Fundraising & Development

Samawada Organization

Position Overview

Samawada is seeking a motivated, strategic, and relationship-oriented Fundraising & Development Volunteer to support the organization's fundraising, donor engagement, partnership development, grant opportunities, campaigns, and resource mobilization efforts.

This role is ideal for someone passionate about fundraising, philanthropy, nonprofit development, humanitarian programs, donor engagement, grant writing, corporate partnerships, communications, and social impact.

The successful candidate will work closely with leadership, programs, finance, communications, operations, technology, and other teams to identify funding opportunities, develop compelling fundraising initiatives, engage donors and partners, and help build sustainable financial support for Samawada's humanitarian and organizational activities.

The role will contribute to fundraising and development initiatives connected to:

• Individual fundraising
• Major donor engagement
• Corporate partnerships
• Foundation funding
• Government and institutional funding
• Grant research
• Grant writing
• Proposal development
• Donor stewardship
• Fundraising campaigns
• Digital fundraising
• Online donations
• Crowdfunding
• Recurring giving
• Corporate giving
• Sponsorships
• Partnership development
• Donor communications
• Impact reporting
• Fundraising analytics
• Donor databases and CRM
• Fundraising events
• Campaign strategy
• Resource mobilization
• Global Transparency Dashboard
• AI-enabled fundraising
• International development and humanitarian funding

This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, grant development, partnership building, campaign management, and resource mobilization while contributing to humanitarian and social-impact initiatives.

What You Will Do

Fundraising Strategy

Support the development and implementation of Samawada's fundraising strategy.

Research fundraising models and identify opportunities appropriate for the organization's programs and growth objectives.

Help establish fundraising priorities, targets, campaigns, and timelines.

Support the development of short-term and long-term fundraising plans.

Identify opportunities to diversify Samawada's funding sources.

Research fundraising practices used by leading humanitarian, nonprofit, and international development organizations.

Help identify new approaches to sustainable resource mobilization.

Grant Research

Research foundations, governments, corporations, international organizations, and other institutions that provide funding for humanitarian and social-impact initiatives.

Identify grant opportunities that align with Samawada's programs and strategic priorities.

Maintain a database of potential funding opportunities.

Track application deadlines, eligibility requirements, funding priorities, and submission requirements.

Research donor priorities and develop profiles of potential funders.

Monitor new funding announcements and relevant funding trends.

Help prioritize opportunities based on strategic fit, eligibility, funding potential, and likelihood of success.

Grant Writing & Proposal Development

Support the preparation of grant applications and funding proposals.

Help develop:

• Letters of inquiry
• Grant proposals
• Concept notes
• Project summaries
• Executive summaries
• Funding requests
• Budgets
• Logical frameworks
• Theory of change documents
• Impact narratives
• Organizational profiles
• Program descriptions

Work with program and finance teams to ensure proposals accurately reflect project activities, budgets, outcomes, and organizational capabilities.

Adapt proposals to the priorities and requirements of individual funders.

Help ensure proposals are clear, compelling, evidence-based, and professionally presented.

Maintain reusable proposal content and organizational information for future applications.

Corporate Partnerships

Research and identify potential corporate partners aligned with Samawada's mission.

Develop corporate partnership opportunities involving:

• Corporate donations
• Sponsorships
• Employee giving
• Matching gifts
• Corporate volunteering
• In-kind contributions
• Technology partnerships
• Cause-marketing initiatives
• Corporate social responsibility programs
• Employee engagement programs

Research companies with strong social-impact, ESG, CSR, sustainability, or community-investment programs.

Help prepare partnership proposals and presentations.

Support outreach and relationship development with potential corporate partners.

Foundation & Philanthropic Partnerships

Identify private foundations, family foundations, philanthropic institutions, and individual philanthropists whose priorities align with Samawada's work.

Research their funding interests, geographic priorities, application processes, and previous grants.

Develop tailored funding approaches.

Support communications with foundation representatives and philanthropic stakeholders.

Maintain records of relationships, applications, conversations, and follow-up activities.

