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SalaryAre you looking for a new Senior Philanthropy role in a dynamic charity with a clear mission? We are delighted to be working in partnership with Bookmark Reading charity to find a Senior Philanthropy Lead. This newly created role will lead their successful philanthropy team.
Title: Senior Philanthropy Lead
Salary: £48,000 – £50,000
Location: Central London/ Hybrid – 2 days a week in the office
Hours: 37.5 hours. Compressed hours or 4 days a week considered for the right candidate
Line management: Team of 2/3
About Bookmark
Bookmark began life just over five years ago with a clear mission; they want every child to read. Currently more than one in four children are leaving primary school unable to read well. These children are more likely to drop out of school, experience unemployment, poverty, and poor mental health. Poor literacy disproportionately impacts children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Bookmark wants to make sure that all children have access to the reading resources and support they need so they can succeed in school and beyond.
Bookmark are a wonderful organisation with big impact. They partner with schools in disadvantaged communities to provide one-to-one support to their pupils, along with books, resources and grants that help teachers to develop vibrant whole school reading cultures. Last year alone they worked in over 150 schools, directly supported 2,000 children with their volunteer-led reading programme, and supplied over 50,000 brand new books to children so they can develop the reading skills and confidence they need for a fair chance in life.
About the role
As the Senior Philanthropy Lead at Bookmark, you will work with the Head of Fundraising to manage and grow our philanthropy portfolio within the wider strategy. You will lead a team of three to deliver on the fundraising strategy, line managing both the Philanthropy Manager and Senior Fundraising Executive. Your role will involve proactively researching and identifying new potential Bookmark major donors and working with trustees, staff, and the Partnerships Board to build a robust pipeline of supporters and secure introductions.
You will own and build a portfolio of new major donors through the full donor cycle who give £25,000 or more, ensuring a first-class cultivation and stewardship journey. You will create compelling, relevant, and tailored funding proposals, reports, and collateral to inspire and inform donors, reflecting Bookmark’s strong brand. You will lead on the Philanthropy events strategy and program, providing support to the Philanthropy Manager and wider team in delivering income-generating, cultivation, and stewardship events.
In addition, you will work closely with the Corporate Partnerships team to ensure opportunities to maximize income for the fundraising team. You will devise and deliver annual plans, together with associated budgets, in line with the charity’s strategic objectives. You will use Salesforce to manage the accurate recording and forecasting of major donor income, enabling efficient reporting and KPI management.
About you
To be successful in this role, you must have a successful track record in high-value fundraising and acquisition, including a proven track record of securing five or six-figure gifts to meet or exceed targets. You must have experience line managing individuals, nurturing their development, and managing their performance to achieve results. Ideally, you will have experience developing and managing a calendar of successful charity events that meet fundraising targets and managing or working with a fundraising board or high-value committee. You should have the skills to influence, motivate and persuade people to donate and experience writing successful, inspiring, emotive, and technically accurate cases for support and proposals tailored to a major donor audience.
You should be experienced in growing and managing a pipeline, planning for your portfolio, and increasing income.
If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you, apply today. We are shortlisting on a rolling basis for this role so please get in touch as soon as you can. Please send your CV to Katharine@CharityPeople.co.uk and arrange a call to hear more.
At Charity People, we match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities we work with.
