Trusts and grants fundraising manager jobs

Play a leading role in ending food poverty across the South Cotswolds by growing essential fundraising and community partnerships. This is a chance to shape meaningful change through storytelling, relationship‑building and strategic income generation.

About our Charity

South Cotswolds Foodbank supports people across more than 210 square miles, providing emergency food and compassion while working towards long‑term solutions to the root causes of poverty. We are now seeking a Fundraising & Community Relations Manager to help us build the resources, relationships and community awareness we need to meet rising demand and to drive our mission forward.

Location

This role is based at our Cirencester office, with opportunities for some home working. The post will involve some local travel across the South Cotswolds to meet supporters, partners, and community groups. 

Role and Responsibilities

As a key member of our small, friendly staff team, you will lead the development of fundraising from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations, and community groups. You will identify new funding opportunities, craft compelling bids, and nurture long‑term partnerships that help sustain our annual running costs and strengthen our future resilience.

You will also take a leading role in shaping how we share our story. Working closely with the Head of Foodbank and colleagues, you will create marketing materials, digital and print content, fundraising campaigns, and communications that bring our mission and our clients’ experiences to life. This includes producing newsletters, fundraising appeals, social media content, and materials for events and outreach activities.

A central part of this role is inspiring and stewarding supporters, whether that’s someone making a one‑off donation, a local business exploring a partnership, or a trust considering a grant application. You’ll design ways to keep supporters engaged, informed and appreciated, ensuring communications reflect our values and priorities and are consistent with our brand and tone.

You will represent the Foodbank at community events across the region, building relationships with schools, churches, associations, local groups and businesses. This outward‑facing work helps raise awareness of the causes of food poverty, increases support, and strengthens our reach into communities who want to take action. You’ll also coordinate volunteers who contribute to these events.

Working closely with colleagues, you’ll help capture stories and case studies from people with lived experience of food poverty (with sensitivity and respect) to illustrate the realities facing local families and to strengthen our fundraising, communications, and advocacy work. You will maintain our CRM system, ensuring accurate donor and engagement data, and produce regular reports for monitoring and oversight.

Person Specification

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is proactive, organised and able to work independently. You will need excellent communication skills, creativity, strong relationship‑building ability, and a proven track record in fundraising or partnership‑driven roles. You’ll work with purpose and empathy, always championing those affected by hardship.

Working at South Cotswolds Foodbank

We offer a supportive and collaborative environment. Our staff benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, pro rata
• Employee Assistance Programme (BHSF) available to you 
• Four weeks full pay + four weeks half pay sickness provision (after probation)
• Pension scheme with 3% employer contribution (auto‑enrolment conditions apply) 

You’ll join a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who are committed to ensuring no one in our community goes hungry, and who believe that alongside emergency support, we must work on root‑cause solutions that make long‑term change possible.

If you want a role that blends strategic fundraising, community connection, and creative communication, and you want your work to make a tangible difference every day, this could be the perfect next step.

Volunteer Centre Hackney is a thriving charity (annual income circa £1.1m, with 29 paid staff) providing volunteering infrastructure to the voluntary sector across the City of London and the London borough of Hackney. We support over 1500 residents a year to realise their skills and passions through volunteering and social action, and to share these for the benefit of others. We also provide volunteering resource, and advice and guidance on best practice in volunteer management, to hundreds of charities and community organisations.

Through our specialist programmes, our impact on the lives of residents is huge. We match volunteers to housebound residents to help them engage with communities and leave their homes; we provide long term personalised support to people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities to help them volunteer and find paid jobs; we support patients to deliver hundreds of their own activities and peer support groups at GP practices across City and Hackney; and in partnership with Public Health, we support over 250 Community Health Champions to share vital health messaging with their own diverse communities.  

This is a hands-on and strategic role for an experienced fundraiser who thrives in a small to medium sized charity environment. You will have autonomy to develop a whole new fundraising strategy, utilising diverse fundraising methods, and building and developing new project ideas and partnerships. You will lead on income generation primarily through sourcing and applying to multiple trusts and foundations, but diversified by building new corporate partnerships, community campaigns and individual giving. You will build authentic relationships with funders and supporters, and together with VCH colleagues, will identify new programme models as ways to generate income. You will contribute to the development and production of compelling stories, evidence and marketing and build and maintain the infrastructure needed to track and achieve progress against annual income targets.

Post holders need to have excellent communication skills, to represent the charity in writing and in person. You must be enthusiastic, self-motivating and confident to work primarily alone, but also able to engage and collaborate with staff from across the organisation to share information and impact evidence to support your role. If you are successful in securing funding there will be the potential to recruit additional support, and for you to become the Head of Fundraising of a small team.

The Sutton Trust is the UK’s leading social mobility charity. We believe every young person should have a fair chance in life, regardless of their family’s income, the school they go to or where they grow up. But today in Britain, the opportunity to succeed is heavily shaped by socio-economic background. Our mission is to change this. Our programmes empower young people to access life-changing opportunities, and our research influences national change to deliver a fairer future.

Each year, together with our university and employer partners, we support over 14,000 young people to reach their potential through our university, apprenticeship, and career access programmes. And our support does not stop there. We engage our thriving alumni community to help them to succeed in their professions and to act as advocates for social mobility.

Our rigorous and extensive research shines a light on barriers to opportunity from the early years to the workplace, and we strive to influence national policy change with evidence-based solutions to tackle educational and workplace inequality. Using insights from our programmes and research, we also test and scale new ideas in education and employment practice.

As an independent charity, our work is entirely reliant on the generous support of our community of donors. The need to support our work to tackle Britain’s low social mobility has never been greater.

