Fundraising Manager

About Us
Action Village India (AVI) is a small UK based organisation that since 1989, has been supporting Indian partner organisations who work alongside villagers in some of the most remote parts of rural India so they can improve their lives, livelihoods and resilience. We work towards an India which is just, fair and inclusive, where all people regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, caste, religion can benefit from the country s economic development and lift themselves out of poverty.

At the heart of our work, are our partnerships; many of which have spanned decades. Our partner organisations are led by Indians and whether these are large or small organisations, or social movements, all work directly at the grassroots level across rural India from Bihar and Jharkhand in the North, in Odisha and down to Tamil Nadu in the South. The communities they work with, are some of the poorest in India. They are experts in their fields and work hand in hand with local people to design and inform projects to best serve their local communities and secure rights and social justice for women, men and children.

We accompany our partners for the long term, solidarity with our partners and their communities is at the core of how we work. This means we have developed relationships over the years, based on mutual respect, reciprocity and transparency. We are not governed by donor funding cycles and agendas but are led by our partners and the needs they identify and are committed to shared learning and collaboration. We keep our UK costs to a minimum with core staff and rely on an active and engaged set of Trustees, volunteers and supporters. Both staff and Trustees of Action Village India have relationships with staff from our partner organisations, created through ongoing dialogue, partner and community visits and participation in learning forums.

Key details

• Salary: £30,000 pro rata
• Hours: 14 hours per week (2 days), ideally Wednesday and Thursday
• Strong possibility of increasing to 21 hours (3 days) in future
• Option to work up to 8 additional paid event days per year (e.g. WOMAD), reviewed annually
• Reports to: Executive Director
• Contract: Permanent, subject to successful 6-month probation
• Annual leave: 25 days (pro rata)
• Pension: Auto-enrolment after 6 months, with 3% employer contribution
• Right to Work check required

Accessibility

We regret that due to the office being on the second floor with a narrow staircase and no lift, this role is not currently suitable for applicants with additional accessibility needs. We will update this if circumstances change.

Key responsibilities

Fundraising and donor management

• Research, develop and submit fundraising proposals to trusts, foundations and major donors
• Maintain accurate fundraising trackers for applications and reporting deadlines
• Coordinate partner inputs for monitoring and donor reports
• Support the Executive Director with fundraising and reporting to trusts and individuals

Events

• Plan and manage Action Village India events across the year
• Attend fundraising events (including evenings and weekends, as agreed)
• Attend WOMAD festival and support delivery of Action Village India s stall and presence

Individual giving

• Plan and deliver regular appeals and supporter communications
• Develop new ways to engage supporters and grow individual giving income
• Build strong supporter journeys to retain and deepen engagement

Communications and development

• Create compelling fundraising and supporter communications
• Contribute to newsletters, annual reports and appeals
• Coordinate content for events and exhibitions, including WOMAD
• Work with partners to generate stories, updates and visual content
• Manage organisational content such as leaflets, webpages and reports
• Work closely with the Communications and Administrative Officer on social media and CRM content

Person specification

Essential experience

• Minimum three years experience in fundraising (trusts and foundations, events and individual giving)
• Proven success securing funding from UK trusts and foundations
• Strong proposal and report writing skills
• Experience co-organising fundraising events

Knowledge and skills

• Knowledge of UK trusts, foundations and institutional funders
• Understanding of the international development and solidarity sector
• Knowledge of Charity Law, Data Protection and the Fundraising Code of Practice
• Excellent written communication skills for diverse audiences
• Proficiency in Excel

Personal qualities

• Passion for social justice and supporting marginalised communities in India
• Highly organised, self-motivated and able to manage competing priorities
• Comfortable working independently in a small team
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural relationship-building skills

Desirable

• Experience working with NGOs, particularly in Asia and India
• International development experience
• Photoshop and InDesign skills
• Clean driving licence

Other requirements

• Willingness to work some evenings and weekends and attend WOMAD (late July)
• Ability to travel to rural India if required
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to Action Village India s values

How to apply

Please email:

• Your CV (with two contactable references)
• A supporting statement or cover letter (around two sides of A4, maximum three)

Closing date: Sunday, 8 February 2026