Charity marketing job descriptions: 5 free UK templates (2026)

Most small charities will never hire a marketing team. One person, often the founder, runs fundraising, communications, supporter management, and reporting at once. The "marketing job" is whatever didn't get done that week.

So before you copy a job description off a large-organisation template, decide which work actually needs a hire and which work a free all-in-one platform like Zeffy already does for you. The right marketing job description for a part-time Chief Executive isn't a copy-paste of a four-person team's roles. It's a smaller, sharper job description written after you've subtracted the tool work: supporter lists, segmented emails, donation pages, and event promotion.

Around 170,000 charities are registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, plus around 24,886 with OSCR in Scotland and around 8,000 with CCNI in Northern Ireland. The vast majority sit well under £500k income. Most will never hire a marketing team; the question is what one hybrid role can realistically own once your platform handles Gift Aid, supporter records, donation pages and event ticketing.

This guide gives you five ready-to-use job description templates, fresh 2026 salary ranges from UK sources, role-by-role skills including Gift Aid and UK GDPR, and a clear answer to the two questions hiring managers ask most: how much does a charity marketing manager earn? And what is the difference between marketing and communications?

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In this article:

• Charity marketing job description templates (copy and customise)

• How much does a charity marketing manager earn in the UK?

• Marketing vs communications in charities: what's the difference?

• Types of charity marketing roles explained

• Charity marketing salaries by role (2026 data)

• Essential skills to include in your job description

• How to structure your charity marketing team

• Interview questions for charity marketing candidates

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Charity marketing job description templates (copy and customise)

Each template below uses bracketed [placeholders] you can fill in. Above each one, we have added a one-line fit-tag so you know whether this role is realistic for your organisation size before you start writing.

For a small charity: if your annual budget is under £250k, don't write five job descriptions. Pick the one role that gets you the most leverage (usually Marketing Coordinator), or merge marketing and fundraising into one hybrid job description.

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1. Marketing Coordinator job description template

Fit-tag: Realistic for organisations £500k+. Skip if you're under £250k and absorb the tool work into the Chief Executive role plus a free fundraising platform.

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2. Social Media Manager job description template

Fit-tag: Realistic for organisations £750k+ with a clear audience-building goal. Skip if social isn't already driving donations or volunteer sign-ups; a Marketing Coordinator can own social as part of the role.

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3. Digital Marketing Communications Manager job description template

Fit-tag: Realistic for organisations £1m+ with multi-channel campaigns and a real digital advertising budget. Skip if you're under £500k; you don't need a three-in-one manager, you need a coordinator.

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4. Content Manager job description template

Fit-tag: Realistic for organisations £750k+ where storytelling is a core fundraising driver. Skip if you're under £500k; a Marketing Coordinator with strong writing will do this work part-time.

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5. PR Manager job description template

Fit-tag: Realistic for organisations £1m+ that need earned media to drive policy, scale, or major-donor visibility. Skip if you're under £750k; press coverage rarely pays back the salary for smaller organisations.

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How much does a charity marketing manager earn in the UK?

A charity marketing manager in the UK typically earns between around £35,000 and £55,000 per year, based on CharityJob's annual salary report and Glassdoor UK data reviewed in June 2026. Entry-level marketing coordinators start lower (around £25,000 to £32,000) and senior digital marketing communications managers can earn £55,000 or more at larger organisations. Re-verify the current range on each source before you set your budget.

What moves the number most:

• Experience level. Entry-level roles (0 to 2 years) sit at the bottom of the range. Mid-level (3 to 5 years) lands in the middle. Senior (5+ years, with management responsibility) tops it out.

• Organisation size. A marketing manager at a £500k charity will earn meaningfully less than one at a £5m charity, even with the same job title.

• Location and remote/on-site. London roles run 15 to 20% above national figures due to London weighting; regional and remote roles cluster closer to the national median. Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff sit between.

• Cause area. Health, education and large social-service charities tend to pay above the median. Arts, advocacy and grassroots community organisations often pay below it.

For a small charity: if you're choosing between hiring a £28k communications coordinator and routing that money to programmes plus a free fundraising platform, the second option almost always serves the mission better. See the full breakdown in 2026 salary ranges by role below.

UK employer costs add 15 to 20% on top of headline salary (employer National Insurance, workplace pension auto-enrolment minimum). Factor this into your budget before you post a job description.

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Marketing vs communications in charities: what's the difference?

The short answer: marketing is about acquisition (new donors, new volunteers, new awareness) and communications is about stewardship (the people you already have, brand consistency, and how the organisation sounds in public). In most small charities, one person does both.

Marketing focuses on growth. Campaigns, donor acquisition, paid advertising, SEO, event promotion, and the metrics that go with them (cost per donor, conversion rate, channel ROI). It overlaps heavily with fundraising.

Communications focuses on the relationship. Donor stewardship emails, the annual report, trustee updates, media relations, internal staff communications, and brand voice across every touchpoint. It overlaps heavily with fundraising and programme teams.

