With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Key Responsibilities:

Job Title: Director of Relationship Fundraising

Salary: Circa £75,000, depending on experience + good range of benefits

Contract: Permanent – 36.5 hours per week

Location: Hybrid - Onsite 1 day per week in Milton Keynes

Holiday: 28 days and bank holidays

Pension: 7% Employer contribution, matched by 3% personal contributionAs an active Christian, this role offers you the opportunity to integrate your Christian faith and be sensitive to its various expressions across cultures and denominations.Fundraising and Marketing DirectorateThis is an extraordinary opportunity to scale the impact of relational fundraising at World Vision UK. Reporting to the Chief Fundraising and Marketing Officer and sitting on the Fundraising Senior Leadership Team, you will lead the integration and growth of Philanthropy, Trusts & Foundations, and Legacy giving into a single, high-performing Relationship Fundraising team.With responsibility for income exceeding £10 million annually, this role is about building replicable, data-informed fundraising models and delivering transformational experiences for our supporters. You’ll champion innovation, scale legacy campaigns for a mass-market audience, and personally steward ultra-high-net-worth donors.You’ll be a seasoned leader - strategic and relational in equal measure - bringing operational excellence, spiritual maturity, and a coaching mindset to a growing, collaborative team. You’ll also play a visible external-facing role, representing World Vision UK at events, inspiring partners, and praying with supporters when appropriate.
Job purpose
This is a mission-critical leadership role within World Vision UK’s newly integrated Fundraising and Marketing Directorate. As Senior Head of Relationship Fundraising, you will be responsible for driving and scaling our high-value income streams - Philanthropy, Trusts & Foundations, and Legacies - towards a target of £10 million+ annual income within three years.You will play a strategic and hands-on role in shaping how we inspire, engage, and serve high-value supporters, integrating relational fundraising into a wider multi-channel strategy that is innovative, scalable, and impact-focused. Working across teams and with key global stakeholders, you will ensure World Vision UK delivers compelling supporter experiences that are both spiritually rich and strategically sound.
As a senior Christian leader, you will model Kingdom values, embodying our mission in both internal leadership and external relationships. You will inspire teams, develop people, and lead with faith and humility - building strong partnerships that unlock transformational giving and lasting impact.Key Responsibilities Strategic leadershipDesign and lead the strategic direction of World Vision UK’s Relationship Fundraising across Philanthropy, Trusts & Foundations, and Legacy giving.Embed systems-thinking and data-informed processes to create replicable, scalable income models.Integrate relationship fundraising within a broader fundraising and marketing approach, ensuring cross-team alignment and innovation.Income growth and performance
Deliver year-on-year growth across all high-value income streams to achieve a target of £10 million+ annually.
Scale legacy income through creative, insight-driven campaigns targeting both mass-market and high-value audiences.
Monitor performance and ROI closely, adapting strategy to maximise outcomes and donor lifetime value.Job description

Team leadership and coaching
Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team, embedding a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
Coach and mentor team members to enhance their effectiveness in donor engagement, conversion, and stewardship.
Equip your team with the tools, skills, and mindset to grow income and deepen supporter relationships.
Donor engagement and stewardship Personally manage relationships with a portfolio of major donors, foundations, and legacy supporters.Champion a tailored, relational approach to supporter engagement—balancing personalisation with scalable strategy.Design and oversee a dynamic programme of cultivation events and impact communications to inspire deeper partnership.Global collaboration and representationEngage with the wider World Vision Partnership to align strategies and share best practice in relational fundraising.Represent World Vision UK externally, including at sector events, with major donors, and within global forums.Contribute to global thought leadership in high-value fundraising and innovative donor experience design.Innovation & campaign development Lead on the development of innovative campaigns, particularly within the legacy space, to engage new audiences and increase income.Drive creative storytelling and impact-led communications to inspire supporters and differentiate World Vision’s offering.Embrace and apply new technologies and insight tools to refine supporter journeys and deepen engagement.
Person specification
We are seeking an experienced and mission-driven fundraising leader who brings a strong combination of strategic capability, relational warmth, and operational rigour. The ideal candidate will be passionate about maximising impact for vulnerable children and confident in their ability to build meaningful donor relationships that generate long-term, transformational income.
Experience and qualificationsProven track record of leading and scaling high-value fundraising programmes (philanthropy, legacies, and/or trusts & foundations), ideally within a complex or global organisation.Demonstrable success in delivering sustainable, multi-million-pound income growth through relationship fundraising.Experience of managing and coaching high-performing teams, with the ability to embed accountability, ownership, and development at all levels.Strong understanding of relational sales, pipeline management, and donor engagement strategy.Experience designing and implementing scalable fundraising systems and structures that integrate with wider marketing and supporter journeys.Experience working with CRM systems and applying data insight to segment audiences and improve supporter experience.Comfortable engaging major donors and faith-based supporters, with the ability to pray with donors where appropriate.A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in fundraising, marketing, leadership, or a related field.
Knowledge and skillsStrategic thinker with the ability to see the bigger picture and lead long-term income planning aligned to organisational goals.Excellent relationship-building skills - with donors, partners, peers, and stakeholders at all levels.Inspirational leadership skills, with a natural ability to coach, develop and motivate teams through change and growth.Excellent communication and storytelling skills - both verbal and written -with the ability to inspire donors with compelling narratives.Strong project management and organisational skills, capable of delivering results in a dynamic, multi-stakeholder environment.Working knowledge of trends and best practice in philanthropy, legacy fundraising, and trust fundraising (UK and international).Please upload your CV of full employment history explaining any gaps of employment and reasons for leaving your previous employer. This must be accompanied with a covering letter stating how you meet the essential criteria provided above.Please note that you MUST have the Right to work in the UK documentation as unfortunately, this role is not sponsored, and your application cannot be considered any further without it.Closing Date for applications:             7th July 2025We reserve the right to interview candidates and close the ad ahead of the closing date should a strong candidate be identified.As a Disability committed employer we encourage qualified individuals with a disability to apply and request a reasonable adjustment if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access https://www.worldvision.org.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ as a result of your disability. Universal acceptance for everyone, everywhere is at the heart of our Christian organisation. We promote diversity of thought, culture and background, which connects the entire World Vision family.  As such, World Vision is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and aspire to reflect this in our workforce. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented sections of the community. World Vision UK also operates flexible working policies and practices.As a child focused organisation, World Vision UK is committed to the safeguarding of children, therefore any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of applicable background checks, including a criminal records check.World Vision UK is a registered organisation operating the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) and we shall check with your previous employers about your behaviour and conduct. We will be requesting they complete a form known as a Statement of Conduct. For more information see: The Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (misconduct-disclosure-scheme.org)
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