Major Gifts and Partnerships Lead

Royal Mencap Society; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization in the UK is seeking a Major Gifts and Partnerships Lead to secure transformational income through six- and seven-figure partnerships. The ideal candidate will have a strong fundraising background, excellent communication skills, and experience in prospect identification. This role offers a 12-month fixed-term contract with the flexibility to work primarily in the London office. The successful candidate will contribute significantly to the organization's ambitious income growth strategy, focused on inclusion for people with learning disabilities.

Benefits

32 days of paid holiday

Discounts at leading high-street retailers

Access to health cash plans

Interest-free loans

Qualifications

• Proven success securing six‑ or seven‑figure corporate or philanthropic income.
• Strong understanding of the UK corporate and philanthropy landscape.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stewardship skills.
• Experience developing multi‑year pipelines and cross‑organisational proposals.
• Commitment to inclusion and fundraising best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the identification and securing of new strategic relationships.
• Build, manage, and deliver multi‑year pipelines across corporate and philanthropy.
• Develop compelling propositions that align with Mencap’s strategic vision.
• Maximise use of Salesforce for reporting and pipeline planning.
• Maintain high visibility with prospects and internal stakeholders.

Skills

Fundraising expertise

Strong communication skills

Sales and influencing

Experience with CRM systems

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Job Advert

Are you an ambitious, relationship‑driven fundraising specialist with a track record of securing transformational income? Do you thrive on building powerful partnerships that change lives?
If yes, this could be the perfect next step for you.

We are seeking an experienced fundraising leader as ourMajor Gifts and Partnerships Lead,bringing a strong track record of securing multi-year support from major corporate and philanthropic funders.

Following several successful years for Mencap’s Fundraising Directorate, we are striving to grow income even further across all teams and this role will play a vital part in that journey. We have a huge opportunity to grow both ourcorporate and philanthropic income,and we’re looking for someone who can truly capitalise on this potential.

Working closely with our Corporate Lead and High Value Relationships Lead, you’ll be part of a collaborative team focused on securingsix‑ and seven‑figure, multi‑year partnershipsthat provide sustainable income for people with a learning disability. Your core mission: securing transformational gifts that fuel our strategic priorities for the years ahead.

This is a pivotal role for an experienced fundraising leader who has already demonstrated the ability to transform income by building robust, multi‑year pipelines with major corporate and philanthropic funders. As this role hasno line management responsibility, it is ideal for someone who excels in hands‑on fundraising from prospect identification all the way through to secured pledges.

You will be an exceptional communicator with strong sales, influencing and stewardship skills, and you’ll be experienced at working effectively across large, complex organisations. Above all, you will bepassionate about the authentic inclusion of people with a learning disability in everything you do.

This 12‑month Fixed Term Contract offers flexibility, with visibility required in our London office and regular external meetings with prospects (several times per week). You will spend approximately60% of your time on corporate fundraising and 40% on philanthropic activity, contributing to a step‑change in transformational income at Mencap.

It’s an exciting time to join us as we launch our new 5‑year strategy and enter a period of ambitious income growth.

As ourMajor Gifts & Partnerships Lead, you will:

• Lead the identification and securing of new six‑ and seven‑figure strategic relationships with major corporate and philanthropic partners.
• Build, manage and deliver multi‑year pipelines across corporate and philanthropy.
• Use prospecting tools to identify significant new opportunities and lead their cultivation.
• Develop compelling, inspiring, transformational propositions that align with Mencap’s strategic vision.
• Work collaboratively with the Corporate Lead, High Value Relationships Lead and wider fundraising teams.
• Maximise our use of Salesforce and analytical tools for reporting, forecasting and pipeline planning.
• Maintain high visibility with prospects, supporters and internal stakeholders.

What You Will Bring

• Proven success securing six‑ or seven‑figure corporate or philanthropic income
• Strong understanding of the UK corporate and philanthropy landscape
• Excellent communication, influencing and stewardship skills
• Experience developing multi‑year pipelines and cross‑organisational proposals
• Familiarity with CRM systems (ideally Salesforce)
• Commitment to inclusion and fundraising best practice

If you are passionate about using your skills to drive transformational income and create a more inclusive future for people with a learning disability, apply now. Applications close:25th January. Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams:Week beginning 26th January.

Here at Mencap, we offer an impressive range of benefits designed to support and reward our employees to ensure that our teams feel valued and appreciated.

Our benefits package offers 32 days of paid holiday (including bank holidays, pro rata), along with a range of perks such as discounts at leading high‑street retailers, access to health cash plans, interest‑free loans, and many more exciting offerings.

For more details on what we have to offer, please see the attached document outlining all the fantastic benefits available to you as a member of our team!

About Mencap

Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

We're here to support people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. We fight for a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society for people with a learning disability to live in.

At Mencap, everyone works with people with a learning disability either providing support or advice, or alongside one another as colleagues.

Belonging at Mencap is for everyone, every day, everywhere.

• Everyone is expected to treat people well and make Mencap an inclusive organisation.
• Every day we grow and learn. It’s okay to make mistakes but we learn from them and make changes.
• Everywhere people will feel respected, valued, and safe to be themselves.

We have Belonging network groups that meet online and are open to all colleagues. The groups include people who identify as Black and Asian, LGBTQIA+, disabled or with a long‑term health condition, women, parents and carers, and their allies.

We want to encourage everyone to apply to work at Mencap and we offer a variety of different contract types and working patterns. We’re not looking for specific experience. It is your personality and values that will make you a great colleague. We will train and develop you to succeed in the role you’re applying for.