Grant Writer & Fundraising Coordinator at Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust

Purpose Of The Position

This post will require the incumbent to dramatically grow the organization’s income over the next three to five years, finding and keeping profitable donors for organizational sustainability and scale-up of its charitable activities.

The Grant Writer will mobilize resources from a host of sources including but not limited to domestic and international donors, local corporations and governments.

This staff member will collaborate creatively with staff and beneficiaries to help conceptualize and establish new fundable projects, as well as source funding to perpetuate those projects that are on-going.

Grant Writer & Fundraising Coordinator Job Major Duties and Responsibilities

Streamline organizational processes to increase donor sources

• Write concept notes, project notes and/or funding proposals to potential donors and ensure their timely submission.
• Identify and respond to all relevant “call for proposals” in a timely manner.
• Develop a resource file of funding proposal templates from major donors, as well as create RWMT templates to leverage when new potential grants arise.
• Create and manage a donor database with all contact information and records of previous engagements.
• Investigate all possible means of receiving funds from various sources including but not limited to: online donations, cash/cheque donations (received in local and in foreign currency), credit card-generated donations, M-pesa, etc

Coordination of the organisation’s fundraising program

• Develop, in consultation with the staff, Program Manager and Executive Director new ideas for fundraising activities to generate revenue for the organization.
• Provide administrative and logistical support for implementation of the organisation’s fundraising strategy, including annual fundraising calendars, to guide RWMT’s pursuit of donor funding in support of identified
• projects, in line with RWMT’s vision, mission and strategic plan.
• Full event management of fundraisers, including event budgeting, venue coordination, guest invitation and registration processes, speaker and VIP support, on-site troubleshooting and event follow-up.
• Create and manage a network of local and international fundraising volunteers.
• Boost the profile of the organisation and ease-of-access for potential funders by regularly updating and enhancing the organisation’s Website and Facebook.
• Improve and update organisation’s communication materials.

Networking and donor relationship-building

• Improve and update organisation’s communication materials.
• Recommend potential donors abroad (namely from Europe and the United States) with the goal of drawing funds from foreign sources into the organisation.
• Assisting the Management Team and Executive Director in management of correspondence and organizational contact with donors and potential donors.
• Actively participating in relevant meetings, conferences and other functions.
• Making connections with donors through various channels including social media, coordination of site visits, use of local Kenyan and international media.
• Identifying opportunities for RWMT staff to participate in projects and activities with other stakeholders to strengthen RWMT’s network in the Kenyan development community.
• Keeping abreast of international donor trends and opportunities and acting as advisor on the same.

Organisational capacity-building

• Keeping abreast of international donor trends and opportunities and acting as advisor on the same. Actively participate in RWMT’s strategic planning process to ensure proposed development initiatives are integrated into the fundraising strategy.
• Collaborate with the Management team to identify budget gaps, and to develop new demanddriven project ideas, for which to apply for funding.
• Co-facilitate trainings with relevant staff to participate in the grant management cycle (training in simple proposal writing, the basics of conducting donor-funded projects, anti-corruption education, responsible handling of donor funds, simple report writing instruction, etc.)

Qualifications for the Grant Writer & Fundraising Coordinator Job

(The knowledge, skills and abilities may be required through a combination of formal schooling, self-education and prior experience or on-the-job-training)

• At least a bachelor’s degree in Communication or other related fields.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience, at least three (3) of which must be in the African development or not-for-profit sector, with at least some experience working directly with grassroots organisations operating at the community level working with vulnerable and at-risk populations including people living with HIV, orphans/vulnerable children, women and the rural poor.
• Proven track record soliciting donor funds from international sources, including skills in networking, donor relationships and experience with the requirements of international donor organs (i.e. USAID, DFID, United Nations, European Union).
• Excellent critical thinking skills and an ability to act in an advisory capacity to the organisation’s Management team.
• Ability to build budgets and plan project funding and supervise financial reporting to donors.
• Experience with the project management and grant management cycles.
• Comfortable with public speaking and meeting/training facilitation; able to represent the organisation in a professional manner in public and in meetings.
• Ability to bridge the cultural divide between representatives of European and/or American donor agencies and the Kenyan organization.
• Excellent English-language skills; an additional international language would be an asset.
• Excellent writing skills; with the ability to tell a story in a clear, engaging and persuasive way.
• A flair for producing documents for donors, the media, stakeholders and the general public, including experience with the basics of graphic design, careful attention to detail, quality reports, press releases