External Relations Associate

Position Overview 

Educate! is an award-winning non-profit social enterprise seeking for an External Relations Associate that will be responsible for managing a portfolio of institutional funders and developing a strong generalist skill set across the full partnership lifecycle—from prospecting and proposal development to grant delivery, reporting, and renewal. Success in this role will require strong project management, relationship-building, communication, and problem-solving skills. Responsibilities include the following.

As an External Relations Associate, you’ll help manage partnerships across their full lifecycle—from prospecting and proposal development to grant delivery, reporting, and renewal. You’ll collaborate closely with colleagues across fundraising, communications, and programs to deliver results and sustain growth.

This is a dynamic opportunity to gain broad institutional partnerships experience while contributing directly to Educate!’s mission to prepare youth across East Africa with the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy.

What You'll Do  

Project Management (20%)

• Coordinate all stages of the funding process from developing proposals to reporting on program outcomes ensuring alignment across internal teams and partners.
• Research and document new funding prospects, maintaining up-to-date relationship tracking and supporting the pipeline management process.
• Prepare and follow up on key donor meetings, including diligence, briefings, and prospect engagement.
• Support coordination and logistics for conferences, events, and internal projects involving multiple stakeholders.

Relationship Building (10%)

• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with funders and internal stakeholders.
• Support renewal processes by compiling impact data, learnings, and partnership summaries.
• Contribute to partnership stewardship by helping ensure timely, thoughtful communication with donors.
• Support fundraising strategy at conferences and events through prospect research, event preparation, and outreach.

Communication (9%)

• Draft compelling proposals, concept notes, and pitch materials tailored to donor priorities.
• Coordinate and write high-quality grant reports, working closely with Educate! teams across countries to gather and synthesize information.
• Create clear, engaging written content—such as donor emails and briefings—that communicates Educate!’s impact and vision.

Problem Solving & Process Improvement (10%)

• Identify potential challenges in partnership management and propose creative, effective solutions.
• Manage donor compliance requirements and diligence requests, ensuring accurate, timely responses.
• Strengthen internal systems to improve efficiency and consistency in grant reporting and compliance tracking.
• Help refine and document internal processes to enhance collaboration across the External Relations team.
• Support the development of tools or resources that make donor management and reporting more efficient

Qualifications

This position is ideal for an early- to mid-career professional (typically with 2–3 years of work experience) who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is eager to grow in the field of fundraising and institutional partnerships.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Excels at project management — organized, detail-oriented, and skilled at keeping multiple priorities moving on time.
• Communicates clearly and confidently, with strong writing skills and experience crafting content for different audiences and purposes.
• Builds trust easily — reliable, responsive, and comfortable managing shifting priorities and workflows.
• Collaborates with empathy and adaptability, bringing high emotional intelligence and a team-first mindset.
• Navigates ambiguity with confidence, proactively identifying solutions and learning as you go.
• Manages time effectively, balancing competing priorities across dispersed or remote teams.
• Takes initiative — a self-starter who’s energized by ownership, problem-solving, and delivering results.
• Is curious about fundraising and partnerships, and excited to help grow an innovative social enterprise through creative approaches to revenue generation.