Consultancy Opportunity - Reviewing Transform Trade’s funding strategy
Seeking an experienced consultant with expertise in high level institutional fundraising (philanthropic and statutory) to assess our current approach and provide actionable recommendations.
Transform Trade (formerly Traidcraft Exchange) supports producers across the world – helping them to build a bright future for their communities and fight for a fairer trade system. Through a combination of direct grants, long-term support, and advocacy, we help producer collectives and social enterprises to thrive – and show the world that a better way of doing business is possible. We work across Africa and Asia, and our focus is on making change in the farming, fashion and tea sectors.
Following a strategic review, we have been moving away from direct project implementation to a more partner-focused approach, acting as a grantmaker, facilitator and an advocate/influencer.
Geographically, our operations are in Asia and Africa, plus policy and advocacy work in Europe.
The Partnerships & Investments (P&I) function is responsible for securing funding from statutory funders, philanthropic trusts, and foundations. The goal is to generate sufficient strategic funding to power our impact moving forward. By strategic funding, we mean funding that supports the delivery and scaling up of our new strategy - with a key goal to build relationships with funders and secure more flexible, long-term funding over time.
We want to refine and improve our funding strategy - and increase the impact and scale of our work over time. Therefore, we’re seeking an experienced consultant with expertise in high level institutional fundraising (philanthropic and statutory) to assess our current approach and provide actionable recommendations.
Objectives
The consultancy aims to:
Assess the current state and identify key barriers and opportunities: Evaluate the effectiveness of our current fundraising approach, internal structures, and engagement with funders. Analyse internal and external challenges to securing long-term, strategic funding.
Develop a strategic roadmap: Provide recommendations on positioning our organization for increased funding success, including identifying key networks, strategies, and necessary organizational changes. This will include guidance on the skills and competencies required from a future leader of this function.
Facilitate key introductions: Leverage the consultant’s networks to support relationship-building with potential funders and donors. Introduce Transform Trade to 2-3 potential funders.
Scope of Work
We expect that this project will include the majority of the following activities:
Review our existing donor relationships and fundraising performance, including our track record with statutory and philanthropic funders.
Conduct a fundraising landscape analysis to understand trends in philanthropy and identify potential funding opportunities for our organization.
Assess internal capacity, processes, and structures within the P&I function to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Provide recommendations on how to secure strategic funding – including potential donor engagement strategies and positioning.
Identify opportunities for leveraging our existing networks, trustees, and leadership team to enhance fundraising efforts.
Offer insights on how to approach our funding strategy, bearing in mind our organistational strategy and core roles as a participatory grant maker, facilitator and advocate.
Organize a funding strategy alignment session with leadership and key staff to ensure a common understanding of our fundraising approach.
Introduce and/or facilitate initial meetings with 2-3 relevant funders where possible.
Deliverables
The consultant is expected to provide the following:
Inception Report – Outlining the methodology, work plan, and key areas of focus.
Assessment report – A comprehensive analysis of the current state, including strengths, challenges, and gaps.
Strategic roadmap – Practical recommendations for strengthening the P&I function and positioning for long-term funding success.
Key donor engagement plan – A prioritized list of funders and a plan for engaging them effectively – including in this the introductions to 2-3 new potential funders.
Final report & presentation – A summary of findings, strategic recommendations, and next steps presented to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders.
Consultant Profile
The ideal consultant should have:
Proven experience fundraising/resource mobilization within the non-profit/INGO sector across multiple countries.
A track record of successfully securing strategic funding for non-profits.
A strong network within philanthropic circles, particularly among trusts, foundations, and/or statutory funders.
Demonstrable expertise in strategy development for fundraising.
Experience working with grant making and intermediary funding models.
Ability to facilitate high-level strategic discussions with senior leadership.
Duration & Timeline
The consultancy is expected to last in the region of 20 days spread over 8 weeks, with key milestones as follows (this will be agreed on after the inception report):
Week 1: Inception meeting and review of background materials.
Weeks 2–4: Stakeholder consultations, internal assessments, and preliminary findings.
Weeks 5–6: Development of strategic recommendations and engagement plan. Introductions to potential funders,
Week 7: Presentation of findings and validation workshop.
Week 8: Submission of final report.
Reporting & Coordination
The consultant will report to the Deputy CEO and work closely with the Partnerships & Investments team, senior leadership, and relevant stakeholders.
Application Process
Interested consultants should submit:
A brief proposal (max 5 pages) outlining their approach, methodology, and relevant experience.
A financial proposal detailing their consultancy fees.
A CV and examples of previous similar work.
Deadline for applications: 30th June 2025
Applications should be sent to recruitment@transform-trade.org by 30th June with the subject line: Consultancy – Partnerships & Investments Review.