Senior philanthropy and trusts manager jobs

Job Title: Grant-making Officer

Salary: £30,000–34,000

Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week) or Part-time (min 24 hours/week) 

Location: Central London / Hybrid (1-2 days in office per week)

Annual Leave: 25 days paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year of service (up to 28 days), plus an additional day for your birthday or key LGBTQI event and time off over the Christmas week.

Benefits:

• 5% employer pension contributions,
• £600 per year mental wellbeing support, 
• Enhanced parental leave (4 months full pay + 2 months at 50%)
• Annual allowance for professional development and training

About Us

GiveOut is an award-winning international LGBTQI community foundation bringing together our community and allies to support LGBTQI activism worldwide.

Across the world, courageous activists are working tirelessly to protect LGBTQI communities and advance equality. But they lack resources and funding is fragile, especially in the Global South. LGBTQI groups receive a tiny fraction of international development aid.

GiveOut exists to bridge this gap. We provide a platform for individuals, businesses and others to give tax efficiently in one place, ensuring sustained funding for LGBTQI human rights activism worldwide. By pooling donations, we provide grants to pioneering organisations, empowering them to defend our communities, tackle inequality and campaign for lasting change.

Our grant-making process follows a rigorous framework of consultation, due diligence, and vetting. It is overseen by our Grant-Making Advisory Panel, composed of LGBTQI activists from the Global South, and governed by our Board of Trustees.

In just seven years, we have provided over £5 million in new funding, supporting more than 60 LGBTQI organisations globally. Our grant partners report back on their achievements, and we share their impact with our supporters, demonstrating the tangible difference their generosity makes.

Together, we are strengthening the global LGBTQI movement, ensuring activists have the resources they need to build a more just and equal world.

About the Role

As Grant-Making Officer, you will support the delivery of GiveOut's grant-making programme, helping ensure that funding reaches LGBTQI activist organisations efficiently, responsibly and in line with GiveOut's values and grant-making policies.

Reporting to the Grant-Making Manager, you will coordinate key aspects of the grant-making cycle, support grant partners throughout the grant lifecycle, and help maintain the systems, processes and relationships that underpin GiveOut's grant-making programme.

Bringing a passion for international LGBTQI human rights, you will build meaningful relationships with LGBTQI activists and organisations across the globe while developing your expertise in international grant-making.

Key Responsibilities

Grant-Making Programme Delivery

• Support the delivery of GiveOut's annual grant-making programme and grant portfolio.

• Coordinate the annual grant-making cycle, ensuring documentation, timelines and communications are delivered on time.

• Prepare due diligence assessments, grant agreements and other grant documentation for review by the Grant-Making Manager.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date grants management records. 

Grant Partner Relationships

• Build and maintain positive, responsive relationships with grant partners.

• Coordinate grant partner visits and engagement activities, including developing itineraries, supporting travel arrangements and coordinating logistics with colleagues and grant partners.

• Support the Grant-Making Manager in coordinating in-kind consultancy and pro bono support opportunities between grant partners and GiveOut's corporate and legal partners. 

Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation & Learning

• Coordinate the collection of narrative and financial reports from grant partners.

• Maintain accurate monitoring and reporting records across the grant portfolio.

• Support the Grant-Making Manager and Senior Communications Officer to capture grant partner updates, impact, learning and evidence for organisational learning, external communications, and donor reporting.

Sector Expertise & Representation

• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of developments in global LGBTQI movements and international human rights.

• Share relevant sector insights with colleagues to inform GiveOut's work.

• Represent GiveOut at meetings and events where appropriate.

What Success Looks Like

• Positive, trusting relationships with grant partners built on transparency and respect.

• Smooth delivery of grant-making cycles, with all processes completed on time and to a high standard.

• Grant partner reporting, impact and learning are captured accurately and shared to support organisational learning and donor communications.

• Accurate, up-to-date grant records and documentation maintained across the grant portfolio.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Experience in grant-making, grant administration, programme coordination, or a related field (e.g. international development, social impact, research or NGO administration).

• Demonstrated commitment to or connection with the LGBTQI community.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships across cultures.

• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks.

