Senior patrons and individual giving manager jobs

Scottish Opera is Scotland’s national opera company and the country’s largest performing arts organisation. Founded in 1962 to make opera accessible to all, the company presents productions of international acclaim, from early works to world premieres. Performances are designed to be inclusive, with supertitles, audio-described and dementia-friendly shows, free and discounted tickets for under-26s, refugees, asylum seekers and schools, and touring productions reaching communities across Scotland.

The charity has a network of Patrons, members and supporters who engage with Scottish Opera at varying levels. This role supports that audience to feel connected and engaged with Scottish Opera, deepening their loyalty and seeking new ways to increase giving levels where possible and appropriate. It is a hands-on fundraising role, with scope to think and trial new ways of delivering supporter experience with the ultimate goal of growing the supporter base.

It is an exciting time to join Scottish Opera. They have invested in the fundraising team, there is organisation-wide support for fundraising, and many opportunities to engage supporters with exciting opportunities across Scottish Opera’s calendar.

This role might be for you if you consider yourself a relationship fundraiser – this is a people first role where engaging with donors over the phone and face to face will be the norm. You don’t have to have a background in philanthropy, you could have experience across community fundraising, corporate partnerships, individual giving or mid-value fundraising – the most important factor is that you understand fundraising and enjoy building great relationships with supporters and donors. This role is a great opportunity for an experienced fundraiser to step into a management level role, or for a candidate looking to specialise in mid-value, Patrons and membership fundraising.

Working within an arts and culture charity would be helpful for the candidate to have but isn't essential.

Application notes 

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

To progress your application, please contact Jo at THINK Recruitment as per the guidance in the Candidate Pack to organise an informal screening call. 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.

If you need assistance with downloading the pack, please send THINK Recruitment and our team will support you.

Closing date for applications: Midnight Monday 20th July 

Interviews are planned for Wednesday 29th or Thursday 30th July (Stage 1) and Wednesday 5th or Friday 7th August (Stage 2) 

Create is seeking a dynamic, ambitious, driven, fundraiser (grants/major gifts) with strong strategic skills, an exemplary income generation track record, and a passion for the power of the creative arts. This Senior Leadership Team position reports directly to the Chief Executive and manages a small team.

Do you believe in the power of the creative arts to connect, empower and upskill isolated and vulnerable children and adults? Are you passionate about relationship building, storytelling, meeting targets and changing lives? Are you excited to use your extensive senior-level fundraising experience, knowledge and contacts to lead Create’s income generation from Trusts & Foundations (T&F), public sector and High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI)? 

George Watson’s College wishes to appoint a Senior Philanthropy Officer to lead the school’s individual giving and legacy fundraising initiatives, and support major programmes and campaigns. Develop strong relationships with donors and our alumni community to grow philanthropic income and long-term engagement. 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES 

Individual Giving 

• Lead the planning, execution and optimisation of individual giving efforts. Manage campaign setup, timelines, assets, and donor experience.  

• Monitor performance and analyse results to drive continuous improvement in participation, engagement, and revenue.  

• Collaborate with Admissions and Marketing, and other internal teams, to source and develop compelling content.  

• Along with the Head of Development, manage a fundraising communications calendar and play a leading role in content creation.  

• Collaborate with the Admissions and Marketing team to ensure website content, landing pages, and donation pages support digital giving goals.  

• Execute fundraising strategies in partnership with the Head of Development. Build, segment, code, and deploy emails to support giving campaigns and organisational priorities.  

• Manage a portfolio of donors linked to specific programmes and campaigns. 

Legacies  

• Plan and deliver multi-channel legacy marketing campaigns (print, digital, events)  

• Build and maintain relationships with legacy pledgers and prospects  

• Deliver high-quality, sensitive stewardship to recognise and retain legacy supporters  

• Organise events and communications to engage legacy supporters  

• Produce compelling and sensitive legacy messaging and materials  

Campaign/Programmes 

• Manage and grow the patrons programme, including recruitment, retention, and upgrades  

• Develop a clear donor journey, including benefits, communications, and recognition  

• Monitor performance against income targets and KPIs  

• Work in collaboration with Heads of the Creative Arts programmes to monitor and administer funds for maximum impact across the arts 

Foundation Places and Enrichment Fund 

• Support impact reporting and administration of discrete aspects of our widening access programmes. 

