BACKGROUND: Since 2006, AdvocAid has grown from being a small grassroots organisation supporting female prisoners to becoming a leading organisation in Sierra Leone for providing access to justice for women and girls. We now have offices in Freetown, Makeni, Kono, Kenema, and Bo. However, since the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, much donor funding has been diverted to rebuilding the health and education systems. This has left the justice sector underfunded and civil society organisations like AdvocAid vulnerable.
To address funding volatility and strengthen our visibility, AdvocAid is seeking a Development Intern to support fundraising, communications, and capacity building over a 3-6 month period. We are looking for an ambitious self-starter to research and respond to funding opportunities, and to help strengthen our external communications. The successful candidate will also be responsible for remote coordination with the UK-based “Friends of AdvocAid”.
For more information visit advocaidsl.org | facebook.com/advocaidsierraleone | twitter.com/advocaid
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES:
Fundraising
- Research funding opportunities and write applications to trusts, foundations and corporates in order to increase financial sustainability
- Support Development Associate in developing grant proposals for institutional funders
- Develop a donor stewardship plan to encourage individual supporters to become regular donors
- Manage all donor thanking
Communications
- Visit police stations, courts, and prisons and conduct interviews with beneficiaries in order to develop a bank of case studies and images that demonstrate the impact of AdvocAid’s work
- Generate weekly content for our social media platforms, maintain AdvocAid’s website, create newsletters for supporters
- Work with staff to ensure AdvocAid’s brand is well represented on all external documents
Support Friends of AdvocAid
- Build relations with supporters to help them raise awareness about AdvocAid, fundraise for our work, and develop relations with corporates in the UK and beyond
- Liaise with the coordinator(s) of Friends of AdvocAid to ensure that the group meets regularly
- Provide case studies, information, and relevant research to support Friends of AdvocAid activities
Capacity Development and Programme Support
- Provide guidance, support, and training sessions to staff to help build AdvocAid’s fundraising and communication’s capacity
- Support Development Associate in ensuring timely donor reporting
- Occasionally support project management and implementation of activities
The list of responsibilities is in no way exhaustive and it is very likely to change with the context. Our Development Associate will help you set learning goals at the beginning of your stay to ensure that you are able to shape the role in accordance with your own interests and skills.
ABOUT YOU: The ideal candidate will be passionate about supporting women behind bars and able to establish sound working relations with colleagues, partners, and beneficiaries alike. We are always busy in AdvocAid, so you must be hardworking, keen to learn, and not afraid to jump into the deep end! We are looking for someone with the following qualifications and experience:
Essential:
- Student or new graduate with a degree in International Development, Political or Social Science, Journalism, Anthropology, Social Work, or a related subject.
- Proven experience in doing fundraising, communications, or both for a non-profit organisation
- Experience of travelling or volunteering in developing countries
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills
- A multi-tasker and team player able to juggle conflicting priorities and ensure all deadlines are met
- Fluent in English
Desirable:
- Knowledge and understanding of project cycle management
- Experience in writing successful proposals for trusts, foundations or institutional funders
- Experience in managing social media and websites and writing targeted newsletters
- Outstanding photography or video-making skills
- A basic understanding of legal systems would be a bonus, but isn’t essential
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
- Reporting to: Development Associate
- Duration: 3-6 months (40 hours per week)
- Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone (with some travel within the country)
- Benefits: Please note that the internship is unpaid. The intern will be expected to cover her/his own expenses for the entire duration of the internship. AdvocAid will reimburse the intern for visa, residence permit, and work-related transport costs.
- Start date: We’re looking for someone to start in February/March 2017
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply, submit your CV (no more than three pages), a cover letter (max. one page), and two referees to advocaid@gmail.com no later than midnight (GMT) 2nd January. Please address your application to Simitie Lavaly (Ms), Executive Director, and write “Development Intern application” in the subject line.
We will review applications on a running basis and we may decide to conduct interviews with qualified candidates before the deadline (in Freetown or via Skype). If you have any questions about the role, contact signe.roelsgaard@advocaidsl.org.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to gain overseas experience with an ambitious local charity. But bear in mind that Sierra Leone can be a hard place to live. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and there is at times unreliable water, power and internet. It’s also our home though, and it is vibrant, friendly, and has stunning beaches. Most people that come here love it – we hope you will too!
