Senior Major Gifts Manager - Development

Post: Senior Major Gifts Manager - Development

Reports to: Director of Development

Contract: Fulltime, Permanent

Location: Royal Drawing School, Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3SG and hybrid home working available via our Flexible Working Policy

Job Purpose

The Senior Major Gifts Manager plays a pivotal role in meeting the School’s annual fundraising target of circa £2m. Working both independently and with the Director of Development and Senior Volunteers (Trustees/Development Committee and other advocates), the postholder will identify, cultivate, solicit and manage their own portfolio of funders and prospects, working across all areas of Major Giving (individuals, trusts, foundations and corporate).  A particular focus will be on cultivating, securing and stewarding donations for core School Programmes, most notably the Drawing Year and Young Artists programmes, as well as assisting with the endowment and capital campaign.

Working closely with the Director of Development the postholder will align the major gifts fundraising strategy with the School’s five year strategic plan. As a creative self-starter, with excellent inter-personal skills, the Senior Major Gifts Manager will apply energy and creativity to bring donors and prospects closer to the School to deliver against an individual fundraising target by cultivating and securing six-figure gifts in support of the School’s work.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Donor Relations

- Deliver against a defined six-figure personal fundraising target, managing a dedicated portfolio of corporate partners and sponsors and individual donors and patrons.

- Steward and manage relationships with existing major corporate sponsors, notably Ralph Lauren and Christie’s, as well as individual supporters and patrons, ensuring high-quality engagement, visibility, and impact reporting.

- Identify and secure new corporate sponsors and partners, developing bespoke proposals and partnerships aligned with the School’s mission.

- Cultivate and solicit major gifts from individuals in support of core programmes and future campaigns.

- Deliver excellent donor care through in-person meetings, bespoke communications, and consistent stewardship, resulting in an informed and motivated supporter pool.

Collaboration & Leadership

- Work closely with the Events and Stewardship Manager to deliver a calendar of patron and Development events.

- Collaborate with colleagues across the School to maximise opportunities for donor visibility and engagement.

- Work with the Director of Development and senior leadership on the planning and delivery of the School’s endowment/capital campaign.

- Deputise for the Director of Development when required.

Best Practice & Reporting

- Apply best practices in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and sponsors, ensuring that due diligence policies are followed.

- Provide accurate and timely reporting on donor and sponsor relationships, ensuring gifts are logged and tracked from pledge to renewal.

- Contribute to departmental budget management and broader Development team objectives.

Other Duties

- Contribute to a collaborative and well-supported Development team.

- Represent the charity at external events in a professional manner.

- Undertake other tasks as delegated by the Director of Development.

Person Specification

Essential

- Significant experience of major donor fundraising, including demonstrable success of independently building relationships with high-net-worth individuals.

- Proven track record of securing six-figure support from corporate sponsors/partners and/or major individual donors.

- Demonstrable experience of managing a donor or sponsor portfolio and achieving successful outcomes.

- Confidence to drive forward relationships with individual donors and prospects, meeting independently and presenting proposals face-to-face and in writing.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence and inspire donors and corporate partners around a cause.

- Experience of working with senior leadership (e.g., Director of Development, Trustees) on high-value fundraising, ideally including involvement in capital campaign planning or delivery.

- Proactive, creative, and able to work on own initiative.

- Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities at pace.

- Commitment to excellent stewardship and donor care.

- Experience of working with a CRM system.

- Willingness to travel nationally and internationally for donor/sponsor cultivation and stewardship.

Desirable

- Experience of working within the arts, education, or cultural sectors.

- Experience of managing a patron-giving programme.

- Knowledge of the UK and international philanthropic and corporate sponsorship landscape.

- Familiarity with Salesforce, Hubspot, or similar CRM/database systems.