Our current vacancies are listed below. If you’re interested in a particular role and would like to find out more about it, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us to find out more.

Skylarks is committed to equality, inclusion and diversity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer

Skylarks is committed to the employment of disabled people. To demonstrate this commitment, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria as outlined in the person specification.

Skylarks Charity is going through an exciting period of development, supporting a growing number of children with additional needs and their families. 

Following a strong year-end, Skylarks is pleased to be in a position to continue growing our team so we can deliver high-quality services to children and their families.

We are currently recruiting for the following roles:

Job Title: Fundraising & Events Manager

Reporting to: Head of Partnerships & Fundraising

Responsible For: Income Generation

Contract: Permanent

Hours of Work: 30 hours per week (flexible)

Salary Range: £30,000 - £35,000 (pro rata)

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days of annual leave, including public holidays, pro rata

Pension Scheme: Included

Location: Home-based with meetings in Richmond / Hounslow & London

At Skylarks, we believe in a world where children and young people with additional needs and disabilities can thrive. We provide a supportive and active community, caring for the whole family and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to develop and feel empowered. Based in Richmond upon Thames and opening a second location in Hounslow, Skylarks is an independent charity that welcomes families from across the UK.

Over two decades Skylarks has grown from offering inclusive play sessions to delivering a wide range of therapies and services, including play therapy, counselling, drama, karate, and free Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) advice and carer employability programmes. Our independence allows us to shape our programmes according to the needs of our families with full autonomy.

Our Aims:

• To support children with any disability or additional needs by improving access to activities and life experiences.

• To remove exclusion by providing services where mainstream support is lacking.

• To support the whole family by offering therapy, advice, and advocacy to improve their quality of life.

The Fundraising & Events Manager will play a key role in ensuring Skylarks’ long-term sustainability by delivering a fully integrated fundraising strategy. This includes managing digital and non-digital fundraising, organising events, budget management, cultivating relationships with businesses, partners and donors and securing grants.

The role requires a hands-on approach to fundraising, covering everything from planning and financial oversight to platform management and donor engagement. Working closely with the Head of Partnerships & Fundraising, you will drive income generation across multiple channels to meet our fundraising targets.

Fundraising & Income Generation:

• Deliver a fundraising strategy that ensures an annual six figure target across grants, community fundraising and events.

• Develop and maintain relationships with donors, businesses, schools, sponsors, and partners to enhance fundraising opportunities.

• Secure funding through grants, corporate partnerships and digital fundraising campaigns.

• Monitor and evaluate fundraising performance, providing regular reports to the Head of Partnerships & Fundraising and funders.

Event Management:

• Plan and oversee engaging fundraising events, ensuring high participation and income generation.

• Develop and manage an online platform for event promotion, participant onboarding, and fundraising.

• Work closely with marketing and communications to ensure strong promotion and branding of fundraising initiatives.

Financial Management:

• Manage the fundraising budget, ensuring efficient use of resources and strong return on investment.

• Work collaboratively with the team to track income and expenditure, ensuring compliance with funding guidelines.

• Identify new fundraising opportunities to diversify income streams and mitigate financial risks.

Business Partner Engagement & Donor Stewardship:

• Develop and implement strategies to acquire new donors and improve donor retention.

• Represent Skylarks at fundraising events and networking opportunities to raise the charity’s profile.

• Maintain accurate donor records in the CRM system and ensure timely communications and acknowledgments.

 

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience in fundraising, including securing income from grants, events, business development and corporate partnerships.

• Strong event management skills, with a track record of delivering successful fundraising initiatives.

• Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors and community partners.

• Strong financial management and budget oversight experience.

• Ability to work independently and proactively, managing multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strong digital skills, including experience with online fundraising platforms and CRM systems.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Lived Experience or experience working within the disability, additional needs, and charity or non-profit sector.

• Knowledge of trust and foundation fundraising.

• Familiarity with digital marketing techniques for fundraising.

Personal Attributes:

• Passionate about Skylarks’ mission and values.

• Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.

• A collaborative and team-oriented approach.

Skylarks is proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Employer and actively promotes inclusive recruitment practices. We welcome candidates with lived experience of additional needs and are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

We offer:

• Flexible application formats – we accept video CVs and alternative submission formats.

• Interview accommodations – candidates can request interview questions in advance.

• Supportive working environment – we value diversity and ensure accessibility in all aspects of our work.

If you require any adjustments or alternative arrangements during the application process, please let us know.

To apply for this role, please submit to recruit@skylarks.charity:

1. CV – 2 pages (or an alternative format such as a video CV, if preferred).

2. A supporting statement outlining your experience and how you meet the person specification.

3. Contact details for two references (who will only be contacted if you reach the final interview stage).

For any queries or to discuss reasonable adjustments, please contact us at deirdre@skylarks.charity

Interview dates: w/c 14^th July 2025

Also on Third Sector jobs at: https://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/job/475422/fundraising-and-events-manager-/

Skylarks Charity is seeking Trustees who will be part of a dedicated Board of Directors supporting children with additional needs and their families.

This is a voluntary role but reasonable travel and subsistence costs will be paid.

We are looking for people who have strong leadership skills in a range of backgrounds, including legal, HR, finance, property and compliance.

To discuss joining the Board please contact Jennifer Peters via chair@skylarks.charity

If you are interested in any other volunteering role with us, please read more here and then complete an expression of interest using our online form.

Skylarks is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all our colleagues feel they can be themselves, thrive in their roles and grow in their careers.

We believe our core beliefs around diversity that make our charity so unique should continue into our working practices. As an accessible employer, we recognise and embrace the diversity on offer throughout the workplace. 

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer meaning we have been certified by the government as actively taking steps to attract, recruit and retain disabled workers. We understand that some disabled colleagues will need adjustments to help them perform to the best of their ability – these can be changes to the built environment and furniture, the tools and technology they use in doing their job, aspects of the role or working arrangements. We encourage applications from individuals with additional needs to apply for our vacancies and support them in accessing the workplace.