• A proactive approach, with the ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and take ownership of tasks. 

• A collaborative team player who actively contributes to a positive, inclusive, and high-performing organisational culture, aligned with GiveOut’s vision and values.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Awareness of global LGBTQI movements and international human rights.

• Understanding of grant-making theory, processes, and best practices.

• Experience with grants management databases and tools.

• Experience collaborating with communications teams to develop impact stories, case studies, articles, or digital content. 

• Experience collecting or coordinating monitoring and reporting information for grant-funded programmes.

• Working proficiency in a second language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Swahili, ect.) 

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field.

• Familiarity with Google Workspace tools (e.g., Docs, Sheets, Drive).

Why Join Us?

At GiveOut, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and supportive work environment where you can make a tangible impact on global LGBTQI rights. You will have the opportunity to shape the future of LGBTQI philanthropy while working with a passionate and dedicated team.

Application Process

To apply, please submit a CV and one-page, tailored cover letter through ChariityJob. The cover letter should clearly demonstrate how your skills, experience, and qualifications align with the key responsibility areas outlined above. GiveOut is an equal opportunities employer. 

For nearly 20 years, Lively Minds has been proving that parents are the sleeping giants of early childhood development. With strong evidence and a national scale proof point in Ghana, we have shown that parent powered approaches delivered through government systems can transform children's lives at scale.

We are now at a pivotal moment. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum, and we need the funding, profile and influence to match our ambition. This is a rare opportunity to lead income generation and external voice for an award winning NGO entering an exciting new phase of growth. You will lead our fundraising strategy and direct engagement with Funders ensuring that we maximise all funding opportunities as we continue our strategic evolution. You will also shape a compelling external narrative that will help position Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments strengthening their early childhood development systems.

If you are an exceptional fundraiser and communicator who is equally comfortable in a strategic conversation and writing a winning proposal, we would love to hear from you.

Read the full advert and apply below. Closing date: 3rd September 2026.

About Lively Minds

Lively Minds is an award-winning NGO with nearly 20 years of experience designing, testing and scaling early childhood development (ECD) solutions across the Global South. Our core idea is simple but radical: parents are the sleeping giants of ECD. Governments and donors have long overlooked parents, assuming that poverty and low literacy make them unable or unwilling to support their childrenʼs development. We have spent two decades proving otherwise. With RCT-backed evidence and a national-scale proof point in Ghana, we have demonstrated that parent-powered approaches, delivered through government systems, can achieve meaningful child development outcomes at scale.

Our 2026–2028 strategy marks a pivotal shift. Having demonstrated what is possible, we are now helping pioneer an innovative model of country-led sustainable scale. Rather than delivering programmes ourselves, we provide lean, time-limited technical advisory support to governments to help them integrate parent-powered ECD into their own systems, budgets and institutions. We are currently working with the governments of Ghana, Uganda, Oromia state (Ethiopia) and The Gambia in 2026, growing to six or more country engagements by 2028. Our ambition is to catalyse a sector-wide shift, positioning Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments seeking to strengthen their ECD systems.

Our scale strategy rests on three interdependent pillars: fixed-term Technical Advisory partnerships with governments; the development of a modular radio model simple and affordable enough for governments to adopt and fund independently; and an advocacy and sector influence agenda designed to make parent-powered ECD the norm globally.

Purpose of the Role

Lively Minds is at a critical inflection point. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum. We now need the funding, profile and sector influence to match our ambition. The Director of Fundraising and Communications is a priority hire, created to provide the dedicated, experienced leadership that this moment demands.

The Director will own and drive Lively Mindsʼ income generation, building new funder relationships, managing and deepening existing ones, and ensuring the organisation has the pipeline, discipline and quality of engagement to meet and exceed its fundraising targets. Working in close partnership with the Founding CEO, who retains ownership of a small number of long-standing strategic relationships, the Director will take primary responsibility for securing the funding that makes the 2026–2028 strategy deliverable, and that opens the door to greater scale beyond it. We need to raise approximately £3.4m over the next 3 years to deliver our strategy. But our ambition is to exceed that target so we can support additional governments.

