Patrick Jude Mugisha

IFRAD is a national organization based in Kampala. We are an entrepreneurship development organization, working with young women and youth to start and grow their own businesses. IFRAD delivers comprehensive social justice programming using a market systems, private-sector-led, business approach to promote and empower the most vulnerable.

I am responsible for overall strategy, innovations, and management of the IFRAD Uganda Country Program. In collaboration with the Senior Management Team, I work closely with the government, donors, and other key stakeholders with the aim of advancing social and economic justice for the benefit of women and youth. I am responsible for developing the organization’s innovation strategy, managing organizational growth and change processes, while mitigating risks that may arise out of the growth process, managing the team, operational workflow processes, overall budget, institutional capacity strengthening, and partnership development.

Key Responsibilities:

Be the number one advocate for social and economic justice, especially for the underserved, the poor, and the voiceless.

Lead on developing strategic innovations, executing, and monitoring organizational strategy and programs.

Lead the Senior Management Team in developing and delivering a robust business model, ensuring growth of diversified income streams, including innovative financing and more traditional grant resources.

• Lead IFRAD’s vision in Uganda (and in the region) by developing and advancing short, medium, and long-term plans, including leading the review of strategic and business plans.

Lead on program design, project management, monitoring, and evaluation processes within the organization.

Lead on organizational representation and communications, externally, and with partners and stakeholders.

• Develop the organization and its member private-sector networks by strengthening capacity, building high-performance and innovative teams, identifying and promoting talent, and managing performance.

Lead fundraising efforts through grants intelligence, research, networking, and grant writing.

Promote evidence-based decision-making, and support or initiate operational research to better understand the changing operational context, the needs of beneficiaries, and how to meet them.

Support staff and partners in the development and implementation of organizational safeguarding, safe working environment policies, child protection and safety checklists, and other tools.

Provide leadership in the stewardship of organizational resources, assets, and reputation.

Civil Collective is a grassroots grant maker based in Kampala, Uganda, pioneering a community philanthropy approach to enable communities to take control of their resources. It aims to promote grantee-centered philanthropy and place grassroots organizations at the center of the African development agenda. Using a community-driven development approach, it promotes youth employment and empowerment across Ugandan rural contexts.

My goals were to support and mediate relationships between funders and African civil society, non-profits, and social enterprises to bridge the gap between funding sources and high-impact, promising organizations. I led the due diligence processes for potential grantees and made funding recommendations to the team, which led to funding decisions. I conducted research on key funding areas, including livelihoods, health, and community-driven development. I was also responsible for designing and delivering effective and tailor-made organizational capacity-building solutions for African grassroots civil society organizations in the areas of formalization and strategic compliance, strengthening corporate governance, board development, performance and results-based management, organizational modeling, strategic plan development, fundraising, and program development, as well as monitoring and evaluation. I worked full-time in 2017/18 and part-time in 2018/19, as my role at IFRAD became more demanding. I have since provided occasional management consultancy services.

Key responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate and steward a portfolio of prospects, donors, and investors to support the grassroots development fund at Civil Collective

• Conduct organizational due diligence and using design thinking tools develop capacity building strategies

• Build close-knit relationships with fund investors, high net-worth individuals and individual funders to ensure personalized outreach to their giving, while influencing their giving towards the focus of Civil Collective focus

• Lead, plan, implement, and continually refine meetings, events, services, programs, projects, and products that work to meaningfully engage donors in their philanthropy in ways that maximize resources and expertise to meet community needs

• Regularly represent Civil Collective at scheduled on-site and off-site social events and other related events before and after regular business hours on the weekdays and weekends

• Maintain Salesforce database to track and record relationships, builds donor profiles, and/or researches donor interests and giving patterns

• Conduct research as needed and make presentations to prospective donors, financial advisors, and community groups, as needed in the interest of the fund and the grantees under organizational portfolio

• Maintain relationships with existing donors to grow their fund and to create a future fund while providing optimal donor support in determining the most impactful ways of giving

• Contribute to the development of policies and guidelines relating to fund development

• Lead the tailored capacity building and ‘value-add’ program to grantees and growth pipeline partners in the portfolio.

Segal Family Foundation (SFF) is a US based grant making organization, with a focus youth empowerment. SFF offers financial and capacity building support to grassroots NGO partners giving them a larger network of peer organizations, likeminded funders and INGOs that share learning experiences, create new opportunities and provide technical expertise. With a blend of local and INGOs, SFF focuses the majority of its grant making on African-led grassroots outfits working to solve the most pressing challenges related to the region’s youth population, improves grantee partner’s ability to design and implement the most effective, locally appropriate solutions to poverty in their communities.

