Grants & Fundraising Associate

About Wekume

Wekume — meaning “Protect Yourself” in Luganda — is a dynamic, volunteer-powered organisation working to improve access to reproductive health information and services for university students and young people in Uganda.

Through our digital platform, Wekume provides young people with accessible and confidential resources, including anonymous consultations, health information, diagnostics and other services designed to help young people make informed decisions about their health.

As a growing organisation, we are looking for passionate volunteers who want to contribute their skills to a meaningful social-impact mission.

About the Role

We are looking for a Grants & Fundraising Associate to support Wekume’s efforts to identify funding opportunities, develop strong grant applications, maintain relationships with donors and partners, and contribute to our broader fundraising strategy.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Partnerships, Operations, Finance, Communications and Leadership teams to help secure resources that enable Wekume to expand its programmes and impact.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain practical experience in grant writing, fundraising, donor engagement and nonprofit development while contributing to a growing health-focused organisation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Grant Research & Opportunity Identification

• Research and identify relevant grants, funding opportunities, competitions and donor programmes.
• Maintain a database of potential funders and funding opportunities.
• Monitor application deadlines and eligibility requirements.
• Assess funding opportunities and recommend those aligned with Wekume’s mission and priorities.
• Conduct research on prospective donors, foundations, NGOs and corporate partners.

1. Grant Writing & Applications

• Support the preparation and submission of grant applications, concept notes and expressions of interest.
• Draft compelling funding proposals that clearly communicate Wekume’s mission, programmes and impact.
• Work with programme and M&E teams to gather relevant programme data, outcomes and impact stories for proposals.
• Support the development of budgets and other application documents in collaboration with the Finance team.
• Ensure applications are accurate, complete and submitted within deadlines.

1. Donor & Funder Engagement

• Support the development of donor communications and engagement materials.
• Maintain accurate records of funder interactions and applications.
• Assist with preparing donor updates, reports and presentations.
• Support relationship-building activities with prospective and existing funders.
• Research opportunities for corporate partnerships and sponsorships.

1. Fundraising Support

• Contribute ideas for new fundraising initiatives and campaigns.
• Support digital fundraising and crowdfunding activities.
• Assist with developing fundraising materials and presentations.
• Identify opportunities for corporate sponsorships and strategic partnerships.
• Support the team in tracking fundraising targets and progress.

1. Reporting & Grant Management

• Maintain a central tracker of grant applications, deadlines, outcomes and reporting requirements.
• Support grant reporting by coordinating information from relevant teams.
• Track funding commitments and upcoming reporting deadlines.
• Maintain organised records of proposals, funder correspondence and supporting documents.
• Provide regular updates to the relevant team lead on fundraising activities.

1. Collaboration

• Work closely with Partnerships, Communications, Finance, M&E and Operations teams.
• Collaborate with team members to develop strong and evidence-based funding proposals.
• Participate in relevant team meetings and fundraising planning sessions.
• Contribute ideas to improve Wekume’s fundraising systems and processes.

Essential Requirements

• Experience or demonstrated interest in grant writing, fundraising, business development, partnerships or nonprofit development.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent research and information-gathering skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Ability to write clearly, persuasively and professionally.
• Strong Microsoft Office/Google Workspace skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a remote team.
• Proactive, self-motivated and willing to learn.
• Passion for social impact, youth empowerment and/or public health.

Desirable

• Previous experience writing grant applications or concept notes.
• Experience working with NGOs, nonprofits, startups or social-impact organisations.
• Familiarity with international development or public health funding.
• Experience researching foundations, institutional donors or corporate funding opportunities.
• Understanding of fundraising pipelines and donor relationship management.
• Experience using CRM systems, grant databases or project management tools.
• Basic understanding of nonprofit budgets and financial proposals.

Key Skills & Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

• Research-oriented – able to identify and assess relevant funding opportunities.
• A strong writer – able to turn ideas and information into compelling proposals.
• Strategic – able to identify opportunities that align with Wekume’s priorities.
• Proactive – comfortable taking initiative without constant supervision.
• Highly organised – able to manage multiple applications and deadlines.
• Collaborative – comfortable working across different teams.
• Detail-oriented – able to identify errors and ensure applications meet requirements.
• Resilient – understands that fundraising involves both successes and unsuccessful applications.
• Mission-driven – genuinely interested in Wekume’s work and social impact.

What You’ll Gain

As a volunteer with Wekume, you will have the opportunity to:

• Gain practical experience in grant writing and fundraising.
• Build a portfolio of nonprofit fundraising work.
• Develop donor research and relationship-management skills.
• Gain experience working with a growing social-impact organization.
• Strengthen your professional writing and communication skills.
• Work with a diverse, collaborative and remote team.
• Contribute directly to initiatives improving reproductive health access for young people in Uganda.
• Develop skills that can support future careers in nonprofit development, partnerships, fundraising or international development.