Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Volunteer
YAMIKO ATUPELE SAMU

YAMIKO ATUPELE SAMU

Glen Rock,NJ

Summary

Purpose and results-driven professional with over 20 years’ experience in diverse cultural contexts around the world. Passionate about creating sustainable impact in our world and keen to leverage my extensive strategic leadership, resource mobilization, and programming experience to maximize value creation for organizations and the broader society. Regarded as a conscientious and compassionate leader who invests in his staff and empowers them to grow into effective change agents for transformational impact.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience

Work History

Resource Mobilization Manager (Polio Eradication)

UNICEF HQ
New York, USA
07.2022 - Current

Lead efforts to raise US$4.8B in collaboration with Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners to finance the 2022–2026 polio eradication strategy and advocate for continued prioritization of polio eradication on the global health agenda. Specifically:

  • Developed and implemented strategies to raise US$4.8 billion, resulting in commitments of US$3.7 billion from donors.
  • Collaborated with key GPEI partners to engage strategic partners and ensure polio remains relevant on the global health agenda. A notable success was polio's inclusion in the G20 Leaders’ communiqué in India. Similar efforts are underway to highlight polio at the next G20 in Brazil
  • Created a comprehensive strategy to explore and pursue alternative funding sources, such as loans and debt swaps, in order to enhance resource mobilization and partnerships.

Regional Private Partnerships Manager (MENA)

UNICEF
Amman, Jordan
11.2016 - 07.2022

Led strategic efforts to leverage private sector resources, power, and influence for accelerated impact on the SDGs in the MENA region. Specifically:

  • Engaged private sector stakeholders to incorporate children's rights into their corporate purpose, values, and practices through activities such as fundraising, advocacy, and co-creating programmes.
  • Successfully secured over $150 million in funding from prominent Gulf-based organizations such as Education Above All, Dubai Cares, Al Ghurair Foundation, Alwaleed Philanthropies, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi within a five-year timeframe; Contributed to the expansion of private sector initiatives in Egypt by facilitating an exceptional $6 million donation for COVID-19 relief and establishing a partnership with the Sawiris Foundation. Secured a new $1million anonymous Zakat donation in Sudan.
  • Advocated with key UNICEF leaders to ensure mission alignment and buy-in to drive the requisite culture-change and capacity building to improve the organization's effectiveness at working with private sector partners to advance the rights of children across the region; Led the B4R initiative to integrate private sector engagement in programming to accelerate results for children across MENA;
  • Provided strategic advice, compliance, and technical oversight to country offices in the MENA region to enhance their efforts to effectively engage the private sector to support their programmes

Institute Advancement Officer

UNESCO - International Center for Theoretical Physics
Trieste, Italy
04.2013 - 10.2016

Strategized and executed a successful fundraising initiative that amplified the institute's funding opportunities by attracting over 100 donors from various sectors, such as government agencies, institutions, corporations, foundations, and major donors, generating €25 million annually. Specifically:

  • Also supported regional offices around the world in their local fundraising efforts
  • Assisted stewarding the €20 million annual grant from the Italian government; secured additional donations totaling €1.9 million from various entities, including Simon's Foundation (€600K), Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (€500K), South African government (€500K), and OPEC Fund for International Development (€300K);
  • Established a new fundraising channel to optimize results from private sector donors
  • Collaborated with Scientific colleagues to develop fundable projects, solicitation strategies and donor reporting.

Leadership Development Officer

Habitat for Humanity International
Atlanta, USA
01.2008 - 03.2013

Served as relationship manager for about 150 funding partners with the capacity to make 6+ figure gifts to support the organization’s global mission of eradicating poverty housing from this world

  • Negotiated, monitored, and reported on awarded grants
  • Specifically accomplished the following: Managed an unprecedented US$16 million grant from the Cox Foundation, doubling my annual revenue goal in the process
  • Led capacity building efforts of the organization’s field offices in the United States to enable them to raise lead gifts for the organization’s US$4 billion global capital campaign through: developing strategies; instructing new board members and senior staff on ‘The Basics of Fundraising’; and accompanying them on donor visits
  • Audited Habitat for Humanity country programmes in Botswana and Zambia and worked with board members in both countries to implement recommended changes.

