Charity Marketing and Fundraising MSc | PGDip

Exterior of Bayes Business School

Key information

Duration: 12 months (PgDip) 24 months (MSc)

Attendance mode: Part-time

Location: Bunhill Row

Start of programme: October 2025

Application deadline: Applications open for 2025/26

Entry year: Showing course information for 2025

Master the strategic, tactical and ethical issues driving charity marketing and fundraising

Overview

Charity Marketing and Fundraising MSc | PGDip Who is it for?

You may already be working in the charity sector as a senior marketing and fundraising manager. Or you may wish to transfer relevant skills and knowledge from experience you've gained in other sectors.

The course will support and enhance your core fundraising and marketing management skills. It will equip you to design and  deliver efficient, effective and appropriate fundraising and marketing practice in the voluntary sector.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC).

  • NACC: Nonprofit Academic Centers Council logo

Why choose this course?

  • Opportunity to meet and interact with non-profit leaders during guest lectures and seminars
  • Unique blend of theoretical and practical learning.
  • Learn from academics with first-hand experience and ongoing involvement in the third sector
  • Highly experienced, senior teaching faculty, including both senior academics and experienced practitioners.

Course objectives

Charity marketeers and fundraising managers are increasingly under pressure to deliver  in a complex and contemporary environment, within an ethically managed, robust and accountable strategic framework. This course has been designed specifically to meet their needs. You will study how charities are using new and existing marketing ideas to acquire and distribute resources. In doing so, you will look at the practical application of key strategic marketing concepts and planning disciplines to voluntary sector organisations.

Throughout the course you will focus on the application of a strategic marketing approach. Under the umbrella of strategy you will look at and discuss effective brand management, selecting and adopting alternative channels, and the role and types of charity marketing communications.

You will review different approaches to fundraising alongside the important constraints of ethical best practice and contemporary regulation as they apply to charity marketing  and fundraising strategy development.

Teaching staff

The teaching staff on this course have many years of practical experience working in industry and are also active researchers in their fields.

Haseeb Shabbir is the Academic Leader for the MSc in Charity Marketing and Fundraising at Bayes Business School. He joined the school in 2023, having held various managerial and leadership roles in Higher Education. As a senior member of the Academy Team at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, he  served as course leader for the CIoF’s Certificate and Diploma programs in fundraising.

Haseeb has coached charity marketers and fundraising professionals from all levels and across regional, national and international organizations. A former Director of the World Marketing Summit, Haseeb also has an extensive portfolio in developing executive training for both voluntary sector and corporate clients.

Accreditation details

The Charities Master's courses were accredited by the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) in January 2019 as the only programme in Europe to be included in the first group reviewed. NACC Accreditation fosters third sector academic programmes worldwide.

Course content

The MSc course is taught on a part-time basis over a period of two years. Students initially enrol on the Postgraduate Diploma with the specialist area of their choice, and confirm their intention to complete the MSc at the end of the first year.
As a student you will:

  • Develop your understanding of the strategic application of the marketing paradigm in the voluntary sector
  • Explore the practical application of key strategic marketing concepts and tools in different voluntary sector contexts
  • Understand how to design, implement and evaluate alternative contemporary fundraising strategies and techniques
  • Build relevant marketing and fundraising management and leadership skills and analytical capabilities
  • Gain access to a strong and vibrant learning community and network within the Centre and the sector
  • Grow your confidence and  enhance your career in the sector.

Course structure

Programme content is subject to change. We regularly review our module offering and amend to keep up to date and relevant.

Induction weeks

The Charities programme courses starting in October will have a final session for the in-person registration followed by an Induction Programme.

Modules

  • Learning and Understanding the Voluntary Sector

    This module represents the starting point for you and the opportunity to learn about the process of learning and establishing plans for learning on the programme. It also offers a perspective on leading public/voluntary sector debates within an historical context, alongside a more enduring understanding of scholarly approaches to the understanding of developments and changes in the relationship between government and the voluntary sector.