Fundraising at the Sutton Trust

We are seeking a dynamic and driven fundraiser to be our Trusts and Foundations Manager. The Sutton Trust is at an exciting point in our organisational journey, with a new Chairperson and ambitions to significantly grow our impact and fundraising as part of our 2030 strategy.

Over the past five years the impact of the Sutton Trust has increased, especially in our programme numbers, securing a relatively stable income of c.£6m over a number of years. In recent years this has grown to c.£7m, and our organisational strategy to 2030 will continue this fundraising trajectory to increase income to £12m. Trusts and foundations income currently accounts for c.37% of our fundraising, and we know there is considerable enthusiasm and opportunity in the grant-making world for building strategic partnerships with us.

Our fundraising approach will continue to focus on driving towards major gifts and strategic multi-year partnerships, leveraging a range of drivers to secure Trust, Foundation and Statutory support.

The Role and Team

As Trusts and Foundations Manager (maternity cover), you will be an experienced, proactive relationship manager and fundraiser. You will be confident in delivering high quality reporting and stewardship to a wide variety of Trusts, Foundations, Statutory and organisational donors, as well as proactively approaching funding prospects and preparing applications to secure funds.

We have strong relationships with a range of trusts and foundations, and over the fixed term contract period we are looking for a confident fundraiser to manage and support a portfolio of funders as cover for a maternity leave within the Development team.

The role will contribute to growing the portfolio of Trusts, Foundations, and organisational donors (predominantly at the five-figure level), while also providing strategic support on grant management of our major six-and-seven-figure Trust and Foundation partners. This will include compiling key reports and supporting the gathering and analysing programmatic data. You will work closely with colleagues across both the Development Department, including the Development Director, and the wider organisation.

Main duties

New Business

• Undertake prospect research into trusts and foundations, statutory opportunities (contracts or grants), and organisational funders in collaboration with Trusts and Foundations colleagues, and other senior staff and senior volunteers. This includes identification, due diligence, qualification, and creating briefings and outreach plans.

• Work with Trusts and Foundations colleagues to cultivate a prospect pool of potential donors, looking at lapsed supporters, the prospect pipeline, stakeholder network mapping through the Board and Trustees, as well as funders with an active interest in education / social mobility.

• Submit compelling funding proposals and reports to mid-level trusts, foundations, statutory and organisational donors to secure income (predominately at the five-figure level) for the Trust. Work alongside other Development team and wider organisation members to ensure high-quality submissions.

• Alongside team members, manage the shared Development inbox to ensure all enquiries are dealt with in a prompt, consistent, and friendly manner.

• Follow all relevant policies and processes to ensure due diligence is completed for prospective donors and that income projections and plans for the portfolio are kept up to date.

Account Management and Development

• Manage and grow a small portfolio of trusts, foundations, statutory supporters, and organisational donors, delivering impactful stewardship (e.g. impact reporting) while meeting all donor reporting requirements to maximise financial income and partnership longevity.

• Support senior team members on strategic management of our major trust and foundation partners, including leading on compiling key impact reports, coordinating meetings, attending programme visits, event invites, writing targeted donor communications and reporting.

• Work with the Head of Fundraising Operations to compile and analyse key programmatic data for use by the Development team in their grant reporting.

• Be accountable for achieving agreed trusts and foundations income targets, looking for opportunities to grow funding and diversify income for this stream.

• Ensure all record keeping and administration relating to trusts and foundations income is maintained, up-to-date, and processed in accordance with GDPR and Sutton Trust policies and procedures.

Fundraising Finance and Reporting

• Act as an ambassador for the Trust with external audiences, delivering presentations and providing expertise as required.

• Work with colleagues to deliver impactful events to cultivate prospects and steward partners, with a focus on experience for trust and foundation supporters and prospects.

• Work with colleagues across Development and Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, income tracking and reporting for trusts and foundations income, through the Trust’s CRM (Salesforce), account management plans, and all relevant income pipeline documents.

• Ensure you appropriately follow policies and procedures on due diligence, Salesforce and data management, account management, stewardship, and reporting.

• Stay up to date with grant fundraising best practice, learning from senior members of the team, and keep abreast of developments and opportunities within the wider fundraising space.

• Other duties as necessary from time to time.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have:

• Experience in successfully securing, managing, and developing Trust, Foundation, Statutory or organisational donor partnerships at four and five figure-level, from initial prospect research to securing income and ongoing grant management.

• Experience building and managing relationships, particularly in the philanthropic sector with organisational donors.

• Strong presentation skills and the ability to write compelling proposals and impact reports, or pitch to audiences with the intent of persuading them to your point of view or secure a specific outcome.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to summarise information from readily available sources clearly and concisely.

• Experience managing multiple priorities and tasks to successfully achieve project or other goals.

• Excellent prospect research skills and strong analytical skills.

• First-class interpersonal skills - a natural ambassador able to represent the Sutton Trust with confidence in a range of settings.

• Knowledge of fundraising in the education and/or not-for-profit sector.

• Experience using CRM software (ideally Salesforce) to accurately record funding relationships (desirable).

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage and increase social mobility.

• Able to take the initiative and take responsibility for a wide variety of tasks and projects.

• Strong communicator, skilled at persuading others through writing and conversation.

• Enjoy working with impact and outcomes data to create compelling narratives for reporting purposes (desirable).

• Excellent attention to detail.

• Able to multi-task and prioritise multiple funder relationships.

• Able to work independently and as part of a team.

• Is eligible to work in the UK (see here for information about right to work)

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Full-time, Fixed term contract until 31 August 2027

• Salary: £42,000-£47,000

• Working location: Minimum of two office days per week. Our home working policy gives staff the option to - work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.

• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP.

• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. This role is likely to also be required to attend events / meetings outside of normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends, in line with organisational policies.

• Safeguarding: DBS check may be required.

