Children with Cancer UK
Head Of Philanthropy
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Head of Philanthropy
Role Overview
We are seeking an exceptional Head of Philanthropy to create and lead our major donor, Trusts and Foundations, and Corporate partnerships programme while optimising the Individual Giving (IG) programme. This is a full-time, senior leadership role, based at our Holborn office in London, with hybrid working in place. The successful candidate will work 3 days per week on-site engaging with donors, with the remainder available for remote work.
This role is critical—you’ll develop and deliver an ambitious philanthropy strategy to build a sustainable pipeline of lifetime and legacy gifts in five, six, and seven-figure, multi-year commitments from high-net-worth individuals, corporates, and Trusts and Foundations. You’ll also refine our long-standing, multi-million-pound IG programme.
Your impact will shape a sector-leading major donor programme, strengthening stewardship, networks, and transformational support for children with cancer.
About the Organisation
Children with Cancer UK is a leading children’s cancer charity, dedicated to raising and investing funds into specialist research to save the lives of children with cancer. Our mission is to:
- Improve survival rates and the quality of survival of young cancer patients.
- Develop ways to prevent cancer in children in the future.
Since our founding in 1988, we’ve evolved into a major force, raising over £300 million and investing in more than 200 research projects to tackle the injustice of cancer in childhood.
Main Responsibilities
Strategic Income Growth
- Develop and deliver an ambitious philanthropy strategy.
- Build and manage a sustainable, multi-year pipeline of five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts.
- Review and enhance stewardship journeys, ensuring donor relationships are nurtured effectively.
- Expand mid-level giving programmes, increasing supporter volume and value.
- Optimise the IG programme (direct mail, lottery, raffle campaigns).
- Revive and strengthen legacy giving.
- Design and deliver high-impact fundraising events with strong ROI.
- Create compelling, emotionally engaging, and evidence-based proposals and presentations.
Leadership & Culture
- Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing philanthropy team.
- Coach managers to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
- Partner with senior leaders to align fundraising with overall charity strategy.
- Embed collaboration and co-production in fundraising efforts.
- Promote an inclusive, positive, and high-performing culture, leading by example.
- Foster team morale and engagement through supportive leadership and clear communication.
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Performance & Governance
- Take full accountability for departmental budgets, KPIs, and income targets.
- Monitor and forecast income, taking corrective action as needed.
- Hold teams to high standards of performance through measurable goals.
- Provide decisive leadership for effective decision-making and performance.
- Ensure the Salesforce CRM is used to analyse patterns and identify potential donors.
- Lead strategic cross-team initiatives to enhance fundraising capability and shared learning.
- Maintain compliance with Fundraising Regulator Code of Conduct, GDPR, and data protection requirements.
About You
We are seeking a strategic, relationship-led fundraising leader with:
- A proven track record in securing high-value, multi-year commitments from high-net-worth individuals, corporates, and Trusts/Foundations.
- Experience leading an Individual Giving/Direct Mail programme.
- A passion for building programmes and coaching teams.
Key Requirements
You will bring:
Essential: Brainstorm financial analysis or insights from your experience—this could include multidisciplinary insights from fields like finance, psychology, engineering, technology, or life sciences.
- Demonstrable experience of leading a major donor programme.
- Proven success in securing and stewarding multi-year gifts of five, six, and seven figures.
- Experience managing an IG programme.
- Strong leadership skills to motivate, influence, and deliver high-performance teams.
- Robust financial acumen in budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis.
- A data-driven, solutions-focused approach; strong decision-making backed by evidence.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- A values-led approach that authentically includes people with lived experience.
- Willingness to travel within the UK and attend evening/weekend events.
Desirable:
- Experience using Salesforce.
- Governance, compliance, and risk management expertise.
- Public speaking ability.
- Understanding of lottery and raffle mailing strategies.
- Creativity and innovation in fundraising.
We’re open to hearing from you even if you don’t meet all criteria but have relevant experience.
Person Specification
Essential Skills and Experience:
✔ Management of major donor, corporate, and Trusts & Foundations teams. ✔ Experience leading an Individual Giving/Direct Mail team. ✔ Ability to set and manage budgets. ✔ Coaching and mentoring colleagues effectively. ✔ Building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders. ✔ Utilising CRM data to identify trends and donor patterns. ✔ Proven leadership, decision-making, and people management skills. ✔ Exceptional relationship-building and persuasive communication. ✔ Ability to convey impact using emotion and evidence. ✔ Increasing fundraising income with measurable success. ✔ Managing change and driving continuous improvement. ✔ Working thoughtfully under pressure and meeting deadlines. ✔ Demonstrating initiative, working independently with strong decision-making skills. ✔ Ability to work collaboratively and contribute to a positive culture.
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Desirable:
✦ Familiarity with Salesforce. ✦ Governance, compliance, and risk management experience. ✦ Public speaking proficiency. ✦ Understanding of lottery and raffle strategies. ✦ Creative and innovative fundraising approaches.
Other Information
At Children with Cancer UK, we value diversity and are committed to:
- Creating an inclusive culture.
- Ensuring everyone can thrive by bringing their authentic selves to work.
This job description is not exhaustive and may evolve to reflect sector changes.
Diversity Statement
We adhere to an equity-first, anti-racist approach and believe:
- Everyone deserves a fair chance.
- Small, incremental changes are wrong — “increment” implies disproving a wrong, [we never should create the wrong].
- Equity is not a fuzzy extra—it is core to our transformational mission to change lives affected by cancer in childhood.
- Equality is not enough; we must break down embedded systemic barriers.
- This role can serve as an anchor point for equity in fundraising if you exempt people from acting as “good examples.”
Our actions must prepare every staff member to live and work with equity despite their own barriers. We don’t suggest potential fixes within the job requirements but instead systemic reorganisation.
How to Apply
Our shortlisting process is anonymised to uphold equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Apply in two parts:
- Submit a CV ($500).
- Submit a cover letter ($700).
Key Requirements:
- Your application must reflect personal experience and clear perspective: Do not use AI tools for the cover letter, as your ideas will be discussed at length during the interview process.
- To apply, you must be eligible to work in the UK.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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