Philanthropy Officer

British Museum; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25 days annual leave

Peer support and allyship

Learning and development

Employee Assistance Programme

Interest-free loans

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking an enthusiastic Philanthropy Officer to develop major gift fundraising and cultivate relationships with donors in support of exhibitions, education and the Masterplan transformation.

You will manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, work with senior fundraisers, and help craft persuasive proposals and stewardship materials while contributing to a collaborative donations program.

Qualifications

• Experience in a fundraising role, ideally within major gifts or individual giving.
• Strong writing and editing skills for fundraising communications.
• Excellent organisational skills with close attention to detail.
• Confident communication with different audiences and relationship-building.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver quality work to deadlines.
• Collaborative approach and teamwork orientation.
• Ability to articulate an organisation's vision persuasively.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage donor relationships: portfolio of major gift prospects, align with Museum priorities.
• Support and manage significant philanthropic relationships alongside senior colleagues.
• Meet and engage donors and prospects, present fundraising proposals and create donor experiences.
• Develop compelling fundraising materials: proposals, reports and correspondence.
• Help bring fundraising events to life through planning and delivery.
• Work across the Museum: collaborate with curators, conservators, communications and marketing.
• Manage donor data with care, ensuring accurate recording and reporting in line with policies.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Writing and editing skills

Organisational skills

Communication with diverse audiences

Initiative and prioritisation

Teamwork

Communication of vision

MS Office

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Philanthropy Officer Philanthropy Officer Oct26

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Contract length: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full Time

Is hybrid working available?: yes

If hybrid how many days on site minimum?: at least 3 days per week on-site in Bloomsbury, London

Location: Bloomsbury, London (Hybrid)

Salary: £37,221 per annum

Application Deadline: Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Job Profile: Job Profile document

Role Summary:

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic early-career fundraiser to develop their skills in philanthropy while helping to support one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects of our generation.

The British Museum is embarking on its Masterplan, an ambitious transformation of the Museum for the 21st century. Alongside this, our Development team raises vital philanthropic support for exhibitions, education and other projects that enable the Museum and its collection to make an impact.

As Philanthropy Officer, you will join a supportive and growing team of fundraisers and play an important part in developing relationships with existing and prospective donors. You will manage your own portfolio of major gift prospects, while also working alongside senior fundraisers on some of the Museum’s key philanthropic relationships.

Most importantly, you will be joining a collaborative team at an exciting point in the Museum’s future, with the opportunity to understand how philanthropy can enable ambitious cultural projects and help secure the Museum and its collection for future generations.

About you:

You will bring:

• Experience in a fundraising role, ideally within major gifts or individual giving, or strong experience in a client management role.
• Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop clear and persuasive fundraising communications.
• Excellent organisational skills and close attention to detail.
• Confidence in communicating with different audiences and building positive professional relationships.
• The ability to use your initiative, manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.
• A collaborative approach and enthusiasm for working as part of a team.
• The ability to communicate an organisation’s vision and ambitions in a compelling way.
• Good IT skills, including experience using standard Microsoft Office applications.

Knowledge of the arts, museums or heritage sector, experience of working in a large and complex organisation, and familiarity with fundraising databases such as Raiser's Edge would be advantageous. A passion for museums and the role they play in public life would also be welcome

Key areas of responsibility:

This is a varied, collaborative and public-facing fundraising role, giving you experience across the full donor journey, from identifying and cultivating prospective supporters through to securing gifts and delivering thoughtful stewardship.

You will:

• Build and manage donor relationships: taking responsibility for a portfolio of major gift prospects, raising funds for Museum priorities in line with annual income targets and developing tailored cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Support and manage significant philanthropic relationships: working as a secondary relationship manager alongside senior colleagues and gaining exposure to high-level fundraising, as well as proactively managing your own pool of donors.
• Meet and engage donors and prospects: independently and alongside colleagues, including presenting fundraising proposals and helping to create an exceptional donor experience.
• Develop compelling fundraising materials: researching and writing persuasive proposals, reports and correspondence for projects across the Museum.
• Help bring fundraising events to life: supporting their planning and delivery and using them as opportunities to strengthen relationships with supporters.
• Work across the Museum: building relationships with curators, conservators, communications and marketing colleagues, and others to develop compelling cases for philanthropic support.
• Manage relationships with care and attention to detail: ensuring donor information, gifts and reporting requirements are accurately recorded and managed in line with data protection and Museum policies.

Through your work on proposals and donor reporting, you will gain insight into how major capital projects, exhibitions, educational initiatives and other Museum priorities are developed and funded.

The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane - who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Benefits:

At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we’ve outlined some highlights below:

• Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with 28.97% employer contribution.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
• Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
• Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
• Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.
• Interest-free loans including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.

Values:

• Care Deeply
• Embrace the Unknown
• Spark Curiosity
• Value Many Voices

These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.

Additional information:

If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [e-mail].

Right to Work: The British Museum holds a Skilled Worker sponsor licence. Applicants are responsible for determining whether the advertised salary and role meet current UKVI sponsorship requirements and for ensuring they have, or can obtain, the appropriate right to work in the UK. The Museum cannot provide immigration advice, and eligibility should be checked before submitting an application.

Internal Applicants: We welcome internal applicants regardless of background, department or length of service but encourage you to let your manager know before applying.

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.