Help strengthen financial stability and sustainable growth for a grassroots youth centre in rural Timor Leste.

The Aileu Municipality Youth Centre, through Palms International Volunteering, is seeking a Finance and Fundraising Mentor to build the confidence and capability of local staff in financial management, budgeting, reporting, and resource mobilisation. Your mentoring will help this under resourced youth centre become more organised, transparent, and sustainable, ensuring it can continue supporting young people long into the future.

This role is ideal for someone passionate about financial systems, capacity building, and community driven development.

What you’ll do

First several weeks – Learn, observe, and build trust

• Learn local language, cultural norms, and organisational context with support from a local mentor.
• Observe existing financial practices and document strengths and community assets.
• Avoid recommending changes during this period; focus on understanding why things are done the way they are.

Ongoing responsibilities

Strengthen and simplify financial systems

• Develop practical budgeting, cashflow, recordkeeping, and reporting systems suited to a low resource environment.
• Embed simple processes that staff can use confidently and independently.

Build staff financial management skills

• Provide hands on mentoring in bookkeeping, reporting, and financial decision making.
• Support staff to understand and apply core financial principles in daily operations.

Improve transparency and accountability

• Establish clear documentation, approval processes, and donor compliant reporting.
• Strengthen trust with partners, donors, and the community.

Develop a realistic fundraising strategy

• Create a simple, achievable fundraising plan tailored to local capacity.
• Guide staff to diversify income through grants, partnerships, and community based initiatives.

Strengthen proposal writing and donor communication

• Coach staff to prepare strong proposals, budgets, and donor reports.
• Support relationship building with potential funders and partners.

What you’ll bring

• Degree or certificate in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, other basic computer functions and ability to transfer this skill.
• Experience in fundraising and donor relations.
• Experience in working with small and or low-resource organisations or community-based organisations.
• Strong mentoring, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Patience, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity.
• The ability to cope with cultural isolation and different living standards.
• Commitment to serve for 12 months with limited resources.

What you’ll gain

• Deep cultural immersion in the mountains of Timor Leste.
• The opportunity to strengthen a youth centre’s long term sustainability.
• Professional experience in cross cultural financial management and community development.
• Contribution to SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships).

About Aileu Municipality Youth Centre The Aileu Municipality Youth Centre is a grassroots, volunteer run organisation that supports young people in Aileu through community-based training, youth development activities, and partnerships that strengthen local capacity. Aileu is a largely rural, mountainous municipality where community organisations like Aileu Municipality Youth Centre, plays a vital role in providing opportunities for young people, including training in areas such as agriculture, literacy, computing, and livelihood skills. These initiatives align with broader municipal efforts to strengthen local democracy, improve education and training, and encourage youth engagement in community development.

About Palms International Volunteering For 65 years, Palms International Volunteering has supported skilled Australians to live and work alongside communities in the Asia-Pacific. Our volunteers don’t ‘fix’ problem - they build relationships, strengthen local capacity, and walk with communities striving for dignity and opportunity. These are ‘solidarity placements’. Accommodation and a small stipend is provided, as well as preparation and ongoing support.

The focus is on living as a true neighbour to learn, and to establish an effective mentoring role. This is the basis for lasting capacity building in the community. It is also a chance for you to step out of the rush and reconnect with what matters through a deep cultural immersion and genuine community relationships.