James Clarke

Senior Fundraising Leader - BBC Fundraiser Of The Year Winner 2023 - Pride Of Britain Nominee 2024.

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

About

Since 2016, I’ve raised £185,000+ for charity through several award-winning, record-breaking events. With 300+ events to my name, I’ve been invited to Buckingham Palace, Downing Street & Westminster because of my work. Along the way, I’ve won 9 awards for events & fundraising, including BBC Fundraiser Of The Year. But, I’m only just getting started...

Experience

  • Retina UK (Full-time · 3 yrs 2 mos)
    • Head of Income Generation
      Dec 2024 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos

      I manage the Income Generation team at Retina UK & oversee our income, expenditure & growth. We have ambitious plans & we love collaborating with our external partners to achieve our goals

    • Senior Fundraising Manager
      Aug 2024 - Dec 2024 · 5 mos

      I manage multiple income streams for the charity whilst continually innovating our offering & keeping our supporters at the forefront of everything that we do.

    • Events & Community Fundraising Manager
      May 2023 - Aug 2024 · 1 yr 4 mos

      At national sight loss charity, Retina UK, I manage the Fundraising team & look after the Challenge Events & Community areas, where I steward our incredible supporters, whilst also introducing new campaigns & collaborations to continue growing our income.

  • Founder & Event Producer at Worksop's Got Talent
    Jan 2016 - Present · 10 yrs 6 mos

    I am the founder & sole event producer of the award-winning annual Worksop's Got Talent event. Since 2016, Worksop's Got Talent has raised over £185,000+ for Retina UK through 9 sold-out shows (700 guests each year) & has been judged/hosted by several famous faces. The show will be returning on 6th November 2026. As the sole event producer, I oversee the planning, logistics, sponsorship, marketing, designing, music editing, promotion, selling, social media channels, choreography, stage management, fundraising, volunteering, celebrity talent booking, networking & much more.

  • Events & Fundraising Officer at Sheffield Hospitals Charity
    May 2022 - Apr 2023 · 1 yr

    Within my role at Sheffield Hospitals Charity, based at Northern General Hospital, I oversaw the in-house & challenge events for the charity, including launching the inaugural, sell-out A Cathedral Christmas concert at Sheffield Cathedral, collaborating with The Wildcard Bar & Grill for the World Cup, planning the annual Head Start 5K & 10K race for 2023 & managing the Challenge Events portfolio, including improving/growing the stewarding process, volunteers recruitment & fundraisers recruitment. All of the funds & awareness raised went towards supporting our local NHS hospitals in Sheffield.

  • Events Coordinator at Irwin Mitchell
    Oct 2018 - May 2022 · 3 yrs 8 mos

    At Irwin Mitchell, I organised 255 high-profile corporate events across the UK, including events at Manchester United, Twickenham Stadium & Leeds Playhouse. My events included: corporate dinners, drinks receptions, international conferences, seminars, 150+ webinars & specialist conferences. The virtual events were highly successful & maintained brand awareness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also attracting thousands of viewers. I collaborated with First Law International on their Spring Conference 2022 which saw 150 guests from 50 countries attend our 4-day event in Manchester which I project managed.

  • Admissions Administrator at RNN Group UK
    Feb 2016 - Oct 2018 · 2 yrs 9 mos

    In my 2nd role at North Notts College, I worked in the Admissions team, processing applications, organising interviews & processing offers. I maintained a high level of customer service & was approachable & relatable to students. I achieved a Level 3 qualification alongside this role. I also achieved a Level 2 in Information, Advice & Guidance & I was also been part of a team who passed a Matrix assessment. Alongside this role, I also covered in the Data Services team, covering enrolment.