Position Overview

People’s Action Institute is seeking an energetic and highly organized Development Director to work with our leadership team to develop and lead the execution of a fundraising strategy on behalf of the organization and our network of affiliates. This is a key role in helping to grow the organization. A successful candidate will be a highly motivated leader and organizer, will have excellent organizational and interpersonal skills and also be a skilled juggler of multiple projects. The candidate should be detail- oriented with strong problem-solving and analytical skills and have excellent verbal and written skills to effectively communicate with multiple audiences.

The Development Director will provide strategic leadership in the planning, implementation, integration, and evaluation of People’s Action’s foundation fundraising strategy. S/he will lead the fundraising team in achieving the organization’s revenue goals, increasing income, and educating and engaging more individuals and institutions in the work of People’s Action Institute. The ideal candidate will be a strong manager of people and systems, significant knowledge and experience in community organizing, and be rooted in a deep commitment to racial and economic justice.

Job Responsibilities

The Development Director oversees the fundraising team and is responsible for developing and managing the execution of a comprehensive development plan, short and long term strategy, goals and action plans in order to meet the organizations goals. Specifically, the Development Director will:

• Work closely with the team to establish annual fundraising goals, set strategic priorities, and advise on program development
• Manage and build a growing team of talented staff, provide on-going guidance, direction, and motivation, hire team members and provide oversight to consultants as needed, delegate appropriately and ensure strong internal communication and coordination, and evaluate performance and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth
• Work closely with the Boards of Directors to engage them more deeply in the fundraising process and to help cultivate a strong relationship between board members and the organization
• Help track cultivation and prospecting activity and ensure the execution of action items
• Solicit contributions from major individual donors and steward long-term relationships with donors• Develop relationships with prospective individual and foundation donors to increase funding
• Research prospective institutional and individual funders
• Work with internal partners to draft and edit proposals and reports• Track proposal and reporting deadlines, ensure that all submitted materials are accurate and comply with any funder requirements
• Manage all grant activity in a central database and deliver regular reports to the Co-Executive Directors
• Oversee the implementation of ongoing programs to improve the renewal rates of existing annual donors, creatively use events to upgrade donors and maintain a diversity of revenue
• Work with the Managing Director to develop annual budgets and income projections
• Stay abreast of political and philanthropic trends and ensure that board and staff are informed of emerging opportunities as well as changes in legislation and other trends and initiatives that might impact giving
• Support local and state affiliates to develop more aggressive foundation fundraising plans. This may include: writing proposals, reviewing proposals, doing planning meetings with state programs staff, researching additional funding sources for affiliates, etc.
• Work to identify and aggressively pursue opportunities/models to develop non- foundation income streams for the organization (such as earned income, fee-for- service, etc).
• Manage the development of an electronic collection of updated organizational materials to be used for foundation and funder site visits
• In collaboration with the Communications team, manage and track funder communications for organization and ensure the production of high-quality, error-free materials, funder reports, annual reports, annual appeal and electronic messaging.• Cultivates high-level relationships with program officers and other foundation leaders and individual donors of interest.• Represent People’s Action at philanthropic meetings and events.

Experience

The ideal candidate should have the following experience and qualifications:

• A minimum of 3 years experience working in a community, labor, or political organizing environment, significant fundraising experience, proven success in building or expanding a foundation fundraising program preferred
• 2 or more years of experience supervising staff; capability of working with a wide range of people and build strong, successful teams
• A clear understanding of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit legal issues/structures
• Extremely well-developed writing skills, and strong interpersonal and organizational communication skills
• Commitment to racial and economic justice and understanding of community organizing and the current issues and political landscape of organizing
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with a broad range of people, and quickly gain the respect and support of key leaders
• Experience as an effective communicator who is articulate and persuasive in both the spoken and written word; must be adept at crafting materials and making presentations to a variety of audiences.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently
• Proven track record of building or expanding a successful foundation fundraising program

Salary and Benefits

Salary is based on experience and you should put your desired range in your cover letter. PAI’s competitive benefits package includes medical and dental insurance, 401k plan with employer contribution, flexible spending account, life insurance, and paid time off in December in addition to paid vacation.

Application Process

Send cover letter, resume and salary requirements to [email protected] with “Development Director” in the subject line. Visit our website, peoplesaction.org. Position is open until filled. People’s Action Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; women, people of color and LGBTQ people are strongly encouraged to apply.