Fundraisers/resource mobilizers

Fifteen percent of the adult population in Mozambique is living with HIV and AIDS and it is estimated that by 2010 life expectancy will be just 36 years. VSO volunteers are working to improve the structure and management of local community-based organisations so they can provide better services to people living with HIV and AIDS, especially to marginalised groups such as women and vulnerable children.

Ahitipaluxeni was established by women living with HIV and AIDS in 2004. It is a small organisation that provides home-based care to people infected by HIV, and offers income generating activities to affected families, women and orphans. The organisation wants to expand its vital services but is currently lacking the funding and organisational capacity to do so. As a fundraiser with Ahitipaluxeni, you’ll build their organisational capacity and help tp ensure their financial sustainability.

What does the role involve?

• Assisting the organisation in developing a strategic plan for their programmes as well as a fundraising strategy
• Planning and writing project proposals
• Training staff in raising funds for the organisation
• Supporting the development and implementation of new HIV and AIDS programmes

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need a degree level qualification with at least two years experience as a fundraiser with proposal writing and strategy development. You’ll also need strong communication and interpersonal skills and be flexible team player. Basic knowledge of Portuguese would be an advantage, but is not essential, as long as you’re willing to learn! As with all VSO placements, a positive attitude and good sense of humour are important qualities, that will help you to adapt to a new cultural way of working and living.

And the rest...

Mozambique lies on the eastern coast of southern Africa bordering Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Its stunning coastline stretches over 2,470km along the Indian Ocean. You’ll be based in coastal Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique. There are plenty of shops and facilities and the local fish market, located on the north end of Avenue Marginal is touted to be one of the best places in all of Africa for fresh fish and seafood. You’re most likely to live in a small flat within walking distance of the office.

We’ll ask you to commit to 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

VSO volunteers are working along the Thai/Burma border, supporting people’s movements and human rights initiatives with the aim to bring peace and democracy to Burma. As a fundraising and partnerships adviser you’ll be part of team of 10-12 VSO volunteers, sharing their skills with a variety of organisations fighting for the same cause.

You’ll work with Karenni, a local women’s rights non-governmental organisation, to empower Burmese women who are living in refugee camps (and are often marginalised) to get involved in decision-making processes and take on leadership roles within the camps. Your role will involve seeking new funding for Karenni, particularly from institutions and training your colleagues in fundraising processes and strategies.

What does the role involve?

• Seeking new funding opportunities for the organisation
• Developing new and maintaining existing relationships with donors
• Training Karenni staff in fundraising strategies, proposal and report writing
• Exploring new potential partnership opportunities to support Karenni’s work

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need at least two years’ experience in fundraising, ideally raising funds from companies and institutions. Experience in project management and monitoring and evaluation are essential, as are strong proposal and report writing skills. You’ll also need excellent communication and networking skills, as a large part of the role will involve developing relationships and partnerships with other organisations.

The needs in the Thailand-Burma border context are huge, and therefore patience, flexibility and a realistic expectation of what can be achieved are important. A sense of adventure would be beneficial, as you’ll be living in a rural area, travelling around by motorbike (VSO provides training).

And the rest...

Mae Hong Son is Thailand’s northern border city and is well known for its stunning scenery and diverse culture. Many different hill tribes, mainly from Burma, live in small villages dotted around densely forested mountains. You can either live in Mae Hong Son town and commute to work by motorbike (20km) if you prefer a more sociable base, or VSO can provide a house in the small village of Ban Nan Soi, where the Karenni office is situated.

We’ll ask you to commit to 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

The Chipata Dzithandizeni Nutrition Group (CDNG) has been in existence for over 25 years, providing vital nutrition-related support to vulnerable households in the Chipata community. These services include imparting nutrition information and advice to poor families and working together with the UN World Food Programme to support food supplements and feeding programmes to up to 960 undernourished individuals.

The spread of HIV and AIDS in recent years (one out of five people in Zambia are HIV positive) has increased the demand for the services that CDNG provides, as poor nutrition means that people infected with HIV are more susceptible to AIDS related illnesses. CDNG is a small organisation and is struggling to attract enough funding to operate its growing programmes effectively. As a fundraising volunteer with CDNG, you’ll develop and implement a long-term fundraising strategy to ensure the sustainability of their important work.

What does the role involve?

• Working together with CDNG staff to develop a fundraising and resource mobilisation strategy
• Developing project proposals and training CDNG staff in proposal writing and other fundraising techniques
• Maintaining relationships with donors and creating new links with organisations, raising the profile of CDNG amongst potential donors
• Developing a donor map

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need a degree-level qualification with at least two years’ fundraising experience. Your experience will include donor mapping, proposal writing and developing fundraising strategies. You’ll also need excellent communication skills, as you’ll need to build strong relationships with your colleagues at CDNG as well as a variety of donors. You’ll need to be confident in your work and flexible to work with limited resources. Patience and a good sense of humour are always useful qualities, as things might move more slowly than what you’re used to.

And the rest...

