Director of Development

The Share Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support community driven collective action. We believe that people should be in control of their own development, and yet only a small fraction of international assistance reaches local actors to allow them to drive the change they want to see. We work closely with Warande Advisory Centre, our sister organization based in Nairobi.

Since our founding in 2020, the Share Trust has grown significantly with the support of several multi-million-dollar foundation grants. The Share Trust’s financial partners include a wide range of well-recognized philanthropic foundations, individuals, government agencies (bilateral and multilateral agencies), and large INGO partners. We have been recognized for our innovative research which is building the evidence base in support of localization. While we have a $3.8M budget today, we are poised for significant growth in the coming years and on track to directly contribute to $500M of Official Development Assistance being shifted by 2027, which is critical as 93% of funding for global development comes from governments.

We work across an ecosystem to shift power, process, and funding to local actors. We employ three core strategies:

1. Evidence: we lead ground-breaking cost efficiency and effectiveness research including Passing the Buck to support change with the most powerful development agencies including donor governments, United Nations (UN), and INGOs.
2. Advocacy: we produce and distribute tools, strategies, frameworks and advocacy materials and participate in critical convenings, and meetings to advance shifts in power, process and funding to local actors.
3. Bridging Collaborations: we provide training and deep technical support to partners including bilateral and multilateral agencies, as well as INGOs and community-based groups, focused on Self Help Groups (SHG) best practices and on adopting innovative intermediary models including the Local Coalition Accelerator (LCA) model and Pooled Funds.

Position Overview:

If you are ready to make your day-job something that can change the world, we want to hear from you!

The Share Trust is rapidly expanding its founding team and is hiring an inaugural Director of Development to partner with the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, Chief Strategy Officer and the Founder and Executive Director of Warande Advisory Centre to unlock both traditional and innovative funding to scale our impact. We are looking for an ambitious leader who is prepared to help us to continue to grow and to build our presence with individual donors, foundations and government agencies.

In this role, you will be central to expanding our development efforts — you will manage existing and new donor relationships, build systems and processes that ensure a seamless donor cultivation through renewal process, and provide fundraising support and leverage to our key spokespeople. You will also lead communications with current donors, including annual reporting, updates and renewals. In addition, this role will afford you the unique opportunity to provide support to the Warande Advisory Centre’s nascent fundraising efforts (20% of your time).

This is a fully remote position and will operate largely on US Eastern Time Zone hours, given our extensive international collaborations. This is not a travel-intensive role (10% or less), but travel will include visiting the Warande Advisory Centre in Kenya, attending our annual team retreat, and attending periodic conferences and donor meetings.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Lead strategy and operations of the development function:

• Design and implement a strategic fundraising plan, in partnership with the ED, aligned with The Share Trust’s mission and objectives, including identifying target donor segments and developing tailored fundraising strategies for different regions.
• Manage an expanding pipeline of potential donor partners, including philanthropic foundations, individuals, government agencies to ensure that the Share Trust meets or exceeds our ambitious fundraising goals.
• Track fundraising progress, prepare detailed financial reports for the board of directors and key stakeholders, and ensure compliance with donor regulations.
• Partner with the Warande Advisory Centre to support fundraising and strengthen their capacity to fundraise independently over time.
• Support an Advisory Council that consists of Global Majority community leaders as well as philanthropic and government donor partners who convene annually to provide guidance on the Share Trust and Warande’s ongoing strategies to transfer power, process, and funding to local communities.
• Set up relevant software systems needed to ensure a seamless and high-quality experience for donors, prospective donors and team.
• Build a first-ever Individual Donor strategy and execute it working with the Board and ED.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Prepare the Leadership Team for regular meetings with donor partners.

Strategic Fundraising Planning:

• Collaborate with the communications lead to develop compelling messaging and materials that effectively communicate The Share Trust’s impact and fundraising needs to potential donors.

Donor Cultivation:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and potential donors, including individual donors, corporate and philanthropic foundations, government agencies (bilateral and multilateral agencies), and large INGO clients.
• Help current donors understand the impact of their gifts and prepare/share updates and materials that will support their renewal. Develop cultivation strategies to secure new donors and partners. Lead all donor reporting across the organization.

Prospecting and Proposal Development:

• Research and identify potential new donors across international markets, evaluating giving capacity and alignment with The Share Trust’s mission.
• Lead the development of compelling grant proposals and funding applications for various international funders.
• Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of major fundraising campaigns.

Why Work with Us:

The Share Trust knows that our team is critical to achieving our ambitious goals and seeks to provide a comprehensive employment package in recognition of that fact.Key benefits to working here include:

• Being part of a dynamic and fast-moving team that is working to fundamentally shift the global system so that Global South/Global Majority leaders gain more power and funding to help communities become more resilient and in control of their own development.
• Competitive salary
• A generous benefits package, including 4 weeks of paid leave, 5 sick days, and 11 holidays that can be used when you choose, as well as an optional retirement plan. Health insurance with partial employee contribution, as well as optional plans for dental and vision, HSA account, etc.
• A staff retreat is held in a different location each year to connect with global colleagues.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree. Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience: proven experience (6-10+ years) with progressive leadership experience in non-profit / INGO development roles. Experience successfully raising and managing multi-million-dollar portfolio, including individual donor contributions and foundation grants, as well as contract work for fast growing organizations in the international development sector; experience supporting Global Majority countries is essential. Experience developing and managing relationships with government donors (bilateral and multi-lateral agencies) and high-net worth individuals is highly desirable.
• Project Management: proficiency in project management including the use of cloud-based project management systems. Familiarity with Asana, Slack, and SharePoint a plus.
• Cross-Cultural Awareness: Understanding cultural nuances in different regions to effectively engage donors and tailor fundraising strategies accordingly.
• Communication: excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively write and edit reports, proposals, and briefs for both technical and non-technical donor partner audiences.
• Team Player: ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary, multicultural team and manage multiple tasks in a dynamic research environment.
• Initiative: self-motivated and proactive approach to problem-solving, research, and project management.

The Share Trust believes our team is better and stronger with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. We welcome applications from candidates from historically underrepresented in the international development sector. If you do not meet all stated qualifications but feel you can succeed within this role, please consider applying. The Share Trust is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.