Senior direct marketing manager jobs in Milton keynes

Team: Research & Engagement (Philanthropy & Partnerships)

Location: Homebased with ad-hoc travel throughout the year 

Work pattern: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Salary: Up to £45,999.12 per annum 

Contract: Permanent

We are the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. All over the country, our enthusiastic employees, volunteers, and supporters are using their kindness and expertise to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

Will you join us and make life better for cats?

Responsibilities of our Stewardship & Communications Manager: 

• The Philanthropy & Partnerships Communications and Stewardship Manager plays a key role in building strong, lasting relationships between Cats Protection and its most valued supporters.

• Sitting within the Philanthropy and Partnership’s Research and Engagement team, you will lead a small team of specialist roles and shape how we communicate, steward and inspire corporate partners, major donors, and trusts and foundations, helping them feel genuinely connected to the difference their support makes for cats.

About the Research and Engagement team:

• We sit within the Marketing & Income Generation directorate.

• The Research and Engagement team sits within Philanthropy and Partnerships and brings together prospect research, communications and events to ensure a coordinated, insight-led and supporter-centred approach supporting fundraisers to grow pipelines, build meaningful relationships, and maximise long-term income for Cats Protection. 

What we are looking for in our Stewardship & Communications Manager: 

• Significant experience in high-value fundraising communications and/or stewardship, including working with corporate partners, major donors, trusts and foundations.

• Experience of leading or managing specialist communications or stewardship activity, with direct line-management responsibility and/or clear functional leadership.

• Proven experience of overseeing the development of high-quality donor communications, propositions or cases for support.

• Experience of working collaboratively with fundraisers and senior stakeholders in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation.

• Experience of balancing strategic oversight with hands-on support, quality assurance and delivery under pressure.

What we can offer you:

• range of health benefits

• 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service.

• Salary Finance, which empowers you to take control of your financial wellbeing.

• and much more, which you can learn about

Interested? Here’s how to apply:

Application closing date: 19th July 2026 

Virtual interview date: 29th & 30th July 2026 

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. Please note, applications received after the closing date may not be responded to.

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. Anonymised application form

2. Virtual interview via Microsoft Teams (will include a task) 

3. Final stage interview 

Please note, the process may change slightly dependent on application numbers. We will inform you of any relevant changes.

Lead on the development of fundraising support to our 42 cathedrals. A test-and-learn role, with a discovery phase, pilot delivery and the strategic development of programmes, resources and training that are proven to grow fundraised income.

Description

This role is to develop the fundraising support we offer our 42 cathedrals. Church of England cathedrals play a uniquely significant role in national, civic and spiritual life, serving first and foremost as centres of Christian worship and the seat of the bishop, but also as some of the country's most important cultural and community institutions. They act as focal points for diocesan life and as places where people gather for major moments of public celebration and grief, while also contributing extensively to education, music, heritage, tourism and local economies. Their scale, history and openness mean they attract millions of visitors, many of whom are not regular churchgoers, offering space for reflection, creativity and engagement with the Christian story.

However, this breadth of purpose brings significant challenges: cathedrals must balance worship with growing expectations as civic and cultural venues, operate in an increasingly secular and diverse society, and maintain complex historic buildings with limited and often uncertain funding. With many facing structural financial deficits and high costs for maintenance and staffing, alongside reliance on fundraising, grants and visitor income, their long-term sustainability depends on improving and expanding their fundraising activity and successfully developing new income streams while safeguarding their core mission and heritage.

This role is deliberately designed as a test-and-learn function. Its future scope and resourcing will be shaped by the evidence generated through its work. There is a clear expectation that, subject to demonstrated impact, this role will contribute to the development of a sustainable and appropriately resourced model of fundraising support for cathedrals across the Church of England.

This role is a three year fixed term contract.

Closing Date - 19th July 2026

Interviews will take place in Church House, London, on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.

Responsibilities

The Head of Cathedral Fundraising Development is a newly established role within the Giving Directorate and working alongside the B&C team, responsible for strengthening and developing fundraising capacity across the 42 mainland cathedrals of the Church of England. This role is funded for an initial 3-year period, and there is an expectation this work will grow and develop during this period should the audit and piloting of support in the first twelve months identify the need for ongoing support.

