Major gifts manager jobs in Leeds

Are you passionate about bringing art to everyone? Do you believe in the power of digital to engage people with the arts? We’re looking for an enthusiastic Philanthropy Manager to join our friendly and dedicated team.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries, particularly individuals who experience physical, mental or social barriers to accessing the arts.

About Art UK

Art UK is an art education charity and the online home for every public collection of art in the United Kingdom. It is making the UK’s national collection of art accessible to everyone online – for enjoyment, learning and research. Art UK brings together art from almost 3,500 British institutions in one of the UK's largest ever arts partnerships and showcases this art to a global audience of 5.5m users per annum. Approaching 60% of this audience is overseas.

Art UK provides significant support to museums and galleries in the UK, by providing them with a shared digital platform to showcase their art collections, reach new audiences, and generate income. Most of these collections would not be able to show their art online without Art UK. The Art UK platform is rich in story content, learning resources for teachers and students, and public engagement opportunities. A shared e-commerce infrastructure helps collections generate much needed commercial income. 

About You

As the Philanthropy Manager, you will be a confident and persuasive communicator, comfortable engaging with supporters and stakeholders at all levels. You will have a solid knowledge of philanthropic giving and a deep appreciation of the value of high-quality donor stewardship. Highly organised and detail-focused, you will enjoy working with data and be skilled at producing compelling content both on and offline. You will bring initiative, creativity and the ability to work independently, while also being a collaborative team player.

The Philanthropy Manager is a new donor-facing role, which will focus on expanding and strengthening a major donor portfolio to increase five and six figure income from individual donors and family trusts for Art UK. You will lead on managing and growing Art UK’s philanthropic giving programme, which includes the Patrons and supporter events programme and our major donor activity. Working within an ambitious team, you will have the support of a freelance Prospect Researcher to identify new prospects, and the Development Manager and CRM Officer to develop donor journeys and relationship management systems. You will report to the Head of Development, work closely with the CEO and Chair of the Philanthropy Board, and collaborate with colleagues across the organisation.

You will actively promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of your work, reflecting your commitment to our organisational values and contributing to a positive workplace culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a robust prospect pipeline through identification, research, cultivation and relationship-building to secure five-figure gifts and long-term support
• Manage a portfolio of mid-level individual donors, converting one-off supporters into deeper donor relationships
• Manage and grow Art UK’s mid-level regular giving programme, strengthening donor relationships through face-to face meetings, events and personalised communication
• Develop donor development strategies, using CRM to analysis and identify higher gift prospects from existing donor pool and maximise giving potential
• Lead on major gifts for annual Big Give campaigns, identifying and securing keystone pledge donors, and leveraging networks to reach giving targets
• Create and implement, effectively and in a timely manner, development plans for each donor to retain and upgrade donors and document all activities in CRM Beacon
• Prepare and personalise correspondence and fundraising materials, including donor stewardship and reports, funding proposals and acknowledgement letters as appropriate
• Work closely with the Marketing team and other colleagues to showcase Art UK’s work and enhance donor engagement
• Organise and deliver events for major donors and prospects (with support from the Development team), including attending events where appropriate
• Support management of the American Friends of Art UK (launching 2026), including donor stewarding and events programming
• Support senior leadership and board members in the preparation and delivery of high-quality donor pitches to secure new philanthropic gifts
• Monitor progress against targets and maintain accurate reporting, including updates to Art UK’s Board of Trustees and the Philanthropy Board
• Ensure pledges and donations are processed efficiently and that donors are thanked promptly and personally
• Work closely with all members of the Development team to ensure prospecting and cultivation activity is aligned and complementary
• Ensure all philanthropic fundraising activity is conducted in line with legal, regulatory and ethical best practice e.g. GDPR and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Code of Practice

Necessary Skills

• Essential: Experience managing a pipeline of philanthropic supporter prospects, including researching and devising bespoke cultivation plans
• Essential: Proven experience as a major donor fundraiser with a track record of securing five-figure gifts.
• Essential: Proven experience creating, implementing and evaluating philanthropic fundraising strategies
• Essential: Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to identify and shape innovative partnership opportunities
• Essential: Outstanding relationship-building and networking skills, including digital engagement
• Essential: In-depth understanding of the philanthropic fundraising environment
• Essential: First-class written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to engage with a wide range of stakeholders
• Essential: Experience analysing and using supporter data to inform campaigns
• Essential: Strong copywriting, proofing and editing skills
• Essential: Experience using CRM databases with a high level of accuracy
• Essential: Thorough knowledge of fundraising best practice and legislation
• Essential: Self-motivated, reliable and exceptionally organized
• Desirable: Experience planning and managing fundraising events
• Desirable: Experience in donor acquisition through online giving platforms, direct marketing by email and social media campaigns
• Desirable: Active interest in the visual arts and awareness of UK art collections
• Desirable: Experience working with a diverse range of audiences
• Desirable: Experience working on projects with a broad range of partners
• Desirable: Experience of US fundraising and philanthropic giving