In UK charities the function is usually called 'fundraising and communications', not 'development and communications'. 'Development' as a fundraising synonym is a US convention; UK sector job titles and sector bodies use 'fundraising' consistently.

When the roles split:

• Under £500k budget: one person owns both, usually titled something like Fundraising and Communications Coordinator.

• £500k to £2m: still one combined role, but with seniority (Director of Fundraising and Communications).

• £2m+: the functions split. A Marketing Manager owns acquisition; a Communications Manager owns stewardship and brand.

For a small charity: don't write two job descriptions. Write one hybrid Fundraising and Communications job description and route the saved salary to programmes.

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Types of charity marketing roles explained

Below is a quick orientation to the five roles covered in the templates above. Each links to its template if you're ready to copy and customise.

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1. Marketing Coordinator

The generalist. Owns the calendar, drafts the emails, updates the website, and keeps campaigns on schedule. Typically reports to the Chief Executive or Head of Fundraising. Key difference from a Marketing Manager: coordinators execute the plan; managers set it.

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2. Social Media Manager

Owns the organisation's voice on social platforms: content calendar, captions, community engagement, paid social. Reports to a marketing or communications lead. Key difference from a Content Manager: social managers think in posts and engagement; content managers think in articles and assets.

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3. Digital Marketing Communications Manager

A three-in-one role that combines digital marketing strategy, communications, and a chunk of the technology stack. Owns paid digital, email strategy, website conversions, and channel reporting. Reports to a Director of Marketing or Chief Executive. Key difference from a Marketing Coordinator: this role owns strategy, budget, and channels (not just execution). See more on digital marketing strategy for charities.

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4. Content Manager

Owns the long-form story output: blog, newsletter, donor reports, funding bids and grant applications. Often partners with a Director of Fundraising on case statements and major appeals. Key difference from a Marketing Coordinator: the content manager goes deep on storytelling; the coordinator goes wide across channels.

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5. PR Manager

Owns earned media and external positioning: press releases, reporter relationships, crisis communications, and opinion pieces. Reports to a Director of Communications or the Chief Executive. Key difference from a Social Media Manager: PR builds third-party credibility (other people talking about you); social builds owned audience (you talking to them).

For a small charity: most organisations under £500k only ever fill role 1, and they call it 'Fundraising and Communications Coordinator' rather than 'Marketing Coordinator' because the work tilts more toward stewardship than acquisition.

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Charity marketing salaries by role (2026 data)

Ranges below are drawn from CharityJob's annual salary report and Glassdoor UK role pages, reviewed in June 2026. Re-verify the current range on each source before you set a budget or post a job description.

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Sources: CharityJob salary report and Glassdoor UK, reviewed June 2026. Re-verify before setting budgets. Employer costs on top of headline salary typically add 15 to 20% (employer National Insurance, workplace pension auto-enrolment minimum, apprenticeship levy for larger organisations).

Geographic variation matters: London roles run 15 to 20% above national figures; regional and remote roles cluster closer to the median. Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff sit between.

For a small charity: if any of these ranges feels like the majority of your fundraising hire's first-year impact, the role isn't worth filling yet.

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Essential skills to include in your job description

Skills shift by role. Below is a simple matrix: hard skills (specific tools) and soft skills (the human work) that matter most for each of the five roles.

A note on the CRM and email tool row: when you write the job description, list the actual tool the hire will use, not a generic category. If your supporter management and email lives inside the supporter record on Zeffy, you don't need to require 'Mailchimp experience' or 'HubSpot experience' on top of that. One platform, one skill to learn. For a deeper look at what charity email strategy actually involves, see charity email marketing for small organisations.

The same logic applies to a Marketing Coordinator or Digital Marketing Communications Manager job description: if you can send newsletters and campaigns with unlimited contacts on the same platform that holds your supporter list, you don't need to staff against two separate tools.

Gift Aid is not optional context for a UK marketing hire. It is the 25p-per-£1 mechanism your fundraising depends on; every donation form, email appeal and receipt touches it. If your platform handles Gift Aid natively (declaration capture, HMRC claim submission, GASDS on small cash and contactless donations of £30 or less), you can drop 'separate Gift Aid tool experience' from the job description entirely. If it doesn't, add 'Experience with HMRC Charities Online or Gift Aid claim submission' as a required skill. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance.)

UK GDPR (and PECR for direct electronic marketing) gates whether you can email supporters at all. Any marketing hire needs to understand the lawful basis for your communications and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice. Reference the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance when briefing candidates on your data obligations.

For a small charity: every required tool on a job description is a learning curve your hire has to climb before they do useful work. Cut the list to the tools that actually run your fundraising. Everything else is optional.

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How to structure your charity marketing team

The right team structure isn't a fixed org chart. It scales with budget and what the organisation is trying to do this year. Three tiers cover most of the picture.