Reporting to the Director of Giving (who will line manage you, agree your work plans and development, and who you will be responsible to for the successful delivery of the agreed work plans) and also accountable to the Director of Bishoprics & Cathedrals (to ensure the work meets the needs of the Bishoprics & Cathedrals department, and aligns with their various work streams), this role will lead a programme of discovery, pilot delivery, and strategic development to determine the most effective models of fundraising support for cathedrals. The postholder will work closely with cathedral leaders, development teams, and national colleagues to build confidence, test approaches, and develop scalable solutions grounded in demonstrable impact. This testing of approaches will involve engaging with, and supporting, cathedrals in their fundraising approaches to high net worth individuals, grant making trusts and others, so that tangible evidence of impact can be seen.

Strategic Development

• Lead a structured audit of fundraising capacity, resources, and opportunities across the cathedral network
• Analyse findings to identify strategic priorities, gaps, and opportunities for development
• Develop a compelling vision and roadmap for national cathedral fundraising support

Pilot Design and Delivery

• Assimilate existing data from cathedrals, the NCIs and others to help shape fundraising pilots so they align business needs with the wider mission of cathedrals
• Design and implement a range of pilot initiatives to test different models of fundraising support (e.g. advisory, shared services, training, or targeted interventions) and to work with a small number of cathedrals to seize immediate opportunities
• Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of pilots, using both qualitative and quantitative measures
• Iterate and refine approaches based on evidence and learning

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong, trusted relationships with cathedral Deans, Development Directors, Chapters, and senior lay leaders
• Work collaboratively to understand local context and tailor support accordingly
• Act as a credible and influential ambassador for fundraising development across the cathedral network
• Ensure regular visits to cathedrals to develop relationships and build credibility
• Liaise with other Cathedral stakeholders (such as the AEC) to ensure strong alignment of outcomes
• Ensure effective co-ordination with national marketing initiatives of the AEC and others to ensure maximisation of impact

Cross-Directorate Collaboration

• Work closely with colleagues across the Giving Directorate to maximise opportunities for cathedrals to benefit from national initiatives, tools, and resources
• Ensure alignment between cathedral fundraising development and wider giving strategy

Partnership with Bishoprics & Cathedrals

• Work in close partnership with the Bishoprics & Cathedrals Department
• Provide regular progress updates to the Director of Bishoprics & Cathedrals
• Contribute to the development of future funding proposals and bids

Impact, Business Case, and Growth

• Develop a robust evidence base to demonstrate impact and value, including evidence of money raised for cathedrals because of this role, as well as evidencing greater awareness of funding opportunities within the cathedral network and documenting new opportunities for funding that this role has established
• Produce clear recommendations for future investment and resourcing
• Shape proposals for scaling successful approaches across the cathedral network

About You

Essential Experience

• Significant experience in senior fundraising roles (philanthropy, trusts, or institutional fundraising)
• Track record of developing or scaling fundraising capability within organisations
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and influencing without direct authority
• Experience operating in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Experience designing and evaluating programmes or pilots

Desirable Experience

• Experience working with cathedrals, heritage organisations, or within the Church of England
• Experience of national or network-wide programme development
• Experience contributing to funding bids or strategic investment cases

Skills and Abilities

• Strategic thinking: Ability to translate insight into practical, scalable solutions
• Influencing and relationship-building: Able to quickly build credibility and trust with senior leaders
• Analytical capability: Strong ability to assess capacity, diagnose issues, and evaluate impact
• Programme design: Experience creating and managing pilots or innovation programmes
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication, including reporting to senior stakeholders
• Collaboration: Ability to work across teams, departments, and organisational boundaries
• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a new, evolving role with high levels of ambiguity

Personal Attributes

• Credible, confident, and able to operate at senior levels
• Curious and insight-driven, with a strong learning mindset
• Resilient and self-starting, able to shape work in an emerging area
• Work effectively remotely as part of a wider dispersed team
• Committed to the mission and values of the Church of England

Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent
• Relevant professional qualification (e.g. Chartered Institute of Fundraising) or equivalent experience

We're looking for an organised, collaborative and effective individual to join our Development Team. You'll be an excellent communicator, confident building strong internal relationships, committed to providing exceptional supporter care, able to write compelling copy, and motivated by delivering high-quality administrative support that helps maximise our impact for animals.

