Senior philanthropy officer jobs

Summary
We’re recruiting for a new Head of Fundraising and Communications to build on the growth we’ve experienced in recent years, and move us to the next level. This is a wide role and you won’t be expected to be an expert at everything, so we are looking for someone with the knowledge, confidence and strategic approach to play to their strengths, while drawing in other expertise and capacity where needed. This is an exciting and inspiring opportunity for the right person, both in terms of the role itself, but also the key part you’ll play in helping to enable women who have survived trafficking and other forms of violence to recover and rebuild their lives.

Job Location:  Hybrid (at least two days a week in London office)

Salary:              £41,500 - £52,800 pro rata (depending on experience)

Working hours:Full-time

Contract:          Permanent 

Reporting to:  Co-Director

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be undertaken. This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement section under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Two reasons why you should join Ella’s
 

1. You will make a difference: Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Join us, and be a crucial part of ensuring survivors have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. 

2. You will work in a great place: We are a passionate, growing organisation. Last time we asked, 100% said they would recommend Ella’s as a place to work. As a team, we are strong, women-led, authentic, professional, fun and supportive of one another. 

Job description and person specification

We’re recruiting for a new Head of Fundraising and Communications to build on the growth and development we’ve experienced in recent years, and move us to the next level. Last year we raised £685K through fundraising and are aiming to increase this by 20% a year in the coming years .

You will work closely with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to raise crucial funding, public support and awareness to underpin our organisational strategy, and with colleagues across the organisation to gather and communicate stories and information in a powerful and accessible way. 

This is a ‘doing’ role as well as a senior one. It’s also a wide role and you won’t be expected to be an expert at everything, so we are looking for someone with the knowledge, confidence and strategic approach to play to your strengths and those of your team, while drawing in other expertise and capacity where needed. 

This is an exciting and inspiring opportunity for the right person, both in terms of the role itself, but also the key part you’ll play in helping to enable survivors to recover and rebuild their lives.

Key tasks

• Overall oversight of all streams of fundraising.

• Line management of 1x Fundraising Officer and 1x Grants Lead.

• Overall oversight of Ella’s’ communication channels including recruitment of additional communications support.

• Uphold brand and support others to work to brand.

• Build and manage relationships, partnerships and connections to support Ella’s’ fundraising and communications.

• Lead on fundraising and communications strategies and policies, and input into organisational strategies and policies.

• Ensure implementation of fundraising and communication strategies.

• Monitor fundraising against targets and report to directors and trustees. 

• Attend senior management meetings (weekly online), team check ins (weekly in-person) and other internal and external meetings online and in-person as required.

Additional tasks

• Support with Monitoring and Evaluation

• Respond to media enquiries and requests

• Source and manage external suppliers as needed

• Copywriting and editing

• Oversee the design of external communications

• Support management and use of CRM database

• Other tasks as required by Directors or by role

Person specification

Essential

• A track record of excellence in relevant paid roles within registered UK charities.
• Working knowledge of all streams of fundraising, with direct experience in at least two of the following: trusts, foundations and statutory; individuals; philanthropy/major donors; community fundraising; corporates/business.
• Understanding of what makes a strong case for support.
• Understanding of the power of human stories, and how to gather and communicate stories that promote dignity and respect. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding and experience of what constitutes high quality, effective charity comms (written and visual).
• Understanding of brand.
• Line management.
• Impact reporting (internal and external).
• Computer literacy.
• An understanding of strategy.
• Partnership and relationship building.
• Initiative, and ability to manage varied workload.
• Willingness to get stuck in and ‘do’ as well as lead.
• Kind and sensitive to the needs of survivors in gathering and telling of stories.
• Able to work well with others. 
• Organised and efficient.
• Ability to work in a growing, fast-changing organisation.
• Motivated by the cause.
• Commitment to follow the policies, procedures and ethos of Ella’s, and to advocate on behalf of the organisation. 

