Fundraising Manager

Job Title: Fundraising Manager

Salary: £33,423 (plus £3,000 London Weighting if home-based in London) 

Reporting to: Head of Fundraising 

Contract: Permanent, Full Time, 37.5 hours per week.

Location: London / Hybrid (with the expectation that the role holder will be available at the London office as required for external or internal meetings and events) 

 Closing Date: 9am Monday 9th November 2026

Interview date: Week commencing 16th November 2026

Start date: January

About the organisation

Our mission is to support students from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities through a unique programme of mentoring, skills coaching, and tuition. Students enrolled on our programme receive expert support from our University Access Officers, mentors embedded in schools to guide pupils through their education options, university applications and student life topics such as navigating student finance.

Safeguarding Statement

The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our safeguarding system is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the organisation.

Why work at The Access Project

People who work at The Access Project are motivated by the desire to create a fairer society. We all play an active part in achieving the mission to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds access top universities. At The Access Project, we’re a friendly, collaborative, supportive and inclusive team, with passionate people working together in Delivery, Sales and Partnerships, Strategy, Finance and Operations to achieve our mission.

Our values

Empowerment

We support students and our people to develop the skills and knowledge to accomplish their goals.

Courage

We encourage our students and our people to be authentic, innovative and ambitious in order to reach their full potential and deliver our mission.

Impact

We evolve our programmes through an evidence-led approach, supporting our students to achieve their best outcomes.

Inclusion

We respect and value individuality and engage diverse voices to achieve our mission.

Ownership

We hold ourselves accountable in all our actions and efforts. We ask “What can I do to improve my results?”

About the Role 

The Fundraising Manager will play a key role within the Partnerships department, working together with the Director, Head of Fundraising, and small team including the Corporate Partnerships Manager and Senior Coordinators to deliver our multi-year fundraising strategy to enable significant organisational growth. The wider department also includes roles across communications, sales, University partnerships, and policy & research with whom you will collaborate directly.

This role will place you in an agile team with multiple streams of work and you will have a special strategic focus on a portfolio of Trust & Foundations and Individual Giving. This role will have line management of a senior coordinator.

As we pursue our mission to support young people into top universities and achieve social mobility, this post will ensure we build a sustainable and diverse funding base to support that ambition. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic fundraiser with strong leadership skills and a collaborative mindset to shape the future of a growing organisation committed to educational equity. 

Key Responsibilities

Income Generation

Deliver income targets for Trusts & Foundations and Individual Giving, contributing to the overall fundraising strategy.

Manage relationships with existing funders, ensuring renewals and growth, while proactively identifying new opportunities.

Lead the development and submission of compelling funding applications, appeals, and donor communications.

Support cultivation and stewardship of Trusts & Foundation and individual donors, including through tailored communications and donor engagement activities.

Maintain accurate donor pipelines and stewardship plans, ensuring timely and high-quality reporting.

Stewardship and Reporting

Ensure all funders and donors receive excellent stewardship, including the preparation of high-quality progress reports.

Work with the Head of Fundraising, the Director and CEO to plan and deliver donor events and activities.

Monitor performance against fundraising targets and provide regular updates and forecasts to the Head of Fundraising.

Team Management and Development

Line manage, and develop the Senior Fundraising Coordinator, setting clear objectives and providing coaching and professional development opportunities.

Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture that is aligned with organisational values.

Support cross-team working with colleagues in Partnerships, Communications, and Programme Delivery to maximise opportunities.

Compliance and Systems

Ensure fundraising activity is compliant with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice, The Access Project’s Fundraising Policy and GDPR.

Maintain accurate and up-to-date records on the CRM system, championing data-informed approaches to fundraising.

Contribute to the development and refinement of fundraising systems, processes, and ways of working.

Any other responsibilities reasonably deemed necessary by the line manager or Director.

Person Specification

Essential

Commitment to the mission of The Access Project and tackling educational inequality.

Experience to meet The Access Project Leadership capabilities at Manager Level and to The Access Project behaviours and values.

Proven experience of securing six-figure grants from Trusts & Foundations.

Experience in delivering income growth across Individual Giving.

Strong written communication skills, with the ability to draft persuasive funding proposals and donor materials.

Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with donors and stakeholders.

Experience line managing, coaching, or mentoring colleagues.

Knowledge of the UK fundraising landscape and regulatory environment.

Desirable

Experience in both Trusts & Foundations and Individual Giving.

Experience working within the education or youth sectors.

Familiarity with fundraising databases (e.g. Salesforce) and CRM best practice.

Knowledge of trends in philanthropy and individual giving.

Personal Qualities

Collaborative team player who values inclusion and diversity.

Organised, detail-oriented, and able to manage competing priorities.

Self-motivated with a proactive, solutions-focused approach.

Professional, credible, and confident in engaging with external stakeholders.

Benefits

25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays and 3-5 Winter closure days.

PerkBox – online shopping discounts, gym memberships, holidays, wellbeing support.

Employee Assistance Programme, a 24-hour helpline for staff

Online Medical assistance – access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.

Interest-free travelcard loans

Cyclescheme loans

2 paid Volunteering Days

1 paid Wellbeing Day

Employer’s pensions contributions (3%)

Learning and Development opportunities

Staff Mentoring scheme

The Access Project welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Access Project aspires to represent the diversity of communities across the UK at all levels of the organisation and proactively takes steps to support this. We are committed to creating a culture where the experiences and voices of people from marginalised backgrounds are listened to and valued; where their skills are appreciated; and where their talents are nurtured and encouraged.

The Access Project is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. If you believe you have most of the skills to fulfil the role we encourage you to apply. Amongst staff at our organization, there is under-representation of people who are Black, Asian or people from ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled, care-experienced, from low socio-economic backgrounds, and who are LGBTQIA+ . We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience in reference to our mission. We are proud to be a Level 1 Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments please contact us.

Disclosure of a Criminal Record

The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 applies to posts where there is access to children. This means that applicants for employment that involves working with children and young people must disclose anything listed in their criminal record, with the exception of protected cautions and convictions. All Disclosures are carried out in the strictest confidence and are made only in connection with your application for employment and for no other purpose. The application for a DBS check at a level appropriate to the job role will be activated before your first day of work. Members of staff who are not eligible for a standard or enhanced DBS check are required to undertake a basic DBS check only in line with legal requirements. If you are selected for appointment to the role, you will be subject to this procedure.

Present or most recent employment

It is important to give full information, including the organisation you work in, or most recent employment if not currently working, full dates, address and explanation of any gaps in employment.

References

All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children, please include this as one of your references.

Education, Qualifications and Training

Ensure you give all the information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and make clear the level of any examinations e.g., GCSE, GCE 'O' Level or 'A' Level or equivalents etc. and the grades you obtained. Also include any skills training you have had. You will be required to produce original documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant to the job, and these will be detailed on the person specification.

Proof of qualification is required before the appointment is confirmed.

Contact information

Please direct any queries to our email via the Contact page on our website.