Philanthropy Manager (FTC)

Applied; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization is seeking a Philanthropy Manager. You'll build and manage a major donor portfolio, focusing on increasing income from individual donors and family trusts. The role requires experience in securing significant donations and excellent relationship development skills. As part of a dynamic team, you'll organize engaging donor events and collaborate with various departments. The position is hybrid, requiring two days a week in the London office. Join us in making a meaningful impact towards a just world free from poverty.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Work from home option

Wellness programs

Professional development

Sabbatical Opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant experience in securing five and six-figure donations.
• Experience in managing a personal portfolio of major donors.
• Ability to communicate complex funding work engagingly.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a major donor portfolio.
• Deliver high-quality donor communications and cultivation plans.
• Organize and deliver engaging cultivation events.

Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication

Relationship development

Event management

Data management

Tools

Salesforce

CRM systems

Job description

Location: Hybrid – London, UK (2 days a week in our London Office)

Team: Partnerships

Seniority: Mid-level

• Closing: 11:55pm, 5th Jan 2026 GMT

Perks and benefits

• Flexible working hours
• Work from home option
• Life Insurance
• Wellness programs
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Additional parental leave
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Paid emergency leave
• Sabbatical Opportunities
• Professional development
• Paid volunteer days
• Salary sacrifice
• Team social events
• Extracurricular clubs
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free fruit
• Free soft drinks

Job Description

Please note this is a hybrid role based on the successful candidate working at least two days a week in our London office. Remote contracts would not be considered for this role.

Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.

PURPOSE OF ROLE:

This is a new role at an exciting time of development within the philanthropy programme – it presents a great opportunity for you to contribute to our growth as we invest in the programme and work towards new and ambitious targets.

As our Philanthropy Manager, you will build and manage a healthy major donor portfolio to increase five and six figure income from individual donors and family trusts for Comic Relief.

With excellent relationship development skills and experience in securing major donations, you will increase support for our annual major campaigns, thematic funding, and our newly launched major giving product.

In a creative and dynamic organisation, you will devise and deliver a calendar of engaging and unique cultivation events and communications that reflect our brand and showcase the brilliant work of our funded partners.

Working within an ambitious team, you will have the support of our Prospect Research Manager to identify new prospects, and the Individual Giving Manager and Data Team to develop a streamlined donor journey cultivating supporters from the wider fundraising programmes.

Your contribution will be pivotal in transforming lives and helping us achieve our goal of a ‘Just World Free From Poverty’.

Key responsibilities

• Represent the organisation to a high-level and establish excellent, trusting relationships with donors and prospects through 121 relationship development.
• Deliver high quality, bespoke donor communications and cultivation plans.
• Manage the pipeline using best practice moves management.
• Deliver monthly pipeline reviews in collaboration with the Prospect Research Manager through accurate reporting and analysis.
• Maintain accurate systems and processes to support the recording of donor data, communications, and donation tracking and reporting.
• Continually feed the pipeline by prospecting from external and internal sources.
• Develop a seamless donor journey across IG channels through to the portfolio.
• Delivery high quality cultivation events and activities that attract new support and develop existing donors.
• Work with the Philanthropy Lead to secure support for and deliver the new major giving product.
• Support the Philanthropy Lead in delivering cultivation activities to secure seven figure donations.
• Work with the Philanthropy Lead to further shape and refine the philanthropy strategy, developing the programme together to achieve our inspiring 5-year goals.

Income and targets

• Achieve annual income targets.
• Set and achieve targets for moves management and pipeline growth with support from Prospect Research Manager.

Cross-team collaboration

• Work with Funding Team to identify theme-specific gift opportunities.
• Work with the IG, Storytelling, Challenges and Production teams to deliver adapted major donor appeals to support our major annual campaigns (Red Nose Day, Winter Appeal, Celebrity Challenges).
• Work with our Finance Associate and data team to ensure accurate tracking and reporting of income.
• Work with our Web team to create a new philanthropy webpage and oversee the philanthropy sections in the development of our new website.
• Work with the Social Media team to increase philanthropic messaging and storytelling across LinkedIn and sector socials.

Sector Knowledge

• Monitor trends and best-practice in philanthropy and family giving vehicles.
• Monitor trends in the UK and global funding environment, specifically next generation donors, wealth advisors, intermediaries, and talent.
• Network with peers and others in the major giving space including wealth and philanthropy advisors.

Data management

• Coordinate with the Prospect Research Manager to conduct ethical screening and due diligence.
• Ensure consistency, integrity and accuracy of donor data in compliance with GDPR.

Person Specification

• Significant experience in securing five figure donations and managing a personal portfolio of major donors.
• Excellent verbal and written communicator, with the ability to communicate often complex programme and funding work in an engaging way to lay audiences.
• Significant experience in writing compelling cases for support and major donor appeals and proposals.
• Experience in creating and delivering high quality donor events.
• Ability to represent the organisation at a high level with external audiences.
• Experience in using a CRM (e.g. RaisersEdge, Salesforce, D365) including managing donor records, moves management, running queries and reports.
• Excellent team player with the ability to support colleagues in a fast-paced and busy environment.
• Ability to work proactively and manage a busy workload with a systematic approach to work.
• Experience in securing six figure donations.
• Experience of Salesforce.

Why work at Comic Relief

There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London. There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work.

Disability Confident employer

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV or application scores. We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email [e-mail] to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.