Make your mark
YFR is looking for an experienced, people-focused Fundraising Manager to lead and grow our face-to-face Charity fundraising operation in Leeds. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can turn ambition into strong, sustainable performance while protecting the supporter experience and the reputation of every charity we represent.
You will recruit, inspire and develop Team Leaders and Fundraisers, create a culture where people can succeed, and take ownership of results across performance, quality, compliance and retention. You will be visible in the field, confident with data and equally comfortable coaching a fundraiser, reviewing a campaign or speaking with a charity partner.
THE OPPORTUNITY Lead the development of YFR's Leeds operation and help build a fundraising team known for energy, integrity, quality and results.
What you will bring
· Proven leadership experience in face-to-face fundraising, direct sales or another target-led field operation.
· A strong record of building teams, developing managers and improving performance.
· Sound knowledge of ethical fundraising, compliance and supporter care.
· Commercial confidence, operational discipline and the ability to make good decisions at pace.
· A leadership style that is visible, fair, accountable and genuinely people focused.
Ready to lead the next chapter of YFR in West Yorkshire?
Role purpose
The Fundraising Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day delivery and development of YFR's face-to-face fundraising activity in Leeds and across West Yorkshire. The postholder will build a stable, motivated and high-performing operation that delivers agreed supporter acquisition targets while maintaining excellent standards of conduct, compliance, quality and supporter care.
The role combines people leadership, field operations, performance management and partner delivery. It is deliberately hands-on: the Fundraising Manager will spend meaningful time with teams in the field, use insight and data to improve results, and make sure YFR's standards are understood and lived at every level.
Key relationships
· Internal: YFR Senior Leadership Team, Team Leaders, Fundraisers, recruitment, training, compliance and support colleagues.
· External: charity partners, site and venue contacts, local authorities, suppliers and sector bodies where relevant.
Key responsibilities
1. Leadership and culture
· Provide clear, visible and consistent leadership to Team Leaders and Fundraisers across the Leeds operation.
· Set expectations, communicate priorities and create a positive culture built on integrity, accountability, inclusion and shared success.
· Develop Team Leaders to manage confidently, coach effectively and take ownership of both results and standards.
· Recognise strong contribution, address issues early and ensure people are treated fairly and consistently.
· Promote wellbeing, safe working and a respectful environment in which people can speak up and improve.
2. Recruitment, onboarding and development
· Work with recruitment colleagues to maintain a healthy pipeline and appoint people who align with YFR's values and performance expectations.
· Ensure all new starters complete effective induction, compliance training, field coaching and sign-off before working independently.
· Build structured coaching, observation and development rhythms for Fundraisers and Team Leaders.
· Use clear probation, capability and progression processes to improve retention and create internal career pathways.
· Identify skills gaps and coordinate refresher training or targeted support.
3. Performance and campaign delivery
· Own delivery against agreed campaign targets, budgets, staffing plans and quality measures.
· Monitor performance at fundraiser, team, location and campaign level, turning data into focused action.
· Balance volume, cost, donor quality and retention so that growth is sustainable rather than short term.
· Run regular performance reviews and provide clear reporting, forecasts, risks and recovery plans to senior leaders.
· Test and embed improvements to pitches, coaching, rotas, locations, incentives and ways of working.
4. Quality, compliance and supporter care
· Ensure all activity follows the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice, applicable data protection requirements, charity-partner standards and YFR procedures.
· Maintain strong controls covering consent, safeguarding, vulnerable supporters, identification, conduct, complaints, incidents and data handling.
· Complete regular field observations, audits and quality checks, documenting action and following issues through to resolution.
· Investigate complaints and concerns promptly, fairly and constructively, identifying learning and preventing recurrence.
· Create a culture in which quality and compliance are part of everyday performance, not separate from it.
5. Operational management
· Plan staffing, rotas, locations and field coverage to make the best use of people and resources.
· Ensure teams have the equipment, materials, permissions and campaign information needed to operate safely and effectively.
· Maintain clear records and management information, escalating risks and capacity issues early.
· Work collaboratively across YFR to improve recruitment, training, logistics, compliance and campaign support.
· Travel regularly across Leeds and other Yorkshire locations, including occasional evening or weekend activity when campaign delivery requires it.
6. Charity-partner relationships
· Represent YFR professionally and build trusted working relationships with charity partners.
· Provide accurate, timely updates on performance, quality, people, risk and improvement activity.
· Translate partner expectations into clear field standards and ensure teams understand the cause and proposition they represent.
· Support campaign reviews, visits and planning meetings, responding openly to feedback and agreed actions.
Measures of success
The Fundraising Manager will be accountable for a balanced set of measures, including:
· Delivery against agreed supporter acquisition, income, cost and productivity targets.
· Donor quality, validation, attrition and retention outcomes.
· Complaint levels, audit results, compliance trends and timely closure of actions.
· Recruitment, onboarding, attendance, probation completion and colleague retention.
· Team Leader capability, coaching quality and internal progression.
· Forecast accuracy, operational stability and charity-partner confidence.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
What we are looking for
Essential experience and knowledge
· Substantial experience leading teams in face-to-face fundraising, direct sales or a comparable target-led field environment.
· A demonstrable record of improving individual and team performance against clear targets.
· Experience recruiting, onboarding, coaching and managing performance, including difficult or sensitive conversations.
· Experience using management information to forecast, identify trends and decide where action is needed.
· A strong working understanding of compliance, customer or supporter care, complaints and risk in a public-facing operation.
· Experience working across multiple locations and managing the practical demands of field-based teams.
Essential skills and behaviours
· Inspirational people leadership with clear expectations and consistent follow-through.
· Strong coaching skills and the ability to adapt support to different levels of experience.
· Commercial and numerical confidence, with the ability to balance performance, quality and cost.
· Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, from field teams to senior stakeholders.
· Sound judgement, resilience and calm decision-making in a fast-moving environment.
· High personal integrity and a visible commitment to ethical fundraising and inclusive leadership.
· Good organisation, digital confidence and attention to detail.
· Ability and willingness to travel regularly across Yorkshire.
Desirable
· Experience working with charity clients or managing outsourced fundraising campaigns.
· Knowledge of the UK charitable fundraising regulatory environment and the Code of Fundraising Practice.
· Experience launching a new team, region or fundraising operation.
· A recognised management, coaching, training or fundraising qualification.
· Full UK driving licence and access to transport, where this supports travel to field locations.
Working at YFR
This is a field-led management role based in Leeds, with regular travel across the city and Yorkshire. Flexibility will sometimes be needed to support teams operating outside standard office hours. Any specific working pattern and benefits will be confirmed as part of the recruitment process.
OUR STANDARD We want strong results delivered in the right way: with respect for the public, care for supporters, pride in the causes we represent and genuine investment in our people.
Equality, diversity and reasonable adjustments
YFR welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and is committed to fair, inclusive recruitment. If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the application or interview process, please tell us so that we can support you.
Pay: £36,500.00-£40,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
