Fundraising Manager in Saffron Walden

We are looking for a fundraising manager whose core strengths are trusts and foundations fundraising, major donor cultivation, and excellent proposal writing. The NCTJ is the guardian of the gold standard in journalism training. Through charitable initiatives including the Community Reporting Fund and Journalism Diversity Fund, we widen access to journalism careers, strengthen community reporting, and champion trusted journalism at a time when misinformation and public scepticism make high professional standards more important than ever.

Diversifying and growing charitable income is a strategic priority for NCTJ. Following the development of our fundraising strategy, this role will focus on building and growing income from UK trusts, foundations and high net worth supporters. You will have the autonomy to shape the grants and major donor pipeline. Corporate partnerships are led primarily by our Head of Business Development. This role focuses on grants, major donors and stewardship.

About the role

• Research and manage a strong pipeline of trusts and foundation prospects
• Write and submit high-quality, tailored grant applications and expressions of interest
• Develop compelling cases for support, budgets, outcomes and proposal templates
• Build and manage major donor/high net worth pipeline through warm networks
• Lead on donor cultivation and follow-up
• Strengthen stewardship and reporting so funders feel valued and close to the impact
• Use HubSpot CRM to track pipeline, deadlines, reporting and performance

About you

• A strong track record in trusts and foundations fundraising
• Experience securing substantial grants (five-figure and above)
• Excellent proposal and case for support writing skills
• Experience working with major donors/high net worth supporters (or strong transferable relationship-led fundraising experience)
• Strong organisation and CRM discipline
• Confidence working with senior leaders
• Experience in journalism, media, education, social mobility or EDI is welcome but not essential.

It is vital that you support the critical role professional journalists play in our democracy.

Benefits

• Salary c £40,000 (£37,000-£43,000) depending on experience
• Pension: 5% employer and 5% employee contribution
• Annual leave of 25 days plus bank holidays
• Discretionary bonus based on company performance
• Life cover
• Training and career development

How to apply

Please apply with your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 1,000 words total) addressing the following:

• Trusts and foundations track record (300 words) Describe one trust or foundation grant of £30,000+ that you personally led. Include who the funder was, what the project was, how you shaped the proposal to meet their criteria, and the outcome.
• Proposal writing approach (250 words) When starting a new funding application, what are the first five things you do before you begin writing? Please be specific.
• Working with senior stakeholders and impact information (250 words) Give an example of how you worked with colleagues, senior leaders or contacts to gather the information needed for a funding proposal or donor meeting. What did you do and what was the result?
• Interest in journalism and the NCTJ mission (200 words) What is it about the NCTJ’s work, values and mission that interests you, and why do you think it is important at this point in time for journalism and society?

Your supporting statement is an important part of the assessment for this role. We are looking for evidence of your own proposal-writing style, experience and judgement. Generic or highly templated responses are unlikely to score well. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short writing exercise as part of the interview process.

About the NCTJ

The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) is the charity at the heart of journalism education and training in the UK. We are the guardian of the gold standard in journalism training and qualifications, and we champion equality, diversity and inclusion so that journalism is accessible to people from all backgrounds.

Through charitable initiatives including the Journalism Diversity Fund and the Community Reporting Fund, we widen participation in journalism, support community reporting, and strengthen trusted journalism at a time when misinformation and public scepticism make high professional standards more important than ever.

NCTJ is financially stable and widely respected within the industry. However, diversifying and growing charitable income is a strategic priority for 2026–27. We have developed our first fundraising strategy to support sustainable growth and impact, and this role is central to delivering it.

Purpose of the role

This is a specialist role focused on securing and stewarding funding from trusts and foundations and developing a pipeline of major donors and high net worth supporters, underpinned by exceptional proposal writing and strong relationship management. Corporate partnerships are led primarily by the head of business development. This role will support corporate fundraising through proposal/case development and stewardship where needed, but the primary focus is securing charitable grants and major donors.

Key responsibilities

1. Trusts and foundations fundraising
   • Build and manage a strong pipeline of UK trust and foundation prospects that advance NCTJ’s charitable priorities (including diversity, community reporting, and training for a fast-changing media industry).
   • Develop and maintain a grants calendar and tracking system, including deadlines, funder preferences, decision timelines, and reporting requirements.
   • Write and submit high-quality, tailored grant applications and expressions of interest, working to agreed targets and timescales.
   • Develop a suite of core fundraising materials (case for support, programme proposals, budgets, outcomes and evaluation narrative, boilerplate and templates) to increase quality and consistency across submissions.
   • Confidently communicate the NCTJ’s purpose and impact through presentations, reports, and digital content and represent the NCTJ at meetings and events, both virtually and in person.
   • Build and maintain strong funder relationships, ensuring excellent stewardship, timely reporting and opportunities for renewal and uplift.
2. Major donor / high net worth giving
   • Work with the senior team to identify major donor prospects through networks and sector connections.
   • Undertake proportionate prospect research and build a high-quality cultivation pipeline.
   • Create tailored donor proposals and impact statements that support donor interests while advancing NCTJ priorities.
   • Support cultivation meetings with briefs, materials, follow-up and stewardship plans, tracking all activity in CRM.
3. Impact, storytelling and stewardship
   • Work closely with programme and communications colleagues to gather impact data, case studies and beneficiary stories to strengthen proposals and reporting.
   • Develop and deliver a clear plan for thanking trusts and major donors, keeping them updated on impact, and staying in regular contact.
   • Use NCTJ events and industry milestones as stewardship and cultivation opportunities, coordinating targeted follow-up and relationship management.
4. Systems, reporting and evaluation
   • Maintain excellent data quality and discipline in HubSpot CRM, including prospect stage, relationship owner, next actions, submissions, reporting deadlines and contact history.
   • Produce clear pipeline and performance reports for the HoBD/chief executive (eg, submissions, conversion rates, forecast, learning and next steps).
   • Contribute to quarterly review sessions to evaluate progress and refine approach.
5. Collaborative working
   • Build strong working relationships across the charity and its stakeholders to translate NCTJ’s work into fundable propositions and well managed projects ensuring effective delivery of programmes through cross functional collaboration.
   • Bring innovative and creative concepts to the team, and develop valuable programmes and initiatives which add to the NCTJ’s new income stream.
   • Contribute to shared messaging that reflects NCTJ’s mission: high standards, quality, trusted journalism, accessibility and measurable EDI impact.

Person specification

Essential

• Significant experience in trusts and foundations fundraising, including writing successful applications.
• Proven track record of securing substantial grants (five-figure and above, including multi-year where possible).
• Outstanding proposal and case for support writing skills (clear structure, persuasive narrative, strong budgets/outcomes, and tailoring to criteria).
• Strong pipeline management skills and ability to deliver multiple submissions to deadlines.
• Experience cultivating and stewarding major donors/high net worth individuals (or strong transferable relationship-led fundraising experience).
• Strong CRM capability and reporting discipline.
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience strengthening fundraising systems, templates and stewardship processes.
• Experience in education, media/journalism, social mobility, EDI or local/community development.

Personal attributes

• A high-quality writer who takes pride in precision, tone and evidence.
• Proactive, organised and accountable.
• Warm, credible and professional with funders and senior stakeholders.
• Motivated by widening access, high standards, and trusted journalism.