Strategic Communications & Fundraising Consultant

Location: Bruxelles, Belgium

Background

CONCORD is seeking to strengthen communications’ contribution to fundraising, visibility, and organisational impact.

While the Communications team has strong expertise in supporting policy and advocacy work, its capacity has primarily been focused on producing and disseminating communications products linked to ongoing activities.

As CONCORD seeks to diversify and strengthen its funding base, increase its visibility among donors and partners, and better communicate its impact, it wishes to bring in specialised expertise to help develop and implement a more strategic approach to fundraising communications and public visibility.

The assignment is intended not only to deliver concrete communications outputs and approaches, but also to strengthen the Communications team’s skills, confidence, and capacity to continue this work beyond the consultancy.

We are looking for a consultant who could work on a 50% basis, preferably available from early September until mid-December, and continue for some months in 2027 on a 20% basis (tbd). We are open to discussing how this time will be organised.

Objective of the Assignment

The overall objective is to strengthen CONCORD’s ability to use communications strategically in support of:

• Fundraising and donor engagement;
• Organisational visibility and positioning;
• Communicating impact and value;
• Building long-term internal capacity in strategic communications within the team, such as Public Relations-oriented approaches, campaign techniques, etc.

Scope of Work

The consultant will work closely with the Communications team, Fundraising team and relevant colleagues to:

A. Fundraising Communications

Support the development and implementation of communications approaches that contribute to fundraising efforts, including:

• Communicating CONCORD’s impact and added value to current and prospective donors;
• Developing compelling narratives and messaging for fundraising purposes;
• Identifying opportunities to better position CONCORD with foundations and philanthropic actors;
• Advising on donor-facing communications products and materials.

B. Visibility and PR

Support CONCORD in strengthening its visibility and public profile through:

• Identification of visibility and PR opportunities;
• Advice on media, thought leadership and positioning approaches;
• Development and testing of approaches to increase CONCORD’s visibility among key audiences;
• Practical support in implementing selected visibility initiatives.

C. Hands-on Implementation

The consultant is expected to work alongside the team and actively contribute to implementation rather than providing recommendations alone.

This may include:

• Co-developing communications products;
• Supporting specific fundraising and visibility initiatives;
• Testing new communications approaches;
• Advising on real-time communications opportunities.

D. Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer

A core objective of the assignment is to strengthen internal capacity.

The consultant will:

• Mentor and coach communications staff;
• Share methodologies, tools and good practices;
• Build confidence and skills in fundraising communications and PR;
• Ensure that knowledge, approaches and tools remain within the organisation after the consultancy ends.

Deliverables

Expected deliverables include:

Fundraising Communications Support

• Fundraising-oriented narratives and messaging framework;
• Recommendations and practical support for donor-facing communications products (e.g. donor leaflet).

Visibility and PR Support

• Visibility and PR opportunities identified and tested;
• Practical recommendations based on implementation experience.

Capacity Building

• Coaching and mentoring sessions for communications staff;
• Transfer of tools, templates and methodologies;
• Guidance materials where relevant.

Final Debrief

• Summary of work undertaken;
• Lessons learned;
• Recommendations for future development.

Profile of the Consultant

The consultant should demonstrate:

• Proven experience in strategic communications linked to fundraising and donor engagement;
• Experience working with foundations, philanthropy or donor-funded organisations;
• Expertise in visibility, media relations, public positioning and PR;
• Ability to work hands-on with small teams
• Experience coaching and transferring skills to communications professionals;
• Excellent facilitation and collaboration skills
• We are looking for someone who is preferably based in Brussels or who travels regularly to Brussels

Reporting & Coordination

• The consultant will report to: [email protected]
• Close collaboration with:
• Communications team
• Fundraising team
• Policy and Advocacy team

Application Process

Interested consultants are invited to submit a proposal by 26th July 2026, including:

• A short cover note explaining key examples of relevant successful collaborations with organisations.
• CV highlighting relevant experience.
• Financial proposal (daily rate, estimated number of days, total cost, please specify if you are subject to TVA, and if it is or not included).
• At least two references we can contact.

Applications should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line: “Application – Consultant for Strategic Communications & Fundraising”. Interviews will be organised on the 6 and 7 of August.