Alumni Spotlight
Stories of Fundraising Excellence
Meenal Manolika
Many fundraisers in the social sector often stumble into fundraising accidentally or reluctantly when it becomes clear that organisational survival depends on it. But for some, fundraising is not just a responsibility; it’s a calling. The following stories spotlight three The ILSS Fundraising Program alums who left behind cushy corporate careers to pursue such purpose-driven work and create lasting impact. Their journeys and experiences offer both inspiration and practical wisdom for anyone walking a similar path.
Chief Fund Development Officer, SOS Children's Villages
From Corporate Banking to Nonprofit Firefighting: Deepening Impact through Problem Solving
For Akash, fifteen years into his corporate banking career, there was a sense of missing purpose and excitement when he got the opportunity to fundraise for SOS Children’s Villages. He attributes the successful transition to meeting interesting people with a ‘clear vision of the work they were trying to accomplish’. As the chief fund development officer at SOS Children’s Villages, Akash oversees a 60-person fundraising team balanced between corporate partnerships and individual giving. The transition felt natural in many ways: ‘Corporate sales is no different in the social sector and the financial services sector,’ he observes. ‘It’s basically relationship banking here, in terms of managing donors and other stakeholders.’ Akash is passionate about solving the dynamic challenges that present themselves in a nonprofit environment. The problems are so much more complex, and available resources are so limited, leading to a much higher effort-to-result ratio. ‘It’s a higher level of work compared to corporates. There’s always some fire burning somewhere. Everything is pretty straightjacketed in banking and you don’t have to think twice about spending money. Here, you think 10 times before spending a rupee. That gets your greatest sales instinct working.’Akash’s work is solving some of the most common challenges faced by nonprofit organisations with an emphasis on systems, processes, and data analysis.His work is solving some of the most common challenges faced by nonprofit organisations with an emphasis on systems, processes, and data analysis. This involves tracking a grant from the first meeting till closure, and gathering insights on why proposals are being rejected. He is also working on developing measurable performance metrics for the teams as well as business heads, for sharper KRAs and smarter performance reviews. ‘It’s a simple premise. If you can’t measure something, it’s not going to happen.’ Additionally, he believes in instilling confidence in the team. ‘We don’t have to feel like we are begging for something.’” The focus must be on inspiration. Currently, he is most excited about ‘concept selling’, an alternative to conventional program-focused pitches. ‘Rather than selling a program, we want to share the concept and make it simple for the donors to understand the vision of what we are trying to achieve’, he explains. This shift away from technical program architecture towards widely accessible storytelling has yielded tangible results, doubling their proposal acceptance rate to 20%. This approach has proven particularly valuable for engaging corporate donors who might otherwise gravitate toward more visible, short-term investments rather than the sustained funding needed for meaningful social change. For Akash, the sense of purpose that comes with working in the development sector has no comparison. The work is dynamic, complex, and leaves little room for monotony. ‘In corporate, beyond a point, it all became mechanical. You follow the process and the job gets done. Here, there’s no breathing space for idle time’, he shares. The constant need to align internal processes, engage multiple stakeholders, and reimagine fundraising as an investment rather than an ask is what keeps him coming back, energised, every day.
From Profit to Purpose: Simplifying Fundraising for Collective Growth
Through the decade he spent in the for-profit world across tech roles and startup stints, Akshay’s career decisions centred on questions like ‘Do I have enough knowledge to fit this position? Will I succeed in this role?’ along with monetary considerations. These thoughts changed dramatically when he considered a fundraising role with Make a Difference (MAD), a pivot inspired by his long-term familiarity with the work and the people behind it. ‘All other factors suddenly looked very small compared to what we were trying to achieve. The purpose just took over everything else in my decision to jump in.’ shares Akshay.
At MAD, Akshay manages institutional fundraising, with retail fundraising or community-powered fundraising (as it is known at MAD) being recently added to his portfolio. He surmised that Jithin, Co-Founder of MAD, recognised his potential to bring in a more data-driven, result-oriented approach, shaped by years spent in sales and business development. One of Akshay’s earliest contributions was to build systems that offered clear visibility on progress, helping shift fundraising from instinct to insight. This allowed Jitin to step back from day-to-day fundraising decisions and focus on broader strategic priorities for the organisation.
