Government Fundraising Specialist

Position description

Job Title: Government Fundraising Specialist

Department: Strategic Partnerships

Location: Washington, DC; Maryland; Virginia; New York; London, UK

Salary Range: US $85,246 – $99,738

Salary Range: UK £51,050 – £59,201

All applicants must provide a cover letter for consideration.

About Us:

The Fund for Global Human Rights works in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of injustice. As an intersectional funder, we provide flexible funding to our more than 400 grantees around the world, ensuring that they are the ones driving the agenda. By redistributing financial resources, absorbing operational burdens, and embracing risk, we shift power to the ground, generating impact where it is needed most, including in closing and closed societies. Embracing a model of accompaniment, we walk hand-in-hand with the activists we support, and our expert staff come from the movements we serve. We are a trusted partner of both private and public donors and a respected thought-leader within the philanthropic sector.

We view fundraising not merely as a financial activity but as a pivotal element of our strategy for organizing and driving social change. As an intermediary organization, the programming we are able to carry out depends directly on the funding we can raise. Thus, resource mobilization is integral to our approach in supporting human rights movements around the world. As the Fund for Global Human Rights’ income has grown year on year, so has its portion of funding from restricted and complex grants, including from some bilateral donors and the European Union. By establishing strong government partnerships and securing essential funding, we aim to amplify our impact and advance our mission in more than 40 countries around the world where we support grantee partners and human rights movement building.

The Role:

This is an exciting new position for a highly motivated, organized, and analytical individual with the opportunity to make a real difference in a growing organization. As our Government Fundraising Specialist, you will be at the forefront of implementing our government fundraising strategy. This role involves a blend of research, advocacy, strategic proposal development, and guidance on contractual and donor compliance. You will join a dynamic, hard-working team responsible for securing 90% of the organization’s revenue. Your work will focus on a new two-pronged approach: targeting governments at both the capital and local embassy levels in the regions where we operate our grantmaking programs, with the goal of making this revenue stream a significant component of our organizational budget in the coming years. You will not be starting from scratch, as we currently have secured government funding, as well as numerous relationships with governments that can be leveraged. And you will work in partnership with many colleagues across departments who will contribute to the success of this role.

Key Responsibilities:

Organizational Preparation: Help prepare the organization for success in securing new government funding by developing internal systems, processes, and workflows necessary for effective engagement and management.

Strategy Development: Contribute to refining and enhancing the government fundraising strategy to align with organizational goals and emerging opportunities.

Research & Identification: Explore international cooperation trends and the government donor landscape and identify promising funding opportunities.

Partnerships: Build and maintain strategic partnerships with other organizations to extend our reach and impact.

Bid Leadership: Oversee the internal bid process, crafting compelling proposals, coordinating cross-departmental efforts, and ensuring timely submissions.

Policy Analysis: Review and analyze government policy papers to guide strategic funding approaches and inform bids.

Advocacy: Advocate for our cause within government circles to boost our visibility and secure essential support and help prepare the organization to participate in multi-lateral spaces, organizing side meetings, developing talking points, etc.

Networking: Build relationships with stakeholders in the philanthropic and international development sectors, including donors, peers, INGOs, and UN agencies to explore areas of collaboration.

Thought Leadership: Contribute to influential thought leadership pieces to position our organization as a key partner of choice in the sector.

Compliance: Communicate with internal stakeholders to help ensure strict adherence to all relevant regulations and reporting requirements for government funding.

Management & Evaluation: Help prepare the project management team to effectively manage a grant by helping to strengthen, and where needed develop, tools and processes to gather necessary information and evaluate the impact of our government grants.

Skills for Success: To excel in this role, you will need:

Expertise: At least 7 years of experience in fundraising for international human rights, social justice and/or development cooperation, with a proven track record of securing funding from government donors through both relationship building and competitive bids.

Knowledge: Deep understanding of the government donor landscape and grant processes.

Compliance Savvy: Strong grasp of compliance requirements related to government grants and experience in working with internal colleagues to prepare organizations to meet these requirements.

Leadership & Collaboration: Proven leadership skills combined with a collaborative approach to teamwork.

Communication: Exceptional writing, research, and communication abilities.

Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze and interpret complex government policy papers and funding opportunities.

Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and grant management software.

Language Skills: Fluency in English, and proficiency in Spanish, French, Arabic or another language a bonus, but not essential.

About You: This role is ideal for you if:

Balance: You excel in both independent work and collaborative environments, seamlessly transitioning between the two.

Complexity: You enjoy tackling complex challenges and synthesizing diverse information into actionable strategies.

Global Perspective: You have experience working in or fundraising for various regions and thrive in a diverse, multicultural setting.

Collaboration: You believe in a collaborative approach to fundraising, viewing it as a means of organizing for social change rather than a competitive process.

Passion: Your commitment to human rights and social justice drives your ambition to make a meaningful impact through your work.

Our Team:

You will join a dynamic and dedicated Strategic Partnerships team that plays a critical role in securing 90% of the organization’s revenue. We are guided by Feminist Leadership Principles, invite everyone to show up authentically, value a healthy team dynamic, and practice a collaborative approach to fundraising. We believe this style of working together makes us better at our jobs, and our healthy team culture enables us to meet our goals year after year.

Application instructions

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