Director - Fundraising, Communications & Advocacy

Organisation: Avanti Fellows

Location: Delhi/NCR or Mumbai

Work Mode: Remote, with Delhi/NCR or Mumbai preferred due to donor concentration

Travel: Approximately two days per week for donor meetings, partner visits and events

Compensation: Competitive, commensurate with experience and ability to grow and sustain the function

About Us:

Avanti Fellows is dedicated to empowering students from low-income and marginalized communities across India in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by providing competitive exam preparation and resources to excel in these fields. Part of its mission is to bridge the gender gap in STEM education and careers, ensuring that every girl has the chance to pursue her interests and achieve her potential.

The Role:

The Director - Fundraising, Communications & Advocacy is a senior leadership role and the single accountable owner of Avanti's revenue, narrative, and public voice. You will inherit and lead a high-performing function of 7 people - 4 Leads and 3 Managers across fundraising, communications and advocacy.

Key Responsibilities:

1. End-to-End Pipeline Ownership:

- Own the fundraising pipeline end to end.

- Support the team in closing grants.

- Prioritise grants, craft effective proposals, and build relationships.

- Take ultimate accountability while the team manages day-to-day execution.

2. Manage and Nurture Key Partner Relationships:

- Ensure strategy, plans and challenges are clearly communicated to partners.

- Build a sense of shared ownership of the mission.

- Develop partnerships based on trust, transparency and agility.

3. Manage and Coach a High-Performing Team:

- Build a culture of ownership and agency.

- Support the team in developing strategy and navigating challenging conversations.

- Help team members develop the skills needed to manage a larger mandate.

4. Operational Excellence:

- Ensure the donor management cycle runs effectively.

- Oversee reports, updates, field visits and compliance.

- Establish clear processes, timelines and accountability.

5. Build an Individual / Flexible Giving Portfolio:

- Work towards flexible funding from individuals contributing at least 20% of the overall budget.

- Prioritise long-term relationships over short-term deals.

- Act as Avanti's leading advocate and champion of its mission.

6. Increase Mission Visibility Through Communications and Advocacy:

- Define what Avanti communicates and how.

- Develop a coherent strategy across podcasts, online and on-the-ground campaigns, op-eds and visual media.

- Guide the team in executing the communications and advocacy strategy.

7. Deepen Engagement Within Donor Partner Organisations:

- Engage leadership and teams within donor organisations.

- Provide updates to senior management.

- Organise programme visits.

- Encourage organisation-wide engagement through mentorship and participation in Avanti events.

8. Represent Avanti Externally:

- Represent Avanti at external forums.

- Develop a strong understanding of its mission, programmes and student stories.

- Communicate and write effectively for external audiences.

What Success Looks Like:

- Budget growth: At least 30% year-on-year for three consecutive years across CSR and foundations.

- Individual giving: Grow individual giving fivefold in three years, reaching at least 20% of the budget as flexible, unrestricted funding.

- Donor retention: Achieve 100% donor retention and grow existing donors by 20%.

Who We're Looking For:

Mission Alignment:

- Commitment to breaking systemic barriers and helping low-income students enter India's top colleges.

Track Record of Scale:

- 12+ years of experience building and nurturing high-value relationships, especially B2B.

- Candidates with sales and customer success experience may have relevant skills.

- Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing teams that deliver customer retention and revenue growth.

- Prior non-profit experience is not mandatory.

Operational Discipline:

- Strong pipeline visibility, quick response SLAs, clear team accountability and CRM hygiene.

- Ability to establish systems and processes, follow up consistently and manage details.