I supported Africa-side operations including primarily identifying of new grantees, managing due diligence processes for current & potential grantees leading to funding. I also managed administration of programmatic and regional networks as well as delivered the partner capacity building program. I was primarily responsible for the East Africa portfolio, with over 60 direct partner reports between Uganda, Kenya, and 3 in Malawi. I worked with staff and local partner organizations to strengthen capacity to implement children and youth programming through training, guidance, one-on-one support, commenting on strategy plans, providing input to program design and proposal writing.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct Due Diligence of Current & Potential Grantees
• Assisted with scouting and vetting applications of potential grantees
• Organized scheduling and logistics for site visits and coordinated visits from donor friends
• Conducted site visits and made funding recommendations
• 100% funding made to all partners
• Sat on and provided leadership at monthly Grant Making Meetings with staff and SFF Board
• Conducted monitoring, learning activities and oversaw reporting of 105 grantee organizations
• Managed donor relationships in order to drive uptake of innovative grant-making models and leverage funding from other funders to our grantee partners
• Supported the design of in-country donor engagement strategies of the operations team
• Took part in Africa-side relationship-building and events or conferences as needed
• Support Organizational Capacity Building (Targeted Capacity Support for grantees in Livelihoods and Health)
• Conducted capacity assessments for grantees and developed improvement plans
• Built and maintained a database of quality consultants based in East Africa
• Strengthen partner’s capacities through training, guidance, one-on-one support, commenting on strategy plans, providing input to program design and proposal writing
• Occasionally provided onsite support to partners through continuous coaching and mentoring
• Manage Programmatic and Regional Networks
• Built the foundation for a Uganda Funder’s collaborative (multi-funder sharing platform) and participated in steering the East Africa Grant Maker’s Association activities in E.Africa
• Participated in various affinity group meetings (e.g Elevate Children Funders Group, EAAG)
• Assisted in planning thematic learning platforms in East Africa (e.g On health, livelihoods, youth, Community Driven Development and education)
• Managed logistics of thematic learning platforms (in-country and regionally)
• Managed planning and logistics of regional networking events, cocktails and dinners
• Conduct Administrative Tasks
• Researched and developed of a Country Engagement strategy for Uganda and contributed to in country research on Strategic Investment Frameworks
• Developed and tracked budgets for East Africa-side programming
• Assisted with planning of 2 grand annual partner’s meetings (in Uganda and in New Jersey)

East Africa Youth Network (democratically elected position by national youth councils and umbrella youth organizations from all the states that form the East African Community).

The East African Youth Network (EAYN) is a forum for the youth, which aims to facilitate holistic youth involvement by advocating for the firm entrenchment of youth issues in the agenda of the East African Community. It is hosted at the East African Community. The Network’s objective is to promote the effective implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the East African Youth Policy, and other programs aimed at addressing the social, economic, and political well-being of children and youth within East Africa, while advocating for a culture of good governance and observance of human rights as essential components. The Network achieves this through continuous, structured dialogue and engagement between the children and youth of East Africa, as well as the organs of the EAC.

Key responsibilities.

• As Chair, I led steering committee efforts to mobilize the first grant for the EAYN from GiZ, worth 260,000 Euros, and chaired decision-making meetings that led to the award of grant awards.
• Led a team of youth organizations and National Youth Councils from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi in the processes of institutionalizing the East African Youth Network at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha.
• I represented East African youth in policy meetings at the East African Community level, including the Secretary General’s Forum, and presented a petition to the East African Legislative Assembly on behalf of the East African Youth Council.
• Led the East African Youth Network lobby meetings with the East African Community governments for the finalization and final passing of the East African Youth Policy.
• The East Africa Youth Policy was launched in December 2014, at the EAC in Arusha.
• Supported the EAC community secretariat to organize the first-ever East African Youth Conference in December 2014, which launched the East African Youth Policy.

The Uganda Youth Network (UYONET) is a regional focused leading umbrella Youth CSO Network with a membership of over 140 youth organizations working to amplify voices of women and youth in development and governance processes in Uganda and beyond. UYONET responds to the increasing demand for a collective platform for research, training and policy advocacy for young people by young people. UYONET’s programming is based around 3 themes focusing on Youth empowerment namely; Participation and representative advocacy, Youth Employment and Economic Empowerment as well as Movement building.

I led in program development, program direction, and strategy implementation, networking and fundraising, monitoring and evaluation of projects, and supported the various network member organizations in planning for and executing programs, while ensuring an effective personnel skills development plan for increased organizational performance and efficiency.

