Job Description

Hiring: Business Relationship Management and Fundraising Professional   

A little bit about who we are

At WOTR, we are committed to tackling the key causes of rural poverty by rejuvenating ecosystems and building the community’s resilience to climate change by enhancing water availability, increasing land and agricultural productivity, diversifying livelihoods, empowering women, and strengthening the health and well-being of vulnerable rural communities.  

WOTR brings together practitioners, academics, researchers, trainers, and policy makers to work collaboratively in building the resilience of rural communities. Our partners, including donors and government agencies stand resolutely behind us to affect this.   

Over the course of 30 years, we have already made a significant impact, having worked in 10 states and 6,850 villages, and positively impacting the lives of 6.58 million people. We remain dedicated to continuing this important work and expanding our efforts to make an even greater difference in the lives of those we serve.  

A brief snapshot of the role:   

In the role, you would be responsible to identify and engage potential donors, establishing new partnerships to position WOTR as their preferred environmental sustainability partner. This position involves high-touch interactions, placing the candidate at the forefront of discovering large-scale, multi-stakeholder projects to build financial sustainability of the organization. As a key member of the Fundraising team, this full-time position may be based at WOTR's Pune office/Bangalore/New Delhi.  

As a Fundraiser, your principal accountabilities include:  

Donor acquisition and relationship management (60% of time)

Effectively convey the organization’s mission, vision, and programs to potential donors

Identify and engage potential donors on a national and international scale, including corporations, foundations, agencies, social venture philanthropists, etc. to discover new and untapped sources of funding support to facilitate WOTR’s extensive projects and contribute to the organization's nonprogrammatic growth and development

Undertake online as well as primary research and build contacts with potential individual donors 

Regularly monitor donor websites and identify and inform donor opportunities matching WOTR’s thematics

Discover grants for WOTR’s implementation programmes and well as for Knowledge Management and Applied Research

Identify meaningful and innovative project opportunities by engaging with newage donors and philanthropic platforms  

Organising Fundraising Campaigns (20% of time)

Strategize and successfully execute fundraising campaigns

Organize / Participate in fundraising events aimed at showcasing WOTR within the donor / investment community 

Represent WOTR at diverse forums and summits to enhance the organization's brand visibility  

Formulating Proposals and Concepts (20% of time)

Craft grant applications and fundraising proposals by comprehending the specific requirements of funding partners

Coordinate seamlessly with WOTR's project teams to develop impactful and adaptable proposals that align with the needs and expectations of potential donors  

Apply if you have:

A master’s degree in marketing and fundraising/sales or a relevant qualification

Proven experience of 7-8 years in a similar role

In depth knowledge and understanding of fundraising in the social development space, funnels , pitch , proposal development, negotiations and closures

Understanding of the corporate fundraising market in India will be an advantage

Open to spending at least 1 week every month on travel

Understanding of CSR laws and other laws impacting corporate / donor fundraising

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to create engaging content for a variety of audiences and purposes 

About Company

Established in 1993, WOTR is an internationally recognised non-profit organisation and think tank that engages at the intersection of practice, knowledge and policy across scales and in collaboration with various stakeholders across sectors. WOTR’s goal is to ensure water and food availability, along with livelihoods and income security – to support the sustainable growth and well-being of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in rural India.

WOTR has been working with rural communities in India for 3 decades now. As of September 2023, it has touched the lives of over 6.93 million across 7124 villages in 10 states of India – Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Karnataka. It has included participants from 63 countries in training and exposure programmes. On the ground over 2.64 million hectares of degraded landscapes/watersheds have been regenerated, over 158 billion litres of potential water harvesting capacity has been created and agriculture productivity has increased significantly with a 121% increase in area under triple cropping. Farm incomes in most project villages are 2 to 4 times more than those in control villages. Moreover, it has facilitated over 21,500 SHGs involving 2,52,829 women.

All Jobs posted by: Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR)