Senior Philanthropy Manager

Do you want to create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe all animals deserve kindness and respect. We work for the benefit of every animal – as well as pets, that includes farmed animals, wildlife, and animals used in science. Choose a career with us and make a difference for every kind.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Philanthropy Manager to play a key role in growing our major donor programme, building meaningful relationships with supporters and helping them make a lasting impact for animals across the UK.

• Contract:Permanent
• Working Hours:35 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
• Hybrid role:You will work from home and from either the Horsham office or London Hub once a week and will be required to travel regularly across the UK, in order to attend events and meetings.

About the Role:

This is a highly collaborative role responsible for driving income growth from a pipeline of qualified prospects, alongside managing and developing a portfolio of existing donors.

You'll lead on both stewardship and cultivation activity, ensuring every interaction reflects the very best of the RSPCA.

You'll also take ownership of Wilberforce 200, the RSPCA's first ever major donor giving club, shaping its future and creating compelling experiences that deepen supporter connection and inspire long-term giving.

Alongside your personal portfolio, you'll manage two Philanthropy Executives, supporting them to deliver an excellent supporter experience and strong operational support across the philanthropy programme.

• Meeting with one of our dedicated supporters to explore how they would like to grow their impact.
• Hosting a tour for donors at one of our incredible animal centres.
• Attending one of our amazing special events to meet your donors and create a deeper connection to the RSPCA.
• Developing and delivering a sector-leading cultivation programme to develop relationships with prospective major donors.
• Developing inspirational stewardship journeys for existing supporters to deepen their relationship to the RSPCA.
• Developing plans to grow and evolve Wilberforce 200, recruiting new members and delivering brilliant stewardship for existing donors.
• Coaching your team to deliver an excellent supporter experience for existing major donors and charitable trusts alongside effective administration across the Philanthropy programme.
• Working alongside the Partnerships & Philanthropy Resource Hub to deliver special events, support effective prospect research, grow and manage the pipeline, and create compelling cases for support.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and grow income from existing and prospective major donors (£5k–£50k).
• Lead the strategy and development of the Wilberforce 200 major donor giving club
• Build and manage a personal portfolio of donors and prospects
• Deliver high-quality, personalised stewardship and cultivation activity
• Line manage and support two Philanthropy Executives
• Support principal giving and capital campaign activity alongside the Head of Philanthropy and Philanthropy Leads.

You are a relationship led fundraiser who builds authentic relationships that create meaningful, long-term partnerships with supporters.

You are comfortable managing a mixed portfolio of stewardship and cultivation, and thrive in a role with a high level of autonomy and ownership.

You bring a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on delivery, and are confident supporting and developing others to achieve shared goals.

You are keen to bring creativity and innovation to your philanthropy plans alongside a solid foundation of tried and tested fundraising tactics to maximise fundraising potential.

You love animals and want to be part of a high performing philanthropy team.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience of personally securing major gifts (£5k–£50k)
• Experience managing a mixed portfolio in which you can support effective stewardship and lead on the cultivation of prospective major donors.
• Strong relationship management and communication skills with experience developing stewardship and cultivation plans
• Experience developing donor clubs or structured giving programmes (desirable)
• Experience of line management

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

Interviews will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of June.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our purpose is to inspire everyone to create a better world for animals. We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our purpose. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family!

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.