Description

Job description

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK, founded in 1660, we have a long history of philanthropic support and in 2015 ran a successful 350th anniversary fundraising campaign which raised £100m. The Society count many well-known philanthropists, foundations and corporates within our list of current supporters, who fund a range of activities including Science 2040, Transforming Our Futures conferences, the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, Wolfson Fellowships, bilateral meetings and much more.

The Society’s Development team raises funds to support the Royal Society’s strategic plan. We have an ambitious vision for increasing fundraising, which requires the innovative, thoughtful and diligent oversight of all donor relations. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team during a formative phase. The next two to five years will be formative in enabling the Society to galvanise philanthropy in support of our founding mission: to promote excellence in Science for the benefit of humanity.

The Donor Relations Officer plays a vital role in deepening our engagement with supporters by delivering excellent stewardship, tailored communications, and high-quality donor experiences. The post holder will support the Senior Donor Relations Officer in working across the Development team to ensure every donor feels valued, informed, and connected to the impact of their giving.

Reports to: Senior Donor Relations Officer

Line manages: None

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG (with some evening and out of hours work on occasion). 

Contract Type: Permanent 

Hours: Full time, 35 hours a week 

Pay Band: C

Salary: £33,000 to £42,000 

The application closing date is 16 August 2026 at 23:59.

The interview will be held on 1 September 2026.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver agreed stewardship plans for a range of donors including major donors, regular givers, and legacy pledgers.
• Produce compelling donor communications, such as thank-you letters, impact reports, and event invitations
• Collaborate with the Development and other stakeholder teams across the organisation, to gather stories, data, and content for stewardship/engagement materials.
• Track and monitor donor engagement using our CRM Microsoft Dynamics, ensuring accurate records and reporting.
• Lead on the planning and delivery of some donor event, visits, and other cultivation activities.
• Assist the Senior Donor Relations Officer with the coordination of donor relations and engagement communications including Christmas and holiday messages, and VIP invitations to Royal Society events.
• Use donor insight and research to tailor stewardship and inform donor journeys.
• Engage with donor enquiries using professionalism and warmth, upholding our standards of supporter care.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Experience in a fundraising, communications or supporter care role.
• Experience leading, supporting on, and coordinating high value donor events.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a flair for storytelling.
• Strong interpersonal skills, a passion for relationship building, and a donor-centric mindset.
• Highly organised with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Familiarity with CRM databases and donor stewardship principles.
• Interest in science, research, education and/or public engagement.
• A good understanding of GDPR and best practices in donor data management.

Desirable:

• Agile in your ability to project manage and adapt to last minute opportunities and changes.
• Comfortable presenting information in written and verbal formats to colleagues.
• Demonstratable experience delivering multiple projects in a timely and efficient manner.
• Experience working within a dynamic team environment, in a fast-paced organisation.

Competencies

Self-management

• Works unsupervised and can motivate self
• Produces results under pressure
• Can manage in stressful situations
• Pushes for the best results
• Can be innovative and offer solutions and suggestions when not initially obvious
• Keen to be involved in organisational and corporate working groups informally or formally
• Can represent section on some duties
• Works within the Royal Society Values at all times
•  Working with others

Contributes ideas and identifies opportunities to work with others both within the team and across the organisation
Willing to provide and accept feedback to and from sectional colleagues when requested
Produces succinct presentations and papers for senior colleagues, is a capable presenter and can explain topics and projects to a range of audiences
Understands when to seek senior advice on a wide range of matters and act upon it.

Resource management

• Makes the best of internal/external resources and coordinates well with external partners to best meet the needs of the Society
• Builds contingency into projects taking into account possible outside factors
• Sets and monitors performance against quality and results orientated targets.
• Focuses on both short and long-term goals

 Critical thinking

• Determines and clarifies the exact requirements of any situation
• Checks information for accuracy and raises concerns if information is inaccurate
• Extracts the key points succinctly, clearly and accurately
• Puts forward suggestions for improvement concerning current processes or systems
• Tries different ways of doing things to get the best results
   

Adaptability

• Overcomes obstacles and is not deterred by setbacks; checks assumptions and first principles and works out alternative approaches
• Reacts proactively to new challenges and works in a flexible manner to produce solutions
• Provides feedback and participates in discussions surrounding new ideas approaches or projects

 Managing people and relationships

• Can delegates effectively if needed setting clear expectations and authority
• May line manage or supervise others
• Monitors results and feedback to own team on a regular basis constructively
• Recognises others’ contributions and acknowledges their strengths and limitations
• Helps others to identify ways to improve their performance and encourages learning from others in the team
• Prioritises supervisory responsibilities and carries them out in line with organisational policies
• Understands and can identify client/stakeholder/staff needs and looks for opportunities to improve their experiences