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