Key responsibilities

Project Management & Coordination

• Oversaw up to 5 project work streams or stand-alone projects, ensuring timely and efficient execution
• Developed work plans, tracked milestones, and ensured alignment with organizational goals
• Coordinated with managers and leads to ensure project activities met strategic objectives
• Identified project risks and implemented mitigation strategies

Results-Based Performance Management

• Led the development of technical components for Result Based and data-driven performance management systems
• Designed frameworks to assess and measure project impact and effectiveness
• Ensured alignment of project activities with performance-based funding requirements

Proposal Development & Client Deliverables

• Led the creation of proposals, reports, and other client deliverables
• Translated complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for diverse audiences
• Collaborated with teams to draft compelling and donor-compliant funding proposals
• Delivered timely, high-quality funder/client reports aligned with expectations

Financial & Contract Management

• Managed project budgets, ensuring optimal resource allocation and cost control
• Monitored expenditures and ensured accurate financial reporting
• Oversaw contracts with clients/subcontractors, ensuring compliance and timely deliverables
• Proactively addressed budget challenges and ensured financial sustainability

Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Planned, delegated, and oversaw tasks to optimize team performance
• Provided coaching and mentorship to enhance team members' professional development
• Fostered a collaborative and productive work environment
• Conducted performance evaluations and identified training needs for the team

Data Analysis & Insights

• Led data analysis efforts to derive actionable insights for project improvement
• Utilized data-driven methods to inform project strategies and decision-making
• Developed tracking tools and dashboards to monitor project outcomes
• Presented findings clearly to stakeholders through reports and presentations
• Promoted knowledge sharing and collaboration within the team

Stakeholder Engagement & Representation

• Delivered presentations to public and private sector stakeholders
• Managed relationships with donors, government bodies, and implementing partners
• Represented the organization at meetings, conferences, and networking events
• Ensured clear and consistent communication with stakeholders to align expectations

Achievements

• Fundraised for the National Youth Leadership Academy project from the Democratic Governance Facility (a consortium of 8 European countries funding Governance programs in Uganda) worth UGX 4.3 billion and another SRH/GBV project from PLAN International/SIDA worth UGX 2 billion
• Developed funded proposals from Oxfam to support youth and gender development work in Northern Uganda worth 170,000 Euros
• Participated in the development of National Youth Manifesto, a social accountability and advocacy tool for Children and Youth engagement with their political leaders
• Supported a team to grow membership of youth organizations by 40 new members and 5 youth networks
• Developed a youth, gender and social inclusion capacity building strategy for youth focused organizations

STRYDE was a partnership between The MasterCard Foundation and TechnoServe Inc. The multi-year young women and youth development program was designed to enable more than 15,000 youth, especially smallholder farmers in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to double their income. By training youth/smallholder farmers on improved agronomic practices, stimulating community driven disaster reduction, working with financial institutions to facilitate farmers’ access to credit, and creating market linkages, the project secured increased agricultural volumes while generating positive socio-economic and environmental outcomes

I was responsible for program strategy and ensuring safe programming for participating children and youth

Key responsibilities

• Part of country management team and interfaced with other country, regional, and HQ staff, as appropriate and represent the country team at regional and international fora
• Maintained Country program work plan, M&E plan and program budget and ensure its responsiveness to the needs of young women and youth
• Developed safeguarding guidelines for the project and implemented
• Collected and promoted good practices and lessons learned, contributing to a collection of replicable good practices for social inclusion and gender equality programming
• Responsible for fundraising of non-financed priorities of the regional project with focus on promoting women and youth led businesses and skills development activities
• Responsible for grants management - the process of selection and awarding on business growth grants to women and youth led enterprises, industries, farmer cooperatives
• Ensured timeliness and quality of activity implementation and donor reporting
• Caused dialogue with relevant government officials to track implementation progress and share relevant program and administrative data for advocacy and learning purposes
• Coordinated with STRYDE Agri-Business Advisors to support youth development, coaching and mentorship activities for women and youth leaders graduating from the STRYDE entrepreneurship and agri-business training program
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining strong working relationships with trainers, subcontractors, government officials, local businesses and employers, and program participants

Achievements

• Developed a private fundraising campaign for non-funded project priorities on STRYDE project that raised 30,000 USD to facilitate Business Plan Competitions/Job linkage fairs
• Supervised and mentored 12 staff to increase the quality of their work and productivity as well as on result based program implementation both in Central and Northern Uganda
• Participated in conducting studies, documentation and evaluating progress in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda
• Developed entrepreneurship and skills training plans for youth/small holder farmers
• Contributed to delivering of training materials/modules for skills development to include; personal effectives, finance, agri-business and entrepreneurship

ZOA is a Dutch Christian recovery and development INGO in Uganda. I was Technical Advisor on the European Union funded Creating Employment Opportunities youth livelihoods project for a year and later managed it concurrently with another Education project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; (1) The multi-year EU funded vocational training, entrepreneurship education and livelihoods project in Pader/Agago districts targeting school drop outs and child mothers (2)The multi-year Dutch Consortia for Recovery/SciUG/Driester education project aimed at improving the quality of education in Pader/Agago funded by the Dutch Government.

