THE ROLE

You'll own new donor acquisition at ARPAN. Your job is to identify, cultivate, and close partnerships with donors who don't fund us today. 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 aligned to child protection, education, health, and women's empowerment across corporate India

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 that position CSA prevention 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 ARPAN's 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

Build for scale

Document what works so we can replicate it

Over time, build and lead a small donor acquisition team as we scale (not immediate, but within 18-24 months for the right person)

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

After 12 months:

You've closed 6-8 new CSR/family foundation/HNI partnerships worth 3-4 crores in new funding

You've submitted 8-10 international foundation proposals and closed 2-3 new grants

You have a qualified pipeline of 40-50 prospects across all donor segments with clear next steps

You're conducting 10-15 meaningful donor meetings per quarter

You've cracked at least 2-3 new donor segments or sectors we haven't worked with before

New donors you've brought in are saying good things about working with us

After 24 months:

New donor funding has grown significantly across all segments

You've built repeatable systems for donor acquisition that others can follow

You're managing 1-2 team members focused on donor acquisition

You're seen as a thought partner to leadership on fundraising strategy

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 - a Tata Trust program officer, a pharma company CSR head, an international foundation program manager, a family foundation trustee

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

WHAT WE'RE FLEXIBLE ON

Degree: We don't care if you have an MBA or not. We care if you can get meetings, build relationships, write compelling proposals, and close deals.

Sector: If you come from corporate and haven't worked in the social sector, that's fine. We can teach you about CSA and our programs. We can't teach drive, business acumen, proposal writing skills, or relationship-building ability.

Donor segment strength: If you're stronger in CSR than international donors (or vice versa), that's okay. We can build on your strengths. But you need to be willing and able to work across both segments.

Network: If you already have a strong donor network in Mumbai or internationally, that's valuable. If you don't, but you know how to build one, that works too.

WHAT WE'RE NOT FLEXIBLE ON

Track record: You need to show us you've brought in new money, clients, or partnerships before. We're not hiring potential, we're hiring proven ability.

Writing skills: You need to be able to write compelling proposals independently. We can review and refine, but you don't need hand-holding on every proposal.

Work ethic: This role requires hustle. Lots of meetings, follow-ups, proposal writing, travel within Mumbai and occasionally outside India. If you want a 9-to-5, this isn't it.

Mission alignment: You need to genuinely care about the cause. You'll be talking about child sexual abuse daily. If that makes you uncomfortable or you can't see yourself being passionate about this work, it won't work.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

Most donors don't fund CSA work because they don't know how to talk about it, don't see it as a priority, or think it's too sensitive. But the need is massive and growing. The POCSO Act has been in place for over a decade, yet reporting and response systems are still inadequate. Schools need Personal Safety Education. Parents need to know how to protect their children. Survivors need support.

ARPAN has the programs, the impact data, and the credibility. What we need is someone who can bring the money in the door so we can reach more children before it's too late.

If you can help us do that, you're not just raising funds. You're making it possible for thousands of children to grow up safer.

ABOUT ARPAN

ARPAN is India's largest NGO working on Child Sexual Abuse prevention and intervention. Based in Mumbai with a team of 144 professionals, we've impacted over 19.4 million children and adults since 2007 through our Personal Safety Education programs in schools, training for teachers and parents, and support services for survivors.

We've received 8 National and 2 International Awards for our work. We're recognized globally as a thought leader in the CSA space. Our programs are evidence-based, our impact is measurable, and our approach is scalable.

We work with funders like Ford Foundation, Morgan Stanley, Porticus, Deloitte, and others. We maintain 15-month cash reserves and multi-year agreements with most major funders. We're financially stable and strategically ambitious.

For more: www.arpan.org.in

ABOUT OUR CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

ARPAN's work is child-centric, with children at the center of decision-making. We expect all board members, advisors, donors, partners, employees, volunteers, interns, consultants, and contractors to fully comply with ARPAN's Child Protection Policy.

Read more: https://www.arpan.org.in/child-protection-policy/

Kindly apply through the link below

https://forms.gle/XKRfTStkokqdCtMr6

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