Fundraising & Partnerships Manager At International Forum of National NGO Platforms

1. Background

Forus is a global network empowering civil society for effective social change. It brings together 66 National NGO Platforms and 7 Regional Coalitions from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Pacific.

Forus currently operates on a budget of approximately EUR 1.2 million annually, primarily provided by institutional funders. In addition, dues paid by members (amounting to less than 3% of the total budget) allow Forus to have a small source of flexible funds.

Forus seeks an experienced and dynamic Fundraising and Partnerships Manager to secure funding to implement Forus’ strategy for 2021-2025 and ensure that the Forus Secretariat is adequately resourced to fulfill Forus’ strategy while developing a balanced, sustainable and diverse range of income sources.

The Fundraising and Partnerships Manager will report to the Forus Director. As a member-led network, Forus is also committed to work closely with members in the resource mobilization effort.

2. Responsibilities

Main responsibilities and tasks

● Lead on the implementation of Forus’ 3-year fundraising strategy, in close collaboration with the Director, the Administrative & Financial Manager, the ExCom and the Council’s fundraising committee.

● Prospect for, secure and cultivate strong partnerships with institutional, philanthropic and possibly private sector partners.

● Deliver optimal donor stewardship, including narrative and financial reporting

● Support internal stakeholder engagement and governance processes related to Forus’ fundraising efforts**

● Support quality engagement between the Forus Secretariat and the Forus members

● Support organizational effectiveness and accountability processes

● Foster Forus’ learning and development processes to grow the organization’s fitness for growth

Donor acquisition (60%)

● Lead on fundraising activities, in close collaboration with the Director, the Administrative & Financial Manager, the ExCom, the Council’s fundraising committee and other partners as required.

● Build a library of relevant cases for support reflecting the organization’s priority programs and consolidating key messages to prospective donors per thematic priority.

● Lead the proposal development and submission process, including in collaboration with members.

● Create and cultivate a healthy pipeline of prospective donors and funding opportunities; and capture all information in the organization’s CRM; undertake market research and keep the CRM system up to date.

● Develop relationship management strategies for the organization’s prioritized prospects.

● Work with the communications team to grow exposure to and engagement with fundraising target audiences through Forus’ varied communication channels.

● Develop suitable fundraising products, processes and tools.

● Develop and refine Forus’ due diligence process to accept new donors.

● Share relevant opportunities with Forus members and provide guidance to members when relevant.

Donor stewardship and External Representation (45%)

● Deliver optimal donor stewardship, including excellent donor narrative and financial reporting.

● Work with the Forus team to strengthen Forus’ capacity to produce impact-focused communication tools for its donor community.

● Cultivate trusted and trusting relationships with our donor focal points, keeping them abreast of Forus activities, achievements, and strategic objectives.

● Support the Director with maintaining strong relations with key stakeholders and represent Forus with external stakeholders upon request.

Governance & Internal processes (5%)

● Prepare regular reports to and coordinate with the Forus Council and ExCom; support the facilitation and preparation of Forus’ Fundraising Committee meetings.

● Support the Accountability & Transparency processes within the Secretariat and across the network and help to strengthen Forus’ systems and evidence base to showcase its impact and added value to donors.

● Support cross-team learning on donor relationship-management and fundraising needs so as to grow the organization’s fundraising culture and effectiveness.

3. Required qualifications and skills

Education/Training & Minimum Professional Experience required:

● Relevant academic degree or evidence of continued professional development relevant to the position

● At least 5 years of working experience in an international setting, in a fundraising role and liaison function.

Skills and knowledge:

● Commitment to Forus’ mission, vision and values with good understanding of global development issues, and understanding of the socio-cultural, historical, political and economic global context.

● Demonstrated experience and skills of working with diverse stakeholders, and facilitating platforms of cooperation, networking, building partnerships and alliances.

● Proven fundraising record with institutional and private funders for national and international projects, securing major funding in excess of EUR 1 million. Experience with government donors and foundations an asset.

● A proven track record in developing and guiding successful fundraising strategies with a focus on diversifying income streams and donor portfolios.

● Experience in integrating fundraising strategies with communications strategies

● At ease communicating in a formal way with high-level stakeholders at national and international level.

● Keen understanding of financial management, budget planning and monitoring.

● Experience planning and organizing events

● Excellent proficiency in English in speaking and writing required. Working knowledge of French a very strong asset, and of Spanish an additional asset.

Personal qualities/interpersonal skills:

● Thrives in cooperative work environments in which the collaborative pursuit of shared objectives is the priority.

● Prioritizes and manages multiple projects simultaneously and follows through on issues in a timely manner with excellent attention for detail.

● Proactively seeks and provides feedback, strong emotional intelligence.

● Creative thinker with a “can-do”, outward-looking and problem-solving attitude, willing to guide others with confidence and take risks when appropriate.

● Highly organized independent worker, including in remote work settings with a decentralized team.

● Clear and sharp communicator able to bring across often complex and conceptual ideas in a down-to—reality and simple manner. Structured and engaging public speaker.

● Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with highly diverse stakeholders.

● Ability to work under pressure and towards tight deadlines maintaining effective performance in high pressure environments.

4. Conditions

Starting date: as soon as possible

Contract type: Full-time or part-time / either 1-year short-term contract (under French law) or consultant contract.

Location: flexible or located in Forus’ offices in Paris. International travelling is to be foreseen from time to time.

Salary/compensation: dependent on experience.