Fundraising and Partnerships Manager

DETAILS

Location: Dubai, UAE

Salary: AED 15,000 monthly 

Type: Full-time, hybrid

Overall purpose of the role

The Fundraising & Partnerships Manager is accountable for leading and delivering Sparkle’s global fundraising and partnership strategy across the UAE, UK, US, and supporting Malawi where required, generating sustainable income, deepening strategic partnerships, and building a global Sparkle community.

This role requires an exceptional relationship builder who is empathetic, influential and able to communicate with impact to own income generation through partnerships, events, volunteer engagement (fundraising-led), and donor stewardship. They will work closely with the Operations Manager to ensure all activity is legally compliant, well-reported, and operationally sound.

The role carries clear income targets and functions as a senior commercial lead within the charity, balancing relationship-driven fundraising with disciplined reporting, pipeline management, and delivery. This is a hands-on role: the successful candidate will be both the strategist and the doer, with full autonomy to build out the fundraising department – including its systems, pipeline, and team – from the ground up. The role may also offer the opportunity to travel as part of donor, partner, and event engagement.



Key responsibilities

1. Fundraising Strategy and Income Generation

• Lead the development and delivery of Sparkle’s global fundraising strategy, alongside tailored strategies for the UK, UAE, and US, aligned with organisational goals and growth plans.
• Own and deliver annual and quarterly income targets, with clear personal accountability for results, including a target of raising a minimum of $250,000 in new income per year.
• Build and manage a diversified income portfolio, including:
• Corporate partnerships
• Individual and committed giving
• Community and school fundraising
• Events
• Major donors and philanthropy
• Legacy and endowment
• Social enterprise
• Donations-in-kind
• Actively grow and diversify Sparkle’s income streams year on year, generating new social enterprise ideas and revenue-generating initiatives that reduce reliance on traditional donor income.
• Proactively generate and qualify new income leads, including opportunities linked to the CEO’s speaking engagements, thought leadership, awards, and high-profile events, helping to ensure these are converted into fundraising or partnership outcomes.
• Track sales leads, funnels, conversion rates, and income performance in collaboration with Operations and Finance, ensuring robust reporting and accountability.
• Provide regular income forecasting, pipeline updates, and performance reporting to the CEO and Board.
  

2. Corporate Partnerships and Major Donors

• Act as the primary relationship owner for all corporate partners and major donors globally.
• Develop tailored engagement pathways for partners, including ESG alignment, CSR reporting, employee engagement, volunteering, and cause marketing.
• Ensure partners receive timely updates, impact reporting, and meaningful engagement opportunities.
• Identify, cultivate, and convert new high-value partnerships and philanthropic relationships.

3. Events and Fundraising Campaigns

• Own Sparkle’s global fundraising events calendar, ensuring strategic presence at external events and delivery of in-house campaigns.
• Lead the planning and delivery of Sparkle’s flagship events, including the Annual Sparkle Gala, in close coordination with Operations and Marketing.
• Ensure all fundraising events meet UAE, UK, and US legal and licensing requirements.
• Drive innovation in event-based fundraising formats, both physical and digital.

4. Volunteering Engagement and Global Community

• Build and directly lead volunteer engagement from a fundraising and engagement perspective, maximising volunteer-led income and advocacy.
• Grow Sparkle’s global volunteer community, ensuring clear pathways for engagement, fundraising, and leadership.
• Expand donations-in-kind through corporate and individual networks.
• Support the delivery of volunteer trips and fundraising-led engagement initiatives in coordination with Operations and Malawi teams.

5. Marketing and Communications Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of all marketing and communications to ensure they directly support fundraising, partnerships, and volunteer engagement across the UAE, UK, US, and Malawi.
• Ensure Sparkle’s website and all fundraising platforms are current, compliant, and effectively driving donations, event participation, and engagement.
• Oversee external and internal communications, including donor journeys, thank-you communications, impact updates, and fundraising campaigns.
• Work closely with the Marketing Coordinator to oversee social media and digital content, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with fundraising priorities.
• Ensure the CEO is supported with up-to-date presentations and marketing materials for speaking engagements, pitches, and corporate meetings.
• Monitor performance and flag risks or gaps, ensuring marketing activity is aligned with income targets and organisational strategy.

6. Grants - Support Role Only

• Provide strategic input, intelligence, and new grant leads to support Sparkle’s grants pipeline across the UK, Europe, UAE, and US.
• Work with the CEO and Project Coordinator (UK & Europe) to share funder insights and contextual input for potential grant opportunities.
• Facilitate introductions and relationship-building where appropriate.

7. Compliance, Reporting and Systems

• Act as Sparkle’s primary liaison with Dubai Humanitarian, IACAD, and relevant authorities to ensure all fundraising licences and permissions are in place.
• Ensure all fundraising activity is legally and ethically compliant across jurisdictions.
• Work with Operations and Finance to ensure our CRM systems are used effectively to track donors, partners, income, pipelines, and engagement.
• Provide clear monthly and quarterly fundraising reports, KPIs, and pipeline updates to the CEO and Board.

working relationships

• Chief Executive Officer – strategic direction, income targets, partnerships
• General Manager – compliance, reporting, systems, finance alignment
• Finance Team – income tracking, forecasting, reconciliation
• Volunteer Coordinator – engagement, fundraising mobilisation
• Marketing Coordinator – campaigns, donor communications
• Malawi Team – alignment, data, partner engagement support

skills, experience and attributes

Essential

• Track record of income or new business generation, gained either in fundraising/partnerships within a charity or NGO, or in a sales, business development, or commercial role – charity sector experience is not essential.
• Experience managing corporate partnerships and major donors.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Strategic business acumen and strong commercial mindset, with demonstrable income generation success.
• Confidence working across multiple jurisdictions (UK, UAE, US preferred).
• Strong organisational discipline with CRM and reporting systems.
• Excellent public speaking and networking ability, with confidence representing Sparkle at external events and building new relationships in person.
• Comfortable proactively prospecting and cold calling to open new corporate and donor relationships.
• Able to build a CRM system from the ground up and embed it as the organisation’s central fundraising tool.
• Confident and creative user of social media in support of fundraising campaigns and donor engagement.



Desirable

• Experience working within ESG / CSR frameworks.
• Event leadership experience (especially high-value fundraising events).
• Knowledge of UAE fundraising compliance and licensing.

Personal Attributes

• Highly relational, confident, energetic and empathetic.
• Results-driven with strong accountability.
• Strategic yet hands-on; equally comfortable setting the strategy and rolling up their sleeves to deliver it personally.
• Target-driven and entrepreneurial, energised by the opportunity to build a fundraising department from scratch with full autonomy.
• Comfortable working at pace in a growing organisation.
• Alignment with Sparkle’s mission and values.