Manager - Fundrasing

Dream A Dream; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Dream a Dream is seeking a Manager - Fundraising to lead the development and execution of fundraising strategies, cultivate new partnerships, and manage donor relationships across CSR, family foundations, HNIs/UHNIs and international funders.

The role requires an organized, proactive relationship-builder who handles end-to-end fundraising activities, from prospecting to proposal development, reporting and renewal, while aligning with the organization’s mission and values. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• 4-6 years of fundraising/partnership experience.
• Demonstrated success in independently securing and managing donor partnerships.
• Exposure to CSR, family foundations, HNIs/UHNIs and international funders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.

Responsibilities

• Own fundraising strategy for defined targets and donor pipeline.
• Cultivate new funding partnerships domestically and internationally.
• Manage end-to-end donor relations including contracts, reporting and renewals.
• Lead proposal development and grants tracking.
• Collaborate with programme, finance and leadership for donor reporting.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relationships

Proposal development

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Salesforce

Project coordination

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Job Summary

Role: Manager - Fundraising. 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

• 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 organizational 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.