Development Associate, Mumbai

Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

We are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. We currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia – countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. Since our inception, Room to Read’s worldwide team has impacted over 6 million children by constructing more than 1,500 schools, establishing over 13,000 libraries, publishing 700 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 16,000 girls with long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$44 million and our global staff numbers over 600. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in Delhi, New York, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Tokyo. We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane.

Position Overview:

This newly created full-time position is part of our Mumbai based development team that focuses on raising funds for our work in India. The Development Associate, Mumbai is responsible for supporting the day to day administration for the Mumbai office, being a team player in working with Room to Read’s Mumbai chapter and working with a small portfolio of donors in India.The responsibilities of this position will include but are not limited to planning events, supporting corporate and foundation grants, managing the local network of Room to Read volunteers and coordinating efforts around local public relations and communications, managing mailings and running the office. This position will work closely with the chapter leaders in Mumbai, the corporate and foundation team, the India country office based in Delhi while directly reporting to the Major Gifts Officer, Mumbai.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Raise approximately $50,000 by managing a portfolio of existing donors, working with Room to Read’s Mumbai chapter and being the main point of contact for planning of the large annual fundraiser.
• Liaise with other chapters that are forming around the country (Delhi, Bangalore, etc) to support chapter growth in India, providing Chapters with the materials and information they need to be successful
• Maintain and implement a system of ongoing communications with Room to Read’s “Sponsor a Project” donors and in conjunction with the Major Gifts Officer and Corporate and Foundation Officer devise and implement a donor communication strategy specific to donors residing in India.
• Support corporate and foundation grants by liasing with the corporate and foundation team based in San Francisco as needed and ensuring that the Corporate and Foundations Officer has needed support for grant-writing, grant-tracking and reporting.
• Liase with the Delhi office to arrange and provide documentation for donor site visits.
• Support Major Gifts Officer, Mumbai and Corporate and Foundations Officer, Mumbai with preparing materials for meetings, supporting the communication strategy for donors,database administration etc.
• Cultivate new donors through introductions from the Room to Read network and proactively research new prospects and leads.
• Set up and manage the day to day operations of Room to Read’s Mumbai office.
• Update/Manage records of mailings and implement donor communication strategy
• Respond to inquiries from stakeholders that have contacted Room to Read through various outlets
• Maintain and update our marketing materials and relevant pages on the Room to Read website
• Conduct and coordinate all post-event follow-up, including but not limited to auction follow-up, thank you notes, phone calls & meetings
• Coordinate with Global Development Team staff as necessary to implement Global Development Team processes in the India context, including maintenance of our global databases.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Bachelors degree
• 3-5 years general work experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented organisation
• Adept at using Microsoft Office
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with volunteers and diverse groups of people
• Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organisation that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
• Proven track record of achieving results
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Legally eligible to work in India no sponsorship provided

Preferred:

• Fundraising or client services experience
• Experience working with databases, specifically Raiser's Edge
• Experience in working for global organisations

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker that tries new things and inspires others to do so
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

Remuneration:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “Dev Associate, Mumbai” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to hiring@roomtoread.org. Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we cannot send all applicants personalized responses. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing
the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.