How to apply for High Net Worth Fundraising Manager

About Educate!

Educate! is a nonprofit that prepares youth in East Africa for employment through in-school subjects and livelihood boot camps. It has reached over 500,000 youth across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania and is backed by funders such as Imaginable Futures and Jack Dorsey's #startsmall. The organization is led by a largely African team of over 300 staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors.

About the role

This role leads fundraising from high net worth individuals to support Educate!'s youth employment programs in East Africa. You will build and manage a portfolio of major donors, likely focusing on the UK market. The position is remote within the UK and full-time.

A typical day

A typical day might include researching UK-based high net worth prospects, drafting a solicitation email, and preparing a briefing document for a donor meeting. You would also check in with the development team in East Africa and update the donor pipeline in the CRM. The role is remote, so much of the work is self-directed and conducted via video calls and email.

Who Educate! is looking for

• Proven experience securing five- and six-figure gifts from high net worth individuals, ideally in a nonprofit or international development context.
• Strong understanding of the UK philanthropic landscape, including donor-advised funds, family foundations, and wealth advisory networks.
• Ability to communicate complex international development programs to donors with clarity and evidence.
• Self-directed and comfortable working remotely across time zones with a team based primarily in East Africa.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific examples of high net worth donors you have personally solicited and the gift amounts secured.
• Research Educate!'s funding history and name the foundations or individuals you would approach in the UK market.
• Explain why you want to fundraise for youth employment in East Africa specifically, not just for any nonprofit.
• Address your remote work experience and how you stay connected to a team based in another region.
• Use the cover letter to propose a concrete 90-day plan for building a UK high net worth donor pipeline.

What to cover in your cover letter

Emphasize your track record with high net worth donors, including gift sizes and donor retention. Show you understand Educate!'s model and can articulate its impact to UK donors. Explain how you would identify and qualify new prospects in the UK. State your comfort with remote work and cross-cultural collaboration.

Research before applying

• Read Educate!'s annual reports and impact evaluations to understand their evidence base.
• Review the list of current funders on their website to see who else supports them.
• Look up the Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and WISE Award to understand external recognition.
• Search for UK-based donors or foundations that fund youth employment in East Africa.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through a high net worth donor you cultivated from identification to solicitation.
• How would you build a UK-based major donor program for Educate! from scratch?
• What do you know about Educate!'s programs and how would you present them to a donor?
• How do you handle donor objections about overhead or impact measurement?
• Describe your experience working remotely with colleagues in different time zones.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing on general fundraising experience without specific high net worth donor examples.
• Ignoring the UK remote context and not explaining how you would work effectively from the UK.
• Writing a generic cover letter that could apply to any nonprofit, without referencing Educate!'s model or East Africa focus.