Introduction

CARE is an international nonprofit NGO with local staff and community partners in 100 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality, and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from disaster response to food and nutrition to livelihoods and work for women and girls to healthy mothers and children. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because when they have equal access to resources, they lift their families and communities out of poverty. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We have been doing this for 75 years since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good.

CARE International has been working in Kenya since 1968, and currently implements major programs in 20 out of 47 counties reaching approximately 2 million people per year. The programs align with national and county level priorities focusing on Gender transformation, refugee assistance, health, water and sanitation, financial inclusion, adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction, agricultural value chains and humanitarian and emergency response.

CARE in Kenya is part of a global federation, and while we are strategically linked to CARE USA, we are Kenyan-governed and Kenyan-led. CARE in Kenya is fully registered with the NGO Board in Kenya and has a Board of Directors.

In 2023, CARE developed a new strategy for the period 2024 – 2030 which sets out a new direction for CARE in Kenya, reinforcing our commitment to locally-led and gender-transformative work, but with a bold shift in mindset that embraces an enterprising approach and climate smart actions that clearly point to a transformational future.

CARE Kenya’s goal for this strategic period is that 5.5 million people in the most vulnerable and excluded communities have overcome poverty and social injustice, underpinned by three inter-related program pillars: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE); Food, Water and Nutrition Security (FWNS) and Humanitarian and Emergency Response.

This obviously calls for a change in various aspects of the organization to support delivery of the strategic ambitions.

To support this process, the organization is seeking to recruit a Resource Mobilization consultant to translate the ambition into well-funded actions in support of achieving the outcomes of the strategy.

Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide focused, strategic and rigorous Resource Mobilization to deliver program funding to the organization that secures program and structure ambitions from July 1, 2025, onwards

Key responsibilities

1. New business development and intelligence gathering:

• Identify, research, track, and disseminate information on new funding opportunities from bilateral, multi-lateral and other institutional, private sector, and non-traditional donors analysing trends in line with the CARE Kenya Strategy.
• Develop and keep funding tracking systems and mechanisms that track specific opportunities as well as progress against the country strategy and annual targets, and revise/track annual fundraising targets and forecasts accordingly. Regularly report on opportunities and metrics to relevant staff.
• Pro-actively seek donor intelligence on prospective new opportunities or partnership. Document information in the tracker. Organize and/or participate in intelligence gathering/marketing trips in conjunction with CARE Kenya program staff, ensuring key exchanges result in key donor stakeholders being more familiar with CARE’s work and cultivation of new business opportunities.
• Engage and provide regular updates to the SMT on the status of the funding portfolio, GoNoGo decisions, and key trends to check. Share any relevant feedback and information – formal, informal or anecdotal – regarding CARE Kenya performance with relevant business units or departments.
• Manage and track information necessary for effective capture planning and proposal development.
• Collaborate with the CARE Member Partners (CMPs) Proposal Development Officers and Bid Coordinators to provide coordination to CARE Kenya bid processes as and where necessary to ensure that CARE continues to invest in the most relevant, strategic and likely to win opportunities in line with the CARE Kenya Strategic Plan.
• Help establishing annual fundraising target at CO level along with associated accountability/performance measurement system

1. External engagement support and marketing:

• Lead the development of donor engagement plans and optimise donor engagement. Provide active support to all staff on their engagements in line with the broader strategy.
• Support Country Director and staff to initiate and maintain donor contacts, plan and prepare for meetings and strategic engagements.
• Maintain systems and tools to track contacts, external positioning opportunities, and donor engagements.
• Ensure key contacts, required formats and donor strategies are kept up to date at the country office level.
• In collaboration with PQL manager and program staff, maintain updated capacity statements, factsheets, brochures and visibility materials. Work with staff to ensure relevant content is actively shared externally.
• Support strengthening CARE Kenya’s internal and external communications to enhance our program’s impact and our image among the donors. Support in development and implementation of Communications and Outreach strategy, and provide necessary guidance to the team in preparation and production of CARE ‘s external communications materials
• Research, identify and disseminate information on different actors (NGOs, Private sector, Government, Donors) to inform strategic new partnerships and consortia.
• Cultivate business relationships with external stakeholders and potential partners for large scale or strategic funding opportunities, either as a prime or sub-recipient in joint ventures. As relevant, negotiate teaming agreements.