Contract terms

• Full-time
• Permanent contract
• Salary £38,000 per annum
• Three-month probationary period
• One-month termination clause
• Work from home, within 2-hour travel time to central London (once monthly travel to London for evening events and meetings required)

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus regional Bank Holidays
• Paid Christmas closure period (Christmas Day to New Year’s Day)
• Flexible working hours
• Workplace pension scheme
• Training and development opportunities
• Mental health and wellbeing support
• Above statutory paid sick leave
• Enhanced paid parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Monthly wellbeing hour
• Trained Mental Health First Aider’s
• Regular staff socials, both virtual and in-person
• Eye tests paid for up to £35, glasses subsidised up to £30

Location: Home-based with regular meetings in London and travel across the UK as required
Salary: £41,063 to £45,626 per annum
Job Type: Full time
Contract Type: Permanent
 
Benefits: 27 days holiday bank holidays (pro rata for part time roles), perk scheme access, life assurance, paid compassionate leave, enhanced sick pay, Cycling UK membership plus many more staff benefits.
 
We are almost two years into our ambitious organisational strategy, and this is an exciting moment to join Cycling UK as our Philanthropy Manager. Cycling UK’s public fundraising programme is at a pivotal stage of development. The Philanthropy Manager will play a central role in shaping and accelerating this next phase, leading the growth of major gift and legacy income through strong donor relationships, compelling propositions and high-quality stewardship.
 
You don’t need to be a cyclist to work at Cycling UK, but you do need to have a strong commitment to our work. This is a senior role with real opportunity to influence direction, build capability and embed philanthropy at the heart of the organisation. Working closely with the Head of Fundraising and colleagues across Cycling UK, the postholder will help transform a developing philanthropy programme into a mature, relationship-led income stream that delivers sustainable growth over the long term.
 
We are an inclusive organisation and would particularly welcome applications from candidates from a broad range of backgrounds. We strongly believe that diversity strengthens our work. If you are already passionate about cycling, that’s great, many of us are too! But if you are simply really excellent at what you do, no matter what your background, that is what matters most to us.
 
Explore the attached job description for full details on this exciting opportunity. Complete the application form expressing why you are the right candidate for this opening. Focus on gearing your supporting statement to exemplify how your skills and experience match the requirements of the role, directly referring to the person specification. This enables the selection panel to assess your relative strengths against the specified criteria.
 
The role is home based in the UK, with regular meetings in London and travel across the UK as required.

Applications close at 9:00am on the closing date shown
 
Closing date: 23-03-2026
 
You may have experience in the following: Philanthropy Manager, Major Gifts Manager, Major Donor Manager, High Value Giving Manager, Fundraising Manager, Senior Fundraiser, Development Manager, Partnerships Manager, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Individual Giving Manager, Legacy Fundraising Manager, Legacy Giving Manager, Trusts and Foundations Manager, Grants Manager, Donor Relations Manager, Stewardship Manager, Relationship Fundraiser, Income Generation Manager, Strategic Fundraising Lead, etc.
 
REF-226 943

Family Education Trust is recruiting a Development Manager to turn evidence-led research into real-world impact for families across the UK. This is a rare opportunity to build a fundraising function from the ground up inside a respected policy organisation - with the autonomy to do it your way.

About the role

You will build and lead FET's income growth function, securing near-term unrestricted income while developing durable fundraising capacity. Your core focus is establishing a new major donor and mid-value programme and delivering a high-performing trusts and foundations pipeline.

We have streamlined administrative responsibilities so you can concentrate on what matters: income growth and donor relationships. You will work closely with our Communications Manager, who produces copy and assets for your fundraising brief.

What we are looking for

We need someone with recent, hands-on fundraising experience in a mission-led organisation who has built income, not just maintained it. Experience building a major donor pipeline is essential, along with trusts and foundations competence. You must have genuine personal alignment with FET's mission and established public positions on family policy.

The details

Salary: Up to £40,000, with flexibility for an exceptional candidate Location: Home-based, with UK travel as required Contract: Full-time, permanent Hours: 37.5 per week Annual leave: 25 days plus bank holidays Pension: 5% employer contribution via salary sacrifice Closing date: 9am Monday 16 March 2026 

How to apply

Please read the full job description and person specification (attached) and send a CV and covering letter by 9am Monday 16 March 2026. Your covering letter should explain how you meet the essential criteria set out in the person specification.