Interviews

Applications should reach us by 10am, Monday 13th April , with first round interviews held with first round interviews held on Tuesday, 21st April, and second round interviews held on Tuesday, 28th April. Both rounds will be held in our London office.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.

The Stuart Low Trust (SLT) is a well-respected and award-winning charity based in Islington supporting people who experience mental health issues and socially isolated.SLT was created to be radically different from other mental health charities – uniquely accessible, inclusive and community-embedded. You will be joining a small friendly team, where we care about staff wellbeing.We believe in trusting the expertise of our staff and giving them the freedom to thrive with regular help on hand when needed. 

We support over 500 adults per year through social groups -creative arts, nature-based activities, wellbeing workshops and peer support.90% of participants report improved mental health and wellbeing. 

Why Join Us?  
This is an opportunity to play an important role in a small but impactful charity.  Your work will directly enable adults experiencing isolation to access safe, creative and life-affirming activities. Perfect for someone who thrives in a small charity where you can see the impact of your work every week. 

Who we are seeking 
We are seeking a Fundraising Manager, who enjoys writing grant applications and building strong relationships with supporters. Working closely with the Chief Executive, you will have a primary focus working on our trusts and foundations pipeline, while generating around 10% of total income from other sources. We are realistic what is possible in 21 hours per week! 

We are seeking a fundraiser who combines: 

• A strong track record securing trust and foundation income 
• Excellent bid-writing skills 
• Experience generating income beyond trusts (corporate, community or individual) 
• Comfortable working autonomously in a small team 
• Experience in a mental health organisation or small charity is desirable but not essential.

Summary role description 

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will: 

Lead Trusts and Foundations Income 

• Develop a pipeline of grant funders to apply to. 
• Write compelling, high-quality applications.. 
• Deepen funder relationships to secure repeat grants. 

Raise income from other sources 

Work with the Chief Executive to generate income from other sources with a realistic and achievable target of 10% total income via:

• Corporate partnerships in Islington, King’s Cross tech, creative industries and the City. 
• Community and individual giving, especially among affluent local residents. 

Build sustainable systems to support fundraising 

• ​Strengthen stewardship journeys including donor tracking systems and explore use of AI tools. 
• Contribute to fundraising communications and our profile-building. 

Why this Role is Different 
You will be stepping into an organisation in a strong position to build on: 

• Multi-year funding security (63% of next year’s income already secured through multi-year grants, 4 months’ free reserves, annual income circa £250k). 
• Trusted funders include City Bridge Foundation, Garfield Weston, Sport England and leading City Livery Companies. 
• Strategic Plan 2024–28 with clear goals. 
• Excellent impact measurement systems. 
• A highly experienced Chief Executive with 30 years in the charity sector. 
• A collaborative and supportive team, who understand fundraising is everyone’s responsibility. 

What You’ll Gain 

• Real autonomy and ownership 
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Occupational pension scheme 
• Hybrid and flexible working arrangements
• Access to training and development opportunities 
• Supportive management culture 
• A genuinely collaborative, values-led culture 

Location
Based at Jean Stokes Community Centre, Islington (5 minutes by bus from King’s Cross) 

Application instructions
Please note, while we appreciate the value of AI tools, we strongly prefer that applicants prepare their supporting statements for this purpose with minimal use of AI.This helps us to better understand your authentic voice, skills and motivation for this role.Thank you. 

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check and two satisfactory references. 

We are embrace diversity, equality of opportunity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that represents are variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills.The more inclusive we are, the more we can achieve. 

Deadline for applications: Sunday, 5th April 2026 at 12midnight
Interviews: Monday, 20th April 2026 
Estimated Start:June/July 2026 

At Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK, we’re working tirelessly to ensure that people severely affected by mental illness get the support and respect they deserve. To help us grow our impact, we’re looking for a passionate and ambitious Trusts & Grants Manager—someone who thrives on building meaningful relationships and crafting compelling cases for support.

Salary is £41,000 to £45,532 dependant on experience, plus £3000 London Allowance

If you're motivated by securing transformational funding that drives real change, this could be the perfect next step in your fundraising career.

About the role

As Trusts & Grants Manager, you’ll play a crucial role in developing and stewarding relationships with Trusts and Foundations—both established supporters and new prospects. You will:

• Manage a portfolio of 50–100 donors and prospects with five- and six‑figure giving potential 
• Produce compelling, evidence-led funding applications that bring our work and impact to life 
• Build and nurture new funder relationships through meetings, calls, written communication and service visits 
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across Programmes, Operations and Partnerships to shape high-impact, research‑led proposals 
• Oversee applications from concept to award, reporting to donors and ensuring excellent stewardship throughout the grant lifecycle 
• Monitor sector trends and proactively shape a healthy, diverse pipeline of long-term supporters 
• Forecast income, track progress, and take early action to mitigate shortfalls when needed 

You’ll work closely with the Interim Head of Trusts & Philanthropy, the Prospect Research Manager, and a fellow Trusts & Grants Manager who focuses on Mental Health UK—acting as a key contributor to a high-performing, collaborative fundraising function.

About the team

You’ll be joining a dynamic fundraising team that generates income across Events, Community, Individual Giving, Legacies, Philanthropy, Trusts & Grants, and Corporate Partnerships. Together, we support nearly £6m of work each year across Mental Health UK and Rethink Mental Illness. 

Trusts & Grants is a well-established income stream with a strong track record—and you’ll help take it even further, securing both cornerstone grants and long-term transformational funding.

About you

You’ll excel in this role if you are:

Essential

• A skilled relationship manager with experience securing five- and six‑figure grants or major gifts
• An exceptional communicator who builds meaningful, trusting relationships with funders and senior stakeholders 
• Experienced in writing persuasive, insight‑driven funding applications and reports
• Motivated by developing a diverse, high-impact Trusts & Grants programme
• Able to respond empathetically and appropriately to emotionally sensitive situations
• A proactive team player who brings creativity and solutions-focused thinking
• Passionate about mental health and improving outcomes for those we support

Desirable

• Knowledge of CRM systems such as Salesforce
• An understanding of GDPR in relation to data and fundraising
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to balance multiple priorities

Ready to make a difference?