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Solo marketer (under £500k budget)

There is no marketing team. There is the Chief Executive, sometimes a part-time Fundraising and Communications Coordinator, and a handful of volunteers. Reality check from real conversations with small-organisation leaders: most don't have a dedicated marketing person, and when they do, that person is usually six months in and still working out donor stewardship.

If you're not yet a registered charity, a community group, CIC, unincorporated association or PTA, the hiring maths shifts. You can't claim Gift Aid, most fundraising platforms charge fees, and volunteer capacity is usually the binding constraint. In that case the honest answer is almost always: don't hire, and pick tools that don't charge you.

One UK village-hall trustee described it plainly in a research interview: most ticketing platforms charge a per-ticket fee that prices small charities out of paid events. Consolidating fundraising, ticketing, memberships and raffles into one free platform means the coordinator you hire spends time on stewardship, not switching between tools.

Before you write a job description, subtract these tasks:

• Supporter CRM and segmentation. Lives inside your fundraising platform. No standalone CRM hire required.

• Donor emails and newsletters. Same platform, same supporter record. No separate email tool to staff against.

• Donation pages and Gift Aid declarations. One flow, no separate Gift Aid module to staff against. You can build donation pages without a developer or marketing budget.

• Event ticketing and promotion (fetes, quiz nights, sponsored 5Ks). Built in.

• Peer-to-peer campaigns (sponsored events, challenges). Let supporters fundraise on your behalf, which distributes the marketing load off your one staff member.

Zeffy is used by 100,000+ charities and not-for-profits to handle exactly this kind of tool consolidation, with over £2 billion raised at £0 in platform fees. When those tasks are handled, the role you actually need to write is closer to: Fundraising and Communications Coordinator (storytelling, donor stewardship, event coordination, and supporter engagement) rather than Marketing Coordinator (manage 12 tools and build a brand).

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Small team (2 to 3 people, £500k to £2m budget)

Usually a Director of Fundraising and Communications plus a Marketing or Communications Coordinator. Sometimes a part-time designer or freelance contractor for campaigns. The split is functional: the director owns strategy and major-donor work; the coordinator owns execution across email, social, and the website.

Hire the coordinator first. The director role can stay combined with fundraising for longer than most organisations think.

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Full department (4+ people, £2m+ budget)

Now the roles in the templates above actually fit. A Director of Marketing oversees acquisition; a Director of Communications oversees stewardship and brand. Specialists (Social Media Manager, Content Manager, PR Manager, Digital Marketing Communications Manager) report up. Even at this size, most organisations don't fill all five specialist roles; they pick the two or three that match this year's strategy.

For a small charity: if your honest answer is "we want a full department but we're a £400k organisation," skip the org chart and write one hybrid job description. The work that's left after you subtract platform tasks is real, but it's one job, not five.

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Interview questions for charity marketing candidates

Generic marketing interviews ask about funnels and ROI. Charity marketing interviews should test for sector-specific instincts: ethical storytelling, doing more with less, and respecting the supporter relationship. Below are 3 to 5 questions for each role.

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Marketing Coordinator

• Walk us through how you'd plan a six-week year-end giving campaign with a £5,000 budget.

• How do you decide what belongs in a donor newsletter versus a general supporter newsletter?

• Describe a campaign you ran where the result wasn't what you expected. What did you change?

• How do you handle a deadline conflict when the Chief Executive, programme lead, and major donor all want something different on Friday?

• How would you handle a Gift Aid declaration collection issue flagged by your Chief Executive the day before a campaign launch?

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Social Media Manager

• How would you communicate programme impact to donors without using stock photography or generic gratitude posts?

• Describe a content calendar you've built. How did you balance recurring content with reactive moments?

• How do you handle a critical or hostile comment on a public post?

• Which metric do you defend in a trustees meeting, and why?

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Digital Marketing Communications Manager

• How would you measure marketing ROI for mission-driven work where the 'conversion' is sometimes a ten-year relationship?

• Walk us through how you'd allocate a £50,000 annual digital budget across paid, owned, and earned.

• How do you decide when to bring work in-house versus hire a freelancer or agency?

• Describe the worst-performing channel you've inherited. How did you turn it around (or close it down)?

• How would you approach UK GDPR consent when migrating a legacy supporter list to a new email tool?

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Content Manager

• Tell us about an impact story you wrote where you had to balance authenticity with the subject's dignity. How did you make the trade-offs?

• How do you keep a content calendar from drifting into 'all fundraising appeals all the time'?

• Describe your editing process when you're working with a programme staffer who isn't a writer.

• What's your view on AI-assisted writing for funding bids and donor communications?

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PR Manager

• Walk us through a crisis communications scenario you've handled. What do you wish you'd done differently?

• How do you build a relationship with a reporter who has never covered our sector?

• Describe a pitch that landed and one that didn't. What was the difference?

• How do you measure PR ROI when most of the value is reputational?

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