Senior Manager Fundraising - Donor Acquisition (CSR, Family Foundations, HNI)

THE ROLE

You'll own new donor acquisition at the organization. Your job is to identify, cultivate, and close partnerships with donors. You'll split your time roughly 60/40

60% of your time: CSR partnerships, family foundations, and high net-worth individuals. These are relationship-driven, shorter fundraising cycles where your ability to build rapport, navigate corporate decision-making, and close deals matters most.

40% of your time: International institutional donors (foundations, grant-making organizations). These are proposal-driven, longer fundraising cycles where your ability to research prospects, write compelling applications, and articulate impact through MEL frameworks matters most.

This isn't a donor management role. We have that covered. This is pure business development in the social sector.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Build the new donor pipeline

Research and Map CSR budgets

Identify family foundations and HNIs with philanthropic interests in child welfare and social impact

Research international foundations and institutional donors with India programs or global child protection portfolios

Identify decision-makers and warm introductions through your network or ours

Qualify prospects and prioritize based on funding capacity, mission alignment, and likelihood to close

Maintain a pipeline of 40-50 active prospects across all donor segments at any given time

Lead the pitch and close

For CSR, family foundations, and HNIs

Develop compelling proposals within corporate priorities (child welfare, women's safety, education, community health)

Lead meetings and presentations with CSR heads, foundation trustees, and philanthropists, often alongside our CEO or Director

Navigate corporate decision-making processes, follow-ups, and negotiations

Close partnerships ranging from 25 lakhs to 2+ crores annually

For international institutional donors

Write full grant proposals independently, including program narratives, budgets, logical frameworks, and MEL plans

Translate programs into compelling cases for support that align with foundation priorities

Build relationships with program officers and foundation staff through calls, virtual meetings, and in-person visits when possible

Manage long proposal cycles and follow-up processes

Target

Secure 6-8 new CSR/family foundation/HNI partnerships and 2-3 international grants in Year 1, scaling in Year 2

Execute with precision

Coordinate with program teams to develop partnership proposals that showcase impact and align with funder interests

Manage proposal timelines, documentation requirements, and compliance processes (FCRA, due diligence, etc.)

Support onboarding of new partners and transition to stewardship team

Track all activities, meetings, and pipeline movement in our CRM (Monday.com)

Think strategically

Spot patterns in what's working and what's not. Adjust approach accordingly.

Stay on top of CSR trends, Section 135 changes, foundation giving patterns, and international donor priorities

Explore innovative partnership models beyond traditional grants (cause marketing, employee engagement, skills-based volunteering)

Work with Director and CEO to refine messaging and positioning for different donor segments

WHO YOU ARE

You have 7-9 years of experience in one or more of these areas

Fundraising in the development sector (NGOs, social enterprises) with a track record of bringing in new money from diverse donor segments

Business development, sales, or client acquisition in consulting, professional services, or B2B environments

Corporate partnerships, CSR management, foundation relations, or institutional giving where you've built relationships from scratch

You're comfortable with the numbers

You can build and manage a sales pipeline across multiple donor segments

You think in terms of conversion rates, average deal size, and fundraising ROI

Excel and CRM tools are second nature to you

You can create a quarterly forecast and actually hit it

You're a relationship builder

You can walk into a room with a stranger and walk out with a next step

You know how to listen for what matters to the other person and adjust your pitch

You're persistent without being pushy

You can handle rejection (because there will be a lot of it) and keep going

You can tell a story and write proposals

You can take complex program details and turn them into compelling cases for support

You can write full grant proposals independently, including program narratives, budgets, and MEL frameworks

Your proposals don't sound like every other NGO proposal

You can adapt your communication style for different audiences

You understand the fundraising landscape

You know how CSR decisions get made in Indian corporates and understand Section 135 compliance

You're familiar with international foundation processes, application requirements, and timelines

You understand how to navigate FCRA regulations and international funding compliance

You're entrepreneurial

You don't wait for someone to tell you what to do

You see a problem and figure out how to solve it

You're comfortable with ambiguity and building things as you go

You take ownership of outcomes, not just activities

Originally posted on Himalayas