Donor Engagement & Stewardship

Support the development of strong and long-term donor relationships.

Help create donor communication strategies.

Support regular donor updates, impact communications, newsletters, reports, and personalized communications.

Help ensure donors understand how their support contributes to humanitarian programs and measurable impact.

Assist with donor recognition and stewardship initiatives.

Track donor communications and follow-up activities.

Identify opportunities to improve donor retention and engagement.

Donor Experience

Work with technology, communications, and UI/UX teams to improve the donor experience.

Support initiatives that make it easier for donors to:

• Discover projects
• Understand organizational impact
• Make donations
• Follow project progress
• Receive updates
• Access reports
• Understand how funds are used
• Engage with Samawada

Provide fundraising and donor-perspective feedback on digital products and platforms.

Digital Fundraising

Support online fundraising initiatives across appropriate digital channels.

Help develop and optimize:

• Online donation campaigns
• Fundraising landing pages
• Digital campaigns
• Email fundraising
• Social media fundraising
• Crowdfunding initiatives
• Peer-to-peer fundraising
• Recurring giving campaigns
• Emergency appeals
• Project-specific campaigns

Work with communications and technology teams to improve digital conversion and donor engagement.

Fundraising Campaigns

Help develop and execute fundraising campaigns around specific humanitarian programs, emergencies, projects, and organizational priorities.

Support campaign planning, messaging, timelines, target audiences, fundraising goals, and donor communications.

Help create campaign materials in collaboration with communications and creative teams.

Monitor campaign performance and recommend improvements.

Support post-campaign reporting and donor stewardship.

Crowdfunding & Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Explore opportunities to use crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising to support Samawada's programs.

Help develop campaign concepts and fundraising narratives.

Support campaign setup, promotion, donor engagement, and reporting.

Research successful humanitarian and nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns.

Identify ways volunteers and supporters can become fundraising ambassadors.

Major Donor Development

Support research and relationship-building strategies for major donors and philanthropic individuals.

Research prospective major donors based on philanthropic interests and alignment with Samawada's mission.

Help develop donor profiles and engagement strategies.

Support preparation for donor meetings and presentations.

Maintain appropriate records of donor relationships and follow-up activities.

Work closely with leadership on major donor engagement where appropriate.

Institutional & Government Funding

Research institutional and government funding opportunities relevant to Samawada's humanitarian and development programs.

Monitor funding programs offered by:

• Government agencies
• International development institutions
• Multilateral organizations
• Humanitarian agencies
• Development banks
• Foundations
• Institutional donors

Help assess eligibility and funding requirements.

Support proposal development, documentation, reporting, and submission processes.

Donor Communications

Work closely with communications teams to develop compelling donor-facing content.

Support the creation of:

• Donor newsletters
• Impact stories
• Project updates
• Campaign emails
• Donor reports
• Funding proposals
• Case studies
• Social media fundraising content
• Presentation materials
• Donor briefings

Help communicate Samawada's mission, programs, results, and impact clearly and authentically.

Impact & Transparency Reporting

Work with program, finance, data, and technology teams to communicate the impact of donor contributions.

Support the development of donor-facing impact reports.

Help collect information about:

• Projects
• Beneficiaries
• Activities
• Outcomes
• Outputs
• Funding
• Program progress
• Impact indicators

Support the use of Samawada's Global Transparency Dashboard to provide donors with clear information about how resources are being used and what results are being achieved.

Fundraising Data & Analytics

Track fundraising performance and donor engagement.

Help maintain fundraising dashboards and reports.

Monitor indicators such as:

• Funds raised
• Number of donors
• Donor retention
• Donor acquisition
• Average donation
• Recurring donations
• Campaign performance
• Grant applications
• Grant success rates
• Corporate partnerships
• Funding pipeline

Analyze fundraising data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Donor Database & CRM

Help maintain accurate and organized donor information.

Support donor database and CRM systems.

