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Strategic Financial Consultant
Background and context
Launched in 2016 by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank Group, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) is a global platform to catalyze collective action so that so that every young child is safe, well-nourished, healthy, happy, and learning. ECDANs strives to bring together hundreds of members of the early childhood development (ECD) community as well as stakeholders in other sectors to advocate for the needs of young children and their caregivers to be centered in policy and implementation discussions. Stakeholders are connected across regions and sectors to share promising practices, tools, and other resources that benefit the youngest children, creating a global community that learns and shares together. ECDAN also encourages stakeholders to collaborate and undertake joint initiatives, maximizing the impact of limited resources by connecting and aligning.
In 2020, ECDAN launched its first strategic plan, which included intentions to transition to a new governance structure and a new hosting entity. ECDAN is currently hosted by PATH who handles all financial transactions securely and legally on behalf of ECDAN. The hosting institution has three primary roles and responsibilities vis-à-vis ECDAN: financial, human resources, and operational services. The operational components include procurement, contracting, IT support, travel, and more. To support these services and as ECDAN’s fiscal sponsor, PATH collects overhead on the funds ECDAN receives and charges program support as appropriate.
ECDAN’s Secretariat currently has 7 full-time staff and several consultants that are based in the United States, Kenya, Senegal, and Bangladesh. Three PATH staff support ECDAN part-time.
PATH is seeking a consultant to evaluate ECDAN’s potential as an independent non-profit organization. ECDAN’s Executive Leadership Council (ELC) would like to prepare for ECDAN’s sustainability and believe that independent legal registration may be an important component of long-term success. ECDAN’s leadership requested that the Secretariat undertake an analysis to examine different options for legal registration, including the possibility of becoming a 501(c)3 in the United States but not limited to this geography or legal status, and including other options for registration in Europe or Kenya. The analysis should examine multiple elements beyond just the financial cost of doing business in each scenario. The legal implications, strategic leverage, and staffing required should also be outlined for comparison. ECDAN would like the analysis to compare these different options against one another and against ECDAN’s current situation as an entity hosted by PATH, outlining the realities of each option. In particular, ECDAN would like to have an idea of the real costs and likely complications of setting up and maintaining each option, including estimating the amount of funding that would be required to ensure running a successful non-profit entity.
Timeline
The consultancy is expected to start in October 2023 and take approximately two months to complete. The final report is expected to be delivered by mid-December.
Specific activities
Elements of the consultancy will include but are not limited to:
- Describe the process of independent legal registration options, including registering a 501(c)3 organization incorporated in Washington, DC, and other legal statuses in Europe and Kenya
- Quantify the cost and process of initial registration, including the length of time it takes to register, in each scenario
- Describe the costs of creating operational, financial and IT systems to run a successful nonprofit in each scenario, considering the following:
- The current contract and benefits package offered to the 8 full-time ECDAN staff who are PATH employees in the United States and in Kenya
- Annual expenditure of $2-$3 million and growing, and costs of an annual external audit
- Legal and contracting needs, financial management and reporting to 10+ foundation donors which require regular (annual, bi-annual, or quarterly) reports and 20+ outgoing agreements per year
- Describe and cost the policies that ECDAN would need to develop to be independent related to human resources, financial management, travel, IT, governance (by-laws), and more, and how they differ per each location
- Calculate the cost of renting office space or meeting space, noting any rules that apply for legal entities to have a physical address
- Fully outline the services PATH provides and real costs ECDAN has paid within PATH’s cost structure
- Describe and cost any other operational, administrative, or financial needs to sustain a successful nonprofit not listed above
- Create a summary report which makes explicit the costs and benefits of the different options and how they compare to PATH’s current cost structure Make recommendation on the cost effectiveness of ECDAN becoming an independent nonprofit based on cost effectiveness and sustainability
- Create a summary report of all costs to transition ECDAN from PATH and sustain ECDAN’s operations during the first two years as an independent organization
Start up
Timeframe: October (Report to be completed by 10/15)
- Inception meeting with Secretariat leadership
- Follow up meetings with ELC leadership, PATH staff to clarify vision and current situation
- Review of key documents to further inform ECDAN’s current needs and future vision
- Inception report outlining the steps and confirming timelines
Development
Timeframe: October-November (Matrix to be completed by 11/18)
- Matrix framework of options vs. elements to consider
- Meeting with Secretariat leadership for feedback on draft matrix
- Notes and resource links from research and interviews
- Completed matrix with summarized findings
Completion
Timeframe: December (1st draft to be completed by 12/3, final by 12/17)
- Draft written report with pros and cons of the different options and an ultimate recommendation
- Meeting with Secretariat leadership for feedback on draft report
- Finalized report
Qualifications
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or similar/proven work experience
- At least 7 years’ experience in non-profit business, administration, finance, or operations
- Strong project management and analytical skills
- Excellent writing and communication skills
- Proven track record of completing similar work
Advocacy Consultant
Background and context
Launched in 2016 by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank Group, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) is a global platform to catalyze collective action so that so that every young child is safe, well-nourished, healthy, happy, and learning. ECDANs strives to bring together hundreds of members of the early childhood development (ECD) community as well as stakeholders in other sectors to advocate for the needs of young children and their caregivers to be centered in policy and implementation discussions. Stakeholders are connected across regions and sectors to share promising practices, tools, and other resources that benefit the youngest children, creating a global community that learns and shares together. ECDAN also encourages stakeholders to collaborate and undertake joint initiatives, maximizing the impact of limited resources by connecting and aligning.