Desirable

• Monitoring and Evaluation.
• Strategy writing.
• Events (fundraising events as well as thought leadership and exhibition stands etc).
• Interviewing skills.
• Media/press.
• Film.
• Copywriting, editing and proofreading. 
• Design.
• Social media.
• Website CMSs.
• Website SEO knowledge.
• Speech/talk writing and editing. 
• Digital marketing. 
• Working with suppliers such as photographers and filmmakers, copywriters and designers, website developers.
• Public speaking.
• Brand management.
• Team leadership.
• GoogleSuite.
• Canva.
• Experience across charities of various sizes.
• Experience of working with funders in the anti-trafficking/VAWG sector.
• An understanding of issues surrounding sexual exploitation and trafficking.

How to apply 

To apply for this role, please submit all of the following:

• Up to date CV
• Covering letter outlining your suitability for this role (no more than two sides of A4)
• Completed equal opportunities online monitoring form. The information on this form will be treated as confidential and used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of your application. This form is submitted online on CharityJob.

Please submit your CV and covering letter through CharityJob before Tuesday 26 May 2026 9.00am. 

We will review applications as we receive them and may offer interviews before the closing date, so please apply quickly if you are keen.

It is intended that interviews will be held in early June. Candidates will be invited to interview by email - please check your spam folder. 

If you have queries about any aspect of this role or the appointment process, need additional information or wish to have an informal and confidential discussion, then please contact us via CharityJob.

Please also note that appointment to this role will be subject to a DBS check.

More about Ella’s
Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Our mission is to do everything we can to ensure survivors have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. 

Here is a summary of our main activities:
 

• We run eight safe houses. This supported accommodation is crucial for survivors, until they are ready and able to live independently. 

• We provide regular support for women and families in neighbourhoods across London, and many more further afield when they need us. 

• We speak out on issues affecting the women we work with. We care deeply about survivors of trafficking and exploitation and want to see a world where these crimes are not tolerated. 

Ella’s is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, as we believe having a diverse team adds value and positively impacts our service. 

We actively encourage applicants from BAME backgrounds, LGBTQ+ applicants and those with disabilities. We are committed to equality and diversity within our organisation.

Our client was founded in 1984 and is dedicated to providing high-quality, modern actor training rooted in British and European classical theatre traditions. They have a rich history of alumni support and will now hire their new Head of Development and Prospectus is leading the search.

The Head of Development, reporting to the Managing Director, will lead the fundraising strategy and day-to-day operations to sustainably grown and strengthen the organisation’s fundraising activity. You will develop and own the fundraising strategy including targets and will communicate effectively donors, staff, trustees, and other stakeholders to develop a compelling plan for fundraising that includes appeals and major donor giving, of which a healthy level of activity will be inherited by the postholder.

The appointed candidate will have experience of working in a development function and will have experience of tactical philanthropy fundraising experience as well as setting strategy. You will be highly experienced in good relationship management and will enjoy working within a small team that supports a specific cause. The Head of Development will work independently and will shape new fundraising strategy, so experience of working at pace through your own momentum and ambitions will be advantageous.

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity. If you have any disability and require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the process then please contact Ryan Burdock at Prospectus.

If you feel you meet some of the criteria but not all, we really hope you'll enquire and learn more. Prospectus can advise and support on each part of the role and hopefully your application, so we look forward to hearing from you.      
 
In order to apply please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a meeting to brief you on the role. You'll then have all the information you need to formally apply. We are looking forward to connecting with you soon.

Grade: 4

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week (flexible working considered)

Position type: Permanent

Responsible to: Senior Brand Manager

Direct reports: None

Location: ShelterBox HQ, Truro, Cornwall

Travel: Ability to work away from home required. This may be UK or an in-country deployment in a content gathering role or representing ShelterBox.

ROLE PURPOSE:

As part of in an in-house brand and creative team this role will help plan, shoot, create and oversee the production of quality audience-led graphic design and multi-media content under the ShelterBox brand.

Working with the Senior Brand Manager and wider Brand and Content team, the successful candidate will deliver end-to-end projects to bring the brand alive and support our fundraising, communications and international teams to drive income, awareness and support successful user journeys.