Director of Leadership Giving & Development Services

Habitat for Humanity International
Atlanta, USA
05.2005 - 01.2008

Managed the Prospect Research and Development Writing team of 7 staff responsible for prospecting, proposal writing and donor reports to support the organization’s US$4 billion global fundraising campaign

  • Specifically accomplished the following: Managed about 50 key donor relationships and consistently exceeded my annual revenue targets
  • Coordinated a team of internal stakeholders that negotiated and closed a US$100 million planned gift, the largest in the organization’s history
  • Successfully led efforts to establish a culture of giving and fundraising within the organization by overseeing a ‘leadership giving campaign’ to encourage board members and senior staff to donate and fundraise for the organization.

Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President/COO

Habitat for Humanity International
Atlanta, USA
03.2004 - 04.2005

Served as Chief of Staff for the Executive VP/COO to plan, implement strategic initiatives, monitor, and evaluate organizational performance

  • Specifically accomplished the following: Supported the production of a new enterprise-wide strategic plan for the organization that resulted in a three-fold increase in the number of families impacted annually
  • Prepared management reports for the Executive VP/COO to present at Board meetings and advised on the key initiatives to highlight
  • Served on a task force responsible for assessing the effectiveness and impact of the organization’s Regional Support Centers in the United States
  • Our recommendations led to the elimination of this support infrastructure.

Associate Director, International Youth Programmes

Habitat for Humanity International
Atlanta, USA
01.2000 - 02.2004

Oversaw global efforts to identify, empower and engage young people as leaders in the organization’s mission to eliminate poverty housing from this world

  • Specifically accomplished the following: Successfully recruited over 4,000 local and international volunteers to build 100 homes in 5 days for the organization’s annual flagship event: The Jimmy Carter Work Project
  • Established new partnerships with three international schools
  • Organized a leadership conference for 10 youth leaders from around the world.

Regional Programme Manager

Habitat for Humanity (Malawi)
Blantyre, Malawi
03.1997 - 12.1999

Led five of the organization’s 12 projects, overseeing the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the organization’s affordable housing programme across the country

  • Specifically accomplished the following: Managed 40 staff had built over 2000 houses at the rate of 20 per month and raised their repayment rate by 30%
  • Served as local community organizer: developed capacity and provided training for local community leaders
  • Conducted a programmatic impact assessment of the Habitat for Humanity (Botswana) country programme.

Education

MBA - Management

ThePowerMBA Business School
09-2021

Certificate - Strategic Philanthropy in Emerging Markets: Maximizing Impact

University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
01.2021

Certificate - Leading Sustainable Corporations

Oxford University, Said Business School
01.2021

Post Graduate Certificate - Non-Profit Financial Stewardship

Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government
12-2011

MSc - Public Policy and Management

University of London, School of Oriental & African Studies
05-2009

BSc - International Economics & Computer Sciences

University of Malawi
07-1996

Skills

  • Strategic Leadership
  • Resource Mobilization
  • Team Leadership & Development
  • Financial Management
  • Public-Private Partnerships
  • Relationship Building
  • Board Mentorship & Support
  • Programme Design & Evaluation
  • Advocacy
  • Capital Campaigns
  • Training and Facilitation
  • Public Speaking
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Oral & Written Communication

Timeline

Resource Mobilization Manager (Polio Eradication)

UNICEF HQ
07.2022 - Current

Regional Private Partnerships Manager (MENA)

UNICEF
11.2016 - 07.2022

Institute Advancement Officer

UNESCO - International Center for Theoretical Physics
04.2013 - 10.2016

Leadership Development Officer

Habitat for Humanity International
01.2008 - 03.2013

Director of Leadership Giving & Development Services

Habitat for Humanity International
05.2005 - 01.2008

Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President/COO

Habitat for Humanity International
03.2004 - 04.2005

Associate Director, International Youth Programmes

Habitat for Humanity International
01.2000 - 02.2004

Regional Programme Manager

Habitat for Humanity (Malawi)
03.1997 - 12.1999

MBA - Management

ThePowerMBA Business School

Certificate - Strategic Philanthropy in Emerging Markets: Maximizing Impact

University of Cambridge, Judge Business School

Certificate - Leading Sustainable Corporations

Oxford University, Said Business School

Post Graduate Certificate - Non-Profit Financial Stewardship

Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government

MSc - Public Policy and Management

University of London, School of Oriental & African Studies

BSc - International Economics & Computer Sciences

University of Malawi
YAMIKO ATUPELE SAMU