If you’re excited by the idea of building a high-impact Trusts & Grants portfolio and driving transformational change, we’d love to hear from you.

Join us—and help shape a future where everyone affected by mental illness gets the support they need and deserve.

Trusts and Foundations Manager
Permanent | Full time
Hybrid – 2 days a week in either in Coventry or Middlesbrough
£38,000 - £45.000 per annum

Are you an experienced trusts & foundations fundraiser looking to join a much loved charity which supports babies and young children who have life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.

Aquilas is delighted to be supporting Zoe’s Place in the appointment of a new Trusts and Foundations Manager, a key role at an exciting time of growth for the charity.

About the charity

Zoe’s Place is the only baby specific hospice charity in the UK, providing specialist palliative, respite and end of life care for children aged 0 to 5 with life limiting and life-threatening conditions. They offer a safe, nurturing and joyful environment where families can feel completely supported. With their dedicated nurses delivering 24-hour care, they work together to make every moment of childhood count.

About the role:

Supporting the delivery of Zoe’s Place overall income generation strategy, by researching, record keeping, applying and reporting to a portfolio of trusts and foundations to deliver long term sustainable income growth for the Trust. Overall accountability for capital projects across the Trust

Key Responsibilities:

Account manage the trust and foundations fundraising function   

• Contribute to the maintenance of a comprehensive database for both hospice sites of all relevant grant making trusts and keep up to date with changes in the sector.
• Develop and write applications and bids to a wide range of funders as required.
• Work collaboratively with the Head of Fundraising and fundraising colleagues to ensure all funding opportunities are maximised
• Manage and develop relationships with new and existing funding partners.
• Work collaboratively with Director of Clinical Services, clinical teams and finance to prepare bids and reports.
• Ensure funding partners receive timely and appropriate information about the progress and outcomes of projects including written reports and evaluation in accordance with requirement.
• Responsible for delivery of income targets.
• Ensure excellent relationships are maintained with current, past and prospective funders so the Zoes Place Trust name is associated with honesty and high standards of service delivery.
• Organise visits and tours for trustees of charitable foundations if requested to both Middlesbrough and Coventry sites.

 Administration and pipeline

• Use our fundraising CRM and in line with GDPR to ensure accurate and timely record keeping allowing for good stewardship.
• Carry out detailed research on prospective foundations, identify and maintain a calendar for submitting applications.
• Working with an income pipeline / tracker to ensure accurate and timely financial forecasting, identifying risk to income and mitigating accordingly.
• Ensure activities comply with current law, guidance and best practice of the Fundraising Regulator

Person Specication:

• strong track record in Trusts and Foundations fundraising
• Experience of working in the charity Sector
• Excellent and persuasive writing skills and a sharp eye for details
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills

To Apply:

To receive a candidate pack or arrange a confidential conversation, please contact:

Kieran McGorrian, Head of Not for Profit Appointments, Aquilas (contact details in candidate pack)

Applications close 5pm Monday 20th April

Aquilas are wholly committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates.  We are truly invested in our candidates and being supportive and informative throughout the application journey

Job Title: Fundraising Manager

Reporting: to Chief Executive

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part-time role, 32 hours a week

Benefits: 29 days annual leave (incl. bank holidays) pro rata, pension scheme contributions, 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

Location: Mostly home-working with regular visits to The Avenues, London W10.

Job purpose

· Forward-plan funding streams to ensure a smooth and regular flow of income that meets The Avenues’ budget (currently £1.2m p.a., much of which has been secured for the next 18 months).

· Develop existing and new relationships with funders to maximise immediate and long-term income for the organisation and its various projects.

· Write compelling proposals and applications that secure significant income from trusts and foundations, coordinating input from across The Avenues team.

· Research and identify new prospects from a diversity of sources with a view to securing medium and large grants for The Avenues.

Accountabilities and responsibilities

·  Identify and develop opportunities from a range of trusts, foundations and grant-making bodies.

· Draft, submit and manage the progress of all funding applications for The Avenues’ priority projects (approximately 30-40 applications per year).

· Develop fundraising proposal budgets in collaboration with Programme and Finance colleagues, ensuring needs are accurately costed and aligned with donor requirements.

· Work with colleagues to develop new project ideas that fit within The Avenues’ organisational goals and within budgets that meet funders’ criteria.

·  Handle the post-grant paperwork, notifying the team and updating our records.

· Develop and manage positive relationships with funders, including necessary communications with grants officers, potential major donors, corporate donors and community supporters.

· Manage the pipeline of applications and fundraising database; providing financial reporting and other management information to colleagues on a timely basis.

· Work with the Chief Executive, trustees and community volunteers to help organise our fundraising events (dinner-auction, party, quiz night, marathon). Assisting with the smooth-running of these events, including writing and producing communication materials.

·  Write the quarterly email newsletter for our supporter mailing list.

· Manage and optimise the charity’s CRM system (Beacon), ensuring fundraising contact data is accurate, well maintained, and used effectively.

· Perform other duties as required by the Chief Executive to the overall direction and running of the charity and develop productive relationships with external stakeholders.

Experience and skills

·  Excellent writing skills with the ability to write concise and creative bids.

· 3+ years’ proven track record in a fundraising position, with a focus on trusts/foundations and public sector income streams.  (Or, you may equally have experience in sales and marketing in a commercial environment.)

·  Skilled at budgeting and presenting financial information in easy-to-understand formats.