  • People Management in the Voluntary Sector

    This module aims to provide you with an appreciation of key aspects of voluntary sector human resource issues, including the critical issue of volunteer management.

  • Marketing and Fundraising

    This module aims to provide you with the concepts, underpinning knowledge, skills and techniques to plan and develop marketing and operations systems and enable students to analyse marketing needs, evaluate marketing plans, in the context of applying marketing concepts to their own organisation.

  • Charity Accounting and Finance

    This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the specialist charity accounting framework grounded in trust law and fund accounting principles and issues of financial management.

  • Strategy, Diversity and Governance

    This module aims to enable you to develop a broad knowledge and conceptual base in the field of strategy development, diversity and governance.

  • Fieldwork Exercise

    In this module you will undertake a 'tailored' learning experience centred on a 5 day consulting assignment on a financial project within a charity.

  • Fundraising

    This module aims to enable you to develop a broad, informed and critical understanding of the complex issues surrounding fundraising.

  • Strategic Charity Marketing

    This module aims to provide you with an enhanced consideration of marketing as a strategic tool and to introduce the strategic management aspects of charity marketing.

Download course specification:

Charity Marketing and Fundraising MSc | PGDip [PDF]

Assessment methods

The Postgraduate Diploma consists of six compulsory modules that all students take and are common to all the five charity postgraduate courses.  These provide the essential underpinning of management skills for the two compulsory specialist courses. Upon successful completion of the diploma you can continue to the MSc Programme.

The MSc requires completion of the Research Methods for Managers module. This is followed by either:  a further six months of personal, supervised research and the presentation of a research-based dissertation. Or alternatively, you can opt to take a taught Masters which allows you to choose specialist modules from one of the other charities programmes.

Assessment methods

  • Course work

Term dates

Term dates October 2025 intake

Induction
02 October 2025

Learning and Understanding the Voluntary Sector
03 - 04 October 2025 (on campus teaching); 10 October 2025 (online teaching)

People Management in the Voluntary Sector
01 - 02 November 2025 (release of online material);  14 - 15 November 2025 (on campus teaching); 10 November 2025 (online teaching)

Marketing and Fundraising
06 - 07 December 2025 (release of online material);  12 - 13 December 2025 (on campus teaching); 09 January 2026 (online teaching)

Charity Accounting and Finance
06- 07 February 2026; 06 March 2026

Strategy, Diversity and Governance
07 March 2026; 27- 88 March 2026

Fundraising
22 - 23 May 2026; 19 June 2026

Strategic Charity Marketing
20 June 2026; 17 - 18 July 2026

Fieldwork exercise to be completed by early August 2026

Course Review Day

04 September 2026

Term dates for students progressing from the Postgraduate Diploma Intake in 2024

Research Methods for Managers

17 - 18 January 2026 (release of online material); 23 - 24 January 2026 (on campus teaching): 06 February 2026 (online teaching)

Dissertation or Taught Masters Option
completion by mid-September 2026

Senior Lecturer Justin Davis-Smith giving a lecture on strategy and governance to postgraduate students in a classroom.

Careers

Students are selected on their professional experience, and generally continue working in their full –time role whilst undertaking this course.

"A Business School charity master's degree is without a doubt a gold standard qualification that adds professional credibility."

- Johnathan Sandall 

"The Charity Marketing and Fundraising course gave me some much needed intellectual rigour and helped develop a much more analytical and reflective approach. This has been invaluable in my new job; in fact, I wouldn't have got this job without this more strategic thinking."

- Zoe Marlow, Head Education and Business Development (UK and Ireland), Sannam S4

"I specialise in fundraising but wanted a wider understanding of the third sector as a whole, in order to aid my development and to give me a better grounding as a senior manager in my organisation. The course was challenging but manageable when working full time, and the lecturers and guest speakers were all excellent."

- Stephanie Lawless, Community Fundraising Manager, Dogs for Good

"The course covered a fantastic breadth of topics in great detail, merging theory with practical real world solutions, and prepares students to take on the challenges currently facing the voluntary sector. Completing this course provided me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply for and secure a more senior role in a new organisation."

