Fundraising specialist

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

For every child, a Champion

The UNICEF Private Sector Fundraising and Partnerships (PSFP) section within Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP) works with our network of National Committees and Country Offices worldwide to mobilize resources, influence, and build global brand recognition for UNICEF’s mission.

The legacies function within PFP leads the global efforts to build and implement marketing strategies that position UNICEF effectively for delivering unrestricted funds through legacy fundraising and engagement with the private sector, taking an audience-centric approach.

The Fundraising Specialist (legacies) plays a vital role in the Individual Giving (IG) team, focusing on supporting UNICEF fundraising teams in National Committees and Country Offices with active and emerging legacy fundraising programmes.

How can you make a difference?

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

This role will be supporting UNICEF fundraising teams to reach their legacy fundraising goals and help them effectively improve the acquisition and nurture of high-quality legacy giving to interested supporters. Working with UNICEF fundraising teams within the Asia Pacific region, the role holder is pivotal in forming strong relationships with our colleagues in markets and increasing the impact the region is making through legacy fundraising to build a long-term income pipeline. Aligning with the UNICEF global legacy strategy you will be securing long-term income and increasing unrestricted resources, vital for our work for children.

Being a legacy giving focal point for your portfolio of UNICEF fundraising offices, you will provide proportional and tailored support in the most impactful and prioritized way. This position will assist markets to further establish effective legacy fundraising programs and adopt a market-driven and audience-centered approach. Collaborating with the markets and regional support center and headquarters functions, the role involves offering strategic and technical guidance, legacy programme development support, and contributing to the dedicated IG team of specialists focused on these markets, all in alignment with the overarching vision and strategic direction.

This role entails collaborative work within an agile IG cross functional team focused on the region. Our IG regional focused teams include other IG fundraising specialists with a range of technical expertise in marketing, products, and channels (with a particular focus on digital). There will also be scope to work with colleagues from other areas of fundraising and enabling teams in the PFP ecosystem.

Deliverables:

1. Strategic and Technical Support
   • Collaborate with PFP colleagues and markets to establish or strengthen legacy fundraising programs by offering tailored support and guidance that reflects the specific opportunities and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.
   • Support markets during the annual planning period to develop legacy fundraising goals and plans aligned with the global legacy strategy.
2. Optimizing Supporter Journeys
   • Influence and support the integration of legacy giving into supporter journeys, to ensure seamless engagement across channels for our donors, and to maximize lifetime value and minimize missed opportunities.
   • Ensure markets leverage insights to test, optimize, and refine donor journeys for effective legacy fundraising outcomes.
3. Performance Metrics and Evaluation
   • Guide markets in adopting consistent reporting metrics aligned with global standards, ensuring that performance is measured accurately and transparently.
   • Support markets and PFP colleagues in conducting retrospectives and post-implementation reviews to evaluate the impact of legacy fundraising activities.
4. Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing
   • Provide tailored training, onboarding, and workshops to strengthen legacy fundraising expertise within markets at various levels of maturity.
   • Foster a culture of learning by developing networking opportunities for markets to engage with other legacy focal points and specialists, sharing insights and best practices.
5. Legal and Operational Support
   • Assist markets in addressing legal and operational aspects of managing legacy cases, ensuring compliance with regional and local regulations.
   • Provide guidance on navigating region-specific challenges such as cultural nuances, regulatory environments, and donor sensitivities.
6. Regional Collaboration
   • Actively collaborate with colleagues in regional offices, leveraging their insights and resources to address market-specific needs.
   • Work within the IG and wider regional fundraising team to align efforts with other fundraising specialists, particularly in digital and other channels, marketing, and products.
7. Global Legacy Community
   • Contribute to UNICEF’s global legacy community by providing strategic feedback, leading and/or participating in knowledge-sharing sessions, and strengthening connections across markets.

Estimated duration of the contract: 364 Days

Reporting to: The Fundraising Manager (Legacies).

Working Place: Geneva, Switzerland, is the official duty station. (Flexible work arrangements may be applied if there is a need.)

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Education :

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Marketing or Communications, or a related field.
• Alternatively, a first-level University Degree in a relevant field combined with (2) additional years of qualifying professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional work experience in fundraising is required.
• Experience working in either IG mass market fundraising or high-value donor fundraising is required.
• Experience in international legacy fundraising is an asset.
• Experience in the Asia Pacific region is an asset.
• Knowledge of legacy case administration is an asset.
• Expertise in stakeholder engagement and collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams and with our extensive network of local market-based colleagues is an asset.
• Strong analytical skills for data-informed decision-making and strategic planning are an asset.
• Proven project management experience, ensuring timely delivery and meeting objectives is an asset.
• Experience in agile methodologies and use of digital planning tools is preferred is an asset.
• Strong networking and influencing skills to drive results is an asset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, conveying complex ideas concisely is an asset.
• UN/UNICEF experience is an asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.