Company Limited by Guarantee Number 1741926 Charity Number 287779 Registered in England as Single Homeless Project
shp Single Homeless Project
Job title: Philanthropy and Major Gifts Officer
Delegated Authority: Level 7
Team: Fundraising
Responsible to: Assistant Director of Fundraising
Responsible for: N/A
Job purpose
The Philanthropy and Major Gifts Officer exists to unlock the kind of support that changes what is possible for people experiencing homelessness across London. As SHP’s first role dedicated to philanthropy, it has a clear purpose: to build powerful, lasting relationships with individuals who want to stand alongside our clients and be part of ending homelessness, and to turn that commitment into meaningful, sustained income that directly strengthens our services.
Working closely with the Assistant Director of Fundraising, you will bring our Philanthropy and Major Gifts strategy to life, shaping how SHP connects with major donors and growing a strong pipeline of support. This role is about more than securing income. It is about creating genuine, human connections between donors and our work, helping people understand the reality of homelessness in London and the difference their support makes day to day. Through thoughtful cultivation and stewardship, you will build relationships that feel personal, purposeful and rooted in impact.
By working across teams and services, you will ensure philanthropic support is aligned with where it is needed most, opening new opportunities to expand and sustain our work. At its core, this role exists to bring in the level of funding that allows SHP to go further, reach more people and support more Londoners to move away from homelessness and into safe, stable and independent lives.
Key accountabilities
Philanthropy and Major Donors
Support the Assistant Director of Fundraising in implementing the recently created Philanthropy Strategy across the charity.
Identify and cultivate new Philanthropic prospects through research, networking, and internal introductions.
Coordinate and deliver communications, including cases for support, impact reports, newsletters, and thank you messages.
Build and maintain regular communication with prospects.
Work closely with internal teams such as the EMT, Board of Trustees, and programme delivery teams to ensure the right people are communicating with our philanthropists.
Work with programme delivery teams to ensure impact is being tracked correctly, timely, and communicated in an appropriate format to the donor.
Regularly review trends and best practice within the Philanthropy and Major Gifts sector, including identifying new potential platforms for management or prospecting.
Other fundraising
Work with the wider fundraising team to develop compelling funding propositions aligned with our clients’ needs.
Work with the Fundraising Tem to devise and implement targeted, creative, and engaging inyear fundraising campaigns. Christmas will be the peak period for this.
Support the Corporate Partnerships Team with volunteering where needed.
Support the wider fundraising team at events.
Internal engagement
Work together with the Assistant Director of Fundraising to engage staff at all levels of the organisation in the corporate partnerships programme and win buy-in across teams and departments.
Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of SHP projects and services to respond to the funding needs and operational priorities of SHP, and to help produce informative reports for donors.
Monitor and regularly share information across SHP about the impact of major gifts to promote staff buy-in.
Administration
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in line with GDPR best practice and policy.
Work with the Finance team to ensure prompt payment and processing of financial contributions, donations, and other fundraised income.
Ensure all major donor personal information is uploaded to the fundraising CRM (Beacon) and all records are kept up to date.
Miscellaneous
SHP is at discretion to amend your responsibilities and, in addition to these, you may be required to perform other duties as may be required for the efficient running of the organisation.
To create inclusive working environments and cultures to enable colleagues and clients to feel safe and empowered to achieve their full potential.
Technical and professional know-how needed for position
When completing your application, you will be required to address (using examples) some of the points below
Experience and Knowledge
Experience of working with major donors and philanthropists to secure major gifts.
Track record of securing donations from individuals or Trusts.
Experience of thanking and maintaining accurate records of donations using systems such as a CRM, excel, or other income processing systems.
Strong understanding of donor audiences and the supporter journey.
Skills and Abilities
An ability to build warm and lasting relationships with individuals both externally and internally.
Ability to write and communicate compelling cases for support and talk enthusiastically about the work Single Homeless Project do.
A determination and initiative to reach targets, KPI’s and objectives.
Strong IT/digital skills.
Entrepreneurial, results-driven and able to work on own initiative and as part of a team, meeting deadlines under pressure.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to think strategically.