Landlocked Zambia is located between the southern rim of the Zaire Basin and the Zambezi River. The country is home to the majestic Victoria Falls as well as excellent National Parks teeming with a huge variety of wildlife. The average Zambian diet is pretty healthy, often consisting of ‘maize flour mash’, usually served with a tomato and onion sauce and relish. Imported items are generally available, though these tend to be more expensive.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our support package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends

There are over 300,000 people living with blindness in Kenya. Visually impaired individuals often have poor access to basic public services and employment opportunities. The Kenya Union for the Blind (KUB) aims to improve the participation of visually impaired people in all segments of society. The KUB has established itself as the most important national organisation of the blind in Kenya, with branches in 42 districts in the country.

While KUB is a rapidly developing organisation, it is lacking essential fundraising and publicity skills to ensure its sustainability. You will be using your skills in the Nairobi branch to enhance the organisation’s effectiveness, developing fundraising initiatives as well as co-ordinating publicity activities. Your contribution will have a lasting effect, enabling KUB to strengthen not only its funding but public awareness of the needs and aspirations of the visually impaired.

What does the role involve?

• Working closely with KUB staff to develop project and funding proposals and identifying potential donors
• Developing a KUB resource mobilisation policy
• Setting up and manage the KUB website
• Liaising with the media and developing media and publicity campaigns

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll have a degree level qualification with at least three years’ experience of working with charitable organisations. You’ll be computer literate and have some experience in web development. Additionally, experience in event planning and good report writing skills are also required. Ingenuity and resourcefulness are necessary qualities to overcome the limited resources within KUB. As well as being a strong team player, you’ll also be able to work independently with minimum supervision. KUB is looking for someone who can empathise with the needs of the visually impaired and who will enjoy integrating fully into Kenyan society.

And the rest...

Nairobi is one of the largest cities in Africa with a population of around three million. Nairobi is described by many as the greatest city in East Africa, a pleasantly laid-back place surrounded by magnificent scenery. You’ll live in a one bedroom flat with its own water and electricity and a kitchen and sitting room. You’ll have no problem getting fresh fruit, vegetables and other foods from local markets.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our support package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

This placement falls under our education goal area, working with the Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA), which aims to investigate the reasons behind the high drop out rate of Mongolian secondary school students. It recognises the need to establish standards and procedures the halt the drop out rate, and work toward the reversal of this trend. The MEA is connected quite closely to the Mongolian Ministry of Education and acts as a consolatory body to it.

What does the role involve?

• Developing a fundraising strategy for the organisation
• Organising at least one successful fundraising event
• Developing and organising staff development workshops
• MEA intended to work with national Volunteers in its activities. The VSO volunteer was therefore expected to assist the organisation in recruiting these volunteers as well as training the staff on how to conduct volunteer recruitment
• Helping with editing and proofreading of materials developed in English

Skills, qualifications and experience required

This role requires a volunteer with a university degree, experience in developing fundraising strategies and some experience of organising fundraising events. You will work with a variety of people from different organisations so good interpersonal skills and an openness to others’ ideas are essential. The willingness to take any fundraising opportunities as they presented themselves and the self-confidence to see them through is important, as is the ability to stay calm and balanced to deal with any frustrating or unpredictable situations as they arise.

And the rest...

Sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia is one of the largest and highest countries in the world, with 40% of its territory covered in mountains. Pristine steppe and extensive forests stretch out for thousands of kilometres, representing one of the world’s most unspoilt landscapes. The country has a unique nomadic culture that still forms the backbone of national identity today. 13-20 different ethnic groups live in Mongolia (depending on who you ask) and you’ll be able to take part in many festivals.

Since 2000, Ghana has sustained a period of economic stability and has seen one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in Africa in recent years. However, 40 per cent of the population still live below the poverty line of US$1 a day, with women, children and the disabled being the most disadvantaged groups.

Fountain of Sustainable Livelihoods is a small non-governmental organisation (NGO) that provides business training and micro-finance facilities to poor farming communities. Fountain is currently expanding its programmes to provide additional support for people living with disabilities in their target communities. As a volunteer with Fountain, you’ll help improve the organisation’s project management and fundraising techniques to ensure the sustainability of their important work.

What does the role involve?

• Developing a fundraising strategy and building long-term donor relationships to secure sustainable funding
• Training staff in basic managerial and administrative skills to improve the efficiency of the organisation
• Leading on the development of operational guides for each of Fountain’s programme areas

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll have a degree level qualification with at least three years’ experience in project management, staff management and fundraising. You’ll need to be a flexible team player with good networking and communication skills in order to maintain and develop relationships with a variety of stakeholders, colleagues and donors. Patience, adaptability and a sense of humour are important qualities in all our volunteers, as these will help you to work with limited resources and adapt to live and work in a different culture.

And the rest...

Ghana is located on North Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, bordering the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo. Soups are the mainstay of Ghanaian cuisine. You’ll be based in Accra, Ghana’s capital city of approximately one million people. There are good facilities in town, including department stores and supermarkets and plenty of restaurants and bars to socialise with colleagues and other volunteers.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our support package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.