Manager – Fundraising

Dream A Dream; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,236,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading non-profit organization in Bengaluru is seeking a Manager – Fundraising to cultivate partnerships and manage fundraising strategies. The ideal candidate will have 4–6 years of experience in fundraising, strong relationship-building skills, and demonstrate success in securing donor partnerships. Responsibilities include managing donor relationships, developing proposals, and collaborating with internal teams. This is a full-time role offering a salary of Rs. 12.36 lakhs per annum.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of experience in fundraising or partnerships.
• Success in securing and managing donor partnerships.
• Knowledge of various donor types like CSR and family foundations.
• Strong communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Manage the fundraising strategy and donor pipeline.
• Cultivate new funding partnerships domestically and internationally.
• Develop compelling proposals and manage grants.
• Coordinate with internal teams to ensure high donor satisfaction.

Skills

Relationship-building

Proposal writing

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Dream a Dream is a non‑profit organisation working to transform the experience of education for the 130+ million children living in poverty in India. Our aim is to change the purpose of education toward the idea of Thriving for every child. Since 1999, Dream a Dream has mainstreamed life skills as a critical approach to help children overcome adversity and learn to thrive. Today, the organisation is transforming the Indian education ecosystem through its own programmes, curriculum and pedagogical innovations and through the development of holistic assessment frameworks while also shifting the narratives around the purpose of education. Dream a Dream’s work is spread across 7 Indian states with a reach of over 2.3 million children through strategic partnerships with state governments and collaborations with other non‑profits and funders in India.

Role: Manager – Fundraising
Dept/Programme: Fundraising
Reporting : Associate Director – Fundraising
Job Location: Bangalore (with travel as required)
Type : Full time
Salary: Rs. 12.36 lakhs per annum

Role Purpose

The Manager – Fundraising will play a key partnership‑building role within the Fundraising team, with clear ownership for independently sourcing, cultivating, securing, and stewarding new funding partnerships across donor segments. This role requires a highly driven relationship‑builder who is comfortable operating end‑to‑end—from prospecting and first conversations to proposal development, closure, reporting, and renewal—while also contributing to the systems, discipline, and coordination required to run an effective fundraising function. The role spans domestic and international funders, including CSR partners, family foundations, UHNIs, and institutional philanthropies, and is rooted in Dream a Dream’s relational, values‑led approach to fundraising.

Key Responsibilities

1. Fundraising Strategy & Ownership
   • Take independent ownership for a defined share of Dream a Dream’s fundraising targets, with a strong focus on new partnerships.
   • Contribute to the evolution and execution of the overall fundraising strategy, aligned to organisational priorities and growth plans.
   • Build and manage a robust donor pipeline across multiple funding sources (CSR, family foundations, UHNIs, international donors).
   • Develop realistic fundraising budgets and forecasts linked to partnership strategies.
2. New Partnerships & Relationship Building (Core Focus)
   • Research, identify, and cultivate new funding partnerships, both domestic and international.
   • Lead relationship‑first engagement with prospective donors—anchored in trust, alignment, and long‑term value rather than one‑off transactions.
   • Design and manage donor journeys from first engagement through multi‑year partnership discussions.
   • Represent Dream a Dream confidently with senior stakeholders, donors, and ecosystem partners.
   • Act as an ambassador of Dream a Dream’s mission, values, and impact in external forums and conversations.
3. Donor Management & Stewardship
   • Manage partnerships end‑to‑end, including contracting, proposal development, reporting, renewals, and ongoing engagement.
   • Build strong internal coordination with programme, finance, and leadership teams to ensure high‑quality donor experiences.
   • Engage donors through learning conversations, programme exposure, and opportunities for deeper involvement.
   • Ensure all donor commitments are honoured with timely, accurate, and meaningful communication and reporting.
4. Proposal Development & Grant Management
   • Lead the development of compelling, insight‑driven proposals tailored to different donor motivations and requirements.
   • Translate organisational strategy and programme impact into clear funding propositions.
   • Coordinate with internal teams during proposal design, budgeting, and compliance processes.
   • Maintain a proposal and grants tracking system, including follow‑ups and additional information requests.
5. Systems, Organisation & Team Coordination
   • Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date donor records, grant trackers, and reporting schedules (including Salesforce).
   • Contribute to improving fundraising processes, templates, and systems to support team effectiveness.
   • Prepare monthly fundraising reports and analyses for the leadership team.
   • Ensure documentation, contracts, and reporting meet Dream a Dream’s internal policies and donor requirements.
6. Internal Collaboration & Organisational Contribution
   • Work closely with the Head – Fundraising and senior leadership on priority partnerships and large proposals.
   • Collaborate with programme and finance teams to align funding with implementation realities.
   • Support team learning by sharing insights from donor conversations and partnership experiences.
   • As part of a small, agile team, be willing to step across roles when needed in service of organisational goals.

Profile & Requirements

• 4–6 years of experience in fundraising, partnerships, or resource mobilisation within the development / social impact sector.
• Demonstrated success in independently securing and managing donor partnerships, preferably in education or allied sectors.
• Exposure to multiple donor types: CSR, family foundations, HNIs/UHNIs, and/or international funders.
• Strong relationship‑building and influencing skills, with comfort engaging senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including proposal writing and donor reporting.
• Highly organised, detail‑oriented, and comfortable managing multiple partnerships simultaneously.
• A self‑starter mindset with strong ownership, accountability, and follow‑through.
• Willingness to travel as required.

How to Apply

Please email [e-mail] with the subject line “Manager – Fundraising”, attaching:

• A cover letter
• Your resume

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Diversity & Inclusion

Dream a Dream is committed to upholding diversity and inclusion in our workplace and we strongly encourage people from under‑represented groups, within the organization and outside, to apply to open positions. We embrace our employees’ differences of religion or belief, caste, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation gender, gender identity or expression, language differences, family or marital status, physical, mental and development abilities, social or economic class, education, work and behavioural styles, political affiliation, and other characteristics that make us unique.