Philanthropy Events Lead

**4,000 professionals, 0 days wasted, 1 incredible purpose.**

**Philanthropy Events Lead**

**Salary**: £70,000 - £80,000 pa depending on experience

**Reports to**: Associate Director of Philanthropy Operations

**Department**: Strategy & Philanthropy

**Contract**: 12 month fixed-term contract

**Hours**: Full time 35 hours per week (other flexible-working requests will also be considered if it meets business needs)

**Location**:Stratford, London with high flexibility (we would expect you to be in the office 1-2 days per week)

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

We have a new opportunity for a **Philanthropy Events Lead**to join the team on an interim basis for a 12-month fixed term contract. In this role you’ll lead the newly formed Philanthropy Events team, which brings together the existing high value engagement and fundraising events teams. The priority over the 12 months will be the set-up of the team, establish new ways of working, review the long-term shape of the events portfolio, explore the potential for new flagship events and review and evaluate the team structure to ensure to optimal model is in place.

We’re looking for someone with a solid events background who will ensure the philanthropy events program delivers world-class supporter experiences, showcases our campaign priorities and CRUK impact, and deepen engagement with our high value prospects and donors.

**About the 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 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.

**What will you be doing?**
- Lead the newly formed Philanthropy Events team, uniting the high-value engagement and fundraising events teams into a cohesive, high-performing unit. Provide clear direction, inspire team members, and foster a culture of collaboration, creativity, and excellence.
- Ensure team members have the necessary support, skills, and resources to deliver on objectives during the transition. Set up the team with new ways of working to optimise efficiency and effectiveness.
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the long-term philanthropy events portfolio to ensure alignment with Philanthropy and CRUK’s strategic objectives. Explore opportunities for new flagship events that can enhance donor engagement and deliver significant income.
- Develop a roadmap for the philanthropy events program to achieve world-class supporter experiences and deepen donor relationships.
- Oversee the planning and delivery of high-value events that showcase CRUK’s campaign priorities and impact. Ensuring events meet the highest standards.
- Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders across CRUK, to ensure events align with broader fundraising and engagement strategies.
- Build and nurture relationships with high-value committees, senior volunteers and talent to maximise the potential of events as a means to identify new prospects and donors and to effectively leveraging events as a platform to deepen engagement.
- Review and evaluate the current team structure, identifying opportunities to optimise roles and responsibilities for maximum impact.
- Oversee the budget for the philanthropy events program, ensuring efficient use of resources and alignment with financial goals.
- Evaluate the success of events against key metrics, including income generation, donor engagement, and brand visibility. Reporting progress to senior leadership.

**What skills are we looking for?**
- Proven track record of leading a large-scale, high-value events team and programme
- Strong experience in securing significant income through events targeting High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs)
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and donors.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term plans while managing short-term priorities.
- Experience leading and motivating teams, ensuring a collaborative and high-performing culture.
- Strong financial acumen, with experience managing large event budgets and delivering on financial targets.
- Experience in delivering premium experiences through events.

Desirable Skills and Experience
- Understanding of the UK philanthropy landscape, including donor motivations and trends.
- Knowledge of cancer research or healthcare-related fundraising.

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

**Bold**:Act with ambition, courage