Fundraising Officer

Summary

Futurelect seeks an experienced, dynamic Fundraising Officer to join our team. The ideal candidate will utilise expert communication skills and initiative to identify fundraising opportunities, maintain donor relationships, craft persuasive proposals, and manage fundraising campaigns. This role reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer and involves internal and external responsibilities across various organisational functions.

About Futurelect

Founded in 2018 in Johannesburg, Futurelect is a non-profit and public benefit organisation dedicated to transforming political and government leadership across Africa. We are committed to equipping a new generation of young, ethical leaders in Africa with the skills and knowledge required to serve their communities effectively, responsibly and with integrity.

Our non-partisan leadership programmes are designed to cultivate diverse, highly skilled political leaders who will improve government and strengthen democracy across the continent. They primarily target young African women aged 18-45 who are either already on a path to political or public office leadership or aspire to assume these roles.

Futurelect also offers an online Civic Education Programme in South Africa, providing access to independently peer-reviewed, nonpartisan courses on democracy and governance. It is primarily targeted at South Africans aged 16-34 and is freely accessible and beneficial to all.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Fundraising:

- Support the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and fundraising team in executing a multi-year fundraising strategy;
- Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of regular funding drives in partnership with the alumni and special projects, programmes and the marketing and communications teams;
- Support the COO in developing and implementing a revenue strategy through programme partnerships;
- Identify potential funders and execute an engagement strategy with both new and existing funders;
- Arrange and attend fundraising meetings, programme and operational benchmarking sessions and review processes with grantors;
- Maintain a database of new, existing and prospective funders; monitor and update funder communications, meetings and engagements and keep up-to-date records of donor and funder reporting and deadlines;
- Keep abreast of trends in the philanthropic sector;
- Support the communications team in the arrangement of major fundraising events, including planning thematic areas, selecting venues, engaging event and logistics staff, and developing a marketing plan for attendance and participation;

- Effectively convey Futurelect’s mission, vision, and programmes to potential donors and funders;
- Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of regular funding drives in partnership with the marketing and communications team.

Research:

- Conduct in-depth donor research and draft funding requests, proposals, grant applications and funder reports in partnership with the programmes and marketing and communications teams;
- Conduct research on potential donors with an emphasis on identifying new prospects and cultivating existing donors;
- Support the COO in executing an engagement strategy with both new and existing funders;
- Conduct information interviews with potential donors to assess their interest in funding Futurelect’s mission and to determine how best they may be engaged as a funder.

Grant Management:

- Maintain a database of new, existing and prospective funders; monitor and update funder communications, meetings and engagements and keep up-to-date records of donor and funder reporting and deadlines;
- Identify and oversee the use of appropriate software for funder relations management, including funder tracking, donor reporting and grant management;
- Implement financial systems and processes for managing restrictions and programme-specific allocations associated with Futurelect grants and funding;
- Support the COO in all grant-related compliance matters, including the management and submission of up-to-date financial, regulatory and statutory reports to funders and funder prospects.

Impact Reporting:

- Oversee the preparation of progress reports for donors, tracking and reporting on outputs and outcomes for existing and new programmes, where required;
- Gather information and retain updated progress reports on public sector leadership roles and career changes from all Futurelect programme alumni to ensure up-to-date funder reporting and impact measurement;
- Gather information and retain updated progress reports on the development, delivery and maintenance of of Futurelect’s online civic education programmes in order to ensure up-to-date funder reporting on programme reach, partnerships and impact measurement.

General:

- Assist in the management of all stakeholder relationships;
- Ensure thoroughness and accuracy in all tasks - including planning and organising time and resources efficiently and;
- Provide general office administration and team support.

Requirements

Qualifications:

- Minimum qualification: Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma from a leading university, preferably in relevant fields, such as writing, language, media studies, public affairs and public relations.

Experience:

- Minimum 5 years professional experience in fundraising, grant management, donor reporting or related roles;
- Prior experience in drafting funding proposals and reports and expertise in grant communications is essential;
- Experience in non-profit, media, government, or similar sectors;
- Demonstrated success in major gift cultivation and grant writing;
- Proficiency in CRM platforms and fundraising goal achievement.

Skills:

- Strong grammar, writing, editing, and communication skills and relationship-building abilities;
- Ability to draft documents, designs and materials professionally and creatively;
- Proficiency in English; additionally, one or more African languages is preferred;
- Confidence in reaching out to and collaborating with all other organisational departments is essential;
- Proficiency in Google Suite and familiarity with digital marketing tools, collaboration and social media platforms, including Adobe, Canva, Monday.com, and Slack;
- Working collaboratively in a fast-paced environment and managing multiple tasks effectively is essential;
- Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality work;
- Financial reporting and data analysis skills;
- Proficiency in donor management systems and digital tools.

Attributes:

- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail;
- Proven leadership and results-oriented mindset;
- Superior interpersonal skills and flexibility;
- Passionate about Futurelect's mission and objectives.

Beneficial/Advantageous:

- Additional qualifications or background in relevant fields;
- Fluency in Pan-African languages;
- Political or public sector experience;
- Skills in content creation and social media management.

Our Work Style

Futurelect values hard and smart work, encouraging creativity and innovation while having fun along the way. We respect and support people’s lives outside of work. We are an agile, high-performing team in a flexible and supportive workplace—from location to hours and holidays—asking all members to consider the team's needs and deadlines. We are committed to building an organisation that is great for Africa and the world and great for the people who work with us.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy

Futurelect was founded on the principle of diversity and inclusion in the public sector in Africa, where politics and government remain dominated by one gender and age demographic. We believe deeply in the importance of diversity and inclusion and have these values embedded in

our programme selection processes, as well as in our hiring practises. We operate on the principle that a candidate recruitment or selection process can never be considered meritorious unless it is also rooted in diversity.

Futurelect is an equal-opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to prevent discrimination against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, colour, gender, national origin (ancestry), age, religion, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

Candidates should submit the following by 15 January 2025:

1) A comprehensive Resumé / CV and

2) Motivation letter