Strategic Consultant - Asia-Pacific Philanthropic Expansion

Project overview:

Engagement title: Strategic Consultant, Asia-Pacific Philanthropic Market Entry

Duration: 4 months (Part-time/flexible engagement based on milestones and deliverables)

Start date: October 2025

Professional fee budget: Up to $25,000 USD (Twenty-Five Thousand United States Dollars)

Expense budget: Up to $5,000 USD for pre-approved travel and expenses

Location: Remote

Reporting line: Chief of Strategy Officer and Head of Middle East Partnerships

Application deadline: 19 September 2025

The opportunity:

The HALO Trust invites proposals from consultants and strategic advisors to guide a pivotal phase of our global growth. We are seeking a strategic partner to design and deliver a comprehensive market-entry roadmap for philanthropic engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

About HALO:

The HALO Trust’s mission is to protect lives and restore livelihoods for communities affected by conflict. For over 35 years, HALO has worked in post-conflict zones to make land safe by clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war. In the aftermath of conflict, contaminated land prevents families from farming, accessing water, or safely sending children to school. HALO recruits and trains local men and women to clear these hazards, enabling communities to reclaim their land, rebuild their lives, and shape their futures. Today, HALO is one of the world’s leading humanitarian mine clearance organisations, operating in 32 countries and territories with a global workforce of over 10,000 people, the majority of whom are local staff.

Strategic context:

The HALO Trust is exploring the expansion of its philanthropic fundraising strategy into the Asia-Pacific region. Initial internal work has identified Australia and Singapore as primary focus countries, with early insights on donor landscapes, legal frameworks and HALO’s existing networks. HALO is now seeking a consultant to lead a focused 4-month scoping phase to further inform the country prioritisation, stakeholder engagement and long-term philanthropic strategy in the region.

Purpose of the role:

The consultant will consolidate existing insights, address critical knowledge gaps and support HALO in developing a strategic roadmap for philanthropic engagement in Australia and Singapore (and, if relevant, advise on sequencing of other markets such as New Zealand, Japan and South Korea). This includes prioritising countries, advising on legal/operational feasibility and mapping philanthropic ecosystems to inform HALO’s market entry strategy.

Core objectives & scope of services:

The consultant will be responsible for:

1. Strategic market analysis and prioritisation:

• Build on HALO’s internal research and develop a refined country alignment matrix using our "5 P's" analytical framework:
• Purpose: alignment between HALO’s mission and the countries’ strategic priorities, foreign policy direction and philanthropic culture.
• Policy: legal and regulatory frameworks related to philanthropy, foreign grant-making and tax-deductible giving, identifying barriers & opportunities for compliant and sustainable fundraising.
• Pipeline: review of HALO’s existing relationships, warm leads and internal connections (trustees, ambassadors) to understand where engagement is most immediately viable. Additionally, build a robust prospect-list to feed into future engagement efforts.
• (Good) Practice: assess norms, preferences and expectations of Ultra and High Net Worth Individuals, as well as family offices (expectations around visibility, governance, religious alignment).
• Funding Potential: identify the scale and nature of private philanthropy in each country with emphasis on U/HNWIs and family offices, foundations, corporates and strategic convening platforms.
• Identify where light-touch legal reviews vs deeper investigations are required.
• Provide a clear recommendation for the sequencing of market entry (Australia, Singapore) and potential secondary markets (New Zealand, Japan, South Korea).

2. Stakeholder and donor landscape mapping:

• Map high-value donor ecosystems (U/HNWIs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Foundations, Family offices)
• Identify local platforms and convening bodies (e.g. AVPN, APC, etc.)
• Leverage HALO’s internal network of trustees and ambassadors to inform the analysis.

3. Operational and legal advisory:

• Advise on the necessary legal and operational steps for establishing a fundraising presence.
• Draft Terms of Reference for any required legal counsel and support the selection process.

Indicative deliverables:

• Fortnightly progress updates
• Strategic scoping memo (Due: End of Nov 2025)
• Final market entry roadmap (Due: End of Jan 2026). A comprehensive final report with an actionable, multi-year strategy for market entry, to be briefed to HALO's Executive Committee.

We are seeking a senior individual or specialised firm with:

• Proven track record in developing fundraising or market-entry strategies within the Asia-Pacific philanthropic sector, particularly Australia and/or Singapore.

• Experience advising INGOs or international development actors.
• Fluency in the legal, regulatory and governance issues related to cross-border giving.
• Excellent analytical, research and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to operate independently and deliver high-quality strategic insights under a flexible, milestone-driven contract.

If you wish to be considered for this consultancy please submit a CV or organisation profile and a short cover letter outlining your relevant experience and approach. The closing date for applications is 19th September 2025, and as this is a short application window interestied parties are encouraged to apply promptly.

The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

The HALO Trust is committed to a culture that is both diverse and inclusive and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

The HALO Trust is committed to ensuring that it provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards and promotes the welfare and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with, or is part of, the Charity, with a zero-tolerance approach to behaviours which challenge this.