ToR – Gulf Donor Strategy Consultancy

About Right To Play

Right To Play (RTP) is a global organization that protects, educates and empowers children to rise above adversity using the power of play. We reach millions of children each year in some of the most difficult places on earth, helping them to stay in school and learn, overcome prejudice, heal from trauma, and develop the skills they need to thrive. We do this by harnessing play, one of the most fundamental forces in a child’s life, to teach children the critical skills they need to dismantle barriers and embrace opportunities, in learning and in life.

Established in 2000, Right To Play reaches children through experiential programming in 14 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. These programs are supported by our global offices in Toronto, Canada; London, UK; and seven national offices across Europe and North America.

Background

To continue supporting children to rise above adversity through play, Right To Play (RTP) must mobilize resources through an increasingly diversified partnership portfolio. RTP has a successful track record of establishing government relations and donor support in North America and Europe. We are looking to build on this by developing a Gulf donor strategy to enable greater engagement with a range of donors in the Gulf region with the propensity and capacity to support Right To Play’s work.

Therefore, we are seeking to engage the services of a consultant to develop a comprehensive Gulf donor strategy that will provide an in-depth assessment of the donor environment, including institutional, philanthropic foundations, and major donors to strategically position RTP to secure partnerships from key donors in the region. The strategy should identify existing opportunities and challenges, identify entry points, outline engagement approaches, and provide actionable recommendations for accessing and cultivating relationships with institutional donors, philanthropic foundations, and high-net-worth individuals based on RTP’s mission, mandate and 2024-2026 strategy. Additionally, it should analyse broader philanthropic giving trends in the region and assess how RTP can align its work with these evolving priorities.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultant will work in collaboration with RTP’s Global Partnership and fundraising teams, in addition to Offices in the Middle East and Africa to produce a Gulf Donor Engagement Strategy. This strategy should contain the following components:

1.Donor Landscape Analysis: Conduct a thorough assessment of the Gulf donor landscape, mapping key government and institutional donors, philanthropic foundations, corporations and major individual donors aligned to RTP’s geographic and programmatic areas. This should include an analysis of general philanthropic giving trends in the region, as well as an evaluation of existing opportunities and connections that RTP can leverage to strengthen donor engagement and secure funding.

2.Donor Trend Analysis: A synopsis of how different Gulf donor funding is channeled, where this aligns with RTP’s geographic and programmatic areas and a mapping of decision-making structures within major Gulf donors, including specific roles and responsibilities where possible.

3.Entry Points and Engagement Strategies: An overview of entry points for engagement with key stakeholders within each identified Gulf donor. This should cover key pathways for RTP to establish relationships with Gulf-based donors, including networking opportunities, sectoral alignment, and potential partnerships.

4.Positioning Strategy: Provide recommendations on how RTP should strategically position itself to attract Gulf donors. This should include recommendations on programming, branding, messaging, and relationship-building techniques. This should also include what trends are driving successful partnership development with different gulf donors that are relevant to RTP.

5.Fundraising Approaches: Develop tailored approaches for engaging different donor segments, including proposal development, fundraising/networking events, corporate giving and digital engagement.

6.Case Studies and Best Practices: Identify and document best practices and lessons learned from organizations successfully securing funding from Gulf donors.

Implementation Plan: Develop a practical action plan with short-, medium-, and long-term steps for RTP to implement the Gulf donor strategy effectively. This should include a financial assessment outlining the expenditure required to achieve different funding scenarios, considering resource allocation, staffing needs, outreach activities, and donor engagement efforts. The plan should also provide cost-benefit analyses to help prioritize investments and maximize return on fundraising efforts.

Timeline and Deliverables

The consultancy is expected to take approximately 8-10 weeks from the contract signing date. The proposed timeline is as follows:

• Week 1-2: Inception phase, initial research, and stakeholder consultations.
• Week 3-6: Donor mapping, strategy development, and engagement recommendations.
• Week 7: Draft report submission and feedback.
• Week 8-10: Final report submission and presentation to RTP leadership

Deliverables will include:

• Inception report covering the methodology and workplan.
• A comprehensive Gulf donor strategy document will be required that includes donor mapping, engagement strategies, positioning recommendations, and an analysis of philanthropic giving trends.
• Presentation summarising key findings and recommendations
• Implementation roadmap detailing specific actions, timelines, and responsibilities.
• 7-10 years professional experience in Gulf donor stakeholder engagement including strong knowledge of the philanthropic and institutional donor landscape in the Gulf, including major funding trends and donor priorities.
• Demonstrated success in securing funding from Gulf-based institutional donors, philanthropic foundations, corporates and/or high-net-worth individuals.
• Proficiency in stakeholder engagement, relationship management, and cultural understanding of donor expectations in the Gulf region.

Experience Required

• 7-10 years professional experience in Gulf donor stakeholder engagement including strong knowledge of the philanthropic and institutional donor landscape in the Gulf, including major funding trends and donor priorities.
• Demonstrated success in securing funding from Gulf-based institutional donors, philanthropic foundations, corporates and/or high-net-worth individuals.
• Proficiency in stakeholder engagement, relationship management, and cultural understanding of donor expectations in the Gulf region.