ECDAN is currently hosted by PATH.
Purpose of consultancy
The consultant will work with ECDAN’s Global Policy and Advocacy Lead to support the overall development and implementation of ECDAN’s advocacy strategy. The consultant will play a particularly key role in advancing ECDAN’s global childcare campaign.
In 2021, in response to a crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic made glaringly apparent, ECDAN launched a global childcare campaign that seeks to increase investments to expand access to high-quality, affordable, accessible, publicly financed childcare services across the globe. The campaign strategy is centered on building bridges between the ECD and gender equality movements to align behind common objectives, develop shared messaging, and harness the combined influencing power of a broad range of partners to elevate the issue within the global policy agenda and support localized advocacy campaigns aimed at strengthening childcare systems.
A key component of ECDAN’s childcare campaign is to support and catalyze civil society led advocacy at the country-level. ECDAN plans to develop a Catalyze Advocacy, Research, and Engagement (ChildCARE) fund to strengthen partner capacity and coordinate advocacy activities between gender equality, labor, and ECD stakeholders at the country-level. Currently, ECDAN is in the process of developing an overarching strategy and operational plan for the fund.
ECDAN is looking for a consultant to work closely with ECDAN’s Global Policy and Advocacy Lead to support this design process by facilitating relationship building, designing and managing in-person and virtual consultations, and documenting key decisions, and other necessary steps, ultimately leading to an operational and implementation plan for the ChildCARE Fund.
In addition to the childcare focused work, the consultant will assist with moving other aspects of ECDAN’s broader advocacy and communications strategy forward as ECDAN refreshes its strategic plan for the coming five years (2024-2028). Specific areas of work may include advocacy for parenting support, climate change, ECD financing, and other priorities that may emerge.
Timeline
The consultancy is expected to start in October 2023 and take approximately nine months to complete. We expect to contract this consultant for approximately 100 days.
Specific activities
Elements of the consultancy will include but are not limited to:
- Support preparation and work-planning for a consultative design process for the ChildCARE Fund.
- Schedule meetings with internal and external stakeholders, make logistical arrangements, manage RSVPs, assist in generating meeting materials, take notes, and highlight action items.
- Support the design, coordination, implementation, and documentation of a two day in-person workshop in Nairobi, Kenya in March, 2024, that will collect partner input and inform the conceptualization of the fund’s strategy.
- Coordinate a series of virtual consultations and webinars to promote the fund, gather additional partner input, and highlight key issues related to childcare.
- Document lessons learned, insights gained, and recommended next steps from in-person and virtual consultations.
- Lead on drafting of an operational plan for the fund and all required guiding documents (i.e. objectives, principles of engagement, theory of change, results framework, grant selection criteria, governance, application process, accountability measures, and other management mechanisms), as identified through the consultations.
- Draft case studies, a needs assessment, and other communications and global goods which emerge from the consultations as useful to potential grantees and donors of the fund.
- Assist with preparing funding proposals and responding to donor’s questions in order to gain contributions required to launch the fund.
- Collaborate with partners to collect and disseminate videos from “Childcare Champions” that depict the important role childcare plays in the lives of individuals across the globe.
- Attend regular meetings with ECDAN’s Global Policy and Advocacy Lead and other internal staff to coordinate work plans and track progress towards deliverables.
- Support the development of a content calendar and communications strategy for the global childcare campaign and other advocacy initiatives.
- Conduct stakeholder mapping and desk research to support ECDAN policy priorities including parenting support, climate change, and ECD financing.
- Organize webinars and learning events.
- Contribute to and complete additional tasks as needed to support the implementation and refresh of ECDAN’s advocacy and communications strategy.
Inception
Timeframe: October-December
- Inception meeting with Secretariat leadership.
- Follow up meetings with relevant partners.
- Review of key documents to further inform ECDAN’s current childcare campaign needs and future vision.
- Workplan for the consultative process to design the childcare Fund.
- Monthly reports outlining work completed and upcoming actions.
Development
Timeframe: January-April
- Materials and operational plans for the in-person consultation in Nairobi in March 2024.
- Materials and operational plans for two virtual consultations, following the in-person meeting.
- Meeting minutes and report on outcomes of consultations and next steps.
- Two case studies on country-level advocacy approaches to strengthening childcare systems and increase public spending.
- Monthly reports outlining work completed and upcoming actions.
Completion
Timeframe: May-June
- Draft operational plan for the fund and other guiding documents for the fund.
- Package of materials for potential grantees and donors. Meeting with Secretariat leadership for feedback on draft report.
- Webinar to share final decisions with consultation participants and launch the fund.
- Monthly reports outlining work completed and upcoming actions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferably a Master’s Degree) in political science, international development, public policy, or related fields.
- At least 5 years working in global or country policy and advocacy.
- Experience working with diverse civil society organizations, ideally at the country-level.
- Excellent research, analytical, writing, project management, and presentation skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively within a team as well as independently.
- Experience delivering training or organizing strategic planning workshops.
- Experience developing theories of change, results frameworks, and/or advocacy campaign strategies preferred.