You will join our existing Development Team, providing valuable support to make sure we maximise returns in already successful income streams, such as major gifts and individual giving. You will also be responsible for supporting the expansion of additional income streams, such as legacies, community and corporate. You’ll help us grow our supporter base and raise essential income to support our work with animals.

This is an exciting time to join a growing team and you’ll have the opportunity to develop and test new fundraising activities and shape our income now, and for the future.

The Humane League UK (THL UK) is a charity ending the abuse of animals raised for food by influencing the policies of the world's biggest companies, demanding legislation, and empowering others to take action. 

Thanks to our effectiveness, The Humane League has been named Top Charity by the independent evaluator Animal Charity Evaluators for every rating period since 2012.

THL UK is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to furthering equity and inclusion, and we value diversity. We seek people from a wide range of backgrounds who will bring a fresh perspective to the team, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. 

We make employment decisions by matching our organisational needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, neurodiversity, age, or veteran status.

​We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer, demonstrating our commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, based on their skills and talent.

You can read more about how The Humane League UK is working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on our website.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us via our website and we will be happy to discuss, via email or telephone, reasonable adjustments that you may require throughout the process.

Who you are:

As a fundraising generalist, you will be well organised, provide strong administrative support, give excellent supporter care, write strong copy and be able to coordinate content creation.

Ideally you will have fundraising experience across a variety of relevant income streams, although we are interested to hear from candidates who have relevant transferable skills.

You will be able to ensure good collaboration between the Development Department and other teams, such as Communications and Operations, to make sure we maximise our fundraising activity.

The role:

You’ll be working alongside a Digital Fundraising Lead, Philanthropy Lead, Head of Development and wider team of friendly communicators, campaigners and change-makers. Home-based, you will enjoy collaborating, as well as being able to work independently. As a self-starter, you enjoy seeing projects through from start to end and get a buzz from the fast-paced and varied charity fundraising environment.

You’ll join us in maximising the value of Engaging Networks, a digital communications and campaigning platform, alongside our new fundraising CRM, Beacon. Experience with these specific platforms, or experience of utilising other CRMs for fundraising success, is desirable.

Primary duties:

• You will be responsible for continuing to grow our legacy programme, implementing the strategy developed by the Head of Development. This will include drafting copy and working with a designer to create evergreen legacy content, creating and maintaining content for our website, coordinating and drafting legacy communications and campaigns, managing legacy enquiries, thanking and stewarding legacy pledgers, and managing the legacy pipeline in Beacon.

• You will support our community fundraising strategy. This will mean making sure we have the tools and information for supporters to fundraise for us, whether that be in memory of a loved one, delivering their own fundraising initiatives in aid of The Humane League UK, or through peer-to-peer fundraising. This will include responding to enquiries, thanking and stewarding community fundraisers, coordinating a small amount of external-facing content, creating evergreen content, such as a toolkit that fundraisers can use, creating and updating content for the website, and responding to opportunities that arise, which could include community speaking opportunities, or stalls at events.

• You will support our corporate fundraising offering, ensuring we have the tools and information for businesses to support THL UK in a variety of ways. This will include responding to enquiries, thanking and responding to corporate donors and fundraisers, taking advantage of opportunities, promoting initiatives such as payroll giving, coordinating the creation of evergreen corporate fundraising content, such as a fundraising toolkit for businesses, and creating and updating content for the website.

• You will support our Operations Team, who respond to fundraising email enquiries, and the Development Team, as well as the wider organisation, by coordinating and maintaining FAQs of the most common fundraising queries we receive. This will help consolidate this information in one place, making sure we are consistent, streamlined and efficient in our responses. You will also work with our digital team to find a way to make sure information is accessible to supporters to minimise incoming queries wherever possible.

• You will be responsible for reviewing, investigating, reporting and responding to any fundraising complaints we receive, including escalating these where necessary.

• You will complete due diligence on donors and donations where required. This will include desktop research, completing relevant forms and information in Beacon, and making sure relevant approvals are obtained before accepting donations or approaching new donors or funders.

• You will coordinate essential thanking activities for key donors and supporters. This will include coordinating the design and printing of thanking cards, and other relevant stewardship materials or merchandise, to be utilised by those across the organisation, including to support our volunteers. You will also coordinate thanking campaigns (e.g. thanking monthly donors and major donors), which will involve collating recipient lists, getting cards designed and printed, and coordinating staff and trustees to sign and send.

