Job Description

Terms of reference

Consultancy for developing a fundraising and organizational sustainability strategy

Community Empowerment and Justice Governance (CEJG) Project – Phase V

• Implementing Organization: Development Department, Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar
• Project: Community Empowerment and Justice Governance (CEJG) – Phase V
• Funding Partner: Misereor

• Location: Zanzibar – Unguja and Pemba
• Duration of Consultancy: Approximately 20–25 working days

1. Background

The Development Department of the Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar is implementing the Community Empowerment for Justice and Governance (CEJG) Project – Phase V, with financial and technical support from Misereor. The project is designed to contribute to stronger community empowerment, access to justice, good governance, inclusive participation, social justice, gender equality and sustainable community development in Zanzibar.

Through the implementation of CEJG Phase V and other programmes, the Development Department has developed valuable institutional experience, community relationships, partnerships, programme approaches and organizational capacities. These investments provide an important foundation for sustaining and expanding development results beyond the current project funding period.

In this context, the Development Department recognizes the need to strengthen its approach to resource mobilization and organizational sustainability. While project-based donor funding remains important, long-term sustainability requires a more diversified and systematic fundraising approach that considers institutional funding, strategic partnerships, consortium opportunities, foundations, private-sector engagement, corporate social responsibility, faith-based funding and other appropriate resource mobilization mechanisms.

The Development Department therefore intends to engage a qualified consultant to develop a practical Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy. The strategy will provide a clear framework for strengthening fundraising systems, diversifying funding sources, improving donor engagement, developing strategic partnerships, strengthening internal capacities and sustaining the results and institutional investments generated through CEJG Phase V.

The strategy is expected to cover a five-year period and should be practical, evidence-based, measurable and aligned with the organization’s strategic direction and mandate.

2. Purpose of the consultancy

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to develop a practical, evidence-based and implementable Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy that will strengthen the Development Department’s capacity to mobilize, diversify and sustain financial and non-financial resources for its programmes and institutional operations.

The strategy should enable the organization to move from primarily responding to individual funding opportunities towards a more proactive and coordinated fundraising system based on clear institutional positioning, donor intelligence, relationship building, strategic partnerships, proposal development and long-term sustainability.

3. Specific objectives

The consultancy will specifically aim to:

1. Assess the organization’s existing fundraising capacity, systems, structures, experience and performance.
2. Review the current and recent funding portfolio, including donor sources, funding levels, funding concentration, duration and sustainability.
3. Identify institutional strengths, programme assets, comparative advantages and evidence of results that can be leveraged for fundraising.
4. Analyze the relevant external funding environment and identify prospective donors, foundations, development partners, private-sector opportunities and other resource sources.
5. Identify practical opportunities for diversifying the organization’s funding base and reducing dependence on a limited number of donors.
6. Develop a clear fundraising positioning and value proposition that communicates the organization’s mandate, experience, geographic presence, programme strengths and results.
7. Develop approaches for strengthening existing donor relationships and cultivating new funding partnerships.
8. Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships, consortiums, networks, private-sector engagement and other forms of resource mobilization.
9. Strengthen internal fundraising systems, including proposal development, donor intelligence, opportunity tracking, donor stewardship and fundraising coordination.
10. Develop a realistic fundraising pipeline, targets, indicators, responsibilities and implementation roadmap.
11. Recommend mechanisms for sustaining CEJG Phase V results, community structures, partnerships and institutional capacities beyond the current project period.

4. Scope of the consultancy

The assignment will cover the following major areas:

4.1 Organizational fundraising capacity assessment

The consultant will assess the organization’s readiness and capacity to mobilize resources. This will include reviewing fundraising structures, staff roles, proposal development capacity, donor management, internal coordination, fundraising tools, systems, policies and previous experience.

The assessment should identify key strengths, gaps and capacity-building needs affecting successful fundraising.

4.2 Review of the existing funding portfolio

The consultant will review existing and recent sources of funding and assess:

• Donor diversity and concentration.
• Funding levels and trends.
• Project versus institutional/core funding.
• Duration and predictability of funding.