Maintain information related to:

• Donor profiles
• Contributions
• Communications
• Funding interests
• Grant applications
• Corporate relationships
• Follow-up activities
• Donor stewardship

Help ensure donor information is handled responsibly and securely.

Fundraising Pipeline Management

Maintain a structured fundraising pipeline covering potential and active funding opportunities.

Track opportunities through stages such as:

• Research
• Qualification
• Initial outreach
• Relationship development
• Proposal development
• Submission
• Review
• Award
• Reporting
• Renewal

Help ensure important deadlines and follow-up actions are tracked.

Events & Fundraising Activities

Support fundraising events and donor engagement activities.

This may include:

• Fundraising events
• Virtual events
• Donor briefings
• Community events
• Campaign launches
• Awareness events
• Corporate engagement activities

Support event planning, donor outreach, communications, logistics, and follow-up.

Partnership Development

Help identify organizations that could become strategic partners for Samawada.

Potential partners may include:

• Corporations
• Foundations
• Nonprofits
• Universities
• Technology companies
• Community organizations
• Humanitarian organizations
• International institutions
• Professional associations
• Media organizations

Research partnership opportunities and help develop mutually beneficial collaboration proposals.

Fundraising Materials & Resources

Help develop and maintain a library of fundraising resources.

This may include:

• Organization profiles
• Program summaries
• Donor presentations
• Pitch decks
• Case for support
• Grant templates
• Project budgets
• Impact statistics
• Success stories
• Frequently asked questions
• Donor reports
• Partnership proposals

Ensure fundraising materials remain accurate, current, and aligned with Samawada's organizational messaging.

Compliance & Ethical Fundraising

Support responsible and ethical fundraising practices.

Help ensure fundraising communications accurately represent Samawada's programs, activities, impact, and financial information.

Avoid misleading claims or inappropriate fundraising practices.

Support appropriate donor documentation and reporting.

Work with leadership and finance teams to ensure funding restrictions and donor requirements are properly documented.

Respect donor privacy and confidentiality.

AI & Fundraising Innovation

Explore opportunities to use AI and emerging technologies to improve fundraising effectiveness.

Potential applications include:

• Donor research
• Funding opportunity discovery
• Proposal drafting support
• Donor segmentation
• Campaign personalization
• Fundraising analytics
• Impact reporting
• Content generation
• Research automation
• CRM productivity
• Donor communications
• Grant monitoring

Evaluate AI tools responsibly, particularly when handling donor information, personal data, and confidential organizational information.

What We Are Looking For

Experience or strong interest in:

• Fundraising
• Nonprofit development
• Grant writing
• Grant research
• Donor relations
• Philanthropy
• Corporate partnerships
• Business development
• Partnership development
• Campaign management
• Digital fundraising
• Communications
• Marketing
• International development
• Humanitarian programs
• Social impact

Knowledge or experience with any of the following is an asset:

• Grant databases
• CRM systems
• Salesforce
• HubSpot
• Bloomerang
• Blackbaud
• DonorPerfect
• Google Workspace
• Microsoft Office
• Excel / Google Sheets
• Email marketing platforms
• Digital fundraising platforms
• Crowdfunding platforms
• Data analytics
• Proposal development
• Presentation design
• Research tools
• AI productivity tools

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong research and analytical abilities.

Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.

Ability to communicate complex humanitarian and organizational issues clearly and persuasively.

Strong attention to detail.

Ability to manage multiple funding opportunities, deadlines, and priorities.

Ability to write compelling and professional proposals and donor communications.

Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment.

Ability to collaborate effectively with program, finance, communications, technology, operations, and leadership teams.

Strong organizational and project-management skills.

Ability to conduct thorough research and identify relevant funding opportunities.

Ability to understand donor priorities and align proposals with funding objectives.

Ability to receive feedback and continuously improve fundraising strategies and materials.

Passion for humanitarian work, philanthropy, social impact, and sustainable development.

