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Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Head of Fundraising
Location: Remote (occasional UK in-person meetups)
Contract type: Permanent, full-time or part-time (minimum 4 days/week); UK adjacent hours
Salary: £55,000–£75,000 per annum (commensurate with experience)
Benefits: 35 days holiday + national holidays; 14 days medical leave; 3% employer pension contribution; open to flexible working
Reporting to/supported by: CEO
How to apply: Submit your cover letter and CV via CharityJob. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we may close the advert early if we find the right candidate.
About Iswe
Iswe is a global non-profit advancing participatory democracy and systems-level political change. Our mission is to help citizens, especially those in underrepresented regions, shape solutions to global challenges — from climate justice to health equity. Our initiatives include the Global Citizens’ Assembly (GCA) and Assemblis, a digital platform for community-led democratic processes.
We’re entering an exciting phase of growth and are looking for a strategic and entrepreneurial fundraiser to take our income generation to the next level.
About the role
We are seeking a Head of Fundraising to develop and drive Iswe’s income generation strategy and grow a high-performing fundraising team.
This role is ideal for someone experienced and confident enough to lead the function with minimal oversight, but still eager to be hands-on. You will bring a good understanding of the climate, democracy, and systems change funding landscape, ideally along with existing funder relationships. You’ll be creative and entrepreneurial, with the ability to craft compelling cases for support, develop new income streams, and build the operational systems required to raise and manage funds effectively.
Your goal will be to secure £10 million over the next 3–5 years, and position Iswe for long-term financial sustainability.
You will report to the CEO and will manage a Senior Fundraising Officer, with the opportunity to expand the team over time (e.g. an individual giving lead and a high-net-worth donor lead).
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
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Develop and deliver an ambitious fundraising strategy aligned with Iswe’s organisational goals, including project-specific income generation and unrestricted funding.
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Identify and pursue diverse fundraising opportunities, with a focus on:
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Grant fundraising
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Institutional partnerships
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Innovative pooled funding mechanisms
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Individual giving and public campaigns
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High-net-worth individuals
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Revenue-generating partnerships and services
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Provide regular reporting and strategic insights, including risks, opportunities, and performance against targets.
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Work with the CEO to transition key donor relationships smoothly and represent Iswe externally at high-level events and convenings (e.g. COP, Bonn, Davos, New York Climate Week).
Fundraising Execution
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Lead the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of funders, donors, and strategic partners.
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Write and oversee the development of high-quality grant proposals, donor reports, and communications.
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Coordinate funding strategies for individual projects, and support project teams to embed fundraising into their planning and delivery.
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Develop digital strategies and campaigns to support public fundraising and individual giving.
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Build systems to attract and steward high net worth individuals, including prospecting, relationship management, and donor communications.
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Explore and advance business revenue streams such as consultancy offers, corporate sponsorships, or platform-based services.
Team Leadership
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Line-manage a Senior Fundraising Officer, supporting their professional development and accountability.
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Recruit, onboard and manage future team members as needed (e.g. an Individual Giving Manager and High Net Worth Fundraising Lead).
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Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and bottom-up leadership within the fundraising team and across the organisation.
Operational Excellence
- Design and implement systems for tracking fundraising performance and measuring ROI.
- Develop internal processes for grant management and donor engagement.
- Ensure compliance with fundraising ethics, legal standards, and data protection regulations.
- Build the fundraising literacy and capability of project and leadership teams across the organisation.
Person Specification
Essential
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Substantial fundraising experience (minimum 5+ years), with a proven track record of raising six to seven-figure income across grantmaking, institutional funders, or major donors.
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Strong strategic thinking, planning, and execution skills — with the ability to own a multi-year fundraising roadmap and deliver results with minimal supervision.
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Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering fundraising strategies across multiple income streams (e.g. grants, high net worth individuals, public fundraising, or partnerships).
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Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling funding proposals and reports.
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Working knowledge of individual giving strategies, including use of digital tools for donor acquisition and retention.
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Working knowledge of GDPR.
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Understanding of how to build systems and culture to support high net worth individual engagement and income generation.
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Experience speaking and writing knowledgeably about deliberative democracy and multilateralism.
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Strong understanding of the global fundraising landscape in climate, democracy, and systems change — and ideally some well-established funder relationships.
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Ability to build strong internal and external relationships and to work across multiple teams and time zones.
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A collaborative, self-reflective leadership style — grounded in awareness of your own leadership strengths and blind spots, and committed to building the agency of others.
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Experience working effectively in a remote environment and enthusiasm for this mode of working.
Desirable
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Experience developing pooled funding models or engaging with multilateral funding initiatives.
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Experience monetising services or designing other forms of business income.
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Experience working in or with small, fast-moving nonprofits or startups.
What We Offer
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A rare opportunity to shape and lead the fundraising function of a globally relevant organisation at a pivotal moment in its growth.
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A flexible, learning-focused work environment rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and shared ownership.
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A mission-driven team working on some of the most urgent challenges of our time, in partnership with communities around the world.
