Fundraising Manager

Salary: £28,950 rising to £32,754 depending on length of service

Location: Theatre Royal Winchester / Hybrid

Hours/Contract: Permanent, Full time, 36 hours per week

Reports to: Communications and Development Director

Applications close: 10am, Tuesday 17th February 2026

About us

Play to the Crowd is an arts and education charity based in Winchester, Hampshire.

We exist to delight and unite people through the power of live performance.

Our family comprises of:

• Theatre Royal Winchester – a beautiful mid-scale heritage theatre
• Hat Fair – the longest running Outdoor Arts festival in the UK
• Playmakers – our community engagement and creative learning programme

About the role

We’re looking for a confident and enthusiastic fundraiser with a track record of delivering and leading major donor fundraising, membership schemes, corporate partnerships as well as securing significant funds from Trusts and Foundations.

This is a full-time, permanent position (36 hours per week) with a salary scale of £28,950 rising to £32,754 depending on length of service.

The Fundraising Manager is responsible for implementing the charity’s fundraising strategy to increase our fundraised income to support all areas of our activity. This will be achieved by connecting donors and supporters to our mission to delight and unite communities through the power of live performance and participation.

The charity has ambitious plans for the future. We will continue to invest in the beautiful Theatre Royal Winchester – making significant improvements to our environmental footprint. With the absence of Arts Council England National Portfolio funding, we will be transitioning to a new structure and funding model for future Hat Fair festivals. Through our engagement projects we will continue to have impact on our local community both in central Winchester and the wider district.

The Fundraising Manager role will be vital in:

• Helping to develop a sustainable fundraising model to secure future Hat Fair festivals
• Securing funding from Trusts and Foundations for community projects, core revenue to support our artistic and creative ambitions, and capital works
• Cultivating and securing large gifts from Major Donors – During the pandemic, Play to the Crowd ran a hugely successful Survival Fundraising Appeal, raising £300k in 3 months and more recently a public fundraising campaign to raise £300k towards our new Stalls toilets. The Fundraising Manager will play a key role in developing donor relationships.
• Growing our membership base – our members are loyal and key advocates of the charity and audiences for our events
• Managing the relationships and developing our Corporate Partnerships

Please download the Job Pack here or below for full details.

How to apply

Please download an application form via the button below.

If you want to know more or for an informal chat about the role please contact kirstie@playtothecrowd.co.uk.

In addition to a commitment to the values, aims and objectives of Play to the Crowd, candidates should be able to show clear evidence of how their knowledge/skills/experiences match the Person Specification and support delivery of the Job Description in their application.

Play to the Crowd is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.

Application deadline: 10am Tue 17 February 2026
Interviews: Wed 25 February 2026