·  Relationship builder and collaborative worker.

·  A creative and proactive approach to problem-solving

·  High standard of software literacy (Office software, Mailchimp and internet).

·  Highly effective verbal communicator, able to build rapport quickly and engage a wide range of stakeholders with confidence and credibility.

·  Degree or equivalent relevant qualification

Personal attributes and attitudes

·  Self-motivated and hard-working.

·  Committed to improving youth services and the lives of disadvantaged children.

·  Excellent influencing and negotiation skills.

·  Able to tackle challenges constructively and creatively find ways forward.

·  Tactful and amiable, with the ability to communicate at all levels with a variety of donors.

·  Proactive and eager to learn, with a hands-on approach and willingness to take initiative and get stuck in where needed

END

About this role:

We are seeking a motivated and experienced professional to lead our fundraising and partnership development activities, supporting the diversification and growth of income across both established and emerging streams. While the role will place significant emphasis on corporate fundraising, it will also involve the strategic development of grants and trusts. You will develop strong relationships with funders, identify new opportunities, and support our members to build their own grassroots fundraising capabilities.

Working closely with both colleagues and members, you'll help shape our funding strategy, develop high quality proposals, and ensure we have the systems and insight needed for sustainable growth. Your contributions will enable us to expand our work to engage and empower communities across Britain. 

In addition, you will help shape the guidance we provide to members of the community rail movement, strengthening their grassroots fundraising capabilities and approaches.

Main responsibilities

• Manage and grow corporate relationships for the benefit of Community Rail Network and its members, nurturing effective, lasting relationships that help community rail to deliver on its aims around community development, sustainable travel, and inclusion.
• Conduct prospect research to identify new corporate supporters and relevant grant opportunities, taking a proactive approach to cultivating new leads, building networks and flagging upcoming opportunities well in advance to ensure sufficient preparation time.
• Engage, listen and pitch to funders, understanding shared priorities, articulating the value of partnering with us, and securing continued or increased support. 
• Work cross-team to create strong proposals, using member and partner insights to identify funding needs and opportunities, and develop compelling cases for support and budgets.
• Develop joint grant applications by collaborating with colleagues, members and external partners to create bids aligned with our strategic aims and which recognise our current strengths, resources and prioritie
• Support strategic funding development, working closely with the senior leadership team to shape our approach and deliver against funding objectives and ensure it is understood by colleagues.
• Champion a positive fundraising culture and ethos, providing expertise and contributing member support, training, and events across the community rail movement.
• Contribute to wider organisational activity, including using major events and campaigns, such as the Community Rail Awards, to advance fundraising efforts.
• Develop and maintain effective fundraising systems, including funder reporting, review processes, and tracking KPIs to monitor progress and impact.

Skills, competencies and experience

1. Proven skills and experience in third sector fundraising, including corporate fundraising, grant management and funder reporting, with a broad understanding of the full fundraising mix and ability to spot new opportunities.
2. A demonstrable proactive approach to relationship building, with experience engaging and stewarding funders to create long-term mutually beneficial partnerships.
3. Strong proposal/grant application and report writing skills, able to tailor communication for different audiences and stakeholders to maximise clarity, relevance and impact.
4. Excellent verbal and written communication, with the ability to gather insight and inspire engagement both internally and externally.
5. Strong organisational and time management skills, able to balance multiple and competing  priorities and meet deadlines effectively. 
6. Experience of, or demonstrable understanding of, membership organisations, including the ability to balance member needs with our organisational objectives.
7. Appreciation of and commitment to community development, empowerment and sustainability, and the value of community engagement in relation to transport.
8. Solid understanding of KPIs, targets, budgeting, and risk management, with the ability to plan, track and evaluate performance effectively.
9. A proactive, positive and self-motivated mindset, able to work independently, collaborate well, and inspire confidence in others.
10. IT literate, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, TEAMs, the internet and social media.

Other information

This post is home-based, but with travel (including occasional overnight stays) for team meetings, events, member engagement, and external meetings. This is a permanent position and includes a probationary period of three months from the date of appointment. Successful applicants will need to provide proof that they have the right to work in the UK and provide two references.

Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising up to 30 days, plus Bank Holidays, in line with long service); pension with employer contribution of 3%; flexi-time working (core hours 10am-3pm); access to Employee Assistance Programme. 

We are committed to being a flexible, supportive and understanding employer.

Community Rail Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and Black, Asian and other minoritised groups, who meet with the skills and competencies for this role. We will provide reasonable adjustments for interviews as required.

"I can honestly say my three years at Settle have been the best years of my fundraising career." (outgoing Head of Fundraising and Senior Leadership Team member Penny Day).

100% of staff would recommend Settle as a great place to work.
95% of staff would agree that Settle is a welcoming and inclusive organisation. 

When young people in care turn 18, all the support they’ve relied on can fall away, literally overnight.  Suddenly, they have to navigate adulthood on their own. This would be tough for any teenager, even if they could fall back on their family for help. So it’s not surprising that two out of three care-experienced young people feel unprepared to leave care. Too many still don’t get the support they need to make it safely past this cliff edge.

Care leavers aged 18-21 are nine times more likely to experience homelessness than their peers.

Settle exists to change this. We’re an award-winning charity, supporting care-experienced young people as they move into their first home, so they can confidently transition into independent living, avoid eviction and homelessness, and establish the foundations they need to thrive in adulthood. We are on a mission to end homelessness among care-experienced young people.

With our current Head of Fundraising leaving us to go travelling, we’re seeking someone new to help us achieve this ambition. You’ll have a lot to build on. Over the last three years, we’ve grown our income dramatically, and diversified our funder portfolio. We have strong relationships with our committed and supportive funders, underpinned by an organisation-wide commitment to fundraising.

