Donor Relations Specialist

Stratford, England, United Kingdom

5/14/2025

Donor Relations Specialist X2

£48,000 - £52,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Head of Campaign and Engagement

Directorate: Strategy & Philanthropy

Contract: x2 Contracts Permanent and 12 Month Fixed Term Contract (August 2025 start)

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week (flexible working such as a 28 hour week would be considered)

Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Closing date: 28 May 2025 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

Recruitment process: 2 stage process, 1 Competency based interview via Microsoft Teams, 2nd will include a task relevant to the role.

Interview date: 1st stage w/c 9th, 2nd stage w/c 16 June 2025

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

Cancer Research UK are recruiting for two Donor Relations specialists to join their sector leading Philanthropy team.

As a part of the wider CRUK fundraising efforts, the Philanthropy Directorate is one of the largest and most successful fundraising teams in the UK. An ambitious and innovative team of 60 talented philanthropy professionals, our focus is the £400m ‘More Research, Less Cancer’ (MRLC) campaign which has four key priorities: the Francis Crick Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges, Translation & Innovation, and our Future Leaders’ programme. We’ve recently reached the milestone of £200m. 

As a Donor Relations Specialist you will work in close collaboration with the directorates fundraising teams including senior leadership and volunteers to develop and deliver a world-class cultivation, engagement and stewardship programme to attract, engage, recognise, thank and demonstrate impact to high value donors( principle gifts of over 1million)and drive income for Philanthropy’s £400m campaign

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Donor Relations professional or Supporter Care Specialist to utilise their skills and experience within the UKs largest charity, stewarding some of our biggest donors and supporting us in bringing about a future where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.

What will I be doing?

• Build relationships with a range of senior internal and external stakeholders and influence as necessary to ensure the successful delivery of strategic initiatives
• Work in close collaboration with Donor Relations Senior Manager to develop the £1m+ stewardship strategy for the directorate, drawing on donor insight and external trends.
• Use experience and expert knowledge to plan, delivery and monitor comprehensive cultivation, engagement, and stewardship touchpoints.
• Proactively collaborate with fundraisers to develop robust supporter journeys
• Identify potential opportunities to engage donors and prospects and lead on the development and implementation of regular touchpoints
• Oversee the delivery of stewardship commitments to demonstrate impact and educate and inspires further philanthropic support.
• Oversee donor communications from CRUK leadership for the directorate.
• Collaborate with Donor Relations team to develop and refine processes for gift confirmations, agreements, acknowledgements, pledge monitoring, recognition, and recording of donor intent. Ensure protocols are in line with department and team priorities and strategies.
  
  
  

What are you looking for?

• Significant experience and in-depth understanding of principal gift fundraising and stewardship, with a record of securing or stewarding gifts at the £500k+ level.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability and to be a strong team player.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills including experience in writing and managing the development of funding proposals and stewardship reports for a principal gift/high value audience.
• Outstanding track record of managing complex projects including the ability to work effectively on numerous projects simultaneously.
• Experience of working with senior stakeholders including executive staff, board members and high value donors or partnerships
• Excellent strategic thinking with an ability to manage and execute long-term projects that can drive change.
• Ability to build relationships with key staff across the department and directorate to maintain effectiveness in role.
• Have a “can do” attitude and a demonstrated ability to problem solve. Ability to anticipate challenges and address them quickly.
  
  
  

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.