Consultant to Lead Capacity Development for Ukrainian Diaspora Organizations on the topic of fundraising

• Who is the Danish Refugee Council?

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 7,500 employees and supported by 6,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates for rights and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included into hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.

• Background

Danish Refugee Council’s Diaspora Programme facilitates, supports, and enhances the role of diasporas as effective agents of humanitarian assistance, recovery and development. The work of the Diaspora Programme supports Danish Refugee Council’s conviction that displaced people are a resource for both countries of origin and destination and responds to a growing body of evidence calling for a more inclusive humanitarian system that integrates ‘non-traditional actors’ to enhance the effectiveness of the humanitarian response.

DEMAC is a global initiative funded by IOM/USAID and DANIDA aiming to enhance coordination among diaspora organisations involved in humanitarian assistance, and across diaspora organisations, local actors, and institutional humanitarian actors. Further, DEMAC seeks to increase engagement and visibility for diaspora organisations in the humanitarian system. DEMAC contributes to a deeper understanding of diasporas as humanitarian actors and thus adds to transforming the humanitarian ecosystem. Please visit: www.demac.org

The term diaspora refers to migrants, refugees and their descendants living outside their country of birth or ancestry yet still maintaining meaningful emotional and material ties to that country. In humanitarian emergencies and fragile situations, many diasporas seek to contribute to improving situations on the ground and assist people in need in their country of origin. Diasporas play an extremely active role in supporting populations affected by crisis and displacement. With their close links and networks in country of origin as well as abroad, diasporas establish and sustain development initiatives, and mobilise quickly in a humanitarian crisis. They have access to affected communities, know how to deliver critical resources in areas that are difficult to access and most importantly, they often enjoy the trust of these communities because they have been engaged with them long before the onset of crisis, and will continue to be engaged after a crisis has subsided. Despite the strengths of diaspora, they often work in parallel to the formal humanitarian system and there is a lack of coordination mechanisms linking diaspora, local actors, and institutional humanitarian actors.

DEMAC has been engaged with Ukrainian diaspora since 2021 and has been actively supporting diaspora humanitarian responders in Ukraine since February 2022. The aim of DEMACs work in Ukraine is to enhance the coordination between diaspora, local, and institutional actors in Ukraine, with the overall objective of contributing to more impactful humanitarian response in Ukraine. DEMACs work in Ukraine is implemented by a Diaspora Liaison based in Ukraine and has included activities such as hosting coordination meetings, trainings, and workshops for diaspora and local organizations and facilitating collaboration between diaspora, local, and institutional humanitarian actors. During 2024 DEMAC´s work with Ukrainian diaspora organizations will be focused mainly on supporting capacity development of diaspora organizations and local actors. Diaspora organizations have specifically requested capacity development support on the topic of fundraising as they face challenges with securing sufficient and sustainable funding to support their humanitarian responses in Ukraine.

• Purpose of the consultancy

DEMAC seeks an experienced consultant to support Ukrainian diaspora organizations in enhancing their capacity to fundraise for humanitarian activities in Ukraine. The capacity development activities will take place from April to June 2024 and target a minimum of five diaspora organizations. The consultant will work with the organizations selected by DEMAC and support them in developing tools, documents, skills, and strategies to work towards their fundraising goals. Through a participatory and tailored approach, the selected consultant will work closely with each organization to assess their needs, agree on the scope and objective of the capacity support, develop customized capacity building plans, and provide targeted support to strengthen their fundraising capacity. Due to the diverse nature and capacity of diaspora organizations as well as the limited timeframe for the capacity support, it is particularly important that the consultant agrees on a specific capacity development plan and objectives for each organization. It is estimated that the consultant will dedicate approximately 60 hours of support to each organization, encompassing outreach, meetings, and tool development. Notably, the consultant’s compensation is tied to deliverables rather than hourly rates. The estimated hours serve as an indicative figure, and bidders are encouraged to submit proposals based on their understanding of the consultancy’s scope and requirements.

• Geographical focus and travel

The consultant will be expected to work with focal points from Ukrainian diaspora organizations who may be based in multiple global locations. It is possible that the consultant will also be asked to work with Ukrainian-based national CSOs. Due to the multiple locations in which the target group is expected to be located, the consultancy will primarily be remote, though travel may be deemed relevant in consultation with the selected organizations and the DEMAC team.

If/when travel is necessary, the consultant will be expected to arrange relevant transportation, accommodation, insurance, and food. Any estimation of travel expenses should be excluded from the financial bid as these expenses will be reimbursed via the submission of receipts as per DRC`s travel procedures.

