Global Donor Acquisition Lead

About the job

Are you a strategic fundraising leader ready to shape the future of global donor acquisition? At Save the Children, we are looking for a bold, collaborative, and data-driven expert to lead our global acquisition strategy. With foreign aid under pressure, individual giving has never been more vital — and this role is at the heart of driving growth, innovation, and impact across our global movement. If you are passionate about scaling supporter engagement and influencing multi-million dollar investments, this is your opportunity to make a difference at a truly global level.

Contract: Full-time, permanent (flexible working options available)

Location: Remote from any approved Save the Children office location (time zones GMT +/-5hrs preferred).

Deadline to apply: 24 August 2025

Compensation: Competitive. Specific compensation and benefits package depends on location of the applicant in line with the local Save the Children office.

International Travel Requirements: Yes, up to 20%

Leading teams: Whilst this role has no direct line management responsibility they are responsible for leading, influencing and inspiring multiple teams globally in delivery.

The Global Donor Acquisition Lead is a senior and highly influential role within Save the Children International (SCI). At a time when cuts in Foreign Aid have placed unprecedented pressure on unrestricted income, this role is central to ensuring individual giving plays a transformative role in sustaining and growing our impact. Acquisition growth is a top global priority, and this role will shape the direction and effectiveness of multi-million dollar investments across our global movement.

The postholder will lead on the development and implementation of a bold, data-driven, and future-ready global donor acquisition strategy, with a strong focus on regular giving. They will work in close partnership with SCI experts and with Fundraising Directors, Heads of Individual Giving, and channel specialists to deliver a channel-agnostic, high-performing acquisition roadmap that balances volume, quality, and long-term value.

This is a role for a strategic thinker and doer — someone who can inspire, influence, and collaborate across diverse markets and teams, while ensuring that acquisition strategies are grounded in both strategic clarity and operational excellence.

Accountabilities:

• Lead the global acquisition strategy to deliver ambitious, step-change growth in regular and single giving, with a particular focus on achieving high-quality RG donor acquisition at scale.
• Champion an omni-channel approach, ensuring acquisition strategies are integrated across DRTV, paid digital, telemarketing, Face to Face, mail and emerging channels, with a strong focus on channel mix optimisation and effective attribution.
• Drive evolution in committed giving, supporting both regular and single gift models.
• Drive best-in-class acquisition practices across all channels, working in close collaboration with channel specialists to ensure strategic alignment, knowledge sharing, and consistent optimisation of performance across the full acquisition funnel.
• Strengthen humanitarian acquisition readiness, working in partnership with the Humanitarian Fundraising Lead to ensure compelling emergency content and rapid mobilisation strategies.
• Ensure DRTV excellence and evolution, by driving best practice, coordinating a global community of practice, facilitating shared production of adverts, and exploring opportunities in connected TV (CTV).
• Explore and test new and re-emerging channels, including offline methods such as cold mail and telemarketing, to diversify acquisition and unlock new growth opportunities.
• Provide hands-on strategic and operational support to priority markets, working in close partnership with local fundraising leadership to build capacity and capability across key acquisition channels.
• Monitor global performance and trends, working with the Insights team to analyse acquisition data, track sector benchmarks, and identify opportunities for optimisation and innovation.
• Support cost-effectiveness and LTV modelling, helping members implement robust lifetime value frameworks and tackle rising acquisition costs through smarter targeting and strategy.
• Foster a vibrant Acquisition and Individual Giving community, co-managing a global network of acquisition specialists to share best practices, build capacity, and drive collective learning.
• Influence across the movement, acting as a senior thought leader and trusted advisor to Fundraising Directors, Heads of IG, and global stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Integration and our Content, Brand and Communications staff to ensure we are aligning around a fundraising first full funnel strategy.
• Lead key global initiatives within acquisition or cross-cutting fundraising areas as required.

Experience and Skills:

• Significant experience (minimum 5+ years) in strategic leadership roles in large fundraising organisations.
• Experience of leading the development and implementation of large-scale donor acquisition strategies and strategic initiatives.
• Excellent skills across a variety of different acquisition programmes/channels, including DRTV, F2F, telemarketing and digital.
• Ability to analyse complex data sets across multiple channels and markets to identify actionable insights.
• Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships and work effectively in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment respecting diversity.
• Strong personal organisational and self-management skills with the ability to lead and work in teams and to motivate others.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Education: A degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, or related and/or equivalent relevant experience to a senior level.

Language Proficiency: Excellent written and spoken English. Proficiency in additional languages is beneficial.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities: We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion.

Application Information: Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.

Our recruitment process: Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter, two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team.

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse.