campaign assets.

Media & Public Relations

• Act as the first point of contact for media enquiries and support the CEO and spokespeople with interview preparation.
• Build relationships with journalists, sector press and broadcast media to raise awareness of cardiomyopathy and the charity’s work.
• Draft press releases, media lines and Q&A briefs for key announcements and campaigns.

Cross-Organisational & Matrixed Working

• Work closely with the event manager to promote flagship events, patient webinars and professional engagement activities.
• Partner with public affairs colleagues to amplify policy, research and advocacy messages and ensure alignment across channels.
• Support the fundraising team with donor communications, appeals, supporter journeys and marketing collateral.
• Work closely with clinical colleagues to deliver compelling, on-brand, educational and information materials for various audiences.
• Ensure coordinated planning across teams so that communications reflect organisational priorities and opportunities.

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with clinicians, researchers, patient advocates and charity partners to strengthen our communications and visibility.
• Amplify the voices and experiences of people living with cardiomyopathy through inclusive, ethical storytelling.

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven experience in communications, marketing or digital roles – ideally within a charity, health or public sector context.
• Strong copywriting and content creation skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and sensitively.
• Experience managing websites, digital content and social media channels.
• Ability to plan and deliver multi-channel campaigns.
• Confident in managing media enquiries and developing press materials.
• Experience working collaboratively in a matrixed or cross-functional team, supporting multiple stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent organisational and project-management skills with the ability to prioritise a varied workload.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using digital analytics tools.
• A collaborative team player with a commitment to empowering patients and improving health outcomes.

Personal Qualities

• A natural people person, approachable, supportive, and empathetic.
• Solution focused and resourceful, able to stay calm and find ways forward in challenging situations.
• A strong sense of initiative and ownership, with a hands-on, can-do approach.
• An inspiring communicator who builds trust and enthusiasm across teams and partners.
• Adaptable and open to change, always looking for opportunities to improve.
• Demonstrates Cardiomyopathy UK’s values and integrity in all aspects of work.
• A genuine team player who contributes to a positive and inclusive working culture.