• Scope of work

The consultant will be required to:

• Conduct an initial resource check/needs assessment with each selected organization to understand their existing capacity, needs, and goals to fundraise for humanitarian response activities.
• In close consultation with diaspora and DEMAC focal points, develop a tailored capacity development plan for each organization for the period of the consultancy. The plan should detail the expected outputs to be delivered within the consultancy period as well as expected meetings/trainings and roles and responsibilities. These outputs make up the fundraising capacity development package that each organization will receive during the period of the consultancy. The draft capacity development plan and support package should be shared and discussed with diaspora organizations and DEMAC focal points and finalized in agreement with them.
• Prepare and deliver agreed upon capacity support packages for fundraising to selected organizations. Examples of potential support provided may include but are not limited to: donor mapping tailored to country/area of residence, development of a fundraising plan, one-on-one trainings for fundraising staff and volunteers, support and development of concept notes, support and/or plans for completing donor due diligence processes. Note that the number and type of support for each organization is expected to vary based on their capacity, needs, and time/resources required for the respective support needed.
• Closely engage with diaspora organizations selected by DEMAC throughout the period for capacity development support, both regarding technical aspects of the support as well as administrative aspects such as agreeing on meeting times or following up on agreed action points.
• Maintain a close dialogue with and keep the DEMAC focal point informed and up to date on progress, successes, and challenges throughout the consultancy.
• Provide capacity development activities content insights to support the MEAL Specialist in the design of pre- and post-assessment questionnaires.
• Ensure participants in capacity development activities fill out the necessary assessments and M&E forms provided by the DEMAC MEAL Specialist when required to.

Furthermore, the consultant is expected to deliver the fundraising capacity development support in a way that is:

• Tailored to the needs of each diaspora organization, their existing capacities, and goals for fundraising.
• Participatory and adaptable to feedback from the diaspora organizations throughout the duration of the consultancy
• In line with humanitarian principles.
• Realistic and feasible given the timeframe of the project.

The submitted technical proposal should include a proposed workplan for the consultancy.

• Deliverables & Timeline

The Consultant will submit the deliverables as per the indicative timeframe below:

1. Resource check/needs assessment and capacity support plan
   1. Description: Completed resource check/needs assessment for each of the five participating organizations detailing their fundraising capacity, needs, and objectives
      1. Deadline: Monday, April 15th
      2. Number of deliverables: 5
2. Fundraising capacity development plan
   1. Description: Capacity development plan for each of the selected organizations detailing the “packages” of specific support to be provided, timeline, engagement, and roles and responsibilities of the diaspora organization and consultant.
      1. Deadline: Monday, April 15th
      2. Number of deliverables: 5
3. Fundraising capacity development packages delivered
   1. Description: All capacity development support packages been delivered to each of the five organizations and documentation has been shared w/DEMAC and the organizations.
      1. Deadline: June 21st
      2. Number of deliverables: 5
4. Final Report
   1. Description: Final report detailing key outputs, results, strengths, and challenges, from the fundraising support provided.
      1. Deadline: June 21st
      2. Number of deliverables: 5

• Duration and payment

The duration of the consultancy will be from April through June 2024. Payment will be based on deliverables and divided into two instalments.

• Eligibility, qualification, and experience required

The consultant hired should possess the following skills and experience:

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years’ experience working with participatory capacity development support to civil society organizations, with significant experience in the area of fundraising.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing successful fundraising strategies for civil society organizations across various contexts.
• Experience working with Ukrainian civil society organizations and/or diaspora.
• Experience conducting capacity assessments and capacity development plans for civil society organizations
• Experience conducting donor mappings and donor analyses.

Expertise and knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge of fundraising best practices, trends, and approaches in the humanitarian and development sector.
• Knowledge and experience working with donors who are likely to support Ukrainian diaspora in diaspora`s countries of residence (primarily Europe and North America) such as municipalities, private sector, national civil society support funds, etc.
• Ability to design and facilitate interactive workshops, coaching sessions, and peer learning opportunities that cater to different learning styles and organizational needs.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey complex concepts and ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, including organizational leaders, staff, volunteers, donors, and community members.
• Cultural sensitivity and proficiency in working with multicultural and multilingual communities, including an understanding of Ukrainian culture and diaspora.
• Creative problem-solving skills and a willingness to explore innovative approaches and solutions to fundraising challenges faced by Ukrainian diaspora organizations.
• Fluent in spoken and written English and Ukrainian.
• Knowledge of legislation and fundraising contexts in different countries of Europe and/or Canada and USA would be a plus

• Technical supervision

The position will report to the DEMAC focal point based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

• Location

The consultant may be home based in Ukraine or elsewhere but will be required to travel for the purposes of the mission.