UNFPA: Donor Intelligence and Resource Mobilization Support for UNFPA Sri Lanka – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Organization Mission

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person”s potential is fulfilled.

In Sri Lanka, we deliver this mandate based on principles of human rights and gender equality by advocating for rights-based gender responsive & transformative policies that enable the full realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.

Context

UNFPA Sri Lanka is seeking support to strengthen sustainable financing for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) in response to shrinking traditional donor funding and a volatile global financing landscape.

The assignment supports UNFPA Sri Lanka’s 10th Country Programme Cycle (2023–2027) by helping identify and map new donor opportunities, International Financial Institution (IFI) pipelines, and innovative financing approaches that can sustain progress toward UNFPA’s Three Transformative Results:

– Ending unmet need for family planning
– Ending preventable maternal deaths
– Ending gender-based violence

The online volunteer will contribute to a broader strategic effort to transition from short-term “funding” models toward longer-term, sustainable “financing” approaches, including blended finance, impact investment mechanisms, and private sector engagement.

Working under the guidance of the Partnerships Specialist, the online volunteer will support research, donor intelligence, and strategic analysis to help position SRHR and GEWE as investment priorities for development and private sector partners.

The role requires the ability to synthesize complex information into clear and persuasive narratives for diverse stakeholders.

The assignment is linked to ongoing initiatives such as the Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business (CRJB), which aims to strengthen partnerships with the private sector and demonstrate the social and economic value of investing in reproductive health and gender equality.

Key Responsibilities

We are looking for one experienced Online Volunteer who, under the supervision of the UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative and Partnership & Resource Mobilization Team, will support donor intelligence, resource mobilization, and development efforts related to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

The assignment will contribute to identifying strategic funding opportunities and strengthening UNFPA Sri Lanka’s external engagement materials in a shifting development financing landscape.

More specifically, the Online Volunteer is asked to support with:

– Conduct donor and International Financial Institution (IFI) landscape mapping to identify potential funding and partnership opportunities (at least 20) aligned with UNFPA Sri Lanka’s GEWE and SRHR priorities, including bilateral donors, foundations, private sector actors, and relevant IFI funding pipelines.
– Research and synthesize donor priorities, thematic trends, and strategic entry points relevant to UNFPA Sri Lanka’s programming areas and organize findings into clear and user-friendly mapping documents for internal use.
– Support the refinement and customization of 5–8 existing concept notes to better align with donor priorities identified through the donor mapping exercise. Existing drafts of the concept notes, UNFPA templates, key data, and technical materials will be provided by the team. The online volunteer will primarily support light editing, formatting, narrative alignment, and organizational coherence rather than drafting new proposals from scratch.
– Support the refinement of external resource mobilization and partnership materials, which may include either a short narrative paper (maximum 4 pages) or a PowerPoint deck aligned with UNFPA Sri Lanka’s strategic priorities and resource mobilization narrative.
– Participate in regular online check-ins (approximately 30–60 minutes per week) to discuss progress, receive feedback, and align on priorities. An initial onboarding session may be conducted before the assignment begins, and ongoing guidance, templates, and reference materials will be provided throughout the assignment.

Deliverables
– A comprehensive Donor & IFI Map identifying at least 20 high-potential leads (Bilateral – traditional and non-traditional, Foundations, Corporations, and specific ADB/World Bank TA grants) with entry points for GEWE.
– Customizing 5-8 existing concept notes to align with specific donor priorities identified in the donor mapping.
– Either a brief value proposition PowerPoint deck or a four-page brief report summarizing key opportunities based on the Online Volunteer’s research.

Required Skills and Experience

– Bachelor’s degree in international development, international relations, political science, business administration, public policy, gender studies, economics, or a related field. A Master’s degree is considered an asset.
– Experience in research, donor mapping, partnerships, resource mobilization, proposal development, communications, or related fields is desirable
– Familiarity with international development actors, donor landscapes, multilateral organizations, foundations, private sector partnerships, or financing for development especially in the Sri Lankan context is an asset.
– Demonstrated ability to conduct desk research, synthesize information, and present findings in a clear and structured manner
– Experience supporting reports, concept notes, presentations, briefing papers, or other external engagement materials is desirable
– Interest or experience in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), SDG-related programming, is an advantage.
– Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel