Fundraising Consultant: Public Donors

The IRC in Italy

The IRC was founded in 1933 to assist refugees relocating to the United States from Germany and other European states. At the end of World War II, the IRC was one of the few organizations ready and able to assist the millions of refugees in need of sanctuary. In 2015, the IRC returned to the continent to provide immediate services for new arrivals on the Greek island of Lesvos at the height of the new refugee influx. The IRC’s response since expanded to include mainland Greece, Serbia and neighboring countries of the Balkans, Germany, and Italy. We also work with/through local partners in Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria and a number of other EU member states. In Italy, the International Rescue Committee has been working with local partners to respond to the needs of refugees and migrants in vulnerable situations. Our current areas of programming are protection, child protection and early childhood development. A particular focus is placed on providing timely, accurate and reliable lifesaving information to asylum seeker through the Refugee Info platform, training early childhood development educators on healing classrooms and social emotional learning, improving access to jobs and promoting the safety of children and youth.

Scope of Work: Fundraising Consultant

The Fundraising Consultant is a short-term expert who will develop engagement strategies and potential institutional / public donor opportunities to build IRC’s understanding of relevant donor markets in Italy and to support the IRC’s ambition to engage with key domestic institutional / public donors in support of IRC interventions in Italy.

Building on an initial dataset developed by the IRC to date, s/he will develop a comprehensive mapping of relevant institutional / public donor prospects and funding instruments that are aligned to the IRC’s Italy program strategy and priorities. Following agreement with IRC focal points, for a subset of Italian institutional / public donors that are most relevant and promising to IRC, s/he will identify primary entry points for engagement.

Duration of the contract is [1-2 months starting in August] during which the Consultant will serve up to [20] days.

The Consultant will:

ØResearch and identify relevant institutional / public donors relevant for IRC, including government agencies at national, regional and local level as relevant to the context. Lombardy, Sicily and Piedmont are key regions prioritized by the IRC in Italy.

ØPrioritize potential funding opportunities, providing analysis on how their interests align with the IRCs’, focusing on donors which seem to hold the greatest potential for the IRC; providing recommendations for next steps in approaching these sources of funding.

ØAssess and document previously funded public donor projects and map potential partners for the IRC to approach for potential joint applications.

ØProvide guidance on institutional funding mechanisms, both at national and regional/local level (with a focus on Lombardy, Sicily and Piedmont) including mapping of relevant websites and portals and an analysis of eligibility criteria for each type of call for proposal.

ØEnsure that all prospect development and donor management is delivered through a structured database system that allows follow-up and evaluation.

Deliverables

Complete vision and strategic planning document for network development and sustainability

ØMap relevant donors for the IRC and input info into existing databases, prioritized according to the best possible match between the scope of IRC activities and donor interests.

ØDesign of fundraising strategy and one year action plan, specifically outlining immediate opportunities.

ØDraft guidance in writing on how to search for funding opportunities, potential partners, eligibility criteria.

ØCommunication engagement plan to support the fundraising strategy/action plan

ØApproach, i.e. talking points (“sales pitch”) for potential donors

ØDocumentation of communication with potential donors, including written correspondence, phone calls, meetings, etc.

ØSubmit final report of complete assignment and an outline of future action for the following year.

NB: The final outputs are the property of the IRC.

Required education and experience

ØUniversity degree

ØMinimum five years of professional experience in similar consultancies

ØUnderstanding of migration and integration issues in Italy

ØProven track record / evidence of successful fundraising assignments

ØIn-depth knowledge of the fundraising challenges in Italy

ØFamiliarity with all types of institutional / public donors

ØExcellent organizational and analytical skills

ØStrong communication and networking

ØFluency in written and spoken English (Italian a plus)

ØPersuasive writing skills with proven record of responses received

ØExcellent time management skills and ability to work to deadlines

Application

Applications must be in English and must be submitted at the latest by July 29, 2019 to the following email addresses: susanna.zanfrini@rescue.org and wendy.ngoma@rescue.org . Please include in the subject line “Fundraising Consultant”.

A complete application includes:

1. Curriculum vitae or resume

2. Statement of interest, including

a) Brief methodology clearly describing Consultant’s understanding of the assignment and challenges, as well as a proposed timeline of activities (max. 2 pages)

b) Financial offer expressed as consultancy fee per number of anticipated working days in EUR. In case of traveling for the purposes of the assignment, IRC will also cover eligible travel and accommodation costs.

*Consultants will work with their own equipment (ex. laptop, mobile phones, skype equipment, etc.), from home.

For further information, please contact:

Susanna Zanfrini (Program Coordinator): Susanna.Zanfrini@rescue.org or

Wendy Ngoma (Senior Program Development Advisor): Wendy.Ngoma@rescue.org

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