Senior Fundraising Consultant/Head of Fundraising

GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.
We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company , while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine , This American Life , Foreign Affairs , and The Economist .
Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.
We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.
Location: This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We envision a future in which cash is the fastest, most effective, and most dignified default for global crisis response, and GiveDirectly is as widely known as one of the top humanitarian response organizations in the world.
As Emergency Response Fundraising Senior Manager / Director, you’ll lead fundraising across the full emergency lifecycle — from securing pre-positioned funds to activating donor outreach in the first 24–48 hours after a crisis, to managing reporting and renewals. You will own and support fundraising for our global crisis response efforts from governments, philanthropic foundations and corporations as well as individual high-net-worth funders. You will sit within the Partnerships Team collaborating closely with the philanthropy, humanitarian and emergency response product teams in particular.
We’re looking for someone with strong judgment, sharp instincts, and deep fluency in the humanitarian funding space. You don’t need a personal donor Rolodex or field experience — but you do need to know which funders move quickly, what they care about, and how to speak their language. Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel ~4-5 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats or field visits
Emergency Activation & Real-Time Fundraising
Coordinate donor outreach for emergency programming, crafting compelling messages, liaising with the response team for and fast, targeted donor engagement and ensuring activation in the critical first 48 hours of an emergency.
Generate and lead on new fundraising opportunities for emergency response, prioritizing and tailoring outreach based on the geography, nature of the crisis, and donor fit — knowing which funders to approach and how.
Collaborate with program and comms teams to build real-time fundraising narratives grounded in operational data.
Maintain and continuously improve a fundraising playbook outlining standard operating procedures for all phases of crisis response — including pre-crisis pipeline engagement, first-48-hour donor outreach, activation messaging, and post-crisis reporting and stewardship.
Crafting the Emergency Response Fundraising Product
Establish a compelling narrative and related set of materials and external facing products around GiveDirectly’s Emergency Response work;
Coordinate the public facing articulation of GiveDirectly’s Emergency Response work to ensure consistent and optimal framing and messaging;
Establish the fundraising strategy for GiveDirectly’s Rapid Response Fund and coordinate implementation.
Securing GiveDirectly’s inclusion on vetted donor rosters for rapid response (e.g. pre-approved partners lists, standing framework agreements, pooled funding windows); Building GiveDirectly’s own flexible contingency fund to enable immediate deployment of cash in high-risk or forecasted crises.
Scope and pursue funding aligned with early action, anticipatory response, and climate adaptation — including opportunities from bilateral/multilateral agencies, corporations, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals.
Analyze donor behavior and market trends to create lead lists of prospective donors for high likelihood emergency response geographies. Identify and communicate market changes and emerging opportunities internally to inform GiveDirectly’s international rapid response roadmap.
Proactively track donor strategies, policy shifts, and upcoming cycles to position GiveDirectly for sustained emergency readiness.
Writing & Donor Communications
Draft high-quality fundraising materials, including appeals, proposals, decks, situation briefs, and impact reports.
Ensure timely, transparent, and impactful reporting for all emergency-related grants.
Track donor interactions, deadlines, and reporting in Salesforce and internal tools.
Partner with other fundraising team members to grow donor relationships beyond IRR into broader programming.
Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
Language Requirement: English
Language Preferences: French, Portuguese
Have strong experience in humanitarian fundraising — ideally with institutional, corporation, foundation, and HNWI donors.
Know the humanitarian funding landscape: who gives, when, and how, and how to craft the right pitch at the right time.
Bring excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for high-stakes and external-facing materials, with a continuous desire to improve those skills.
Communicate exceptionally well under pressure — both in writing and in real-time with senior stakeholders.
Are strong project managers and ruthless prioritizers, comfortable self-structuring workstreams across multiple priorities and stakeholders.
Have 4+ years of experience in fundraising, partnerships, or program development in a mission-driven or high-performance setting.
Are strongly aligned with our values, and who actively demonstrate our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
Experience living and working in humanitarian response contexts preferred.
Experience with Canva or other design tools and Salesforce or similar CRM systems preferred.
Compensation
We use an accredited third- party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no-negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles.
Read More About Our Compensation Philosophy Here.
The United States base salary for Director level is $128,000 with an additional 15% bonus The United States base salary for the Senior Manager level is $108,000 with an additional 10% bonus
The UK base salary for Director level is £87,500 with an additional 15% bonus
The UK base salary for the Senior Manager level is £71,400 with an additional 10% bonus
The Kenya base salary for Director level is $101, 221 with an additional 15% bonus
The Kenya base salary for Senior Manager level is $77,500 with an additional 10% bonus
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.
All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.
**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing, reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or exploitation.” Reasonable Accommodations
If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.