Reporting to the Country Manager, the Resource Mobilization Manager will lead efforts in Kenya to cultivate and nurture relationships with funders, prospective funders, partner organizations, and governments. This position plays a critical role, working in partnership with the U.S. development team and the president, to secure between $2.5M-$3M annually and representing the organization in Kenya. This position is based in Nairobi but it is expected that the individual in this position will travel to the field office located in Transmara West, Narok County, approximately every other month for 2-3 days at a time, to meet and coordinate with the program staff.

Fundraising & Stewardship

• In partnership with the U.S. director of development, design and implement a fundraising strategy targeting prospective foundation and corporate donors.
  • Research, prospecting, and identification of new foundations and corporations that will support the organization and our programs.
  • Prepare and draft grant applications and reports to funders, and maintain deadlines to meet goals and reporting requirements.
  • Liaise with the Nairobi Board for introductions to prospective funders.
  • Meet with prospective funders to cultivate, solicit, and secure their support.
• Manage the cultivation process of major donors and other prospects based in Kenya and East Africa, and actively seek opportunities to deepen relationships with funding partners.
• Attend fundraising-related meetings with the county manager and/or president to ensure meeting notes are captured and action items are collected and assigned appropriately following meetings/events.
• Serve as the primary staff liaison whenever donors, high-level guests, or volunteers come to visit. This includes making logistical arrangements, developing an agenda for the meeting/program, conducting briefings, and coordinating with other staff and teachers as necessary to ensure a successful donor visit. Following the visit, ensure that any relevant feedback or next steps/actions are logged in the appropriate tracking documents and that any follow-up is handled in a timely manner.
• With support from the communications and development departments, lead the conceptualization and implementation of a series of events in celebration of the organization’s 15th anniversary (2024).

Operations & Reporting

• Liaise with the program team and accounting to develop draft proposals, ensure funding is being spent down according to grant requirements and timeline, and draft comprehensive reports that meet grant requirements while also positioning the organization in the best light.
• In collaboration with the U.S. director of development and the accounting team, provide the necessary information to update and maintain development trackers to closely monitor progress on revenue goals.
• Assist the U.S. development team in maintaining the development calendar and donor folders with relevant dates for solicitations and applications; correspondence and notes; renewals; and reports.
• Work with the U.S. director of development to develop processes that contribute to the department’s efficiency and workflow maintenance.

Stakeholder/Partnership Coordination & Representation

• Participate in relevant NGO activities and develop collaborative relationships with like-minded NGOs.
• Represent Kakenya’s Dream at appropriate conferences, community forums, meetings, and events where strategic development and relationship building is a priority.
• Devise ways to grow Kakenya’s Dream’s presence with new targeted influencers and audiences.
• Ensure that written reports, notes, information, learnings, and recommended next steps/actions are shared with the appropriate staff and that any action items are completed in a timely manner.

Government Relations

• Lead our organizational advocacy and outreach to the regional and national government officials/offices. Ensuring that we have well established relationships with key officials/offices.

Additional duties as assigned and needed.

Key Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 4-6 years of hand-on development and/or nonprofit experience required, including experience with institutional partnerships, grant writing/reporting, and financial reporting.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, including Gmail, calendars, spreadsheets, documents, and presentations.
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, both in-person and virtually, and experience securing and managing relationships with institutional funders.
• Proactive, organized, with impeccable attention to detail.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment, under pressure, and in a multicultural environment, with demonstrated ability to handle multiple competing tasks and demands.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and written communication skills