Fundraising Manager

WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature is the world’s largest independent conservation organization, with over five million supporters and a network active in more than 100 countries on five continents.  Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

WWF Zambia seeks to recruit a proficient, energetic and motivated individual to take up this exciting position.

Duty Post: Lusaka

The Role:

The Fundraising Manager is responsible for developing and driving the WWF Zambia fundraising strategies to secure and manage significant income from a diverse range of donors, international organizations, multi-donor funds, private sector companies and large trusts and foundations to support WWF Zambia’s conservation ambition. WWF Zambia’s is in the process of developing its   new 10 year  strategy to deliver large scape  local, national and transboundary  conservation  impacts aligned  with the  WWF global conservation outcomes.

The Fundraising manager will be expected to proactively identify and pursue funding opportunities needed to significantly strengthen our ability to realize our conservation goals through the establishment of a dedicated fundraising function. As WWF Zambia works towards becoming a national organization, this role will ensure that it develops an effective approach to secure funding from local donors and supporters to help realize our organisational ambition to in the long term secure landscapes and species under threat by 2030. This is a leadership role within the Senior Management Team of WWF Zambia.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Fundraising

• Develop and implement a 5 year Fundraising Plan with clear targets to sustainably grow WWF Zambia’s income in line with the Country Strategic Plan and Financial Sustainability Plan.
• Lead the effort to operationalise the WWF Zambia Financial sustainability plan to management fundraising efforts.
• Coordinate fundraising activities and proposal writing processes with Conservation Manager and team.
• Lead the team in identifying fundraising priorities and developing, implementation and monitoring of annual fundraising operational plans & budgets.
• Work with Finance Manager to ensure that the fundraising pipeline is updated on a monthly basis and risks are flagged to SMT.
• Support, build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships high potential WWF Zambia donors.
• Proactively lead networking efforts to identify funding opportunities and partnerships.
• Support WWF Zambia to explore the partnership potential of strategic corporate engagements, working closely with the international corporate partnerships team to ensure corporate alliances are strategic as well as philanthropically aligned.
• Build public sector partnerships with bilateral and multilateral agency offices and other agencies in Zambia, working with the relevant WWF offices who manage the parent relationships.
• Support conservation team members to prepare high quality and relevant proposals and reports for prospective donors and partners.
• Develop effective fundraising systems and processes for the organisation to ensure that fundraising priorities and targets are set, monitored and met.
• Research and maintain an overview of key partnerships and opportunities for the realisation of WWF Zambia strategic goals.
• Lead the development, testing and exploration of innovative locally-based fundraising channels.
• Track progression of fundraising proposals submitted and requirements.
• Build overall organisational capacity to identify and successfully respond to funding opportunities by providing guidance, training and tools to the organisation.
• Acts as focal point for NO fundraising and partnership teams and Public Sector Partnerships focal points on global as well as regional funding opportunities.
• Provide proactive liaison with global practises on concepts and proposal development.
• Represent the Country Director at donor related networking meetings, forums and events, as well as support engagement with key funders, in order to initiate and strengthen our relationships.
• Supports and Manages interns and consultants results.

Grant Management

• Quality assure proposal and donor documents.
• Work with the Conservation Manager, M and E and Finance Manager to develop and ensure monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures for awarded grants in line with standards agreed with donors.
• Ensure reporting requirements for all institutional donors are met and reports are completed to deadlines.
• Lead on institutional donor grant agreement/contract negotiations and compliance.
• Ensure all relevant team members are fully briefed on the terms and conditions of donor Grant agreements/contracts, including key deadlines.
• Manage due diligence processes, facilitate donor audits and coordinate with the Head of Programmes on external evaluations.
• Manage a system for maintaining all contacts, information and deadlines for each grant award and new fundraising opportunity.

Required Qualifications:

• Evidence of major fundraising outcomes.
• Minimum undergraduate university degree.
• Proven track record of generating significant income, preferably in the context of an international organisation.
• At least five years’ experience in fundraising in at least one of the areas of: public sector partnerships, major donors, trusts/foundations or corporate fundraising.
• At least three years’ fundraising experience in an international setting, ideally with an INGO and with experience in Zambia.
• Experience developing innovative concepts and proposals.
• Experience of creating and implementing a fundraising strategy for new markets.
• Experience and expertise in developing relationships with institutional donors, high net worth individuals or corporations.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Professional and enthusiastic.
• Experience in self managing to deliver targets agreed with CD and SMT.
• Strong diplomatic skills with sensitivity to political and cultural issues.
• Proactive networker.
• Highly collaborative team leader.
• High ethical standards of behaviour, good judgment, respect for others, confidentiality and attention to detail.
• Excellent writing and oral presentation skills in English and other required language(s) – see below.
• Demonstrable numerical and budgetary skills, including preparing fundraising budgets and proficient use of excel and spreadsheets.
• Strong interpersonal and communicating skills in a multicultural environment.
• Thoroughness and attention to detail and strong analytical skills.
• Energetic, proactive and capable of working independently as well as being an active member of the team.
• Flexible and creative with an aptitude for solving problems; positive attitude.
• Strong project management skills.
• Adheres to WWF’s values, which are: Strive for Impact; Listen Deeply; Collaborate Openly; and Innovate Fearlessly.

.