Akshay and the team are now pursuing the simple objective of making fundraising easy. Technology plays a big role in this vision. He has integrated AI tools into the prospecting and reporting processes, cutting down research time, improving donor targeting, and shaping communication on storytelling principles. More recently, he has been building what he calls a ‘regenerative fundraising ecosystem’ — designed to give real-time visibility into fundraising progress, funding gaps, and donor alignment allowing the team to make better decisions and shift focus quickly. ‘I just want to be at the forefront of the tech and AI bandwagon when it comes to utilising it for the betterment of humanity.’ Akshay shares.
What stood out to Akshay at MAD was how a common purpose is reflected in the nonprofit culture. Conversations are not transactional or guarded, but open and collaborative.
What stood out to Akshay at MAD was how a common purpose is reflected in the nonprofit culture. Conversations are not transactional or guarded, but open and collaborative. The shared sense of mission creates space for trust and appreciation across the sector, something he rarely encountered in the for-profit world. Akshay demonstrated his belief in collaborative effort during his time at The ILSS Fundraising Program as well, where he built a donor management tracker and shared it with his cohort and future fundraisers. ‘If it even saves 10 minutes of a fundraiser’s day, I’m happy,’ he shares.
A year and a half into his journey with MAD, his biggest source of inspiration is the organisation’s ambitious growth trajectory. MAD has been around for 18 years and in the last year alone, they successfully doubled their reach from 2400 to 5500 children and youth of existence, aiming to reach 350,000 children by 2030. This is the fuel Akshay needs as he shares, ‘I just wake up thinking what are the things that I can do to navigate this ship in the direction that we’re supposed to get to?’
Senior Director, Fundraising & Partnerships, Make a Difference
Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Plaksha University
From Investment Banking to Nation Building: Starting from the Ground Up
The excitement of building something from scratch has been the motivating force throughout Sarika’s professional journey. She started out with a decade-long career in investment banking, where she was instrumental in shaping new initiatives. By the time she became a vice president at Merrill Lynch, she was troubled by the gender gap in leadership, including the absence of women investors on the other side of the table. In 2011, she quit to solve this through BeyonDiversity, a gender inclusion impact organisation, which became her first stint working for a social cause.
A decade later, in 2020, she made another pivot to become a part of the founding team at Plaksha University. ‘Building a university is like building 20 startups at the same time’ she shares. The unique challenges, along with the high fundraising targets, demand constant innovation, perseverance, excellence, and agility. A lot of the knowledge and experience she gained through her corporate and entrepreneurial stints proved useful in this endeavour.
According to Sarika, the principles of fundraising for nonprofits are fundamentally similar to business development with a result-oriented sales approach. The key difference is that the role requires one to be genuinely inspired by the cause and have tremendous tenacity and passion for the mission.
According to Sarika, the principles of fundraising for nonprofits are fundamentally similar to business development with a result-oriented sales approach. The key difference is that the role requires one to be genuinely inspired by the cause and have tremendous tenacity and passion for the mission. As the first point of contact for potential supporters, fundraisers serve as the ‘trailer to the larger movie’.his trailer must be convincing and inspiring. If we don’t authentically believe in the mission, it inevitably reflects in our tone, body language, and overall presentation.
Beyond authenticity, success depends on rigorous processes, relationship building, and excellent service. There’s no shortcut to continuously developing the funnel pipeline, conducting thorough research, and maintaining meticulous databases. Ongoing engagement through newsletters, events, social media and various communication channels builds the story, creating awareness and positive perception even before direct outreach begins.
People inherently want to associate with excellence, not mediocrity — whether donating to a nonprofit, investing in private equity, or supporting a startup. They need to see that the people behind the initiative truly believe in excellence and embody inspiration throughout all communications and project execution. Ultimately, successful fundraising isn’t rocket science, it’s simply appealing to people who recognise the mission, become inspired by it, and choose to participate in something meaningful and excellent.
‘I actually committed two years to Plaksha. Five years down the line, I’m still here.’ shares Sarika. What keeps Sarika going is that Plaksha offers the unprecedented opportunity to truly build something from the ground up, become a part of nation- building, and leave a legacy behind for future generations.
Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.
- Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ Rosso
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