Director of Partnerships and Fundraising

The Share Trust is a non-profit organisation with a mission is to support community driven collective action. We believe that people should be in control of their own development, and yet only a small fraction of international assistance reaches local actors to allow them to drive the change they want to see. We work closely with Warande Advisory Centre our sister organisation based in Nairobi.

Together we aim to address this issue holistically, working across an ecosystem to shift power, process, and funding to local actors. We employ three core strategies:

1. Supporting Self Help Groups (SHGs), one of the most evidence-based and cost-effective approaches to drive community driven development. These groups of 10-25 people meet every week to save, start small businesses and support each other, effectively harnessing the transformative power of gathering to create extraordinary impact.
2. Partnering with Coalitions of local and national organisations (LNOs) as they co-design and implement coordinated programming to meet their community’s highest priorities. The Local Coalition Accelerator (LCA) is a flagship initiative of the Share Trust and the Warande Advisory Centre—currently being implemented in Uganda, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya —that provides both financial and technical support to the coalitions over three years. LCA coalitions work with SHGs to ensure decision making and programming are grounded with the most marginalised by channelling and amplifying their voices to drive change; and
3. Bridging the gap between donors (bilateral and multilateral), philanthropy, international practitioners and community driven collective initiatives through research and advocacy to fundamentally change the way that international assistance is designed and delivered. Our focus is on strengthening the enabling environment and shifting policies, funding, and processes to enable locally led action.

Position Overview

If you are ready to make your day-job something that can change the world, we want to hear from you! We are seeking a US based full-time Director of Partnerships and Fundraising to join our team to create authentic partnerships which fund our work. We are a small and rapidly growing organisation, working across numerous countries and time zones. It is a dynamic and innovative work environment, with each team member leading and contributing across a range of functions. The Share Trust’s financial partners include a wide range of philanthropic foundations, individuals, government agencies (bilateral and multilateral agencies), and large INGO partners.

The Share Trust has grown rapidly in the past few years having been recognized for our innovative research which is building the evidence base in support of localization. This role will work closely with our Executive Director and Leadership Team to unlock traditional and innovative funding opportunities to scale our impact.

This role will be critical in managing existing and new donor partnerships including: i) managing all communications with current donors including annual reporting, updating and renewals; ii) overseeing the on-going fundraising efforts, and iii) supporting the identification and cultivation of new partnerships. In addition to supporting the Share Trust, the Director of Partnerships will also provide support to the Warande Advisory Centre’s donor partnership efforts. Since our founding in 2020, the Share Trust has grown significantly with the support of several multi-million-dollar foundation grants and currently has a ~$3.7M budget. We are looking for an ambitious leader who is prepared to help us to continue to grow and to build our presence with government and individual donors.

This is a full time, fully remote position for candidates based in the US, requiring a significant amount of time available for work in Eastern time zone.

Responsibilities:

Managing Current Donor Partnerships:

• Managing the communication and stewardship of current donor partners including annual reporting, update meetings and preparing for renewal applications. Work closely with the Executive Director to pull her in where appropriate. The Share Trust’s donor partners include a wide range of philanthropic foundations, individuals, government agencies (bilateral and multilateral agencies), and large INGO clients.
• Preparing the Leadership Team for regular meetings with donor partners.
• Leading all donor reporting. Working with operations, communications, finance, and project lead team members at the Share Trust and Warande Advisory Centre to ensure that all reports, meeting preparation materials, and renewal applications are developed and submitted in a professional and timely manner.

Overseeing Fundraising:

• With Executive Director, managing an expanding pipeline of potential donor partners, inclusive of philanthropic foundations, individuals, government agencies to ensure that TST and WAC meet or exceed our ambitious fundraising goals.
• Working directly with the Warande Advisory Centre to support fundraising and strengthening their capacity to fundraise independently over time.
• Developing cultivation and follow-up strategies and materials to attract and secure high potential donor partners.
• Partnering with Leadership Team to manage potential partnerships and secure large grants
• Collaborating with relevant departments across the Share Trust and Warande Advisory Centre including communications, finance, and project leads to ensure that high quality cultivation materials and proposals are created in a professional and timely manner.

New Partnership Development:

• Identifying, researching, and vetting new donor partnerships in collaboration with Leadership Team.
• Partnering with Leadership Team to develop partnerships with a broad base of potential advisors and champions.
• Supporting an Advisory Council that consists of Global Majority community leaders as well as philanthropic and government donor partners who convene annually to provide guidance on the Share Trust and WAC’s on-going strategies to transfer power, process, and funding to local communities.

General Responsibilities:

• Managing donor partnerships and fundraising pipeline databases using project management systems.
• Reporting and proposal writing and oversight.
• Collaborate with relevant departments across the Share Trust and WAC including the Leadership Team, communications, operations, finance, research, and project leads to ensure consistent effective donor partner communication.

What we will do for you:

The Share Trust knows that our team is critical to achieving our ambitious goals and seeks to provide a comprehensive employment package in recognition of that fact. Key benefits to working here include:

• Being part of a dynamic and fast-moving team that is working to fundamentally shift the global system so that Global South/Global Majority leaders gain more power and funding to help communities become more resilient and in control of their own development.
• Competitive salary
• A generous benefits package including 4 weeks of paid leave, 5 sick days, and 11 holidays that can be used when you choose, as well as an optional retirement plan. Health insurance with partial employee contribution, as well as optional plans for dental and vision, HSA account, etc.
• A staff retreat held in a different location each year to connect with global colleagues

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree in relevant field preferred.
• Experience: proven experience (10+ years) with progressively more responsibility working in non-profit / INGO development leadership roles. Experience successfully raising and managing multi-million-dollar portfolio of grants and contract work for fast growing organizations in the international development sector, supporting Global Majority countries is essential. Experience developing and managing relationships with government donors (bilateral and multi-lateral agencies) and high-net worth individuals is highly desirable.
• Project management: proficiency in project management including the use of cloud-based project management systems. Familiarity with Asana, Slack, and SharePoint a plus.
• Communication: excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively write and edit reports, proposals, and briefs for both technical and non-technical donor partner audiences.
• Team Player: ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary, multicultural team and manage multiple tasks in a dynamic research environment.
• Initiative: self-motivated and proactive approach to problem-solving, research, and project management.

TST believes our team is better and stronger with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. We welcome applications from candidates historically underrepresented in the international development sector. If you do not meet all stated qualifications but feel you can succeed within this role, please consider applying for this position. TST is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.