• You will provide vital administrative support for events, including our annual presence at conferences such as EA Global in London, as well as our own annual supporter event. This could include collating guest lists, staff registration, coordinating invitations and RSVP’s, managing room bookings, hotels and catering, coordinating staff and trustees, and completing risk assessments.

• You will produce clear, accurate and engaging written communications, and coordinate the creation of content. This could mean drafting content for the website, drafting emails, building emails in Engaging Networks, or supporting our Digital Fundraising Lead with developing evergreen content to support our digital fundraising initiatives.

• You will support our Digital Fundraising Lead to make sure our growing pool of monthly donors are thanked and stewarded appropriately, including utilising Beacon, automations and supporter journeys to make the most efficient use of our time.

• You will support our Digital Fundraising Lead to deliver our digital fundraising strategy, by executing relevant aspects, which could include supporting specific campaigns, or building and maintaining fundraising related automations.

• You will help us deliver effective fundraising training and induction materials, such as for new staff and trustee orientations. This could also include coordinating additional training materials, how-to-guides and supporting materials, that are essential in maintaining relevant fundraising knowledge at THL UK.

In addition:

• Utilise our CRM: adding and updating supporter data, generating relevant reports, and analysing and evaluating data to inform campaigns and activities as required.

• Working with Communications and the Digital Fundraising Lead to deliver activities for our donor recruitment and retention.

• Work with the wider Development Team to input into our Development Strategy, as directed by the Head of Development, offering ideas and suggestions to help deliver the strategy and grow income across various income streams.

• Liaise with and coordinate support from third-parties / external consultants where necessary, such as providing support for specific campaigns or projects, and / or providing fundraising materials.

• Help us galvanise further support by lending your organisational skills to fundraising events.

• Attending conferences and events.

• Updating the wider team on fundraising progress.

• Participating in team meetings including note-taking and facilitation.

• Attending in-person workshops several times a year.

• Help us make THL UK an inclusive workplace where employees and supporters are proud to be members of the movement.

• Demonstrate commitment to creating a stronger and more effective animal protection movement through inclusion and belonging, recognising the need for all of us to do better for social justice on a personal and organisational level.

• Perform any other duties assigned by the Head of Development.

We will be holding a webinar on Tuesday 21st July at 7pm BST for you to find out more about the role and ask any questions you may have. The webinar will be hosted by our Development Team; Gavin Chappell-Bates, Head of Development, Emma Grant, Digital Fundraising Lead and Molly Archer-Zeff, Philanthropy Lead. If you’re interested, please register via our website by following the 'Redirect to recruiter' button.

For full details of the role, including the key competencies we see as the the most important requirements for being successful in this position, please visit our website by following the 'Redirect to recruiter' button.

Hours:

As an organisation we work a four day work week. This is a full time position of 30 hours per week over Monday to Thursday.

Good to know:

You will have access to:

• ​A fully remote work environment and team (all equipment is provided)
• A 4 day working week 
• 20 days leave plus 8 days for bank holidays that can be used at a time of your choice
• ​Flexible working hours
• ​A workplace pension
• An annual learning and development budget
• Support for mental and physical wellbeing 
• £25 per month reimbursement towards home working costs

At The Humane League UK, animal welfare is at the forefront of our everyday work and as such, many of our employees are vegan by personal choice. All of our events and workshops offer only plant-based meals. We welcome all mission-aligned candidates to apply, no matter where you are in your journey to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

We are looking to speak to a wide range of candidates with diverse backgrounds - #NonGraduatesWelcome

Our employees all work remotely but still enjoy a supportive, collaborative environment.

For our salaries to be fair, transparent and equitable we want to provide a system that delivers a competitive salary in the market and could eliminate potential biases in compensation (such as the gender pay gap). For more information about the Social Media Coordinator salary please the attached document.

All applicants need to be:

1. ​Fluent in written and spoken English.
2. ​Live and have the right to work in the UK (we are unable to consider applications from those without the right to work in the UK).
3. ​Committed to our mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

The Process:

All applicants will be contacted within one week of the closing date to let you know if you have been successful in reaching the next stage.

Our full interview process comprises of the following stages:

• A skills test to give us an opportunity to see your skills in action (completed remotely).
• Join an online interview (via video call) so we can learn more about each other.
• Final Interview (via video call as above)

For full details of our recruitment process please see the attached document. 