- Marco Greco, Fundraising Manager, Coram Fields

"I really enjoyed my two years at the Business School and the course developed my confidence, honed my strategic thinking and gave me a new peer network. This helped me progress into my current role"

- Melanie Aram, Head of Major Gifts & Appeals, National Portrait Gallery

Fees & funding

UK/Home/International fee

October 2025 entry

£7,620

PgDip

+ £4,410

An additional fee to convert to the Master’s degree*

Tuition fees are subject to annual change.

The fee for the Postgraduate Diploma is £7,620 for 2025/26 entry. A deposit of £400 is payable on acceptance of a place. For self-paying students, the balance is payable in two instalments, the first during the registration process September and the second at the end of January.

*The fee for those converting the Diploma to MSc is a further £4,410 for 2024/25 entry and is payable in one instalment at the beginning of the second year. The conversion fee for the following year of entry will be subject to an annual inflationary increase

Tuition fee increases

Where applicable, tuition fees for Bayes' programmes will be subject to inflationary increases in each year of study. Our policy for these increases is set out in our terms and conditions of study.

Scholarships & bursaries

Students sponsored by their employer will need to complete a form. We also recommend looking at the government PG loan for funding.

Scholarships

Eastside Primetimers Foundation Scholarships

We are delighted that the 50% funding of the course fees over the two-year part-time Master’s for two applicants for either the Charity Accounting and Finance, Charity Marketing and Fundraising, NGO Management and Voluntary Sector Management courses in the Charities programme is continuing.

Applicants need to have accepted an offer of a place on the course and will be consider on the basis of the scholarship application form.

Selection will be on the basis of academic/financial reasons, career plans/capacity-building in the UK sector and focussed on underrepresented groups.

  • The deadline: 24 July 2025, with confirmation of funding by early August.

Aziz Foundation scholarships

We are delighted that this opportunity is being made available for British Muslim students with an offer of a place on any of the five courses in the Charities Masters (again).

Direct applications to the Aziz Foundation for full fee funding for the two-year part-time Master’s.

Please see the Aziz Foundation applications page for further details.

  • Applications for students starting in October 2025 will open in January 2025.
View our scholarships and funding

Other funding opportunities

You may wish to look at the PG Loan option for funding.

View other funding options

Sponsorship

Students on the course who are sponsored by their employer will need to complete a sponsorship form as part of the application process. This can be completed for the Postgraduate Diploma or the MSc. An invoice for the full fees for the academic year will be sent to the employer in October for the Postgraduate Diploma. If the employer is a charity, they can request payment in two instalments by contacting the person named on the invoice. This arrangement allows the charity to spread the fees across two financial years.

View our sponsorship guidance

Entry requirements

All students will be highly motivated graduate-level people who bring a wide range of professional competencies, skills and experience from a wide range of backgrounds. Gender is evenly balanced across all the courses and there are no age barriers.

In general we ask for a good first degree, normally an upper second-class honours degree from a British University or an equivalent qualification from a leading overseas institution; and three or more year’s relevant experience at a senior level.

In exceptional cases we will also accept those without a degree but with significant work experience.

English language requirements

In order to participate fully in the collaborative learning process all students who have not previously studied in English must sit an academic IELTS  or TOEFL iBT exam.

The minimum required academic IELTS level is an average of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and no less than 6.0 in any other section.

We require a well-balanced overall score of at least 100 and no less than 25 in the Writing section in the TOEFL iBT test or the TOEFL iBT Home Edition test.

If you are not a native English speaker but have been working in the UK for the last three years it is unlikely you will need to take the test.

Apply

Apply for October 2025 Entry

Apply - Charity Marketing and Fundraising October

Terms and conditions

Students applying to study at Bayes Business School are subject to City, University of London's terms and conditions.

Student life

We are located right in the heart of London. Being a student at City allows you to take advantage of all that London has to offer.

London is continually ranked as one of the 'Best Student Cities' in the world to study within (QS, 2025).

Contact us

Speak to one of our staff from Master's programmes teams.

Related courses