1. Proposal coordination and development

• Be the in-country, principal coordinator for proposal development including the development of high-value or complex proposals or bids, building on global, regional and national expertise, and ensuring the highest quality product. This includes managing the overall process, developing the proposal calendar, assigning roles, facilitating workshops, and ensuring inputs from staff are timely, competitive, and compliant.
• In collaboration with the country office program technical leads, facilitate partnerships with global impact teams and solicit global support for proposals.
• Actively engage with partners around prime and sub opportunities. Lead on teaming agreements where appropriate.
• Maintain an updated database of high performing consultants and facilitate engagement of consultants on proposals, or when technical specialists are needed.
• Drive interdepartmental coordination for proposal development collaborating with key staff to support them working together to produce high quality proposals. This includes the Program Director, PQ Manager, and technical leads (program design, technical inputs, strategies), Operations (for field team inputs, logistics requirements, security, costings, etc.), Awards Coordinators (for donor requirements), Finance (for budgets), Security and Human Resource (for staffing requirements).
• Ensure full internal and CMP review for proposals. Ensure sign off by the Country Director or delegate on final proposals prior to submission.
• Actively take part in key relevant internal meetings such as annual planning meetings, SMT meetings, etc.

1. Delivery of resource mobilization strategy, research and learning that results in funded program proposals

• Update and evolve the resource mobilization strategy on a yearly basis in collaboration with the CARE Member Partners and CARE USA Resource Mobilization teams consulting with members to decide opportunities, support global donor relationship management, and align member and country funding strategies.
• Lead portfolio and funding assessment and analyses (portfolio analysis, donor landscape assessments, funding opportunity assessment) to identify and strategically invest in potential donors to advance the country office strategy.
• Actively track trends and recommend staff on strategic opportunities, relationships, and pivots necessary to grow.
• Conduct win/loss analysis and provide recommendations for the country office to increase success rate, while supporting an appetite for innovative programme design.
• Maintain an ongoing and regularly updated knowledge management system inclusive of context analyses, proposals, and other resource relevant for future proposal development (gender equality, protection risks situational analysis, assessments, DHS data, field research on community needs, etc.).
• Ensure RM efforts align with the Country Office and CARE regional and Global strategies.
• Ensure on-time delivery of internal organizational business processes

Scope of work – 6 months (Approximately 100 working days)

Deliverables by the end of the consultancy:
Specific targets will be agreed with the Country Director at the start of the consultancy

1. Up to date business intelligence report(s)
2. Up to date fund tracking and other relevant systems, including CARE business processes completed to meet organizational deadlines
3. X number of capacity statements up to date and visibility materials developed
4. X number of proposals developed and submitted
5. X number of meetings with Donors, CMPs
6. Up to date consultant list for Resource Mobilization/proposal development processes
7. Revised business processes that ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the role
8. Enhanced positive and regular relationships built with donors and CMP
9. Qualification of the Consultant

• 5 -years’ experience working in the field of Resource mobilization and fundraising preferably with INGO experience
• Up to date Knowledge of the Kenya development and humanitarian donor environment
• Knowledge and experience in Business Development and fundraising concepts and practice with foreign aid and non-profit organizations.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing diverse, proactive strategies to competitively position his/her organization for new funding and productive institutional relationships.
• Experience working with and coaching technical teams to develop complex program proposals that are funded by institutional donors. Thorough knowledge and understanding of international development issues and significant knowledge of key bureaus and offices in donors’ representation offices
• Strong Communication skills as well as Interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Excellent representational skills and ability to develop and provide well-informed presentations about CARE for high-level audiences. Familiarity and ease with political environment of key donor
• Registered with the relevant authorities.

Reporting Lines

The consultant will report Directly to the Country Director and will be part of the Senior Management Team. They will work closely with Deputy Country Director Programmes and the Program Department and The Deputy Director Operations and the Program Support team.