Major Gifts Officer
Location: Sidmouth, Devon (hybrid; one day per week in office)
Salary: £31,431 per annum (full‑time, permanent, 35 hours per week)
About the Donkey Sanctuary
The Donkey Sanctuary is an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day by fostering greater understanding, collaboration, and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life‑enhancing relationships.
About the Role
As Major Gifts Officer you will support the delivery of the Major Gifts Strategy and improve Major Gifts performance. Working closely with the Major Gifts Managers, you will cultivate and steward a portfolio of mid‑value individuals and trusts, deliver agreed projects, and continuously improve stewardship and cultivation activities.
Responsibilities
* Support the delivery of the Major Gifts Strategy and improve Major Gifts performance.
* Support the Major Gifts cultivation/stewardship programme to grow financial contributions from mid‑value donors and trusts.
* Manage, support and attend Major Gifts stewardship and cultivation meetings and events, including supplier liaison, supporter invite lists, follow‑ups and budgets.
* Secure, manage and steward a portfolio of active mid‑value donors and charitable trusts, delivering compelling bids and donor reports, forging and maintaining strong relationships.
* Research current and potential major and mid‑value donors to enable a donor‑centric approach.
* Deliver and report on agreed development and stewardship projects, fundraising targets and KPIs.
* Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date donor information on our CRM system.
Qualifications
* Demonstrable experience of strong administrative and organisational support within a busy, fast‑paced environment.
* Strong project management skills, with the ability to plan, organise and prioritise workloads effectively.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft clear, engaging, and professional communications.
* A confident verbal communicator, able to build positive relationships and engage with a range of stakeholders.
* Strong data management skills and experience of working with databases or CRM systems.
* Experience of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines across competing demands while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
* Ability to support the planning and delivery of activities or events, including administrative and logistical coordination.
What We Offer In Return
This is a full‑time, permanent contract starting as soon as possible, working 35 hours per week, 08:30–16:30 Monday‑Friday. The role is nominally based at our site in Sidmouth, Devon – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We offer hybrid working, with one day in the office per week, and will consider flexibility in consultation with the line manager.
Benefits
* Competitive pension.
* 31 days holiday (including bank holidays), rising to 34 days each full year of service.
* Wellbeing team.
* Recorded Pilates and Yoga classes.
* Long service awards.
* Healthshield plan, including reimbursement for certain medical expenses up to specified limits, discounts and cashback on shopping, travel and entertainment from participating outlets, and access to a 24/7 GP and counselling service.
* Free parking.
* Subsidised restaurant and shop.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statements
The Donkey Sanctuary is a Disability Confident Employer.
The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and it expects all staff and volunteers to uphold this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.
The Donkey Sanctuary also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, for relevant posts, may request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.
The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.
#J-18808-Ljbffr