COVER NOTE | WHO THIS ROLE IS FOR
You love communicating, reaching out, and connecting real-world problems to funding solutions.
You are not afraid of ambiguity—in fact, you’re kicked about building fundraising programmes from scratch, shaping systems where none exist, and translating the purpose of nonprofits into clear value for funders and corporates.
You believe organisations like Ketto Foundation can be the collective voice of NGOs, bringing credibility, structure, and impact-led narratives to CSR partners and family foundations. You are excited to work in an unorganised fundraising landscape, helping build systems, processes, and trust—while staying deeply hands-on.
You thrive in startup mode:
Pitching, networking, reaching out, coldly and proactively to corporates,- Negotiating with vendors, NGOs, and corporates
- Balancing impact goals with cost realities
- Making things move—even when the playbook is still being written
You already have a working network of 15–20 CSR leads in the 30L-1cr segment, managers, or decision-makers, especially within small to mid-sized CSR portfolios, enabling faster market penetration and meaningful engagement.
Experience in healthcare programmes and solutioning with vendors is a strong plus.
Most importantly, you are here to build and stay—to grow over the next 3–4 years as a founding fundraising lead, scaling into Assistant Manager and Managerial roles while setting up Ketto Foundation’s Fundraising and partnerships function.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Role: Lead – Fundraising, Donor Acquisition & Partnerships
(Founding Role | High Ownership)
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Experience: 3-4 years
Reporting to: Executive Director
Commitment: Minimum 2 years (preferred 3–4 years)
ROLE OVERVIEW
The Lead – Fundraising, Donor Acquisition & Partnerships will work closely with senior leadership to build, grow, and manage Ketto Foundation’s fundraising and donor ecosystem.
This is a founding role that combines strategy, execution, donor management, and system-building. You will help establish sustainable fundraising pipelines while nurturing long-term relationships with CSR partners, foundations, and institutional donors.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Fundraising Pipeline-Planning
- Co-create and execute fundraising strategies and annual plans aligned with Ketto Foundation’s scaling programmes
- Develop time-bound fundraising roadmaps, including targets, pipelines, and milestones
- Forecast funding needs and proactively identify strategies to bridge gaps
- Build grant estimates and align funding opportunities with programme priorities
2. Donor Acquisition & Partner Engagement
- Identify, source, and pursue high-value partnerships through inbound leads and outbound outreach
- Build and manage a robust pipeline of CSR partners, family foundations, and national/international funders
- Research potential partners and align internal goals with partner priorities
- Nurture donor relationships that reflect Ketto Foundation’s values, transparency, and impact orientation
- Organise donor meetings, partner check-ins, site visits, and annual feedback sessions.
3. Grant Writing & Proposal Development
- Prepare 10+ high-quality proposals, concept notes, presentations, and pitches per quarter
- Co-create grant applications, budgets, and donor decks in collaboration with programmes and finance teams
- Translate programme outcomes and impact data into compelling funding narratives
- Support renewal and scaling of existing donor commitments
4. Donor Stewardship, Reporting & Compliance
- Ensure timely, accurate donor reporting in line with legal, financial, and contractual requirements
- Work with programme teams to track deliverables and project milestones
- Communicate progress, risks, and course corrections proactively to donors
- Support audits, utilisation certificates, and compliance documentation
5. Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with communications, finance, programmes, and quality teams
- Ensure smooth internal coordination for donor visits, external meetings, and events
- Leverage impact data and insights to strengthen donor communications and storytelling
6. Team Leadership & System Building
- Mentor and guide junior team members, fostering a culture of learning and accountability
- Establish fundraising systems, trackers, templates, and SOPs
- Help professionalise fundraising in an otherwise unstructured NGO ecosystem
7. Market Awareness & External Engagement
- Stay updated on CSR trends, compliance changes, donor priorities, and fundraising innovations
- Leverage existing networks to strengthen Ketto Foundation’s visibility and partnerships
- Represent Ketto Foundation confidently with corporates, foundations, NGOs, and ecosystem partners
EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
Must-Have:
- 3–4 years of experience in fundraising, partnerships, donor engagement, or grant management
- Strong grant and proposal writing skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication abilities
- Working understanding of budgets, cash flows, and financial reporting
- Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, and prioritisation skills
- Bachelor’s degree in any discipline
Good to Have:
- Experience in healthcare and Education programmes or multi-sector CSR initiatives
- Exposure to vendor or ngo management and solutioning
- Familiarity with NGO operations, CSR budgeting and compliance requirements
- Master’s degree in Sales-MBA/Development Studies, or related fields
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN:
Opportunity to build fundraising systems from the ground up- Exposure to large-scale CSR programmes across healthcare, education, environment, and relief
- Hands-on experience in donor strategy, partnerships, and programme funding
- A chance to shape a tech-enabled philanthropy platform, strengthening the NGO ecosystem
- Clear growth path to Assistant Manager and Manager – Partnerships within 2–3 years
- A mission-driven, fast-growing environment investing in your professional growth
- Opportunity to contribute to programmes reaching 1 million families by 2035
