Head of Major Gifts

Birdlife International; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

David Attenborough Building

12% pension

25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

LinkedIn Learning

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

BirdLife International in Cambridge seeks a Head of Major Gifts to lead the major gifts programme, building a pipeline and managing £250k+ donors. The role combines strategic development with frontline fundraising and team leadership.

You will report to the Chief Development Officer, develop the major gifts strategy across UK and US markets, and mentor a three-person team while delivering principal gifts at £1m+ level.

Qualifications

• Experience personally raising six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals.
• Experience developing and delivering a major gifts/principal gifts strategy.
• Experience coaching or line-managing fundraisers to develop their own donor relationships.
• Experience working in an international, complex, not-for-profit environment.
• Experience managing a small major gifts team, including budgetary responsibility.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders using a partnerships approach.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a major and principal gifts strategy to grow high-value individual giving across the UK, US and other global markets, in partnership with the CDO.
• Lead, coach and develop the Major Gifts team of 3, providing direct, hands-on role-modeling in cultivation and solicitation.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Development Management Team to steward the Development programme at BirdLife and collectively lead transformational change, especially the shared delivery of the Development strategy.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Principal Gifts Working Group.
• Identify opportunities to grow BirdLife’s donor base in key regions, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.
• Personally develop and manage a portfolio of £250k–£1m+ donors and provide direct, hands-on support to the CDO on principal-level (£1m+) relationships and proposals.
• Ensure each team member undertakes new business activity to build a robust pipeline within designated markets and giving levels, feeding future portfolio growth for the team.
• Set and monitor major gifts income targets and performance goals; track progress and pipeline health and provide regular reports to leadership on revenue generation and donor engagement and take corrective actions as needed.
• Manage the Major Gifts team budget, recruitment and resource allocation.

Skills

Six- and seven-figure gifts

Major gifts strategy

Coaching fundraisers

International not-for-profit exp.

Managing small major gifts team

Cross-team collaboration

Job description

Application deadline: Monday 5 October 2026 – 09:00 BST
Location: Cambridge, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in Cambridge)

Full-time: 35 hours per week
Contract: Open-ended

Salary: £62,000 - £67,000 per annum depending on skills/experience, plus competitive 12% pension benefit
Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata in year 1, increasing by 1 day p/a to 28 days

We’re BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and working with colleagues worldwide, the Head of Major Gifts will lead the organisation’s major gifts programme, taking responsibility for both strategic development and frontline fundraising. The Head of Major Gifts will build pipeline, create new opportunities, strengthen fundraising discipline and embed a proactive new-business culture across the major gifts function. Seeking to grow and develop this area, the Head of Major Gifts will play both an operational and strategic role – personally winning and managing relationships at the £250k+ level, as well as developing the team and the strategy. It will also have the opportunity to partner with the Chief Development Officer on principal gifts at the £1m+ level.

How you will do this:

• Develop and execute a major and principal gifts strategy to grow high-value individual giving across the UK, US and other global markets, in partnership with the CDO.
• Lead, coach and develop the Major Gifts team of 3, providing direct, hands‑on role‑modelling in cultivation and solicitation.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Development Management Team to steward the Development programme at BirdLife and collectively lead transformational change, especially the shared delivery of the Development strategy.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Principal Gifts Working Group.
• Identify opportunities to grow BirdLife’s donor base in key regions, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.
• Personally develop and manage a portfolio of £250k–£1m+ donors and prospects and provide direct, hands‑on support to the CDO on principal-level (£1m+) relationships and proposals.
• Ensure each team member undertakes new business activity to build a robust pipeline within designated markets and giving levels, feeding future portfolio growth for the team.
• Set and monitor major gifts income targets and performance goals; track progress and pipeline health and provide regular reports to leadership on revenue generation and donor engagement and take corrective actions as needed.
• Manage the Major Gifts team budget, recruitment and resource allocation.

What we are looking for:

This role would suit a seasoned major gifts leader, ideally with experience in the conservation and/or international NGO space. We are looking for someone who enjoys being both hands‑on and strategic, with experience securing and managing transformative (£250k+) gifts – and coaching others to maximise their own portfolios. A new‑business mindset is crucial, as this role will continue the growth trajectory of major giving for BirdLife International.

• Experience personally raising six‑ and seven‑figure gifts from individuals.
• Experience of successfully developing and delivering a major gifts/principal gifts strategy.
• Experience coaching or line‑managing fundraisers to develop their own donor relationships.
• Experience working in an international, complex, not‑for‑profit environment.
• Experience managing a small major gifts team, including budgetary responsibility.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders using a partnerships approach.

Some of our benefits:

• We are able to offer a hybrid model of working on‑site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work‑life balance.
• A chance to work in the award‑winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge‑based conservation community on a ‘conservation campus.’
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high‑quality, on‑demand courses.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal.

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Find out more about our Diversity statement.

We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We know that everyone’s needs are different. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, let us know, we’ll do our best to make it happen.