Foundation Prospect Pipeline and Grant Outreach Strategy

Aid Afghanistan for Education (AAFE) is seeking a volunteer with 10–15 years of experience in foundation fundraising and grant development to help strengthen the organization's long-term sustainability at a pivotal moment. AAFE is seeking a grants and foundation fundraising professional to identify 30 to 40 foundation prospects aligned with our mission, draft or refine 5 to 10 Letters of Inquiry for priority funders, and help build a prospect tracking system our team can maintain going forward. The prospect tracking system would be a new build. We currently track grants in spreadsheets, but we’d like a more organized and sustainable system that includes prospect research, deadlines, contacts, application status, and follow-up. As a final deliverable, we would like a written guide for our team, so they know how to maintain the prospect tracking system. The project will run for 12 weeks at 5 hours a week.

For more than two decades, AAFE has expanded educational opportunities for girls and vulnerable children in Afghanistan. AAFE is strengthening its resource mobilization strategy to ensure that children continue to access quality education, develop essential skills, and build more resilient futures.

Working collaboratively with the Volunteer Manager and Executive Director, the volunteer will:

- Identify 30 to 40 foundation prospects aligned with AAFE's mission and strategic priorities.

- Draft or refine 5 to 10 compelling Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for priority funders.

- Help develop a practical grants pipeline and prospect tracking system.

- Recommend next steps for cultivating and stewarding foundation relationships.

- Share insights and best practices that strengthen AAFE's long-term fundraising capacity.

Your contribution will extend beyond identifying funding opportunities. It will help strengthen AAFE's ability to demonstrate impact, communicate its value, diversify its funding base, and sustain educational opportunities for girls and vulnerable children who continue to learn under extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

This is an opportunity to help build a stronger, more resilient organization.

AAFE will provide organizational background, program information, previous grant materials where appropriate, and regular collaboration throughout the engagement. Together, we will refine funding opportunities, strengthen the grants pipeline, and equip the organization to pursue future foundation partnerships with greater confidence and effectiveness.

We will collaborate with the volunteer through regular check-ins, share relevant program materials and grant history as available, and work with the volunteer to finalize LOIs and pipeline steps so the team can implement outcomes.