Business Development & Fundraising Intern – MILEDOU (LYSD), Togo

Organisation Description

MILEDOU is a youth development organisation that uses sport, particularly basketball, as a platform to support the personal and social development of young people in West Africa. Established through LYSD, the organisation has delivered activities in Togo since 2013, combining basketball programmes with youth development, community engagement and partnerships. MILEDOU also works with a growing network of alumni aged 18–25, supporting their employability while enabling them to contribute to programmes for younger participants.

Project Scope

This project will support MILEDOU to strengthen its fundraising pipeline while exploring new business development and income-generating opportunities that could contribute to the organisation’s longer-term sustainability:

Weeks 1–4 – Fundraising & Partnerships

  • Researching the UK funding landscape for organisations working across youth development, sport, education, employability and West Africa.

  • Mapping 10–15 relevant UK-based foundations, corporate partners, funders or partnership opportunities and summarising their requirements and strategic fit.

  • Developing a simple UK-focused partnership/funder pipeline for future outreach.

Weeks 5–8 – Business Development & Income Generation

  • Exploring examples of sustainable or revenue-generating models used by comparable social impact organisations.

  • Exploring potential products, services or commercial activities that could generate revenue for MILEDOU, such as branded clothing and merchandise, retail activities, a MILEDOU shop, gym or sports-related services, use of MILEDOU’s bus or other assets, and other relevant opportunities.

  • Considering the commercial potential, target market, operational requirements and possible legal or organisational structure for selected opportunities.

Project Outcomes

  • Contribute to and develop the existing mapping document, identifying at least 30 potential UK funders, corporate partners or relevant organisations, and prioritising 5–10 opportunities that are well-aligned and/or eligible, with suggested next steps.

  • A practical fundraising, partnership and business development pipeline for future outreach and exploration.

  • Examples of relevant business or revenue-generating models used by comparable organisations.

  • Profiles of selected business opportunities, including their potential market, revenue model, key requirements and initial feasibility.

  • A final briefing outlining priority opportunities for MILEDOU’s longer-term financial sustainability and business development.

Internship Requirements

  • Research & Analytical Skills: Ability to investigate funding and investment landscapes and assess the relevance of different opportunities.

  • Fundraising & Social Impact Interest: Interest in fundraising, partnerships, social enterprise, impact investment, commercial development or product expansion.

  • Commercial Awareness: An interest in how social organisations can combine impact with sustainable sources of income.

  • Writing & Documentation: Ability to summarise research and opportunities clearly for organisational decision-making.

  • Collaboration: Strong communication skills and willingness to work closely with MILEDOU’s partnership team and respond to feedback.