My roles were mainly budget management, organizational policy/donor management, change management, sub-granting and contracting, M&E as well as partner/staff capacity building and support.

Key responsibilities

• In charge directly managing ZOA partnerships in the Pader program
• Managed granting processes for 4 local partners as well as partner primary and vocational schools
• Developed an organizational capacity building strategy and tracked high quality organizational development and capacity building plans for NGO’s and Business/Vocational Training Institutes
• Budget management and control
• Provided direction, planning and management of project capacity building efforts
• Provided technical support and advice to Program Management and project teams on agri business and non-‘formal education activities and coordinate with government and other agencies on quality assurance
• Coordinate learning and accountability structures by organizing periodic partners and stakeholder’s meetings
• Conducting market demand and access studies to match non formal training/ (agri) business skills with the household needs of returnees in post conflict Northern Uganda
• Designing community based trainings and developed training manuals specifically on agricultural extension in Farmer Field Schools, community-based farming, and business development services for SMEs, and overseeing their implementation while providing technical support required
• Responsible for granting and monitoring partners on program delivery and quality assurance
• Mentor and build the capacity of staff under the 4 projects to effectively handle their assigned tasks
• Contribute to ideas for program development, fundraising and program planning
• Manage donor/partner relations and reporting
• Ensuring successful design and implementation of a Project Implementation matrixes (PIA), and M&E plans on both projects
• Make decisions on the direction of both projects and participate in the Management Team meetings

Achievements

• As project manager, led in the development of the 2nd European Commission Non State Actors Agri-business, Vocational and Skills training program for ZOA Uganda in Pader, Agago and Nwoya Districts (800,000 Euros)
• Supported the complete cycle of BTVET partners (Vocactional Institutions) capacity building using the UNDP POET tool as well as managed components of partner capacity building for partner organizations
• Contributed to winning a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFS) to implement an 'Access to Quality Education' project targeting young people for ZOA in Northern Uganda.
• Developed 8 sets of vocational and business skills training modules for the European Union project
• Built the capacity of 2 Project Officers on the European Union project to effectively deliver on the program (both have been promoted since and managing similar grants)
• Mentored implementing partners that improved their effectiveness and efficiency by over 30% on financial management, organizational management/governance and reporting by end of 2012.

YSA is a children and youth promotion organization. Their innovative TWIGA approaches ensure a holistic approach to children and youth development. Transformation of youths and communities is done through child protection, education and life skills development.

I oversaw the implementation of UN-funded child protection projects in Northern Uganda.

Key responsibilities

• Provided management and supervisory support to Executive Director to ensure quality project implementation
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the youth and child protection UNICEF funded program
• Provided leadership in fundraising and proposal development processes for the organization
• Provided leadership to project coordinators to design and implement child protection projects
• Worked closely with partner child protection staff, including case workers and social workers, to identify child protection issues and inform evidence-based programming
• Assisted in designing and developing child protection programs and activities within the organizational program strategy
• Ensured regular follow-up with partner focal points on project activities to maintain quality and identify opportunities & constraints
• Supported implementation of organizational Child Safety and Safeguarding policies, both internally and externally with partners
• Delivered child protection coaching and monitoring sessions, trainings and briefings
• Support staff and partners in the development and implementation of child safety checklists, child safeguarding policy, and other tools
• Delivered child safety and safeguarding briefings as required
• Represent the organization externally in relevant platforms/networks focused on child protection themes
• Participated in internal child protection meetings with with government and partner organizations
• Contributed to the development/revision of child protection materials
• Disseminated child protection materials /other useful and relevant information with staff and partners
• Reviewed and led in periodic evaluations and audits of YSA work

Achievements

• Developed 4 winning proposals (in 2 years) that attracted funding for the organization (UNICEF 300,000USD, King Baudouin Foundation 250,000USD, Nike Foundation 246,000 USD, UN Habitat 24,000 USD)
• Supported in initiating the innovative social enterprise and fundraising department at YSA
• Supported in amending policies, fundraising and in budget management
• Supported the initiation and functionality of 8 Local Government Accountability Committees in 8 hard to reach sub counties with high levels of child abuse and exploitation in Gulu and Kitgum districts of post conflict northern Uganda and are responding to Child Protection/GBV incidents.