Research & Analytics Associate – Fundraising
ORGANISATION :NudgED (Top Parent)
EXPERIENCE : 2–3 years
LOCATION: Delhi or Mumbai preferred
EXPECTED JOINING : Mid-September 2026
TO APPLY :priyanka@nudgED.org.in
APPLICATIONS: Reviewed on a rolling basis
About NudgED / Top Parent
NudgED is an early learning nonprofit supporting families in underserved communities with simple, engaging tools to strengthen children’s foundational learning at home. Our flagship initiative, Top Parent, is one of India’s leading platforms for early learning at scale and has been recognised nationally and globally for its innovative use of technology to support parents and children.
Top Parent is free for families. Our work is designed to make high-quality learning support accessible to low-income communities who may otherwise have limited access to such resources. As we grow, we are strengthening our fundraising efforts to build a sustained pipeline of supporters and partners who can help us deepen and expand this impact.
We are looking for someone who loves digging for information, finding patterns, connecting dots and discovering opportunities others might miss.
The Role
We are looking for a curious, resourceful and highly independent Research & Analytics Associate to help us identify and unlock new fundraising opportunities. This is not simply a database management or desk research role.
We want someone who enjoys data mining and analysis, understands how networks work, and can use information creatively to identify potential donors, connections and opportunities. You should be comfortable taking a broad question, exploring it independently, following promising leads and coming back with ideas and insights that move our fundraising efforts forward. A big part of your role will be asking:
• Who should Top Parent be speaking to?
• Where are the interesting funding opportunities?
• Who is funding organisations or ideas similar to ours?
• What networks can help us reach the right people?
• What does the data tell us about where we should focus?
• What opportunities or connections are we currently missing?
What You Will Do
Mine Data & Find Opportunities
• Research and identify potential CSR, HNI/UHNI, institutional and other relevant funding prospects for Top Parent.
• Mine publicly available information, databases, networks and existing organisational data to uncover potential donors and funding opportunities.
• Analyse donor interests, funding patterns, past giving and areas of alignment with Top Parent.
• Research organisations working in adjacent spaces to understand who funds them and where new opportunities may exist.
• Look beyond obvious prospects and continuously explore new sectors, companies, individuals and networks.
• Turn large amounts of information into clear patterns, priorities and actionable fundraising leads.
Navigate & Activate Networks
• Explore professional, alumni, philanthropic, industry, investment, corporate and other relevant networks to identify potential donors and connectors.
• Map relationships and identify people who could potentially facilitate introductions.
• Bring your own understanding of networks—and ideally some existing networks—to the role.
• Look for unconventional routes to reach potential supporters rather than relying only on cold outreach.
• Continuously expand the universe of people and organisations Top Parent could engage with.
Build a Strong Fundraising Pipeline
• Create and maintain a high-quality pipeline of potential donors.
• Assess and prioritise prospects based on alignment, funding potential, accessibility and likelihood of engagement.
• Track prospects, relationships, follow-ups and movement through the fundraising pipeline.
• Help ensure a steady flow of strong prospects to support approximately 15 fundraising conversations each month.
Turn Research into Fundraising Intelligence
• Prepare short, sharp research briefs ahead of important donor conversations.
• Identify useful insights about donor priorities, interests, decision-makers and potential entry points.
• Analyse previous fundraising efforts to identify patterns and learnings.
• Flag emerging opportunities proactively rather than waiting to be asked.
• Regularly bring the team new ideas about where we should look, whom we should approach and how we might reach them.
Who We Are Looking For
We are deliberately open to candidates from diverse industries. You do not need to have worked in fundraising or at an NGO before. In fact, experience in sectors where research, relationship mapping, data analysis and understanding people or capital are central to the job can be highly relevant.
We would be particularly interested in people coming from areas such as wealth management, private banking, financial services, consulting, IT/technology, business intelligence, market research, partnerships, business development, investor relations or similar roles.
You will probably enjoy this role if you are someone who:
• Loves research and data mining and can happily go down a rabbit hole when there is something interesting to uncover.
• Enjoys working with data, spreadsheets, databases and large amounts of information—but is equally interested in understanding what the information is telling you.
• Is naturally curious and good at connecting dots that may not be immediately obvious.
• Has an independent mind and is comfortable challenging assumptions or suggesting a different approach.
• Is a genuine self-starter—you do not need someone constantly telling you what to do next.
• Can take a broad question and independently figure out how to investigate it.
• Is persistent and enjoys following leads until you find something useful.
• Understands how professional and social networks work and is comfortable finding pathways to people and organisations.
• Can distinguish between interesting information and information that can actually help move a fundraising conversation forward.
• Communicates clearly and can turn complex research into concise, useful insights.
• Is organised enough to manage multiple prospects and research threads without losing sight of priorities.
Fundraising or social impact experience is welcome, but it is not a prerequisite. What matters just as much to us is how you think, how curious you are, the networks and perspectives you bring, and how independently you work.
Why Join Us?
Be part of a small but mighty team
We are a lean team, which means your work will not disappear into layers of hierarchy. Your research, ideas and discoveries can directly influence whom we approach, where we focus and how we grow.
Have real ownership
We are not looking for someone to simply execute a predefined research list. We want you to bring your own ideas, pursue interesting leads and help us think differently about fundraising opportunities.
Work with flexibility
We believe in giving people the space to manage their work independently. We care about getting the job done well, not clock-watching. You will have flexibility in how you organise your working hours while staying accountable to the team and the outcomes of the role.
Do well while doing good
Bring your professional skills to work that has a clear social purpose. Top Parent is free for families and is built to help low-income parents support their children’s learning. The opportunities you identify can directly help us keep high-quality learning support accessible to families who need it most.
Help build something new
You will join us at an exciting stage as we strengthen and build our fundraising engine. There is plenty still to discover, experiment with and create—and you will have the opportunity to shape how we do it.
Work on an initiative with global recognition
Top Parent is an innovative education technology initiative that has received national and global recognition for its approach to supporting learning at scale. You will be helping build the relationships and resources that allow that impact to grow.
To Apply
Please send your CV and a short note telling us why this role interests you to priyanka@nudgED.org.in.
We would especially love to hear how you approach research, what makes you good at finding opportunities or connections others might miss, and why you think you would thrive in a role with a high degree of independence. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.