Preferred Areas of Interest

Candidates with interest or experience in any of the following are encouraged to apply:

• Fundraising
• Grant writing
• Grant research
• Philanthropy
• Donor relations
• Major gifts
• Corporate fundraising
• Corporate social responsibility
• ESG
• Foundation relations
• Government funding
• Institutional funding
• International development
• Humanitarian funding
• Digital fundraising
• Crowdfunding
• Peer-to-peer fundraising
• Campaign management
• Donor stewardship
• Partnership development
• Business development
• Nonprofit marketing
• Fundraising communications
• Fundraising analytics
• CRM systems
• Donor data
• Impact reporting
• Social entrepreneurship
• Social impact
• AI-powered fundraising
• Digital transformation
• Resource mobilization

What You Will Gain

Real-world experience supporting fundraising and development activities for a technology-driven humanitarian organization.

Hands-on experience researching foundations, corporations, governments, and institutional funding opportunities.

Experience developing grant applications, concept notes, proposals, and donor materials.

Experience supporting donor engagement and stewardship.

Exposure to major donor, corporate, foundation, and institutional fundraising.

Experience developing and managing fundraising campaigns.

Experience with digital fundraising and online donor engagement.

Exposure to donor CRM systems and fundraising analytics.

Experience working with program and finance teams to develop credible funding proposals and impact reports.

Experience communicating humanitarian programs and impact to donors and partners.

Opportunity to contribute to Samawada's Global Transparency Dashboard and donor experience initiatives.

Experience developing corporate and strategic partnerships.

Portfolio-building experience through real-world fundraising, grant, partnership, and campaign projects.

Networking opportunities with nonprofit, humanitarian, philanthropic, corporate, and social-impact professionals.

Opportunity to contribute directly to mobilizing resources for humanitarian and social-impact programs.

Strategic Projects You May Support

Global Fundraising Program

Help develop a structured fundraising program that identifies and manages individual, corporate, foundation, institutional, and government funding opportunities.

Global Transparency & Donor Engagement

Support the development of transparent donor experiences that allow supporters to understand how their contributions are being used and what impact they are helping create.

Foundation & Grant Pipeline

Build and maintain a pipeline of relevant foundations and grant opportunities aligned with Samawada's humanitarian programs.

Corporate Partnership Program

Identify companies that may support Samawada through donations, sponsorships, employee giving, technology partnerships, in-kind contributions, or strategic collaboration.

Digital Fundraising Platform

Support the development of online fundraising campaigns, donation experiences, recurring giving programs, and digital donor engagement initiatives.

Major Donor Program

Help research, identify, cultivate, and steward individuals with the capacity and interest to make significant philanthropic contributions.

Humanitarian Emergency Appeals

Support fundraising campaigns designed to mobilize resources rapidly in response to humanitarian emergencies and urgent community needs.

Recurring Giving Program

Help develop strategies to encourage donors to provide recurring monthly or annual support.

Crowdfunding & Community Fundraising

Develop crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities that allow supporters and volunteers to raise funds within their own communities and networks.

Donor Impact Reporting

Work with program, finance, data, and technology teams to develop compelling impact reports showing donors how their contributions support projects and outcomes.

Fundraising CRM & Data System

Help establish organized systems for managing donor relationships, funding opportunities, communications, proposals, and fundraising performance.

Grant Writing & Proposal Library

Develop a reusable library of organizational information, program descriptions, impact data, budgets, case studies, and proposal materials to improve fundraising efficiency.

AI-Powered Fundraising

Explore responsible uses of AI to improve prospect research, grant discovery, proposal development, donor communications, campaign optimization, impact reporting, and fundraising analytics.

Strategic Partnerships

Help identify and develop partnerships with corporations, foundations, universities, nonprofits, technology companies, humanitarian organizations, and other institutions that can contribute funding, expertise, technology, networks, or other resources to Samawada.

Fundraising Analytics

Develop systems for tracking fundraising performance, donor retention, campaign effectiveness, funding pipelines, grant success rates, and other key fundraising indicators.

Global Resource Mobilization

Support Samawada's long-term goal of developing diversified and sustainable funding sources capable of supporting humanitarian programs, technology initiatives, organizational growth, and community impact across different regions.