Consultant for African Philanthropy Research, Income Strategy Development

Africans Rising’s Resource Mobilization Unit (RMU) is seeking to recruit a consultant to support and further a specific and important goal that has been set and approved by the Movement’s leadership—the Coordinating Collective (The Board) and Movement Co-ordinators. The goal is to transform the movement’s funding base into one that relies on African-sourced funds so that it can scale up its critical work and be able to support more movements. For the next 10 years, it is the mandate of the RM Unit to work on developing African sources of funding as well as attract donations from those who love the continent and who are scattered across the globe. To achieve this, AR needs to birth a new way, a fresh approach, a new model that is uniquely AR’s to bolster and underpin the different strategies the RM Unit has put in place for targeted fundraising. This new approach is the focus of the first fundraising campaign for 2022 and is expected to be an ongoing fundraising campaign because it will portray Africans in the light that we want the world to view us. It will stir our spirits and increase our pride as Africans who have taken a path to self-reliance, particularly around economic and social issues and causes. AR has invested in creating an RM Unit for the first time with the knowledge and understanding that resource mobilization is an art form that has to be curated and nurtured to achieve a sound financial base and lasting success for this Pan African Movement.

Africans Rising (AR) is a Pan-African movement of people and organizations working for justice, peace, and dignity. The organization provides a space for progressive African civil society leaders engaged in various civic struggles to convene, connect, collaborate, and share knowledge. AR promotes citizens’ organizing and enables civic movements in their struggles for social justice. 

AR looks to play a critical role on the continent, pushing governments, businesses and established global and national NGOs to focus on challenges Africans deem critical, including demands for equality, civil rights, a fair global trading system, concrete actions to address the effects of climate change, and the creation and strengthening of a representative coalition to protect our natural resources and the environment.

After four years, the organization has attracted strong partners to support its activities with a growing institutional membership of over 32,264 individual members, including 1,007 organizations, and with representation in every African country, and in over 249 countries globally (as of December 2021).

The RM strategic plan outlines the different strategies it would like to employ to reach the ambitious financial targets. The key, however, to achieving success in these strategies lies in being able to unlock African and Diaspora giving. This is the purpose of this consultancy. It is imperative to study African philanthropy’s history and trends and review other organizations that have tried to achieve the same goal and their experiences on their journey. The consultant’s role is to provide the RM Unit with a detailed strategy. The strategy has the latitude to be as creative and innovative as possible in order to provide a roadmap for the movement to follow. Giving differs according to cultural norms.

This consultancy will be the focus of the first major fundraising campaign of 2022, to be launched at the beginning of May in preparation for May 25th, Africa Liberation Day. Its appeal needs to be ongoing and sustainable,. despite any other campaign that is ongoing. 

For AR to contribute to the vision of Africa We Want, a fresh new approach is required for resource mobilization on the African continent. As Africans, we need to depart from the usual “solutions” that have dominated the past few decades and which have not brought about significant or lasting change for the continent’s ability to raise funds that have a sustainable solution to social and economic improvement. With the added complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only has the funding space shrunk dramatically for non-profits but there has been a shrinking of economies. This has manifested in the disruption of important value chains in all sectors of our economies. This means that not-for-profit organizations cannot rely on traditional funding which can end at any time and with short notice.

The consultancy is divided into 3 parts:

• Part 1: African philanthropy, private sector research, mapping, and entry points
• Part 2: Creation of a strategy to enhance African giving, leading to AR income generation
• Part 3: Repackage sections of the research for publication

Africans Rising is positioning itself as a thought leader, with strength for capacity building of social movements across the Continent. In the early part of 2022, it is continuing its plan to recruit regional and country organizers as well as resource mobilization representatives across its 6 regions (5 in Africa and the Diaspora). This is the heart of the Volunteer Programme. Therefore in addition to the representatives located strategically, they need to be capacitated appropriately to raise funds at their local level. The outcome of the consultancy is expected to be part of the support that they will be given and trained in, to raise funds. It is therefore expected that the Consultant will include looking at how AR can raise funds from high net worth individuals, private companies, on the continent and globally, and from individuals. The strategy will detail and recommend strategies to engage the private sector. 

The consultancy will take into consideration the founding principles and documents, the most important being the Kilimanjaro Declaration. 

Some excerpts include:

The funding campaign will motivate these groups to become regular givers so that AR has financial commitment which the Movement can use to plan and execute its work. Individual giving in the one off donation type will not provide the stability of income AR requires. We are seeking individual and corporate regular donations through direct debit arrangements.

The Consultant will be provided with background documentation to support the desktop study portion of the research including information on Pan Africanism for the 21st century, the Dignity Index, and any other relevant documentation to support the research which will culminate in the “Africans Rising” fundraising campaign.

The following are the expected deliverables:

• African philanthropy and private sector research and mapping document which contains an innovative strategy and pathway to unlock African Giving. This will increase and demonstrate AR’s value, promote its visibility, and position AR to be the Movement that individuals, organisations and institutions want to donate their hard earned income.
• Recommendations on specific partnerships with private sector which will bring income through merchandising and any other strategies which are appropriate for AR to engage in 
• Conduct a validation workshop for AR staff and Coordinating Collective which will contain presentations and discussions about Resource Mobilization in Africa – the reality and how AR wants to be a pioneer to change the current status
• Re-package for publication and circulation a document on African philanthropy for AR as part of AR’s capacity building publications planned in 2022 

The consultant is expected to start working on April 15th, 2022, and finish on or before May 14th, 2022.

Essential: 

• Previous research or experience in African philanthropy and social enterprises
• Demonstrable experience and success in fundraising on the African Continent.
• Demonstrable expertise in designing innovative programs that have a positive impact on the African continent using intersectionality and interconnectedness of issues approaches
• Demonstrable experience and knowledge of African developmental challenges and solutions and the work around the “Beyond Aid” discussions

The consultant will work independently and will engage with the Resource Mobilization Unit of Africans Rising for progress updates. Submission of a draft for discussion before finalization of the research is expected.

Consultants with this unique blend of talents on the African continent or in the Diaspora are invited to apply to the RM Unit. Please send your understanding of the TORs, together with a full CV to with a cc to workwith@africans-rising.org by April 14th, 2022. Please include work samples or links in your application.