This is a crucial role for Settle, and you’ll have the support you need to excel. In 2025, we grew our fundraising team from one (this post) to three. You’ll take on the leadership of an engaged and enthusiastic team, increasingly responsible for day-to-day management of trust and foundation fundraising. As well as inspiring the team to great things, you’ll have the opportunity to develop and deepen our relationships with philanthropists and high net worth individuals. You’ll have active support and engagement from me and the Board, with regular opportunities to involve trustees in your work.

As we head into future years, you’ll lead the development and delivery of our next fundraising strategy. We’re proud of our welcoming, inclusive and collaborative culture. We’re committed to staff wellbeing, with regular socials and time away as a team, and four wellbeing days every year on top of generous annual leave. You’ll play a key leadership role in fostering this culture and shaping Settle as we grow.

If this opportunity sounds as exciting to you as it does to us, we’d love to hear from you. We are also happy to share more about our fundraising so do request this when you get in touch. 

We’d love to hear from you if:

✷  You are passionate about making a significant contribution to our mission to end homelessness among care-experienced young people, and want to use your skills to help Settle reach more young people

✷  You are an outstanding communicator, with excellent storytelling skills in person and in writing, and the ability to craft and share a compelling vision and case for support

✷  You’re a strategic thinker with excellent analytical skills and the ability to translate strategy into clear decisions and action

✷  You are a values-driven leader, committed to bringing out the best in your team and supporting them to stretch and develop

✷  You are self-motivated and organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines, and maintain progress while responding to emerging opportunities

✷  You are financially literate and able to work effectively with numbers and financial information

✷  You are willing and able to support managers in other teams, cover for other members of Settle’s Senior Leadership Team when necessary, and play a wider leadership role in the organisation

✷  You are dedicated to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion into all areas of your work

EXPERIENCE NEEDED FOR THIS ROLE

ESSENTIAL

✷  Significant track record of raising funds from trusts and foundations

✷  Experience of securing major gifts, donations or grants from high net worth individuals or family foundations

✷  Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships with funders or other senior external stakeholders

✷  Substantial experience of preparing funding applications and reports

✷  Experience of line managing and leading high performing teams, with the ability to coach, motivate and develop others

✷  Experience of developing and effectively delivering strategy

DESIRABLE

✷  Knowledge of youth homelessness, the care system or other relevant issues facing young people

✷  Experience of leading a growing team or contributing to organisational growth

BENEFITS

✷  Scope to take real ownership of a key strategic priority in a fast-growing charity

✷  Flexible working arrangements

✷  40 days paid leave per year: 25 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, 3 days between Christmas and New Year and 4 personal wellbeing days

✷  Regular 1:1s with the Chief Executive and active support of the Senior Leadership Team and Board for Settle’s fundraising strategy

✷  Strong commitment to professional development with a dedicated individual training budget and a line manager dedicated to supporting your growth

✷  Annual performance and pay progression reviews

✷  Up to 6% pension contribution

✷  Cycle to work scheme

✷  Employee Assistance Programme offering free therapy

✷  Work phone and laptop

✷  A supportive and inclusive culture with regular team social events and annual all staff away day

MORE KEY INFO

Hours: The hours are full-time (35 hours per week) preferred, with attendance at funder events outside core hours as needed from time to time – part-time will be considered for the right candidate but we envisage at least 0.8FTE / 28 hours per week

Location: Hybrid working between our office in London Bridge and working from home – our standard expectation is at least 2 days a week of contact time (in the office, funder meetings or events). We have a monthly in person team meeting on a Wednesday, and hold our monthly SLT meetings in person on a Tuesday. 

Flexibility: Settle is committed to flexible working and will work with the successful candidate to agree mutually positive working arrangements

HOW TO APPLY

Charlotte Wilmot at Eardley Wilmot is managing this appointment on our behalf and will be delighted to support you with your application. Please send your CV together with any questions to her directly in the first instance.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and a member of the Care Leaver Covenant. We are actively trying to increase the diversity of our workforce and we encourage applications from people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds. Please see our website for more information on our approach to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

We also guarantee an interview for care-experienced applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role because we want to increase the representation of lived experience in the team.

We aim to make the interview process as accessible as possible so please do not hesitate to let Charlotte know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

The closing date for the role is Friday 17 April with interviews taking place in the week commencing 27 April.

We really look forward to hearing from you!

At Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK, we’re transforming what support looks like for people severely affected by mental illness. To help us reach even more people, we’re looking for a Prospect Research Manager to shape and lead our prospect research function—providing the intelligence, insight and strategic direction that will fuel our fundraising growth.

If you’re a curious, analytical thinker with a passion for uncovering opportunities and turning insight into impact, this could be your next step.

Online interviews for these roles will be held on 14th, 15th and 16th April.

About the role

As our Prospect Research Manager, you’ll be the driving force behind our high-value prospecting strategy across Philanthropy, Trusts & Grants, and Corporate Partnerships.

You will:

• Lead a proactive research strategy that identifies, qualifies and prioritises high‑value prospects
• Deliver high‑quality profiles, briefings, due diligence and portfolio insights
• Build connection maps to uncover warm pathways into potential partners
• Champion best practice in data, insight, and CRM usage (HIVE & Salesforce)
• Stay ahead of trends in philanthropy, corporate giving and grant-making
• Guide and develop our Prospect Researcher—fostering a culture of curiosity, integrity and collaboration
• Work closely with senior fundraisers to shape portfolios, pipelines and long-term strategy

In short: you’ll make sure our fundraisers have the intelligence they need to build strong, meaningful relationships that change lives.

Who you’ll work with

You’ll collaborate across our high‑performing Fundraising team, including:

• Trusts & Grants Managers
• Philanthropy Manager
• Corporate Partnerships
• Senior leadership across External Affairs

This is a role where your insight will influence decisions at every level.