• Existing donor relationships.
• Successful and unsuccessful funding applications.
• Opportunities for renewal, expansion and co-financing.
• Risks associated with donor dependency.

4.3 Funding landscape and donor mapping

The consultant will analyze the external funding environment relevant to the organization’s mandate and identify potential funding partners, including:

• Bilateral and multilateral development partners.
• International and private foundations.
• Faith-based donors.
• Embassies and development cooperation agencies.
• UN agencies.

• International NGOs.
• Corporate and CSR programmes.
• Research and academic institutions.
• Philanthropic organizations.
• Consortium and partnership opportunities.

• Other appropriate local and international resource sources.

The donor analysis should identify thematic priorities, geographic focus, eligibility requirements, funding mechanisms, application periods and appropriate entry points where such information is available.

4.4 Organizational positioning and fundraising value proposition

The consultant will assess the organization’s programme experience, institutional strengths, community presence, partnerships and evidence of results and translate these into a clear fundraising proposition.

Particular consideration should be given to areas demonstrated through CEJG Phase V, including:

• Community empowerment.
• Access to justice and legal awareness.
• Good governance and civic participation.
• Gender equality and social justice.
• Women’s empowerment.
• Youth empowerment.
• Inclusive education.
• Community-based development.
• Partnerships and networking.
• Monitoring, evidence, learning and knowledge generation.
• The strategy should explain how these strengths can be communicated effectively to different categories of funders.

4.5 Funding diversification

The strategy will identify practical opportunities to diversify resources through appropriate combinations of:

• Institutional/core funding.
• Project and programme grants.
• Multi-year funding.
• Foundations.
• Faith-based funding.
• Corporate partnerships and CSR.
• Strategic partnerships.
• Consortium funding.
• Co-financing.

• In-kind contributions.
• Local philanthropy and appropriate giving mechanisms.
• Other sustainable and legally appropriate resource mobilization approaches.

4.6 Donor and partnership engagement

The consultant will develop a structured approach for donor cultivation and relationship management covering donor identification, initial engagement, concept development, proposal submission, communication, stewardship, reporting and follow-up.

The strategy should also identify how the organization can strengthen relationships with existing partners while building new strategic relationships.

4.7 Sustainability of CEJG Phase V results

A specific component of the assignment will examine how CEJG Phase V achievements and investments can be sustained beyond project funding.

This should consider:

• Community ownership.
• Institutional partnerships.
• Government engagement.
• Sustainability of community structures.
• Integration of successful approaches into future programmes.
• Leveraging existing partnerships and networks.
• Documentation and communication of results.
• Mobilization of resources to sustain or scale successful interventions.

5. Methodology

The consultant is expected to apply a participatory and evidence-based approach. The methodology should include, but not be limited to, the following:

5.1 Desk review

The consultant will review relevant organizational and programme documents, including:

• CEJG Phase V project documents.
• Project progress and annual reports.
• Organizational strategic plans.
• Previous proposals and concept notes.
• Relevant donor agreements and reports.
• Programme and project portfolio.
• Financial and funding information.
• Organizational policies and procedures.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning reports.
• Success stories, lessons learned and other relevant evidence.

5.2 Stakeholder consultations

Key informant interviews and consultations should be conducted with relevant stakeholders, including Diocese leadership, Development Department management, programme staff, finance and administration personnel, M&E/MEAL staff, project coordinators and selected strategic partners.

Where appropriate, consultations may also include existing donors, government representatives, community representatives and other stakeholders who can provide useful perspectives on sustainability and fundraising.

5.3 Fundraising capacity assessment

The consultant should assess institutional fundraising capacity in areas including leadership, human resources, systems, financial management, proposal development, donor relations, partnerships, communication, evidence generation and organizational positioning.

5.4 Donor mapping and analysis

The consultant will develop a structured donor and funding opportunity mapping matrix showing potential funding partners, areas of alignment, eligibility, funding opportunities, relationship status and proposed engagement actions.

5.5 SWOT analysis

A fundraising-focused SWOT analysis will be undertaken to identify internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats affecting resource mobilization.

