CommunicationsResearchVolunteer – ACRE/Private Sector Team

Task description

Background
Access to Capital for Rural Enterprises (ACRE) is an impact investment platform established by Christian Aid (CA), Traidcraft, Practical Action, Twin and Challenges Worldwide to help enterprises with pre-investment business support and connect them with patient capital investors. ACRE’s criteria for investment include the needs for investee enterprises to have an impact on rural livelihoods and consumers; to enable rural people to access major markets; to have a clear commercial model; to have clear social impact; and to have an existing track record of revenue growth and profitability.
The main role of CA is to identify enterprises with a high social and market impact, facilitate the delivery of technical assistance to these enterprises, to monitor their progress and to measure their social and market impact. After a year of operation, CA needs to build a selection of case studies on the work we’ve conducted and impact reached. Re-visiting interventions and drawing lessons learned are two very important elements of managing a development project. The case studies and lessons drawn will help inform our future work and also serve as a powerful tool for fundraising.
Additionally, ACRE works under a partnership model – the consortium of NGOs work with technical assistance providers, law firms and likeminded peers. ACRE would like to expand this partnership base further to provide a comprehensive support to pipeline enterprises.
We are looking for a volunteer who is passionate about private sector development and interested in impact investment.

What will I do?

The volunteer will be based in London with the following responsibilities:
  • Supports in reviewing existing documents and writing powerful case studies
  • Draws challenges faced and learning from our interventions
  • Conducts research on like-minded organizations and/or businesses for future partnership (on coaching/mentoring, capacity building support, etc.)
  • Contributes to internal/external communication such as blogs
  • Any other support as identified during the volunteering period

What skills do I need?

  • Good working knowledge of English. Spanish skill would be an asset.
  • A team player and a self-starter, able to follow protocol and use initiative following induction period
  • Good communication and writing skills
  • Experience of conducting research
  • Basic computer skills e.g. able to complete a database on archived documentation
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality as some documents contain sensitive information

How much time can I give?

It will depend on the volunteer’s speed of work, but we estimate that it will take approximately eight weeks of full-time working (or longer if part-time). While we are keen to complete this work in the coming months, we are flexible as to the working arrangement. We would like to offer a trial period, e.g. after 10 working days, to ensure that the project and volunteer are a good match.

What support will I receive?

Impact investment and private sector development are much sought after areas of work and this will be an excellent opportunity for a volunteer to gain insight to the sector and to engage how NGO approaches to this work. In addition to this exciting opportunity, we provide:
  • Appropriate induction and training for your volunteering role
  • Supervision while undertaking your volunteering task
  • One-to-one support sessions with a named contact within Christian Aid
  • Out-of-pocket expenses (capped at £15 a day)

Are there any other requirements?

List anything else needed for the role, for example
  • You will need to be in sympathy with Christian Aid’s aims to challenge and change the systems that keep people poor.
  • You will need to live within reasonable travelling distance of Christian Aid’s head office in Waterloo.

How can I find out more?

Please contact:

Mirai Maruo

Christian Aid, 35 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London, SE1 7RL

02075232301 /

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Christian Aid UK registered charity number 1105851 Company number 5171525

Northern Ireland charity number XR94639 Company number NI059154

Republic of Ireland charity number CHY6998 Company number 426928

Scotland charity number SC039150