Philanthropy Manager

·£45,000 plus benefits 

·Remote with occasional travel to regional offices in Burgess Hill or York offices

·Closing midnight Friday 17th July 2026

·Annual leave allowance / any other stand out benefits

Role 

Brainkind is the UK’s leading charity that supports people that have been affected by brain injury. The charity provides a range of services that includes innovative rehabilitation and ongoing support to ensure that there is life after brain injury. 

The organisation provides support to individuals at all stages of their rehabilitation. This includes

·Supported living

·Neurological Centres

·Residential homes

·Hospitals

The Philanthropy Manager is responsible for leading the leadership and development of Brainkinds philanthropy fundraising activities. This role will focus on the delivery of Brainkind’s capital fundraising initiatives, cultivation and stewardship of high-net-worth individuals and grow strategic corporate partnerships. This is a newly created role that will play an integral part of the Brainkind fundraising strategy.

The primary duties for the role will include

·Develop and deliver capital fundraising strategies to support major infrastructure and service development projects

• Identify and secure major gifts (£25k+) to support capital appeals.
• Develop and manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and prospective major donors.
• Identify, research, and cultivate new prospects through networking, events, and relationship mapping.
• Develop and implement a corporate fundraising strategy aligned to Brainkind’s mission and values.
• Secure new corporate partnerships including strategic, multi-year, and employee engagement partnerships.

Experience and skills required for the role will include

·Previous experience of working in a philanthropy focused role with understanding of engaging with high-net-worth individuals, potential major donors and corporate partners.

·Strong organizational and planning skills

·Excellent relationship management and donor stewardship skills 

·Strong verbal and written communication skills 

·IT literate with the ability to use Microsoft Office and an in-house CRM system

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps. 

Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date. 

Closing date for applications: Midnight Friday 17th July 2026 

Interviews are expected to be held on the week commencing Monday 27thJuly 2026via Teams. 

Salary: £45,000–£47,000 FTE (depending on experience)
Hours: 30–35 hours per week
Location: Hybrid/home-based. Ideally within easy reach of Chelmsford and London. Regular travel to meet colleagues, funders and visit programmes across England.
Reporting to: CEO

Be part of a mission that's transforming children's futures through food, farming and the countryside

For more than 45 years, The Country Trust has been connecting children from the UK's most disadvantaged communities with the land that sustains us all. Through inspiring farm visits, food education and countryside experiences, we've already reached more than 600,000 children, and we're just getting started.

We're entering an exciting new chapter as we develop our next organisational strategy, and we're looking for an experienced fundraising leader to help shape our future.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious and strategic fundraiser to join our Senior Leadership Team and lead the next phase of our income growth, enabling even more children to benefit from our life-changing programmes.

About the role

As Head of Fundraising, you'll provide strategic leadership across all fundraising activity while remaining hands-on in securing major income and developing key relationships.

You'll lead a dedicated fundraising team, drive innovation, strengthen fundraising systems and processes, and develop a sustainable fundraising strategy that diversifies income across:

• Trusts and foundations
• Corporate partnerships
• Major donors
• Individual giving
• Legacies
• Gaming and Streaming for Good
• Emerging fundraising opportunities

Working closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, Digital and IT colleagues, you'll help embed new fundraising systems, champion data-driven decision making and ensure fundraising excellence across the organisation.

About you

We're looking for an inspiring fundraising leader who combines strategic thinking with practical delivery.

You'll bring:

• Significant senior-level fundraising leadership experience
• A proven track record of securing substantial income across multiple fundraising streams
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies that drive sustainable growth
• Strong leadership skills with experience developing high-performing teams
• Excellent relationship-building, communication and influencing skills
• Financial and commercial awareness, including budgeting and forecasting
• Knowledge of fundraising regulation, GDPR and fundraising best practice
• A passion for improving opportunities for disadvantaged children

Experience developing new income streams, digital fundraising and CRM systems would be particularly valuable.

Why join us?

At The Country Trust, you'll be joining an ambitious charity where collaboration, learning and innovation are at the heart of everything we do.

We offer:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (FTE)
• Workplace pension
• Homeworking allowance
• Mileage and agreed travel expenses
• A supportive, values-led culture
• The opportunity to shape our future strategy and make a lasting difference to children's lives

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Key dates

Closing date: 12pm, 3 August
Shortlisting: 6 August
Interviews: Week commencing 24 August

The Country Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.