5.6 Validation

The consultant will facilitate a validation session with relevant organizational stakeholders to review findings, confirm strategic priorities, refine recommendations and strengthen ownership of the final strategy.

6. Expected deliverables

The consultant will produce the following key outputs:

Deliverable 1: Inception Report

The inception report will present the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, methodology, stakeholder engagement approach, data collection tools, work plan, analytical framework and expected outputs.

Deliverable 2: Fundraising and Sustainability Assessment Report

The assessment report should present:

• Current fundraising situation.
• Funding portfolio analysis.
• Institutional capacity assessment.
• Fundraising strengths and gaps.
• Donor dependency and diversification analysis.
• External funding landscape.
• Key opportunities and challenges.
• Recommendations for strengthening fundraising.

Deliverable 3: Donor and Funding Opportunity Mapping

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A practical donor mapping/database identifying existing and prospective funding partners, their thematic interests, geographic focus, funding mechanisms, eligibility requirements, application windows and recommended engagement approaches.

Deliverable 4: Draft Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy

The draft strategy should include:

1. Executive Summary.
2. Organizational Context.
3. Purpose and Strategic Objectives.
4. Fundraising Principles.
5. Current Fundraising Situation.
6. Funding Landscape Analysis.
7. Fundraising Capacity Assessment.
8. SWOT Analysis.
9. Fundraising Value Proposition.
10. Funding Diversification Strategy.
11. Donor Engagement Strategy.
12. Partnership and Consortium Strategy.
13. Private Sector/CSR Engagement.
14. Institutional/Core Funding Approach.
15. Proposal and Pipeline Management.
16. Donor Stewardship.
17. Communication and Visibility.
18. Roles and Responsibilities.
19. Risk Management.
20. Monitoring and Learning Framework.
21. Implementation Plan.

Deliverable 5: Costed Fundraising Action Plan

The action plan should clearly specify strategic objectives, activities, outputs, indicators, responsible persons, timelines, estimated costs and potential funding/resource sources.

Deliverable 6: Fundraising Pipeline

The consultant will develop a practical pipeline showing prospective opportunities, donors, thematic alignment, funding windows, relationship status, proposed entry points, responsible staff, next actions and expected decision dates.

Deliverable 7: Final Strategy

The final Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy should incorporate comments from management and stakeholders and be submitted in an editable electronic format with all relevant annexes and tools.

7. Key strategic areas and indicators

The strategy should establish clear and measurable indicators to track fundraising performance and organizational sustainability.

Key areas should include:

• Funding diversification: Measured through new funding sources, donor diversity and reduced funding concentration.
• Proposal development: Including concepts and proposals developed, submitted, funding requested and secured, and success rates.
• Donor engagement: Measured through prospective donors identified, meetings conducted and relationships established.
• Partnership development: Including strategic partnerships, consortium opportunities, private-sector engagement and resources leveraged.
• Institutional capacity: Assessed through staff capacity in fundraising, functionality of the donor database and fundraising pipeline, regular performance reviews and improved internal coordination.

The consultant will refine these indicators and establish realistic baselines, targets and means of verification.

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8. Consultant qualifications and experience

The assignment should be undertaken by an experienced individual consultant or consultancy team with:

• A Master’s degree in Development Studies, International Development, Business Administration, Strategic Management, Non-Profit Management, Public Administration, Economics, Project Management or a related field.
• At least seven years of relevant professional experience in fundraising, resource mobilization, organizational development, strategic planning or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience developing fundraising/resource mobilization strategies for NGOs, CSOs, faith-based organizations or development institutions.
• Strong knowledge of the development financing environment.
• Demonstrated experience in donor mapping and funding opportunity analysis.
• Experience in organizational sustainability and institutional strengthening.
• Strong analytical, research and report-writing skills.
• Excellent stakeholder consultation and facilitation skills.

Experience working with faith-based organizations, Tanzanian/Zanzibar CSOs, international development partners, European donors, governance programmes, gender programmes, justice initiatives or community development programmes will be an advantage.

