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- Tasks: Inspire and manage community fundraising efforts to create life-changing wishes for children.
- Company: Make-A-Wish UK, dedicated to making wishes come true for critically ill children.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while developing your fundraising skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in fundraising or transferable skills from sales/customer service roles.
- Other info: Join a passionate team and enjoy flexible working in a supportive environment.
The predicted salary is between 27000 - 36000 £ per year.
Location: Reading, Hybrid (You will need to travel into the office when required)
Hours: Full time
Salary: £31,500 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Campaign Closes: 18th February 2026
First Stage Interviews: 25th February 2026
Second Stage Interviews: 2nd March 2026
At Make A Wish UK, we create life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The Community Fundraising team plays a crucial role in generating the income and inspiration that make every wish possible.
We are looking for someone who can deliver thoughtful, high-quality stewardship to deepen supporter relationships, manage community groups and small business partners, and create meaningful journeys that connect fundraising to the heart of each wish. By inspiring others, supporting volunteer-led activity, and working collaboratively across teams, you’ll help drive income growth and ensure more children receive the wishes that matter most.
Core Purpose
As a member of the Community Fundraising Team you will provide excellent supporter stewardship to our fundraisers, whilst proactively securing new support for Make-A-Wish UK. Working with the Community Fundraising Manager you will deliver the Community Fundraising Strategy, maximising and growing income from our Community Fundraising supporters within your geographical area.
This role sits within the Public Fundraising team who are responsible for individual giving, legacies, community fundraising, third party challenge events, and owned fundraising products and events. The Public Fundraising team plays a vital role in contributing to our organisational strategic goal of developing sustainable sources of income.
To be successful in this role you will need:
- Minimum 1 years experience in a fundraising role or able to demonstrate transferrable skills from a role in a sales or customer service setting
- Experience working towards financial and non-financial targets
- Experience of account managing a wide variety of clients/supporters/customers
- Experience managing own workload, prioritising and responding to changing demands
- Experience of relationship management in either a charity or corporate setting
- Experience of reporting on financial and KPI performance
- Excellent numerical and analytical skills, with a keen eye for detail, ensuring data accuracy and a strong understanding of reports.
- Experience of working to and exceeding financial targets and KPI’s
- Ability to work proactively and make data driven decisions
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of using Salesforce
- Strong knowledge of charity law (data protection, GDPR, Gift Aid and Fundraising Standards)
- Experience of securing financial and non-financial support through proactive work
- Ability to travel around local area and UK wide
- Able to work flexibly as and when required
Skills, knowledge and behaviours required for this role
- Excellent written and oral communication skills across a variety of communication channels
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate effectively and appropriately to a wide range of audiences and stakeholders
- Confidence to proactively approach and engage supporters and partners
- Great organisation and time management skills
- Ability to work in a fast paced environment
- Ability to use own initiative and work to targets and deadlines
- Excellent planning skills
- Skilled team player
Strategy & Planning
- With the support of the Community Fundraising Manager, develop and deliver plans for local fundraising across a broad range of markets, activities and products.
- Take ownership of your geographical area, tailoring asks and fundraising products where appropriate
- Work proactively to identify a pipeline of future support and new fundraising opportunities, varying across Small & Medium Corporates, Groups and Associations, Individual support and Third-party activities, converting prospects into confirmed supporters to maximise income growth.
- Contribute to the creation of plans for the growth and delivery of Community Fundraising, working with the Community Fundraising Manager to develop and promote Make-A-Wish fundraising products and ideas.
- Work to an agreed income target with the aim of exceeding and growing income.
Stewardship, retention and supporter journeys
- Be a key contact to deal with community fundraising supporter queries above £1,000 value, responding promptly and efficiently. This includes both supporters and volunteers taking part in fundraising activity.
- Plan and deliver excellent supporter journeys for community fundraisers to retain donors, maximise fundraising, and promote further engagement.
- Provide effective supporter-focused stewardship to retain donors, maximise fundraising, and promote further engagement through cross selling different fundraising products such as Lottery and Gift in wills.
- Maintain effective relationships with Make-A-Wish UK colleagues and all supporters, maximising retention and long-term value, and identify cross-departmental opportunities where appropriate by working collaboratively
- Manage a range of different supporter groups and small businesses up to the value of £30k, using excellent stewardship to go above and beyond, increasing income raised and retention rates to Make-A-Wish, working with other teams to develop successful volunteering opportunities to support this.
- Actively use Salesforce to keep supporter records up to date, logging all communications and ensuring accuracy and attention to detail
- Working with the Community Development Manager, develop relationships with Wish Families with a view to building sustainable family fundraising groups. Identify and implement new opportunities to align the supporter journey with the wish journey.
Operational delivery of the community fundraising plan
- Work with the Community Fundraising Manager to deliver the annual community fundraising plan within your area.
- Manage own workload in a cost effective and proactive way, whilst delivering against the plan.
- Work under own initiative to respond to local fundraising opportunities, referring to line manager as appropriate.
- Give regular talks and presentations both in person and virtually to a wide range of different audiences, inspiring people to support Make-A-Wish UK
- Contribute and create resources to support volunteer-led fundraising across the organisation.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Monitor community fundraising performance against agreed targets and KPI’s
- Present results and learnings in monthly meetings with the wider Public Fundraising team.
- Use learnings to feed into the ongoing development of the overall community fundraising strategy.
- Be accountable for set income and acquisition targets, continually monitoring performance against targets, using initiative to spot opportunities for improvement and areas of growth and acting on these opportunities.
Community Fundraiser in Reading employer: Make-A-Wish UK
Contact Detail:
Make-A-Wish UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Community Fundraiser in Reading
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the organisation inside out! Research Make-A-Wish UK, their mission, and recent campaigns. This will help you connect with interviewers and show your genuine interest in the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for landing the Community Fundraiser role.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those interviews! Think of examples from your past experience that showcase your fundraising skills and relationship management. Use the STAR method to structure your answers.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team and making a difference.
We think you need these skills to ace Community Fundraiser in Reading
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the Community Fundraiser role. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t just list your skills; give examples of how you've used them in previous roles. Whether it's managing relationships or hitting targets, we want to see how you can bring value to our team.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so make sure your writing is easy to read and free of jargon. This will help us see your potential right away!
Apply Early!: We might close the vacancy early if we get a lot of applications, so don’t wait until the last minute. Head over to our website and submit your application as soon as you can to ensure you’re in the running!
How to prepare for a job interview at Make-A-Wish UK
✨Know Your Cause
Before the interview, dive deep into Make-A-Wish UK's mission and values. Understand how community fundraising directly impacts the lives of children with critical illnesses. This knowledge will not only help you answer questions but also show your genuine passion for the role.
✨Showcase Your Experience
Be ready to discuss your previous fundraising or sales experience in detail. Prepare specific examples of how you've met financial targets or managed relationships with supporters. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses effectively.
✨Demonstrate Your Communication Skills
As a Community Fundraiser, excellent communication is key. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and confidently. Consider role-playing common interview scenarios with a friend to refine your delivery and ensure you can engage effectively with various audiences.
✨Prepare Questions
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare thoughtful questions about the Community Fundraising team, their strategies, and how they measure success. This shows your interest in the role and helps you assess if it's the right fit for you.