Alongside fundraising, the Director will provide strategic leadership to Lively Mindsʼ communications and advocacy work, ensuring that the organisationʼs external voice is compelling and that we are building credibility in the spaces where funding decisions are made. The Director will lead and provide strategic coherence to a small but outward-facing team, including Head of Partnerships and Advocacy Lead who are active on the international stage. Lively Minds is committed to thought-leadership and active external engagement, but equally committed to ensuring that communications resource is deployed with discipline and rigour. The Director will set a clear strategic filter for where the organisation shows up, what it publishes and who it engages: prioritising focus and quality over volume, and always asking whether external activity is building the relationships and reputation that ultimately drive income and/or systems change.

Lively Minds is a dispersed, remote organisation. The Directorʼs team the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer - are internationally distributed. The ability to lead, develop and maintain high standards across a dispersed team is essential. The role requires regular travel to international conferences and events.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Income Generation

• Own and deliver the multi-year fundraising strategy with clear priorities, targets, income streams and a disciplined pipeline to support the 2026–2028 strategy and future scale
• Steward existing funder relationships, turning strong partnerships into long-term supporters, advocates and connectors to new funding opportunities.
• Lead the shift towards Big Bet and catalytic funding, personally cultivating and negotiating high-value, multi-year partnerships and positioning Lively Minds for system-level scale
• Maintain a high standard of fundraising quality, pipeline management and forecasting, while coaching the team to produce compelling, sophisticated fundraising materials
•  Build and continuously strengthen a diverse funding pipeline, identifying emerging opportunities, new funding markets and strategic partnerships that reduce concentration risk and support long-term financial sustainability

Communications, Brand & Advocacy

• Own and deliver Lively Mindsʼ communications and marketing strategy, balancing visibility and sector influence with the need to strengthen fundraising and systems-change objectives
• Partner closely with the CEO to shape and steward a coherent external narrative, brand and messaging framework across all audiences and channels
• Oversee high-quality core communications and fundraising materials, including cases for support, pitch decks, website content, proposals and donor reports
• Provide strategic communications expertise to Advocacy, Partnerships and MEL, ensuring evidence and learning are translated into compelling narratives and consistent external messaging
• Lead efforts to strengthen Lively Mindsʼ profile and thought leadership in the ECD sector, identifying opportunities for strategic media, events, publications and external platforms that reinforce its positioning and influence

Organizational Leadership&TeamDevelopment

• Contribute actively to SMT and organisational strategy, bringing funder intelligence, external perspective and communications expertise to strategic decision-making.
• Work closely with Finance and MEL to align fundraising targets, forecasting, budgets and evidence, ensuring proposals are credible, accurately costed and evidence-led
• Act as the organisationʼs communications subject matter expert, providing guidance and challenge to ensure high-quality, consistent external communications
• Lead and develop the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer, fostering a team culture of quality, accountability, strategic clarity and continuous improvement
• Build strong cross-organisational collaboration, ensuring teams understand how fundraising, communications, advocacy and evidence work together to advance Lively Mindsʼ strategic priorities

Person Specification

Essential Experience & Skills

• 10+ years of significant senior-level fundraising experience within international development, education, philanthropy or a comparable sector
• Proven track record of securing major grants from foundations, institutional donors and high-net-worth individuals, alongside demonstrated experience securing or meaningfully progressing large-scale, catalytic funding from Big Bet philanthropy programmes such as the Audacious Project, Skoll Foundation or comparable funders. A strong understanding of what these funders look for and how to position an organisation compellingly within their processes is essential
• Exceptional fundraising writing skills, with the ability to personally develop compelling cases for support, funding proposals, award applications and pitch decks tailored to sophisticated impact funders. This is a hands-on role requiring both strong writing capability and the ability to coach others to consistently produce high-quality fundraising content
• Experienced in developing and owning a marketing and communications strategy, with a strong understanding of how to balance organisational visibility, thought leadership and sector influence with coherence, strategic focus and income generation
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with a Founding CEO to shape and steward the organisationʼs external narrative and brand. Comfortable working in a founder-led environment, providing expertise and constructive challenge while ensuring the organisation maintains a clear, consistent and coherent external voice