About you

You’ll thrive in this role if you bring:

Essential skills & experience

• Significant experience in prospect research for fundraising
• Strong knowledge of Philanthropy, Trusts & Grants, and Corporate fundraising
• Ability to lead complex research projects with strategic focus
• Outstanding analytical and communication skills
• CRM confidence (Salesforce experience a big plus)
• Experience with due diligence, connection mapping and portfolio management
• A collaborative, proactive approach to working with teams and stakeholders
• Sound understanding of GDPR, ethics, and the Fundraising Code of Practice
• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion—and our mission

Desirable, but not essential

• Knowledge of the mental health or wider health/social care sector
• Experience with wealth screening tools or AI in prospect research

Why join us?

Working across both Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK means you’ll be part of a team that generates nearly £6 million annually to support life-changing services, campaigns, and programmes.

Your insight and leadership will directly contribute to better outcomes for people living with mental illness—and that’s something you can feel proud of every day.

Ready to make a difference?

If you’re excited by the thought of leading insight-driven fundraising research—and want to help us create a world where everyone affected by mental illness gets the support they deserve—we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us drive meaningful, lasting change.

Fundraising Officer

Stomping Grounds North East
�� North East England (hybrid/remote arrangements considered)
�� Full-time | Permanent
�� £28,000 per annum

�� Help us connect children and communities with nature

Are you a skilled fundraiser who wants to make a real difference? Join Stomping Grounds North East and help expand access to life-changing outdoor experiences for children, young people and families.

About Us

Stomping Grounds North East is a charity dedicated to connecting children, young people, families and communities with nature through forest school and outdoor learning activities across Northumberland, Durham, Gateshead and Newcastle.

We believe that access to the outdoors and its benefits should be a right, not a privilege, and we actively work to remove barriers for under-served groups.

Our Values

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, particularly those who are under-represented in the outdoor and environmental sector.

We recognise that diverse perspectives strengthen our work and are dedicated to creating a welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment for all staff, participants and partners.

Safeguarding & Safer Recruitment

Stomping Grounds North East works closely with children, young people and families and is committed to safeguarding and promoting their welfare.

We embed safeguarding across all areas of our work and expect all staff to share this commitment. This role is subject to safer recruitment processes, including satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

About the Role

We are seeking a proactive and skilled Fundraising Officer to lead and grow our income generation activities. You will play a key role in securing funding, building strong relationships, and communicating the impact of our work.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and develop fundraising activity within a growing organisation and directly contribute to expanding our reach and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Applications

• Develop and submit high-quality funding applications to trusts, foundations and statutory funders
• Build and manage a strong funding pipeline
• Work with senior leadership to shape fundraising strategy

Donor Management

• Manage individual giving, including one-off and regular donations
• Build long-term relationships with donors
• Maintain accurate records and ensure GDPR compliance

Corporate Partnerships

• Develop relationships with corporate partners and local businesses
• Create tailored sponsorship proposals
• Deliver partner engagement and reporting

Monitoring, Evaluation & Impact

• Support impact measurement across programmes
• Collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data
• Produce clear reports for funders and stakeholders
• Monitor income against targets and report on performance

Storytelling & Communications

• Capture compelling stories and case studies
• Support fundraising through content across digital platforms
• Ensure ethical and sensitive representation of participants

Compliance & Reporting

• Submit funder reports in line with agreements
• Maintain strong record-keeping and stewardship practices

About You

Essential

• Experience in fundraising, bid writing or grant management
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organisational and project management skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Experience of monitoring, evaluation and impact reporting

Desirable

• Experience in the charity, education or outdoor learning sector
• Experience in corporate or community fundraising
• Experience in ethical storytelling

What We Offer

• A meaningful role in a values-driven organisation
• Flexible working arrangements
• A supportive and collaborative team
• Opportunities for professional development
• The chance to make a tangible difference

How to Apply

Please note that CVs will not be accepted.

To apply, please visit the Stomping Grounds North East website and go to the ‘Join our team’ page.

We’re looking for a part-time Trusts Fundraising Officer to contribute their skills, experience, and personality to add value to our Trusts team within the Fundraising department at Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.

This home-based role is now available due to the current post holder moving on to new pastures. The Trust team has had incredible success in recent years, which we are eager to sustain and grow. The successful candidate will provide support to the Trusts Fundraising Manager and work alongside a fellow part-time Trusts Fundraising Officer within this ambitious team.

The role is a varied one, focusing on all aspects of the funding cycle – from identifying opportunities and building relationships, to writing compelling applications and providing high level stewardship. The team works collaboratively across the Association to ensure Blesma’s programmes and services can continue to help limbless veterans and their families.

Blesma is unique as a membership Association as well as a charity. Our Members are the heart of all our work – therefore, the impact of our fundraising is clearly visible in the experiences of our inspirational limbless veterans.

If you’re interested, please read the attached Job Description and apply with your C.V. and a Covering Letter detailing why you’d be an ideal candidate for the role and how your experience and skills match those detailed in the Person Specification.

If you are uncertain about your suitability, apply anyway and let us decide! 

We may close the application down early if we receive a high volume of applications. 

About You. 

You will be a self-motivated and proactive senior trust fundraiser, excited about this new role and achieving our ambitious fundraising goals – approaching it with good humour, resilience and resourcefulness, and confident in your skills and abilities. 

Professional, reliable and highly organised, you will enjoy working collaboratively, able to inspire and support colleagues, and have a strong team ethos.Outgoing and engaging, you will be able to convey a passion for nature and wildlife to different audiences and feel confident when sharing our vision and impact with others. You will be able to nurture and develop relationships with key stakeholders, including those we do not already have a relationship with.

You will have a strong knowledge of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent and be able to work/travel throughout the county.