The role will advise all ShelterBox teams to work within brand guidelines and enable teams to access and use assets and templates by maintaining accurate systems. They will also support wider development of a purpose-led brand, using insight and by building strong relationships with audience and channel owners.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Are you looking to join an in-house Brand and Content team? This role would suit someone who's keen to work across all areas of the organisation, championing brand guidelines and managing and delivering a wide range of creative projects under the ShelterBox brand.

You must be able to edit video and have a good knowledge graphic design and brand. It is a requirement of this role to have a working knowledge of Premier Pro, After Effects, Indesign and Illustrator, with experience across Adobe Creative Suite. You'll also be able to demonstrate great copywriting skills and have excellent attention to detail. The successful candidate will have experience in practical photography and film.

You will need to be able to plan and lead a shoot and confidently pick up a camera and capture ShelterBox footage and interviews in the UK and in the countries where we work. This role will, at times, be required to deploy in both major disasters and pro-active content trips - gathering content themselves and supporting external freelancers.

MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Within this role you will be a great relationship builder working across a wide range of ShelterBox teams, external agencies, partners and freelancers.

A strategic thinker - able to work on multiple long and short project deadlines and prioritise to objectives.

Driven by audience needs - whether that's optimising creative in response to Digital Marketing data and insight or getting under the skin of key strategic funders to make the right content at the right time to drive objectives.

Experienced in working across fundraising and communications channels for both warm and cold audiences to drive income and awareness.

We are looking for a creative talent who can get to the core of ShelterBox's mission whilst remaining up to date with the detail, picking up new ideas and concepts easily. You'll understand the power of story in fundraising and communications, be self-motivated, with a can-do approach and be flexible in supporting the wider team.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Brand:

• Support and train the wider organisation to effectively create content within ShelterBox brand guidelines

• Support the continued development of an online brand hub

• Support the development of a purpose led brand. Help to develop and implement a brand strategy.

• Help drive brand and values led storytelling across the organisation driven priority audiences

• Position ethical storytelling as a central thread of the ShelterBox brand

Creative and content development:

• Manage creative projects for key ShelterBox teams working across multi-media disciplines including video, scriptwriting and graphic design. Lead projects from creative brief stage through to asset delivery including all production. Responsible for core projects split across the team including warm and cold supporter journeys, evergreen and explainer content for digital optimisation, celebrity videos, philanthropy and partnerships, Rotary.

• Support the digital marketing strategy. Responsible for creating asset sets for Always On and time-framed campaigns. Work to tight deadlines and respond to agency and internal feedback to continually optimise creative.

• Support ShelterBox to develop our in-house creative approach. Facilitate workshops and creative exercises to ensure we create objective and audience led products.

• Support a review of design across the organisation and enable teams to design via templates.

• Support the development and re-fresh of templates for both design and video.

• Work with external agencies, freelancers and partners.

• Use audience insights to inform all plans and work with the insight team and others to measure success.

• Ensure all projects follow sign-off processes

Content gathering:

• Plan and lead shoots in the UK and in countries where ShelterBox works.

• Film a wide range of ShelterBox spokespeople including CEO, board members, programme staff, partners and high-level celebrity supporters both at an in-house studio or on location.

• Photograph and film events in the UK and overseas.

• Shoot and manage a bank of studio photography of ShelterBox aid items - responding to audience insight and channel requirements.

• Develop and deliver quality content training for ShelterBox staff

• Help to manage ShelterBox photography, sound and video equipment and studio

• Work closely with the ShelterBox operations team and partners to ensure we are gathering high-quality content across all our live deployments.

• Process and edit raw content from deployments - case studies, photos, video.

• Deploy to gather content or train partners - dependent on funding and strategic need. At times this may involve taking freelancers on agreed trips. Note: Deploying in major disasters or to partner organisations may involve operating within ERA areas so role will need to be HEAT trained.

• Interview and film communities affected by disaster

• Gather content to ShelterBox ethical guidelines.

Planning and team working

• Be an integral part of team planning

• Offer knowledge of best practice and innovations from other organisations and sectors.

• Support a measurement-based approach by contributing to monthly reporting as well as spotting trends and opportunities.

• Any other specific projects given by the Senior Brand manager.