Head of Fundraising

Jusoor (meaning ‘bridges’ in Arabic) is an international non-governmental organization with the mission of “Investing in Syria’s Youth for a Better Tomorrow”.

Founded in 2011 by a group of Syrian expatriates, Jusoor is a leading global actor in educational and entrepreneurial programs for Syrian children and youth. To date, Jusoor has sponsored more than 300 Syrian students to complete their university education and enrolled nearly 10,000 children in its education centers in Lebanon. It has also supported more than 3,000 entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. The organization is known for its innovative approach to development challenges, high-velocity execution, and the strength of its global strategic partnerships.

Jusoor believes in the power of people to bring about extraordinary change. Leading the fundraising team, you will help Jusoor achieve its mission to advance opportunities for Syrians around the world by shaping how Jusoor funds its initiatives and communicates with donors.

As part of this role, you will work across the organization with a variety of team members as a thought partner, strategy developer, and creator and implementer of fundraising initiatives. You’ll lead a small but innovative team of staff and external contractors to raise funds and visibility for Jusoor’s work globally. Jusoor currently raises around two million USD annually through a diverse portfolio of individual and institutional donors and aims to expand this to over five million within the next three years.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy

• Work with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors to spearhead and execute Jusoor’s fundraising strategy to deliver income growth
• Establish and monitor funding strategic objectives and KPIs during every planning period
• Develop budgets, projections, work plans and board presentations
• Oversee the strategic direction and implications of fundraising trends for the organization

Management

• Hire, manage and develop a high performance fundraising team, clearly delineating roles and responsibilities
• Ensure that staff across the organization are aware of and regularly attend events that will increase Jusoor’s visibility among donors and potential partners

Fundraising

• Using an innovative and proactive approach to business development, maintain a steady pipeline of funding opportunities and develop strategic partnerships that ensure stable income growth and excellence in grant management
• Lead and coordinate proposal development, including budgeting, in collaboration with technical teams
• Act as a critical filter for the prospects in funding opportunities, bids, and philanthropic partnerships
• Cultivate, steward and manage key donor relationships in particular major and high net worth donors, build on existing and developing new donors
• Lead, develop and oversee the legacy / planned giving income stream for the organisation
• Efficiently manage portfolio of major donors, maintain and ensure quality, accuracy and confidentiality of donor data
• Plan and execute campaigns according to strategic timing in collaboration with the communications department
• Organize and lead successful fundraising events
• Develop, support and coordinate donor visits
• Work closely with the board to mobilize leads and funding for Jusoor, integrating them into donor engagement strategy
• Lead innovation, in particular digital innovation, to deliver fundraising
• Working with the program teams, ensure that partner inputs are solicited and incorporated into the design phase of new projects and proposals wherever possible

Budgeting & Financial Planning

• Review monthly financial statements and facilitates reconciliation of donor gifts; between finance and fundraising data systems
• Create annual fundraising projections and review on a monthly basis with income reconciliations

Other

• Work closely with the Communications team in order to build and deliver effective donor acquisition and retention strategies
• Coordinate the due diligence process for all donors and potential partners. Identify specific risk mitigation measures working with other departments as appropriate
• Support enhancement and compliance of existing fundraising policies as well as developing new policies as appropriate and continually updating best practice documentation
• Represent Jusoor at external events and to external partners and stakeholders.

Required Skills, Experience and Abilities

The organization is seeking a results-oriented person motivated to raise funds for Jusoor, someone who is a natural and genuine relationship builder. The ideal candidate has:

• Passion for Jusoor’s vision of investing in young Syrians to build a better tomorrow
• 6-10 years working in fundraising including in a demonstrated leadership experience in an NGO setting
• A proven track record in successfully securing grants from major donors, corporations, and individual partnerships and trusts
• Skilled in establishing and managing relationships and partnerships with private and institutional donors and other counterparts
• Experience in oversight of administration and maintenance of records
• Demonstrated ability to lead people effectively; processes and deadlines to achieve fundraising goals
• Strong judgment & discretion, capable of handling confidential information
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills for developing fundraising strategy
• Can-do spirit and resourceful, able to thrive in fast-paced and ambiguous environments
• Knowledge of novel digital strategies to promote fundraising
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and reset priorities quickly if needed
• Ability to work occasional non-standard hours including evening and weekends
• Ability to travel
• Deep Knowledge of the Levant region context and its donor ecosystem

Preferred

• Existing connections to HNWI in the Levant region
• Working knowledge of Arabic
• Knowledge of the challenges facing Syrian children and youth
• Strong writing skills that convey mission, values, and goals in ways compelling to our supporters
• Proficiency in donor databases (preferably Salesforce)
• Experience in development and writing winning technical proposals for institutional funders

Jusoor is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a welcoming work environment. Jusoor does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, religion, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation. People with disabilities, and people of all gender identities are encouraged to apply.

About Jusoor

For Jusoor, E.I. Number 45-3842245, is a Michigan non-profit corporation that has received a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that it is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Incorporating Jusoor UK, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 08574289; Charity number 1154168.

Incorporating Jusoor Canada, a corporation registered in Canada under number 882829-6; Charity number 85063 3371.

Registered in Jordan as a branch of an international NGO under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Development.