Job description
THE ROLE
You'll own new donor acquisition at the organization. Your job is to identify, cultivate, and close partnerships with donors. You'll split your time roughly 60/40:
60% of your time: CSR partnerships, family foundations, and high net-worth individuals. These are relationship-driven, shorter fundraising cycles where your ability to build rapport, navigate corporate decision-making, and close deals matters most.
40% of your time: International institutional donors (foundations, grant-making organizations). These are proposal-driven, longer fundraising cycles where your ability to research prospects, write compelling applications, and articulate impact through MEL frameworks matters most.
This isn't a donor management role. We have that covered. This is pure business development in the social sector.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Build the new donor pipeline
Research and Map CSR budgets
Identify family foundations and HNIs with philanthropic interests in child welfare and social impact
Research international foundations and institutional donors with India programs or global child protection portfolios
Identify decision-makers and warm introductions through your network or ours
Qualify prospects and prioritize based on funding capacity, mission alignment, and likelihood to close
Maintain a pipeline of 40-50 active prospects across all donor segments at any given time
Lead the pitch and close
For CSR, family foundations, and HNIs:
Develop compelling proposals within corporate priorities (child welfare, women's safety, education, community health)
Lead meetings and presentations with CSR heads, foundation trustees, and philanthropists, often alongside our CEO or Director
Navigate corporate decision-making processes, follow-ups, and negotiations
Close partnerships ranging from 25 lakhs to 2+ crores annually
For international institutional donors:
Write full grant proposals independently, including program narratives, budgets, logical frameworks, and MEL plans
Translate programs into compelling cases for support that align with foundation priorities
Build relationships with program officers and foundation staff through calls, virtual meetings, and in-person visits when possible
Manage long proposal cycles and follow-up processes
Target: Secure 6-8 new CSR/family foundation/HNI partnerships and 2-3 international grants in Year 1, scaling in Year 2
Execute with precision
Coordinate with program teams to develop partnership proposals that showcase impact and align with funder interests
Manage proposal timelines, documentation requirements, and compliance processes (FCRA, due diligence, etc.)
Support onboarding of new partners and transition to stewardship team
Track all activities, meetings, and pipeline movement in our CRM (Monday.com)
Think strategically
Spot patterns in what's working and what's not. Adjust approach accordingly.
Stay on top of CSR trends, Section 135 changes, foundation giving patterns, and international donor priorities
Explore innovative partnership models beyond traditional grants (cause marketing, employee engagement, skills-based volunteering)
Work with Director and CEO to refine messaging and positioning for different donor segments
WHO YOU ARE
You have 7-9 years of experience in one or more of these areas:
Fundraising in the development sector (NGOs, social enterprises) with a track record of bringing in new money from diverse donor segments
Business development, sales, or client acquisition in consulting, professional services, or B2B environments
Corporate partnerships, CSR management, foundation relations, or institutional giving where you've built relationships from scratch
You're comfortable with the numbers:
You can build and manage a sales pipeline across multiple donor segments
You think in terms of conversion rates, average deal size, and fundraising ROI
Excel and CRM tools are second nature to you
You can create a quarterly forecast and actually hit it
You're a relationship builder:
You can walk into a room with a stranger and walk out with a next step
You know how to listen for what matters to the other person and adjust your pitch
You're persistent without being pushy
You can handle rejection (because there will be a lot of it) and keep going
You can tell a story and write proposals:
You can take complex program details and turn them into compelling cases for support
You can write full grant proposals independently, including program narratives, budgets, and MEL frameworks
Your proposals don't sound like every other NGO proposal
You can adapt your communication style for different audiences
You understand the fundraising landscape:
You know how CSR decisions get made in Indian corporates and understand Section 135 compliance
You're familiar with international foundation processes, application requirements, and timelines
You understand how to navigate FCRA regulations and international funding compliance
You're entrepreneurial:
You don't wait for someone to tell you what to do
You see a problem and figure out how to solve it
You're comfortable with ambiguity and building things as you go
You take ownership of outcomes, not just activities
Originally posted on Himalayas
Who can apply
Eligible countries: United States. Accepted UTC offsets: UTC-10, UTC-9, UTC-8, UTC-7, UTC-6, UTC-5, UTC+14. Review the full description for employer-specific work authorization, residency and schedule requirements.