Senior direct marketing executive regular giving jobs
How's your job search on our site?
About us
Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) is a values-driven organisation working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to protect the world’s rainforests and uphold their human rights. Since 1989, RFUK has partnered with forest peoples and grassroots organisations to secure land rights, challenge destructive industries, and influence laws and policies that safeguard forests and the people who depend on them.
Our mission is clear: to combine human rights and environmental protection to tackle deforestation. From the Congo Basin to the Amazon, our work has helped communities protect millions of hectares of rainforest. With a growing team of passionate advocates for social and environmental justice, we are committed to scaling up our impact to confront the accelerating climate and biodiversity crises.
About the role
The Head of External Relations is a key senior leadership role at Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) responsible for overseeing effective fundraising and communications strategies to support the organisation's work protecting rainforests and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Reporting to the Executive Director, this role is responsible for building RFUK’s external profile and support for its ambitious 2033 vision to scale up community-led protection of tropical forests. The position combines strategic communications, outreach, targeted campaigns, and media engagement to connect RFUK’s impactful programmes to its growing audience, supporters and funders.
This a key role in the organisation, managing a small team, working closely with the Programmes team to craft compelling narratives that drive engagement and action, with the Operations team to ensure financial sustainability, and with the Executive Director to create and implement targeted fundraising strategies.
About you
This role requires a strong commitment to social and environmental justice, the ability to form and cultivate relationships with a range of different groups, and the ability to communicate complex issues persuasively.
You’re an experienced leader with a proven track record in both strategic communications and fundraising. You’re a creative communicator who can turn complex issues into persuasive, accessible messages that drive change and support for our mission. You know how to secure significant income from foundations, corporates, individuals and major donors, and you’re confident in building long-term relationships with diverse stakeholders. You thrive on collaboration, motivate teams to achieve ambitious goals, and bring resilience and cultural sensitivity to everything you do.
Job description and benefits
Please download the full job description from our website. We offer 30 days annual leave, 4% pension contributions, Employee Assistance Programme, learning and development allowance, and four weeks of work-from-anywhere flexibility.
Location
This role is offered as a hybrid role based in our Bethnal Green, London office. The postholder will be required to work in the office 2 days per week during their 6-month probation period. This can be reviewed with their Line Manager thereafter.
Application Process
To submit your application, kindly complete the online application form by 9AM, Friday 10 July. Please be aware that the form will be anonymised for review by the panel.
Please note that CVs will not be considered.
We strongly encourage all candidates to read the Recruitment FAQs page on our website before submitting their application.
Regrettably, due to the large number of applications we usually receive, it is not possible to write to you should you not be shortlisted for an interview. If you have not heard from us within 10 working days of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
Initial interviews with shortlisted candidates will be held online on Thursday 16 July. Please let us know in your application if you are available to attend an interview.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising)
Salary £57,574.79 per annum
LocationLondon/Hybrid
Weekly Hours35
The Vacancy
Job Title: Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising)
Location: London/Hybrid
Salary: £57,574.79 per annum
Weekly Hours: 35
Reference: YMC1212513
An exciting moment to join us
YMCA England & Wales is entering one of the most exciting chapters in its fundraising history, launching our ambition to create 10,000 new homes for young people. Working alongside local YMCAs, we will support the development of new accommodation across the federation, helping young people move towards independence.
This role sits at the heart of that ambition.
You will lead the fundraising behind two critical components of the 10,000 Homes programme:
• Securing income from the public to build and sustain a central Centre of Expertise (mobilisation team), supporting local YMCAs to develop and deliver housing projects.
• Raising capital from individual supporters, mid-level donors and major donors to grow a replenishing national fund that provides upfront investment to unlock housing developments across the federation.
At the centre of this is the 10,000 Homes Fund: a bold, housing-focused proposition that offers the public a clear and tangible way to support young people into safe, stable accommodation. You will be responsible for growing this proposition, ensuring it resonates strongly with supporters and inspires giving at all levels.
You will lead an integrated public fundraising approach, bringing together individual giving, mid-level and major donors into one compelling, housing-led narrative. A key part of the role will be translating a complex, federated model into a simple, emotional and compelling case for support that connects with people’s motivations to give.
We’ve established strong early foundations and are now ready to scale. This role offers the opportunity to take a high-potential public fundraising proposition to the next level -expanding its reach, deepening supporter engagement, and unlocking significant new income.
We are looking for someone who is creative, data-driven and passionate about engaging the public to drive meaningful change for young people. We’re looking for someone comfortable working in a federated environment, with the ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling messages for the public.
The role
As Assistant Head of Fundraising (Public Fundraising), you will lead and inspire a team of talented fundraisers, deputising for the Head of Fundraising and taking ownership of our most ambitious programmes:
The 10,000 Homes Fund driving forward our flagship proposition across individual giving, cash appeals and mid-level audiences.
Major Donors shaping the strategy for high-net-worth relationships, new giving circles and development boards.
RoomSponsor, YMCA’s flagship regular giving product, now in its third year of an ambitious growth strategy. You will oversee a unique partnership model across 45 local YMCAs, support the income distribution process, and see first-hand the impact of your work through a programme that directly supports young people with safe accommodation.
Legacies working with the Senior Fundraising Manager and Head of Fundraising to define and grow what is set to become a landmark legacy programme.
This is a hands-on leadership role: you will set direction, manage budgets, develop your team, while also being prepared to step into delivery when it matters most. You will balance strategic oversight with practical execution, ensuring programmes are both ambitious and deliverable.
About you
You are an experienced public fundraising professional with a strong track record in individual giving or direct marketing, alongside a well-developed understanding of major donor fundraising. You know how to bring different disciplines together behind a single proposition and deliver results.
You are an effective and confident leader, able to build, motivate and develop high-performing teams. You create clarity, set high standards, and support others to do their best work, stepping in when needed and leading from the front.
You are at your best when driving a clear proposition forward. You are excited by the opportunity to take a compelling idea and translate it into something that engages the public, inspires generosity and delivers sustainable income.
You are energised by a challenge, comfortable with complexity and working in a federated environment, where success depends on strong relationships and shared ownership. You are skilled at working with partners, whether agencies, internal stakeholders or local YMCAs, and know how to align people around a common goal.
You combine strategic thinking with operational delivery. You are data-driven, using insight and performance to shape your decisions, and confident working with (and occasionally building) financial models to plan, test and scale activity. You bring both creativity and discipline, generating new ideas while ensuring they are grounded, deliverable and effective.
Above all, you are a strong communicator and influencer. You can simplify complex ideas into clear, compelling messages, build confidence with colleagues and stakeholders, and position fundraising as a critical enabler of impact.
Why join us now
YMCA is the oldest and largest youth charity in the world, serving communities across England and Wales every day. The fundraising team is geared up for success, the strategy is set, the proposition is proven, and the results are already coming in. What we need now is a leader ready to take this momentum to the next level.
YMCA England & Wales is committed to equality and valuing diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.
Our recruitment process is anonymised and candidates' names are hidden. Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration, safeguarding training and undertake a DBS check.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
YMCA is the world's oldest and largest youth charity. Collectively, we support 402,501 young people across 708 communities in England and Wales.
