Manager Partnerships & Fund Raising
Posted Updated
About Bright Future
Bright Future is a nonprofit organisation that empowers adolescents and young people from underserved communities and schools to become changemakers by developing the future skills they need to thrive. For over 15 years, we have been building employability and entrepreneurial pathways across multiple states, enabling young people to make informed career decisions and transform their aspirations into sustainable livelihoods. Through career guidance, life skills development, future- ready skills training, mentoring, internships, and placement opportunities, we equip youth with the confidence, capabilities, and opportunities to access meaningful employment and create lasting
social and economic mobility.
Overview
We are looking for a Manager - Partnerships & Fundraising to help grow Bright Future’s Sustainability function. Reporting to the Senior Manager – Partnerships & Fundraising, this is ahands-on execution role responsible for servicing an assigned portfolio of CSR partners and foundations, building a qualified prospect pipeline, and producing high-quality proposals and donor reports. The Manager will own day-to-day donor engagement, contribute to pitches led by the Senior Manager and the Head – Sustainability, and independently close small and mid-ticket partnerships. The role carries clear accountability for CRM discipline, compliance documentation and stewardship rhythms, and offers a defined pathway to greater portfolio ownership as capability is demonstrated.
Key Deliverables
1. Service and Grow an Assigned Donor Portfolio
- Manage day-to-day relationships with an assigned portfolio of CSR partners and foundations, including regular engagement, scheduled reporting, and coordinating centre and field visits.
- Run the annual renewal cycle for assigned donors – track commitment timelines, prepare renewal notes and impact updates, and flag risks to the Senior Manager early.
- Identify opportunities to deepen existing partnerships, such as adding centres, geographies or programmes to a current grant, and build the case for these with the Senior Manager.
2. Build a Qualified Prospect Pipeline
- Research and map prospective CSR partners and foundations aligned with youth employability, skilling, education-to-employment, women’s empowerment, and economic & social mobility.
- Qualify leads, secure introductory meetings, and move prospects through defined pipeline stages with accurate owners, values and next steps recorded on the CRM.
- Maintain competitive and sector intelligence on donor priorities, peer organisations and emerging funding themes to inform the annual fundraising plan.
3. Develop Proposals and Support Pitches
- Draft concept notes, proposals, budgets and presentations that position life skills development, career guidance, mentoring, internships and placement within corporate priorities such as skilling, education, employability and diversity.
- Prepare briefing notes, donor research and follow-up materials for meetings led by the Senior Manager, Head – Sustainability or CEO, and participate in these meetings.
- Independently lead conversations and closures for small and mid-ticket partnerships, escalating negotiations on pricing, scope or terms as appropriate.
4. Deliver Against Assigned Fundraising Targets
- Achieve an individual annual target covering retention of assigned donors and a defined quantum of new partnerships, agreed with the Senior Manager at the start of the year.
- Maintain an accurate monthly forecast of committed, probable and pipeline funds, and highlight gaps against target with proposed corrective actions.
- Contribute to the function’s overall target by supporting larger institutional and international grant applications led by the Senior Manager.
5. Strengthen Donor Stewardship and Engagement
- Design and deliver donor engagement touchpoints – centre visits, employee volunteering, mentoring sessions, internship and hiring linkages that go beyond the grant relationship.
- Maintain stewardship calendars, donor communications and recognition plans so that every assigned partner receives timely, consistent engagement.
- Represent Bright Future at CSR forums, donor convenings and networking events in Bengaluru and South India to strengthen the organisation’s visibility.
- Guide and review the work of executives supporting research, collateral and CRM upkeep,setting clear quality standards for proposals and reports.
6. Execute with Operational Excellence
- Collaborate closely with programme, monitoring and evaluation, and finance teams to gather the data, stories and financials needed for credible proposals and reports.
- Manage proposal and reporting timelines, documentation, due diligence and compliance requirements, including CSR-1, FCRA, 12A/80G and utilisation certificates.
- Keep donor records, agreements, dashboards and CRM entries complete, accurate and current.
Desired Experience
- 6 to 8 years’ experience in fundraising, corporate partnerships or business development, with a significant part of it in the development sector.
- Demonstrated experience managing donor relationships across CSR or foundations, with clear ownership of reporting, renewals and compliance documentation.
- A track record of contributing to partnership closures, and of independently closing small or mid-ticket partnerships against revenue targets.
- Strong written skills, with the ability to draft persuasive proposals, concept notes and donor reports with limited supervision.
- Confident verbal communication, with the ability to hold their own in meetings with CSR teams, foundation staff and senior corporate stakeholders.
- Experience guiding or reviewing the work of junior colleagues, or a clear readiness to take this on.
- Comfort with donor CRM systems, dashboards and the Microsoft Office Suite.
- Willingness to travel to programme centres, donor offices and field locations.
- A Bachelor’s degree is required; a Master’s degree in non-profit management, business administration, marketing or related fields is preferred.
Salary, Location & Reporting
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Location: Mumbai
Reports to: Senior Manager – Partnerships & Fundraising
Interested candidates can apply through the link below:
Bright Future is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.
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