POSTES VACANTS

Call for proposals for UNIDROIT’s Centenary Fundraising Campaign

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Introduction

The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) is an independent intergovernmental organisation founded under the auspices of the League of Nations and mandated to develop international legal instruments in the fields of private and commercial law. UNIDROIT has 65 Member States representing over 73% of the global population and over 90% of global nominal Gross Domestic Product and has negotiated over 30 legal instruments covering a diverse range of matters, including civil procedure, international commercial contracts, access to credit, protection of cultural property, agricultural law and development.

In 2026, UNIDROIT will celebrate its centenary, during which a series of institutional, capacity building and networking events will be held to commemorate this milestone and foster its continuous growth and development. To accomplish these objectives, it is planned that a fundraising campaign will be launched in 2025 to collect funds to support various aspects of UNIDROIT’s work and promote UNIDROIT’S role in harmonising private and commercial law, thereby ensuring its continued impact and global reach for the next century.

The fundraising campaign will run throughout 2026 and into 2027, with the centre-piece being a centenary conference and gala dinner held in December 2026. Eminent figures from the political, commercial and academic community will be invited to the centenary launch and related events.

UNIDROIT is inviting proposals for the provision of fundraising services for its centenary activities.

Fundraising target

The initial target is 3 million Euros. This target can be re-evaluated or increased based on early campaign performance.

Duration of contract

The selected fundraising service provider (Fundraiser) is expected to begin working in August 2025 and will be appointed for 18 months, i.e. from August 2025 to January 2027. The contract may be renewed for an additional 18 months, subject to the needs of UNIDROIT and the Fundraiser’s performance during the term of the contract.

Duties

To provide professional support in delivering UNIDROIT’S centenary fundraising campaign, the Fundraiser will have the following primary and secondary deliverables:

Primary deliverables

(i) Organising, executing and managing the fundraising campaign to solicit donations from prospective donors. This includes planning events, organising and coordinating other activities (e.g. regional events, online webinars, mail campaigns, presentations) to liaise with and encourage donations from a wide spectrum of prospective donors. The Fundraiser may need to travel to the locations where the events or activities are held, and recruit and lead volunteers to assist with the campaign;

(ii) Building and maintaining a network of potential donors and sponsors. The Fundraiser is expected to utilise their existing network and contacts to create new donor opportunities for UNIDROIT, as well as prepare research on potential donors and sponsors from whom UNIDROIT may solicit financial support; reach out to these donors, sponsors and other stakeholders, and cultivate relationships with them. To this end, it is anticipated that the compelling case for support will be developed for the promotion of UNIDROIT’S mission, values, work and achievements;

(iii) Attending meetings and collaborating with UNIDROIT’S staff to identify fundraising opportunities and advise on the conduct of the fundraising campaign. This includes creating and developing actionable fundraising strategies, and providing advice and suggestions on any documents prepared by UNIDROIT in connection with fundraising initiatives;

(iv) Creating and designing marketing materials (e.g. flyers, brochures, etc) and other tools or resources needed for effective fundraising. The Fundraiser is encouraged to leverage digital communication channels and analytical tools to optimise fundraising efforts.

Secondary deliverables

(v) Evaluating fundraising events that have been held and identifying how subsequent fundraising efforts may be enhanced;

(vi) Keeping proper records of donations, observing professional ethics in fundraising, recording and facilitating the transfer of funds to UNIDROIT, and updating UNIDROIT on the fundraising progress through the provision of written reports at regular intervals;

(vii) Ensuring that all legal requirements (e.g. reporting obligations, if any) are satisfied, and providing administrative support over ancillary matters that arise out of the fundraising activities (e.g. applying for tax relief where available; issuing donation receipts and acknowledgement to donors, etc);

(viii) Safeguarding the confidentiality of any information as directed by UNIDROIT.

The selected Fundraiser may deliver the fundraising programme through a committed project team with demonstrated skills in relationship building, project management, coordination, communication and advocacy, or individually. The Fundraiser should practise creative thinking to attract interest in the fundraising campaign; adopt a holistic fundraising approach and, last but not least, have a sufficient understanding of UNIDROIT’S work and mission in order to engage potential donors and other stakeholders fruitfully. Mothertongue or excellent command of English is deemed essential for this purpose and knowledge of French would also constitute a desirable additional asset.

Submission of proposals

Prospective suppliers should apply in writing by submitting a project proposal, explaining how its implementation will accomplish the fundraising objectives of UNIDROIT’s centenary. The proposal should include:

(i) approach and methodology applied;

(ii) a project plan outlining the scope of work, timeframes for the deliverables, and resourceallocation;

(iii) supplier’s experience with fundraising campaigns, with testimonials and references, with measurable results provided where possible;

(iv) pricing for the requested services, including estimated expenses for the campaign;

(v) CV or equivalent of the consultant(s) responsible for the fundraising campaign.

All proposals should be submitted to jobs@unidroit.org by Sunday, 27 July 2025 at 20:00  CEST with the subject line “Proposal for Fundraising Services – Centenary Campaign”.

The prospective supplier may be invited to attend an interview within 2 to 3 weeks after the closing date for submission of proposals, before a contract is awarded.

Information about UNIDROIT

Detailed information about UNIDROIT’S objectives and work is available at the UNIDROIT website:

UNIDROIT’S current projects:

https://www.unidroit.org/work-in-progress/

International instruments prepared by UNIDROIT since its establishment:

https://www.unidroit.org/instruments/

UNIDROIT’S publications:

https://www.unidroit.org/publications/unidroit-publications/

 

For further information, please contact Legal Consultant Kateryna Bovsunovska at k.bovsunovska@unidroit.org, with cc to jobs@unidroit.org.

You can download the Terms of Reference here.