Role

We are looking for a successful Philanthropy & Fundraising Manager with a proven track record in face-to-face major donor fundraising, or an individual with outstanding transferable skills and experience of working within the charity sector. The individual must thrive on building trusted relationships and be confident in securing significant philanthropic gifts by successfully securing complex, high-value partnerships over the line.

Management Supervision and Guidance

You will be responsible to the CEO for your daily tasks and duties, and ELT in any other matters.

Purpose
The Philanthropy & Fundraising Manager will create and drive The Hunslet Club’s fundraising strategy by cultivating and securing significant philanthropic support to expand life-changing opportunities for young people across South Leeds. This role is central to building meaningful, long-term relationships with individual donors, trusts, foundations and partners, translating their passion for youth development into transformational investments that strengthen programmes, increase participation and create sustainable impact. The successful candidate will combine strategic vision with confident stewardship, ensuring that funding growth aligns with The Hunslet Club’s mission to help young people achieve their full potential.Duties and responsibilities

The Philanthropy & Fundraising Manager will work on a full-time basis, or part-time on a pro-rata basis. The primary responsibility of the role is to secure £700,000 and above in philanthropic income over a 18 month period. This will be achieved through identifying, researching and cultivating individual donors, corporate supporters, trusts, foundations and strategic partners, using research tools and publicly available information to build and manage a strong portfolio of prospects, particularly those with an interest in supporting young people and communities.

To be successful, the postholder will develop an excellent understanding of The Hunslet Club, its mission and its inspirational youth and community work, and will help to develop and articulate a compelling case for support. The role will involve achieving a clearly defined set of Key Performance Indicators, providing high-quality stewardship to maximise donor retention, and maintaining, developing and leveraging existing relationships with current supporters. The postholder will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, including Executive/Senior Leadership and Trustees, to ensure effective involvement in fundraising activity where appropriate.

The successful candidate will organise suitable events and cultivation opportunities to build long-term relationships with potential supporters. Attendance at events, meetings and conferences will be required, with support from Executive/Senior Leadership and Trustees.

The successful candidate will also be expected to volunteer at a minimum of three cross-club community events per year and to carry out other reasonable duties as requested by the Executive Leadership Team.

Person Specification

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate their experience, skills, knowledge and attributes from the below:

Person Specification

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate their experience, skills, knowledge and attributes from the below:

Selection Criteria Requirement Assessment

Experience

A proven experience and track record of personally securing gifts of £25,000+ from major donors, or strong transferable skills. Essential EoI / PR / I

Experience in personal communication in asking for high level funds. Essential PR / I

Experience in developing contacts of high net worth, with a high conversion into donors. Essential EoI / PR / I

Experience of stewarding high net worths to maintain high levels of engagement over a significant period. Essential EoI / PT / I

Ability to align funding requests with donor interests and capacity, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes that support The Hunslet Club’s mission and long-term sustainability. Essential PR / I

Experience of working with Executive/Senior Leadership Teams and Trustees. Essential EoI / I

Skills, Knowledge and Attributes

A strong understanding of fundraising techniques and processes. Essential EoI / CV / I

An excellent understanding of what motivates individuals and organisations to give. Essential EoI / PR / I

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to listen and influence. Essential EoI / CV

Ability to communicate confidently and professionally with a wide range of people, inspiring enthusiasm for the work and values of The Hunslet Club. Essential PR / PT / I

Ability to develop, manage and maintain strong, long-term relationships with donors. Essential PR / PT / I

Confident, motivated and enthusiastic, with a positive and proactive ‘can do’ attitude. Essential PR / PT / I

Strong teamwork and collaborative skills, with the ability to work effectively across the organisation. Essential PR / I

Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Essential EoI / PT / I

Ability to work flexibly, including some evenings and occasional nights away from home, as required. Essential I

Ability to deliver presentations to Trustees, Executive/Senior Leadership and large audiences. Desirable PR

Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Desirable PR / I

EoI = Expression of Interest Letter

CV = Curriculum Vitae

PR = Presentation

PT = Prioritisation Task

I = Interview

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Flexitime
• Gym membership
• On-site gym
• On-site parking
• Work from home

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Leeds LS10 1BP

Application deadline: 15/03/2026

Business Process Transformation Lead (Fundraising / Nonprofit)

Contract: 9 months (with potential extension)
Location: Remote (within 3 hours of GMT)
Organisation: Animals Asia Foundation

Animals Asia is delivering a major Business Process Transformation Project at an important moment in our global growth. We are seeking an experienced consultant or freelancer to lead the technical delivery and management of this work, helping us redesign core fundraising processes and build long-term capability across our global Supporter Engagement function.