A note on representation
We know that building a team representative of wider society fosters creativity and innovation. We welcome people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences and are committed to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly welcome applications from candidates who are disabled, Black, Asian or from other minority ethnic backgrounds, who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community, or identify as from a lower or disadvantaged socioeconomic background as these groups are currently under-represented on our staff team.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About you
You’re entrepreneurial, independent, and driven. You treat your work like it’s your own business - spotting opportunities, testing ideas, and chasing results.
If you’re a traditional charity fundraiser, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re excited by risk, growth, and pace - keep reading.
Over the past three years, we’ve bought and scaled swim events, turned others down, failed fast, and doubled our unrestricted income. We want someone who’s up for that kind of journey over the next three years too.
You’re as comfortable pitching to a corporate partner as you are writing fundraising copy, tweaking button text, or building a forecast. You can move between detail and vision, instinct and data, phone calls and spreadsheets.
You know how to deepen supporter journeys, grow fundraising per head, and develop new income streams. Bonus points if you like outdoor swimming.
About us
We’re a Founder-led charity working to solve learn-to-swim for disabled children - and we aim to do that in the next ten years.
We’ve grown our impact 5x in the past three years and now raise over £1m in unrestricted income annually through our swim events. Our events attract 5,000 swimmers and 3,000 fundraisers, and we own and operate some of the UK’s most iconic outdoor swims - including the Dart10k and Bantham Swoosh - alongside a growing series of 24-hour relays in lakes and lidos.
We’re small, ambitious, and fast-moving. Strategy and delivery happen side by side. We work on multiple projects, test constantly, and keep things flexible and responsive. You’ll need to thrive in that environment to enjoy the role.
The role
We’re all driven, and you’ll need to be too - this is a fast-paced, ambitious environment with lots of learning and change.
We’re looking for a strategic, creative Head of Fundraising to lead our next phase of growth.
Your first focus will be stewarding our 3,000 fundraisers - overseeing segmented email journeys, managing a £40k prizing fund, and improving supporter care through deeper, more personal touchpoints. That might mean calls, events, or just finding ways to help people feel more connected to their impact.
Beyond that, you'll help us develop and test new income streams - from matched giving and regular giving, to sponsorships, repeat fundraising, and post-event conversion. You'll also play a key role in evolving our Challenge Events portfolio across in-person, virtual, and blended formats.
This role requires someone with a strong track record in fundraising growth, a test-and-learn mindset, and the ambition to build something big.
Core Responsibilities
- Strategy Development and Implementation
- Develop and execute a fundraising strategy aligned with the charity's objectives.
- Identify and cultivate new fundraising opportunities to diversify income streams.
- Defining our fundraising growth strategies, specifically around our event series.
Community and Events Fundraising
- Oversee the planning and execution of community fundraising initiatives, specifically with our event fundraisers.
- Engage and mobilise volunteers and supporters for fundraising activities.
Fundraiser Care
- Customer Lifetime value / retention / regular giving.
- Build and maintain relationships with donors, ensuring effective stewardship.
- Develop and implement donor retention strategies to increase long-term support and regular giving.
Trusts and Foundations
- Working closely with our Head of Programmes to oversee our bids process, working with specialists and utilising learnings from previous years.
- Deepen strong relationships with grant-making bodies and ensure compliance with grant requirements.
Corporate Partnerships
- Manage and develop corporate partnerships and event sponsorships.
- Develop tailored proposals and pitches to attract corporate support.
Team Leadership
- Lead, inspire, and manage a small fundraising team, fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration.
- Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members for both fundraising and marketing.
Monitoring and Reporting
- Track and report on fundraising performance against targets.
- Provide regular updates to the Senior Leadership Team.
Qualifications and Experience
- Proven experience in a senior fundraising role.
- Proven experience working on fundraising events and event fundraising.
- Demonstrable success in developing and implementing successful fundraising strategies.
- Strong track record of securing major gifts, grant funding and/or corporate partnerships.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
- Experience in digital fundraising and leveraging social media platforms.
- Strong leadership and team management skills.
- Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
Optional / Ideal Responsibilities
Marketing & Comms
- Developing Level Water’s marketing and communications strategy
- Leading strategy implementation and ensuring that we’re representing our Programmes work and impact work in the best possible way to our different groups of stakeholders.
Digital Fundraising
- Leverage digital platforms, advertising and social media to enhance fundraising.
- Implement innovative online fundraising campaigns and initiatives.
Event growth and innovation
- Understanding the mass participation event landscape and its opportunities, ideally within the swimming sector but other sports experience very welcome.
Personal Attributes
- Passionate about the mission and values of Level Water.
- Strategic thinker with a results-oriented approach.
- Creative and innovative mindset.
- Resilient and adaptable, with a positive attitude.
- High level of integrity and commitment to ethical fundraising practices.
Please send a CV and Cover Letter (which can be a 2-3 minute video) to apply.
We equip pools and leisure providers across the UK to deliver specialist swimming lessons for children with disabilities.





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