Senior Consultant (Fundraising), LEAD at Krea University

Type of Employment: 6-month consultant; contract renewable 

Location: Chennai / New Delhi

Reporting to: Executive Director, LEAD at Krea University

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience 

About LEAD at Krea University: 

LEAD is an action-oriented research centre housed at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), a not-for-profit society which is also the Sponsoring Body of Krea University. LEAD is dedicated to enhancing the socio-economic prosperity of vulnerable and marginalised individuals, households, and enterprises. We create knowledge for impact by leveraging the power of data, aspiration, innovation, and co-creation to tackle complex development challenges. LEAD benefits from the rich legacy and cross-disciplinary expertise of the IFMR/Krea ecosystem, which has over 50 years of history in research and innovation. LEAD has also incubated other centers such as IWWAGE (Initiative for What Works to Advance Gender Equality) and Catalyst – Inclusive Tech for Last Mile Incubator.

About the Role:

The consultant will work with the senior team at LEAD, IWWAGE and Catalyst to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy to support the organisation’s mission and financial sustainability. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in securing significant funding, strategic planning, and building a robust donor pipeline. The candidate will be required to network and liaise with institutional partners, CSR foundations, HNIs and other donors/funders on an ongoing basis, identify fundraising opportunities for the organisation and manage end-to-end proposal development and review process. The candidate must be able to write in a detailed, factual and convincing manner. 

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

Fundraising Strategy Development

• Understand LEAD’s strengths & areas of improvement in terms of expertise and experience to filter funding opportunities pursued;
• Develop with the senior team at LEAD, IWWAGE, and Catalyst, and implement a long-term fundraising strategy that is aligned with organisational goals;
• Set annual fundraising targets and ensure the achievement of revenue objectives.

Donor Engagement and Relationship Management

• Build networks and relationships with donors across India and internationally;
• Identify funding opportunities on an ongoing basis;
• Develop databases of potential funding organisations across different types, such as corporate, bilateral, multilateral, academic, government and so on;
• Identifying opportunities for core funding and preparing relevant materials to ‘sell’ the organisation and its activities;
• Create customised donor outreach plans to enhance engagement and retention;
• Plan and coordinate donor meetings, presentations, and events.

Required Experience/Skills:

• 12+ years of demonstrated fundraising with preferred CSR and philanthropy foundation fundraising experience;
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Communications or related field required;
• Previous experience in CSR fundraising and proposal writing required;
• Previous experience in winning huge grants from reputed national/international organisations and raising funds from different types of organisations is preferred;
• Strong time management/prioritisation skills;
• Excellent networking skills and the ability to write persuasively and articulately are essential;
• Excellent communicator with the ability to express complex technical issues in plain language without losing the important points;
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to efficiently track timelines.

Desired Attributes:

• Self-motivated, energetic and collaborative team player;
• Creative and resourceful with problem-solving abilities;
• Passion for the organisation’s mission and values.

Application Instructions:

Deadline: Applications will be open till the position is filled. To apply, please collate your resume, a cover letter and writing sample in a single PDF and apply in the form here. 

Note: Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each candidate individually regarding the status of their application. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purposes.