Fundraising Officer

Background LPHU is a grassroots organization built by and for people with disabilities. We believe that we have an important role to play in arriving at our vision of society by working with people with disabilities, a population that has been traditionally marginalized. As such, our specific mission is the following: • To defend the rights of people with disabilities; more specifically to work towards their access to equal opportunities and a quality life and to ensure that their basic needs (health, education, employment, socio-economic integration, freedom of choice) are fully respected and guaranteed • To eradicate marginalization and gender discrimination from the lives of people with physical disabilities • To mobilize people with physical disabilities to speak on their own behalf • To promote the spread of a culture of inclusion and right of participation General Description Performs highly advanced technical writing work.  Responsible for writing proposals to foundations, corporations, and government sources in support of the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union. Works under limited supervision with considerable latitude for the use of discretion, initiative and independent judgment.  Reports to the Programs Manager. General Duties Interprets published LPHU guidelines to produce compelling proposals requesting foundation, corporate, and federal funding. Understands funders reporting requirements and collaborates with program staff to ensure clear, timely and accurate reporting of LPHU activities and outcomes. Gathers and uses educational research and data to effectively establish and present the need for funding in proposals and/or program outcomes in reports. Reviews, edits, and advises on requests for proposals in support of LPHU-funded programs in other agency divisions. Collaborates with and advises the Board staff and senior management during preparation of proposals (assembles appropriate team, develops program timelines, plans program elements, and develops budget). Deliverables The fundraising officer is expected to deliver the following products within a somehow strict timeframe. Develop a fundraising strategy document and action plan based on the study of the different thematic areas of the forum’s framework. To produce the communication and marketing tools for the Forum’s plan of action. Create a comprehensive database of funding organizations on the national, regional, and international level. Identify a detailed list of donor organizations whose funding interests would match the forum’s of action. Organize one central meeting workshop with funding entities and donor organizations to present and discuss the Forum’s fundraising strategy. Start a series of individual follow up communication with at least 5 to 10 funding entities and donor organizations to market the forum’s projects and explore opportunities of support and partnership. This follow up should continue for the following months of the officer’s contract. Finalize the writing of a number of funding proposals and make sure that they are ready to be officially submitted to donor organizations. Undertake an assessment for members fundraising and organizational capacity as well as the situation of donor operations in their countries. The officer should undertake this assessment based on a simple questionnaire to be completed through teleconferencing with country members. Develop   a training toolkit on fundraising strategies and techniques to be used by the forum and its members. Organize a training workshop for a selected number of Forum members on fundraising strategies and skills. This training should result in enabling country members to develop their own fundraising strategies and action plan. The officer should work with each country member and provide them with the necessary support to develop their fundraising strategy and action plan. Produce a final report on the results of the previous months, mainly the negotiation and proposal submission to donor organizations. Produce a fundraising strategy for the forum’s following fiscal year.     Education and experience: Preferred Masters degree in education, writing, social science, or related field from an accredited college or university with coursework that contributes to advanced writing, research, evaluation, and communication skills. Substantial evidence of success in comprehensive LPHU and report writing. Must be personal computer literate especially in use of software such as Word and Excel in a Windows environment. Ability to work independently with limited supervision.   Workforce: Ability to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability toward changes in assignments. Ability to demonstrate success in attending work regularly and reliably. Ability to demonstrate meeting periodic, milestone, and final deadlines. Ability to work under pressure and be successful in meeting objectives. Ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships both internally and externally. Ability to adhere to the organizations internal management policies and procedures. The failure of delivering the expected products of the first three months results in terminating the contract with the fundraising officer.