9. Duration and work plan

The consultancy is expected to require approximately 20–25 working days, implemented over approximately four to six calendar weeks.

An indicative work schedule is:

Phase 1: Inception, document review and planning

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Working days: 3

Phase 2: Organizational assessment and stakeholder consultations

Working days: 6

Phase 3: Donor mapping and funding landscape analysis

Working days: 5

Phase 4: Strategy and action plan development

Working days: 5

Phase 5: Validation and revision

Working days: 3

Phase 6: Finalization and submission

Working days: 2

Total: 24 working days

The final work plan and schedule will be agreed with the Development Department at the beginning of the assignment.

10. Reporting and management arrangements

The consultant will report to the designated focal person within the Development Department of the Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar and will work closely with relevant programme, finance, administration and M&E/MEAL personnel.

The Development Department will:

• Provide relevant organizational and programme documents.
• Facilitate access to staff and stakeholders.
• Support stakeholder consultations.
• Review and provide feedback on deliverables.
• Facilitate validation of findings.
• Provide relevant information on existing donor relationships where appropriate.
• Approve the final strategy.

The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that the assignment is implemented professionally, independently, confidentially and within the agreed timeframe.

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11. Ethical and confidentiality requirements

The consultant shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding organizational, financial, donor, staff and stakeholder information obtained during the assignment.

All information collected shall be used exclusively for the purpose of this consultancy. The consultant shall ensure professional integrity, appropriate acknowledgement of information sources and responsible handling of stakeholder information.

All outputs developed under the assignment, including the strategy, donor database, fundraising tools, assessment reports and action plans, shall remain the property of the Development Department of the Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar.

12. Application requirements

Interested consultants or consultancy firms should submit:

1. Technical proposal demonstrating understanding of the assignment.
2. Proposed methodology and approach.
3. Detailed work plan.
4. Financial proposal.
5. Updated CV(s) of the consultant(s).
6. Evidence of similar assignments undertaken.
7. At least three professional references.
8. Sample of a relevant fundraising/resource mobilization or organizational sustainability strategy, where available.
9. Brief consultancy/firm profile, where applicable.

The financial proposal should clearly distinguish professional consultancy fees from any reimbursable expenses and applicable taxes.

13. Selection criteria

Proposals may be assessed using the following criteria:

1. Understanding of the assignment and technical approach

Weight: 25%

2. Relevant qualifications and professional experience

Weight: 20%

3. Experience in fundraising/resource mobilization strategy development

Weight: 20%

4. Understanding of NGO/CSO and development financing environment

Weight: 15%

5. Proposed methodology and work plan

Weight: 10%

6. Financial proposal

Weight: 10%

Total: 100%

14. Expected outcome

At the end of the consultancy, the Development Department of the Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar is expected to have a clear, practical and implementable Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy covering the next five years.

The strategy should provide the organization with:

• A clear understanding of its fundraising strengths and capacity gaps.
• A diversified fundraising framework.
• A comprehensive donor and funding opportunity map.
• A clear institutional fundraising value proposition.
• A structured donor engagement and stewardship approach.
• A practical fundraising pipeline.
• Clear fundraising roles and responsibilities.
• Realistic fundraising targets and indicators.
• A costed fundraising action plan.
• A system for monitoring fundraising performance.
• Approaches for sustaining CEJG Phase V results and institutional investments.
• Practical mechanisms for strengthening long-term organizational sustainability.

The strategy should therefore serve as both a strategic resource mobilization framework and an operational management tool, enabling the Development Department to proactively identify, pursue, secure and manage diversified resources while maintaining alignment with its mission, values, programmes and accountability commitments.

15. Application procedure

Applications should be submitted by email to:

Email: gadzanzibar23@gmail.com

Email subject: Application – Consultancy for Developing a Fundraising and Organizational Sustainability Strategy

Applicants are encouraged to ensure that all required documents are complete and clearly labelled before submission.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further communication.

Closing Date: 22nd October, 2026 during working hours.

Late applications or applications submitted without the required documentation may not be considered.