• Manage application process to the Enrichment Fund, including managing enquiries, disbursements and liaison with Finance. 

• Any other duties related to these programmes as directed by senior staff. 

IDEAL CANDIDATE 

Essential: 

• Relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent professional experience  

• Demonstrable experience in Individual Giving, Direct Marketing or Legacy fundraising, with an annual income return of 6+ figures  

• Proven track record of delivering successful multi-channel campaigns  

• Strong understanding of supporter journeys, acquisition and retention  

• Skilled in data analysis, performance tracking and forecasting   

• Proficiency with graphic design tools, experience with Canva would be an advantage.  

• Demonstrable experience with Raisers Edge, or similar CRM system 

• Ability to manage complex projects and programs and deliver to set KPI and timelines 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  

• Experience with content writing, brand voice, and digital fundraising best practices.  

• Ability to build and foster relationships across business functions.  

• Understanding of charity law, GDPR and best practices in fundraising  

• Commitment to high level of professional standards  

• Genuine appreciation of George Watson’s College’s mission and the ability to communicate it  

Desirable: 

• Fundraising or marketing qualification such as CIOF accreditation or CIM qualifications. 

• Event management experience  

• Experience of working in the education or charity sectors  

• Understanding of the Independent School sector   

Part-funded by a generous donation from Backstage Trust, this is a new and pivotal role designed to transform Theatre Centre's fundraising capacity by strengthening systems, increasing income diversity, and building long-term financial resilience. The postholder will play a key role in helping the organisation capitalise on its artistic impact and case for support, while building momentum towards its 75th anniversary in 2028.

This role will keep us focused on our development strategy and will have support from across the whole company: the Board, Executive and the core TC team. We have been steadily building our foundations and have some good funding relationships in place, committed individual givers, a strong, evidenced case for support, some incredible stats and feedback and above all an inspiring and exciting programme of work to offer for young people, artists and teachers across the country.

Our Development Manager will help us to bring in resources so that we can continue share our high-quality, specialist work as far as we can. We see development as a collaborative effort and we understand the need for the whole team to support development, that effective fundraising needs to be resourced with realistic timelines and expectations.

About the Role

Contract type: Fixed term to March 2028

Hours: 30 hours per week (0.8 FTE) - we're happy to discuss flexible working patterns that work best for you.

Salary: £24,000 per year (based on £30,000 per year pro rata)

Location: This role can be hybrid or predominantly home based, with some time spent working with colleagues in the office. Theatre Centre is based near Three Bridges station at Unit 4 Crawley Business Centre, Stevenson Way, Crawley, RH10 1TN.

Job Requirements

• A strong affinity with Theatre Centre's mission and a passion for creating opportunities for young people through the arts.
• A values-driven approach, with commitment to equity, inclusion, social justice and environmental responsibility.
• Collaborative, open and transparent working style.
• Comfortable working in a changing environment.
• Proven experience of fundraising within an arts organisation.
• Strong strategic thinking skills.
• Good written communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling cases for support and reports.
• Good understanding of the financial context of this work.
• Experience of building and managing relationships with funders, donors and stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, including data management.
• Experience of monitoring and reporting to demonstrate impact.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work flexibly under pressure, and meet deadlines.

Job Responsibilities

The Development Manager will lead delivery of a phased fundraising strategy:

Phase 1 - Foundation: Build on our strong systems and processes and give us consistency in fundraising delivery, including building a robust pipeline of Trusts & Foundations and developing place-based income in Crawley and the Gatwick area.

Phase 2 - Private Phase: Expand individual giving by deepening relationships, developing major donors, and securing multi-year funding partnerships.

Phase 3 - Public Bring together all strategic and fundraising priorities in our 75th year, amplifying them into a public campaign that advocates for our change-making work.

If you'd like more information you're welcome to visit our website and download the job pack.

Lichfield Cathedral is about to embark on an exciting period of fundraising and development.

Are you a team player

• With senior fundraising experience?
• With experience of managing a team?
• Who enjoys engaging with stakeholders?
• Who has worked on large grant applications?

Do you have

• An excellent eye for detail?
• A desire to support a good cause?
• Excellent communication skills?

If you have the skills and qualities required and would like to work within our dedicated team at Lichfield Cathedral, then we would love to hear from you.