About Animals Asia

Our Supporter Engagement Department is progressive and ambitious. Last year, our income grew by over 30%, and we have now launched our new 3–5 year strategic plan. We are moving towards a data-led Customer Experience model, combining relationship fundraising with innovation in technology, data and supporter journeys to create strong, meaningful engagement with supporters around the world.

You will join a talented and dedicated international team at a time of investment and organisational transformation. This is a unique opportunity to shape how global fundraising operations work and to leave a long-lasting, positive impact for animals through improved supporter experience and stronger internal systems.

This role will support operational transformation across all areas of Supporter Engagement, including Gift Processing, Data and Insight, Communications, Individual Giving, Supporter Care, Technology and Philanthropy.

The Role

We are looking for a consultant who can turn ambition into action by reducing operational debt, tackling manual processes, and creating scalable, efficient ways of working. This is a hands-on role, working directly with teams across the organisation to design, test and implement new business processes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Transform core fundraising business processes

• Map current (“as is”) processes, supporter journeys and touchpoints
• Identify inefficiencies and design future-state (“to be”) workflows aligned with transformation goals
• Apply process improvement methodologies to streamline operations
• Create clear documentation for all redesigned processes and workflows
• Work closely with the Head of Technology to translate business needs into technical requirements
• Test, refine and support implementation of new processes with stakeholders

2. Project manage and champion a process-led approach

• Act as project lead, following our internal project governance approach
• Plan and facilitate workshops to gather requirements, assess options and develop process models
• Support organisational change with communication planning and stakeholder engagement
• Present clear, compelling recommendations to influence cross-functional teams
• Encourage collaboration to ensure new processes are embedded and sustainable

3. Build long-term process management capability

• Recommend tools and technology to support ongoing process management
• Work with key stakeholders to improve their process management skills
• Implement best practice standards for process mapping and documentation

Essential Requirements

• Significant experience in fundraising process mapping, redesign and implementation
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to facilitate detailed, productive workshops
• Proven experience as a project manager
• Change management expertise, including supporting teams through new ways of working
• Flexibility to attend meetings and workshops with our global team outside standard office hours (particularly mornings)

Location

Remote, ideally within 3 hours of GMT.

How to Apply

Please submit your expression of interest, including:
• Your CV
• A short personal statement (maximum one page) outlining how you would approach the project and how your experience meets the requirements
• Your day rate
• The number of days per week you can commit
• Your earliest available start date
• Confirmation that you are open to a nine-month contract (with potential extension)

If you anticipate any issues meeting the deadline, please let us know so an alternative can be agreed.

We are looking for a skilled and energetic Fundraiser to lead revenue generation at this outstanding, award-winning, international charity. Working alongside the Director, there is exceptional scope for securing the support of high net-worth individuals, regular givers and Trusts and Foundations. This is a new post and you will have an important role in shaping the future of HYT.

Please see attached the full job description below.

We are looking for a part time Global Trust Fundraiser to join a small team and play a critical role in securing funding from diverse sources to support the charity with their innovative development initiatives.

The ideal candidate would bring senior-level fundraising experience from a similar role at an NGO, organisation, or charity with an established network of executive relationships in major foundations.

This is a remote working role.

The charity
A passionate international development charity, dedicated to to collaborating world wide to make a lasting social impact.

The Role
Relationship Management
Oversee the complete grant lifecycle, from initial lead to application to reporting and closeout.
Build and maintain relationships with current and prospective donors, program officers, and other key stakeholders.

Applications & Fundraising Development
Lead the development of high-quality grant proposals, ensuring proposals are compelling, well-written, and tailored to meet the requirements and priorities of each donor.

Events and Networking and Representation
Effectively convey the charity mission, vision, and programs to potential donors, organising fundraising events while overseeing teams of volunteers and probono partners.

The Candidate
Senior-level fundraising experience from a similar role at an NGO, organisation, or charity.

Extensive existing network of senior executives with major global foundations and organisations.

Proven track record of identifying and closing deals for 6 - 7 figure gifts.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Our aim is to respond to all successful applications within 5 days. If you havent been contacted within 5 days your application has been unsuccessful, but we positively encourage you to apply for any other positions that you may see in the future.

We apologise that we cannot contact everybody in person but thank you in advance for your interest.

Third Solutions encourages applications from individuals of all ages & backgrounds. Appointment will be made on merit alone but candidates must be able to demonstrate their ability to work in the UK. Third Solutions acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment & an employment business for temporary recruitment as defined by the Conduct of Employment Agencies & Employment Business Regulations 2003.