The Role
Leads strategic fundraising solutioning by identifying institutional funding opportunities, matching donor priorities with programs, and developing evidence-based proposals, budgets, and partnership materials. Supports donor meetings, due diligence, negotiations, and deal execution while coordinating cross-functional teams. Builds and mentors a pre-sales team, manages fundraising workflows and pipelines, strengthens CRM and knowledge-management processes, and improves proposal quality and delivery efficiency.
Summary Generated by Built In
About The/Nudge:
The/Nudge is an action institute building resilient livelihoods to alleviate poverty. We work with women, farmers, tribals, and youth across rural development, agriculture, skilling, and economic inclusion, in partnership with 15+ central and state governments.
Our economic inclusion journey towards serving 25 million Indians spans 10 states and currently reaches over 1.5 million people. Through our incubator, accelerator, and grand challenges, we have supported 200+ social entrepreneurs, including Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, Earthshot Prize winners, and nationally recognized changemakers.
Founded with the support of 130+ eminent philanthropists, 40+ corporates, and 15+ foundations, The/Nudge is working towards a poverty-free India, within our lifetime."
Role Overview
The Lead - Strategic Partnerships & Solutioning will build and lead a small team that sits at the back end of The/Nudge’s corporate fundraising. The role identifies the right funding opportunities, matches The/Nudge’s programmes to a funder’s priorities, and stitches them into a compelling, evidence-based proposition - from first research to concept note, proposal and deal closure. It works closely with fundraising colleagues, programme teams and senior leadership, and supports them in funder conversations on strategic opportunities.
The ideal candidate comes from a consulting, advisory, investment banking or similar background, and combines strong research, analysis, conceptualisation and writing with the ability to articulate a proposition to senior stakeholders, mentor a team, and manage multiple complex opportunities at once.
Key Responsibilities
1. Opportunity Identification, Research and Outreach
- Identify and research potential CSR partners, corporate foundations, domestic and international philanthropic foundations, and other institutional donors aligned with The/Nudge’s mission and programmes.
- Map donor priorities, funding themes, eligibility criteria, giving patterns and decision-makers; analyse fit and prioritise prospects with a clear point of view on where to invest effort.
- Spot opportunities early through CSR networks, funding announcements, RFPs, sector developments and other relevant channels.
- Build and maintain a structured donor repository and prospect pipeline, enabling targeted outreach and follow-ups.
- Develop outreach materials, including introductory notes, pitch decks, concept notes and tailored programme briefs, and support fundraising colleagues in converting prospects into qualified opportunities.
2. Proposition Design and Proposal Development
- Translate each donor’s priorities into a tailored funding proposition by matching them with The/Nudge’s programme models, impact evidence and organisational capabilities.
- Lead solutioning for strategic and complex opportunities, working with programme teams and fundraising colleagues to shape scope, theory of change, outcomes, budgets and partnership structure.
- Lead the development and review of donor-centric proposals, concept notes, pitch decks, budgets, grant applications and RFP submissions.
- Ensure every proposal is accurate, evidence-based and clearly articulated, supported by relevant data, case studies and impact narratives.
3. Donor Engagement and Deal Support
- Support fundraising colleagues and senior leadership in donor meetings by shaping the narrative, preparing the room, presenting the proposition and responding to technical and programme questions on strategic opportunities. Relationship ownership remains with the fundraising lead.
- Advance priority opportunities from initial engagement through proposal submission, due diligence and agreement execution.
- Coordinate donor due diligence, documentation, internal reviews and responses to donor queries.
- Support the drafting and review of MoUs, grant agreements and related partnership documentation in coordination with legal, finance and other internal teams.
- Track priority opportunities, identify bottlenecks and coordinate timely inputs from internal stakeholders to support deal progression and fundraising closures.
4. Team Leadership and Cross-functional Collaboration
- Build, lead, mentor and develop the pre-sales team, setting clear priorities, quality standards and accountability, and allocating workload effectively.
- Build team capability in donor research, analysis, proposal writing, solution design and deal management, through hands-on review and coaching.
- Work closely with Corporate Partnerships, programme teams, finance, legal, communications and senior leadership to deliver effective donor engagement and partnership solutions.
- Ensure continuity of support across the fundraising pipeline through effective planning, onboarding, cross-training and knowledge sharing.
5. Process Excellence and Knowledge Management
- Establish and manage workflows for donor outreach support, proposal development, due diligence, donor queries and partnership documentation, with clear turnaround targets.
- Develop and maintain reusable proposal templates, pitch decks, case studies, FAQs and programme information repositories.
- Strengthen CRM usage and fundraising trackers to improve visibility into prospects, outreach activity, pipeline progress, deliverables and follow-ups.
- Continuously improve processes to enhance the quality, consistency and efficiency of fundraising support.
Qualifications and Experience
- 10-12 years of relevant experience in management consulting, advisory, investment banking, strategy, social-sector consulting (for example, Bridgespan or similar), or fundraising and institutional philanthropy.
- Proven pre-sales or solutioning experience: identifying an opportunity, matching an offering to a client’s requirement and building a compelling proposition and proposal around it. Experience at a leading consulting, Big 4 advisory or investment banking firm is preferred.
- Strong research, analytical and conceptual skills, with the ability to develop clear, compelling narratives from complex programme information and data.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting and holding conversations with senior external stakeholders such as CSR heads, foundation leaders and CXOs.
- Prior experience building, managing or mentoring a team.
- Proven ability to manage multiple opportunities, coordinate cross-functional stakeholders and deliver within tight timelines.
- Experience working with corporate CSR teams, foundations or other institutional donors is desirable.
- Familiarity with CRM tools, pipeline management and knowledge management systems is an advantage.
- Postgraduate degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.
Key Competencies
- Strategic and structured thinking; donor orientation
- Strong research, analysis, writing and communication skills
- Client engagement and stakeholder management
- Team leadership, mentoring and capability building
- Collaboration across functions and ability to influence without authority
- Ownership, execution and attention to detail
- Commitment to poverty alleviation and social impact
Skills Required
- 10-12 years of relevant experience in management consulting, advisory, investment banking, strategy, social-sector consulting, fundraising, or institutional philanthropy
- Proven pre-sales or solutioning experience, including opportunity identification, offering alignment, proposition development, and proposal creation
- Strong research, analytical, and conceptual skills, with the ability to develop compelling narratives from complex program information and data
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to senior external stakeholders such as CSR heads, foundation leaders, and CXOs
- Experience building, managing, or mentoring a team
- Ability to manage multiple opportunities, coordinate cross-functional stakeholders, and deliver within tight timelines
- Experience working with corporate CSR teams, foundations, or institutional donors
- Familiarity with CRM tools, pipeline management, and knowledge management systems
- Postgraduate degree such as an MBA or equivalent
- Experience at a leading consulting, Big Four advisory, or investment banking firm
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The Company
What We Do
The/Nudge is an action institute working toward a poverty-free India by partnering with governments, markets, and civil society. Its work focuses on building resilient livelihoods and reducing poverty through rural development, agriculture, skilling, economic inclusion, and support for women, farmers, tribal communities, and youth. The organization also develops ecosystem initiatives and collaborates with social entrepreneurs and public institutions to create large-scale, sustainable livelihood opportunities.
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