Desirable Experience

• Experienced fundraising for a technical advisory, systems change or government-facing organisation
• Knowledge of the ECD, education or early childhood sector and its funding landscape
• Familiarity with the Big Bang Philanthropy network or equivalent impact-focused funder communities
• Experience working alongside advocacy and partnerships teams, providing communications expertise and strategic coherence to their external activity
• Familiarity with the funding landscape for organisations operating in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience working remotely across multiple countries and effectively collaborating with cross-cultural teams

Behaviours & Ways of Working

• A doer, equally comfortable in strategic conversations and writing a funding proposal
• Sets a high bar for quality and clarity in all external communications and holds it consistently
• Builds a strong, trust-based partnership with the Founding CEO, provides honest challenge and operates effectively within a founder-led dynamic without losing their own voice or judgement
• Collaborative and cross-organisational. Invests in strong relationships with programme, MEL and finance colleagues, understanding that the best fundraising is grounded in organisational reality
• Calm and focused under pressure - able to manage competing priorities and maintain quality when the stakes are high

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• 25 days annual leave
• Health insurance
• Pension contribution
• Generous learning and development budget
• Flexible, remote working

Application Instruction

Interested candidates are encouraged to read the Job Description carefully before applying to ensure they understand the role and meet the required criteria.

To apply, please complete the pre-screening questions and submit your updated CV

PLEASE NOTE - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Timeline

Closing Date: 3rd September 2026

Our Stance

Lively Minds operates a strict Safeguarding Policy and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable people. As part of our recruitment process, the suitability of successful candidates will be verified through appropriate background checks including professional references and police checks.

Lively Minds is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities throughout our recruitment process. We want this commitment to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, experiences and perspectives.

We are committed to ensuring that recruitment decisions are based on merit, skills, experience and suitability for the role, and that all candidates are treated fairly and with respect throughout the recruitment process.

Lead one of the world's oldest and most influential human rights organisations

Chief Executive

Salary: £93,600 per annum
London | Hybrid working

Our client is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations. For almost 200 years, it has worked to end slavery in all its forms, partnering with survivors, civil society, governments and businesses to influence laws, policy and practice that create lasting systemic change.

As our client enters an exciting new chapter, they are seeking an exceptional Chief Executive to lead the organisation through its next phase of impact.

This is a rare opportunity to lead an internationally respected organisation at a pivotal point in its journey. With a renewed strategic direction, a committed Board and an experienced senior leadership team, the successful candidate will build on strong foundations to strengthen organisational capability, foster a high-performing culture and maximise the organisation's impact in an increasingly complex global environment.

Working closely with the Board, staff, partners and supporters, you will provide strategic, financial and organisational leadership while acting as a compelling ambassador for the organisation. You will build trusted relationships across government, philanthropy, civil society and business, ensuring the organisation continues to influence policy, practice and public understanding of modern slavery.

We are interested in hearing from leaders who bring:

• Significant executive leadership experience, with responsibility for organisational strategy, people, finance and fundraising.
• A track record of leading organisational development, building high-performing teams and leading positive cultural change.
• The ability to build trusted relationships, influence senior stakeholders and represent an organisation with credibility and impact.
• Experience of securing sustainable income and developing strong funding partnerships.
• Strong financial and strategic judgement, balancing long-term ambition with effective operational delivery.
• A commitment to the organisation's mission and the leadership qualities to inspire people, build confidence and deliver lasting impact.

Whilst an understanding of the organisation's mission is important, our client is first and foremost seeking an exceptional organisational leader. Applications are welcomed from candidates both within and beyond the modern slavery sector who can demonstrate the leadership capability to guide the organisation through its next chapter.

This is an opportunity to lead an organisation with a remarkable history, work alongside exceptional colleagues and partners, and help shape a future where everyone can live free from slavery.

To find out more about the role and how to apply, please view the appointment brief located below the advert on the Prospectus website.

Recruitment Timetable

Deadline for applications: Sunday 23rd August
Prospectus interviews: Weeks commencing 17th August and 24th August
Engagement calls with the Interim CEO: 7th and 8th September
Board panel interviews (in person): Monday 14th September