We welcome applications from senior trust fundraisers, bid writers from the commercial sector and senior fundraisers from major donors or corporate partnerships who can demonstrate transferable skills and knowledge, and success at the income levels required. 

About the Role.  

We are investing in our Fundraising and Development team to deliver an ambitious 5-year fundraising strategy. The Trusts and Philanthropy Manager is pivotal in securing philanthropic support from trusts and foundations, legacies, major donors, and corporate partners.

 
Over the strategy period you will be responsible for developing annual trust and grant income to £500,000+, by securing grants of five figures and above and gaining multi-year donations.Using your experience in creating strong cases for support, including unrestricted costs, and pipeline development, you will work with two part-time colleagues to increase annual income from major donors, legacies and corporate partners to £250,000+ (excluding exceptional legacy gifts). 

With curiosity, you will identify funding opportunities and reach new audiences. You will thrive on building strong, long-lasting relationships, cultivating donors through verbal and written communications, and managing stewardship events.

As a senior manager, you will have budget responsibility, report regularly, and mitigate under performance.You will ensure joined-up planning and delivery, developing fundraising relationships across income streams, and you will enjoy line management, collaborating with others, and leading project groups to deliver targets on deadlines. 

A typical week is expected to include at least 2 days from our Wolseley Head Office, 1-2days in Staffordshire to secure new support and meet donors, the remaining time worked remotely, with flexibility as required. 

About Us. 

“Staffordshire Wildlife Trust protects and enhances the wildlife and wild places of Staffordshire and promotes understanding, enjoyment and involvement in the natural world.” 

A registered charity established in 1969, we are one of 46 county Wildlife Trusts throughout the UK and are supported by over 18,000 members. 

The Trust owns or manages 45 nature reserves covering an area of over 1900 hectares. We have around 140 staff, based in six locations around the county including our Headquarters at Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, with our work divided into four departments: Conservation Delivery & Engagement, Fundraising and Development, HR & Support Services, and Resources. The Trust has a diverse workforce including site wardens, wildlife surveyors, community and education officers, catering, retail and administration. 

In addition, we have a trading company which looks after the trading side of our business. This includes a café at The Wolseley Centre, charity shops in Leek, Penkridge and Codsall, and a retail shop in the Wolseley Centre. 

We’re Wild About Inclusion! To us, this means inspiring, empowering and engaging people from all backgrounds, cultures, identities and abilities, to change the natural world for the better. It means creating workspaces where difference is celebrated, everyone can be themselves and flourish, just like nature. 

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is committed to keeping children and young people safe, you can see our policy on our website.Safeguarding and protecting our visitors, customers, members, staff and volunteers is the responsibility of every trustee, employee, and volunteer at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. For applicable roles, applicants must be willing to undergo checks with past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the eligible level. 

Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident accredited employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for vacancies. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities. 

At SWT, we are committed to creating a safe environment where discrimination, bullying, and harassment are not tolerated. We expect everyone to uphold, respect, and support our zero-tolerance policy.

Please be aware we may not accept applications if we have reason to believe they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools 

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity.Charity No: 259558.

Closing Date:  9am on Monday 30th March 2026 

Interviews: 1st stage - MS Teams call during the recruitment period 
2nd stage -Wed 8 April or Fri 10 April 2026

Sydenham Garden is seeking to appoint a Grants, Trusts and Statutory Fundraising Lead for two days per week on a fixed term contract for two years. They will join our team of 14 staff and 70 volunteers supporting people living with mental ill-health and dementia in south-east London. 

Position:  Grants, Trusts and Statutory Fundraising Lead 

Contract:  Fixed term for 2 years 

Hours:  0.4 FTE 15 hours per week

Salary: £38,000 pro rata

Annual leave: 33 days including bank holidays pro rata

Location: Sydenham Garden Resource Centre, SE23 2LW or working from home – minimum 1 day a month in office

Application closing date: 9am Monday 13 April 

Interview date: Friday 1 May 

Our Organisation 

Sydenham Garden, based in Lewisham in South-East London, is a special, unique and beloved wellbeing centre utilising its gardens, nature reserve and activity rooms to help people living with and recovering from mental and physical ill-health. We were established in 2002 and will celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2027. We provide nature and arts based creative, social and therapeutic activities for co-workers (the name we give our primary beneficiaries). People are referred to us from community organisations and health professionals and we use an integrative approach where those with different degrees of mental and physical ill health come together with volunteers from the local community to reduce social exclusion and prejudice. Each year we work with on average over 250 co-workers and over 70 volunteers. 

About you 

You’ll have experience in building relationships with a range of Trusts, Foundations and statutory funders, drafting compelling funding proposals and demonstrating impact through high-quality reports. You’ll have excellent communication and people skills and feel comfortable both thinking strategically and managing competing priorities day-to-day. Most importantly, you’ll thrive in a small team working to make a big impact for people living with mental ill-health and dementia. 

Why you should join us  

Sydenham Garden is a small team rooted in our local community, and that community is at the centre of everything we do; from the people we support, to the volunteers and neighbours who get involved in our gardens and our work in all sorts of ways. 

We work collaboratively, support each other across different areas of the organisation, and aren't afraid to try new approaches and learn from what doesn't work. We're values-led, we care deeply about our impact, and we hold ourselves accountable to the people and communities we serve. 

We're also confident advocates for our work, and comfortable making the case for Sydenham Garden to funders, partners and the wider community. 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

Sydenham Garden is committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We want to build a diverse and inclusive staff, volunteer and trustee team where everyone feels that they belong and that reflects the profile of the communities we serve. Therefore, we will welcome and consider applications from candidates of all backgrounds and protected characteristics, and we particularly encourage applications from people of African or Caribbean heritage to ensure our staff team represents the communities we serve.