Senior Leadership Role: Fundraising

Location: Mumbai

Sector: Non-Profit / Rural Development / Social Impact

Role Overview:

Swades Foundation is seeking a senior fundraising leader to drive institutional donor acquisition, partnership management, grant stewardship, and team leadership as the organization scales its ambition to empower 1 million rural Indians.

The role combines business development, relationship management, strategic fundraising, grant oversight, stakeholder engagement, and team management. The successful candidate will be responsible for securing and growing partnerships with foundations, CSR programs, philanthropic trusts, multilateral agencies, and other institutional funders.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Business Development & Fundraising:

- Develop and secure new institutional funding partnerships.

- Lead the full fundraising lifecycle including lead generation, prospecting, pitching, proposal development, negotiation, closure, and onboarding.

- Grow funding for existing and new initiatives.

- Build multi-year and multi-project donor commitments.

- Establish fundraising pipelines, targets, and review mechanisms.

2. Donor & Relationship Management:

- Act as strategic account manager for major donors.

- Build long-term donor relationships.

- Manage donor communication, reporting, and engagement.

- Oversee MoUs, funding utilization, project progress, and donor alignment.

- Serve as a key representative of Swades Foundation to funding partners.

3. Team Leadership:

- Mentor and develop fundraising team members.

- Support recruitment, onboarding, performance reviews, and career growth.

- Balance internal and external stakeholder priorities.

- Ensure teams have adequate resources, systems, and technology support.

4. Grant & Fund Management:

- Participate in funding allocation decisions.

- Review budgets, costs, and utilization plans.

- Monitor grant performance and project outcomes.

- Maintain accurate grant records and acknowledgments.

- Lead periodic project and funding reviews.

5. Internal Stakeholder Management:

Collaborate closely with program teams, geography heads, finance, monitoring & evaluation, and communications to develop donor pitches, build funding proposals, support donor reporting, and create impact narratives and communication campaigns.

6. Knowledge Management & Process Improvement:

- Maintain donor databases, proposal trackers, and funding pipelines.

- Improve fundraising processes and reporting systems.

- Use data and analytics to present impact effectively.

- Ensure transparent, timely, and accurate donor reporting.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Education:

- Graduate (Commerce, Economics, Mathematics preferred)

- MBA or Management Post-Graduation preferred

Experience:

- 18+ years experience (Graduate) / 15+ years experience (Post Graduate)

Preferred:

- 10+ years in NGO/social sector

- Institutional Fundraising

- CSR Partnerships

- Grant Management

- Donor Relationship Management

Also relevant:

- B2B sales/business development leadership in BFSI, Hospitality, Media, or KPO/Consulting.

Required Competencies:

Functional Skills:

- Strategic fundraising, B2B Business Development, Relationship Management, Financial and Budget Analysis, Grant Management, Research and Donor Mapping, Data Analytics, Proposal Development, Stakeholder Management, Team Leadership.

Behavioural Attributes:

- Strong networking ability, excellent communication and writing skills, high integrity and ethics, entrepreneurial mindset, result-oriented and self-driven, passion for social impact, ability to work in high-growth environments.

Why This Role is Attractive:

- Opportunity to lead fundraising for one of India's most respected rural development organizations.

- Direct exposure to major CSR, philanthropic, and institutional funders.

- Strategic leadership role with significant influence on organizational growth.

- Chance to contribute to Swades Foundation's vision of creating Dream Villages and empowering 1 million rural Indians.

- Work closely with senior leadership while driving large-scale social impact.

Best-Fit Candidate:

A senior professional from Fundraising, CSR Partnerships, Institutional Partnerships, Strategic Alliances, Key Account Management, or B2B Business Development, who combines strong commercial acumen with a genuine passion for rural development and social transformation.