Assistant Manager - Donor Relations (Pune)

Organisation Background:  

The Akanksha Foundation is a 30+ year old non-profit organization with the mission to build innovative 

schools that will empower children & young adults from underserved communities and influence the 

ecosystem. Akanksha supports 14,600 students through the formal-school education program and 

5,800alumni from low-income backgrounds. Our 27 English-medium schools run in partnership with 

municipal corporations in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. We provide students from underserved 

communities a high-quality, holistic education at no cost. Our aim is to give students the knowledge, 

skills, and values they need to lead empowered lives, maximize their potential and break out of the cycle 

of poverty.  

With a vision to scale our impact we codified our practices and, in 2022, joined forces with Nagpur 

Municipal Corporation and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to take these practices to nearly 

200 public schools under Project Setu. 

Overview of the Team: 

The Development and Donor Relations Team at Akanksha collaborates closely with both internal and 

external stakeholders to ensure the organization's funding needs are consistently met, while effectively 

communicating the impact of its work. 

The team oversees the end-to-end donor stewardship process, including donor engagement, reporting, 

effective fund utilization, and program-related coordination. It also manages audits and impact 

assessments for all donors, ensuring full transparency and accountability. 

In addition, the team leads the exploration and development of new funding avenues through research, 

grant applications,institutional funding avenues, and partnership building. It handles renewals of existing 

partnerships and ensures adherence to all compliance and statutory requirements, especially those 

related to CSR. 

The portfolio further includes managing relationships with High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs), as well as 

sourcing and stewarding support from individual donors and family foundations. Together, these efforts 

strengthen the organization's resource base and long-term sustainability. 

Position Summary: 

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated individual to join our Development & Donor Relations team. 

This role is pivotal in strengthening our relationships with donors, on ground program teams and 

enhancing donor stewardship. The ideal candidate is someone with good communication skills, strong 

relationship management, attention to detail & self starter. This role is critical as it helps extend the 

Donor Relations team in the city of Mumbai and support all city funding and stewardship related needs. 

This position directly reports to the Manager/ Director of Development & Donor Relations.  

What your role will entail: 

Key Responsibilities 

● Support the cultivation, management, administration, and retention of individual, corporate, and 

institutional donors of Mumbai. 

● Coordinate donor engagement activities — school visits, events, and one-on-one interactions for 

Mumbai.  

● Develop personalized donor communication, write donor reports and ensure timely updates for 

donors mapped.  

● Assist in preparing proposals, presentations, for current and prospective donors.  

● Support the design and execution of donor campaigns executed in the city.  

● Work closely with the school team and city operations to understand the program and get all 

necessary updates for further work on reports and donor audits & impact assessments.  

● Lead the donor M&E (monitoring and evaluation) , audit & impact assessment visits & 

subsequent follow ups. Liaison with different teams to ensure smooth completion of this aspect 

of work. 

● Support all other ad hoc activities pertaining to the city from a donor relations lens & to build 

the donor base of the city & driver donor stewardship. 

What you need for this Position: 

Qualifications & Experience 

● Bachelor's degree in Development Studies / social sector, Business management or related field. 

● 4+ years of work experience in donor relations, fundraising, communications, or any role of 

relationship management and or program / project management 

● Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills. 

● Strong writing and storytelling skills; ability to write and use available tools & clear attention to 

detail.  

● Proficiency in MS Office; familiarity with Canva/Adobe Suite is a plus. 

● Ability to multitask, manage deadlines, and work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders in a 

fast-paced environment. 

Key Competencies 

● Self starter person  

● Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 

● Creative mindset with problem solving skills. 

● Ability to work independently as well as with team members and as required lead and mentor 

the interns or team members.

Why Join Akanksha  

At Akanksha, you will be part of a passionate team working to reimagine public education in India. You 

will have the opportunity to contribute to a reputed organization committed to transformative impact on 

children and helping them overcome poverty. The role offers a challenging and autonomous work 

environment that prioritizes holistic well-being, empowering you to be the best version of yourself. You 

will also gain access to learning and career growth opportunities within a steadily growing organization, 

along with competitive remuneration that is competitive in top one-third of Indian NGO scales and 

benefits that include medical insurance (covering spouse + 2 children), provident fund benefit, paid 

leaves.