Director of Foundation Relations

Overview

About Community Change and Community Change Action:

Community Change builds the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to lead powerful and dynamic movements for social change.

Our vision of a better world centers the leadership of impacted people of color to move our work on immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial equity, including a focus on jobs and housing, early childhood care and education, income supports, and immigration reform.

This position also supports Community Change Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. While motivated by the same core values – equity, inclusion, and justice – Community Change and Community Change Action operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.

 

Position Description: 

The Director of Foundation Relations is a strategist, a strong leader, a connector and coach, and a builder of teams.

Through their leadership within the Institutional Advancement (IA) team, the Director will apply these strengths to raise foundation grant revenue to support Community Change’s mission. They will advance Community Change’s revenue and sustainability goals; complement the IA team’s major donor and individual giving program; and support the organization’s efforts to diversify funding streams beyond the current cohort of foundation and institutional funders, which represents the majority of Community Change’s annual budget.

The Director of Foundation Relations will ensure that a large amount of complex written materials are produced under deadline; manage a responsive and deeply engaged approach to funder cultivation; develop the strategy to maintain and grow the foundation portfolio; manage information and relationships, including those of principals and senior leadership; and direct the work of the foundation fundraising team, which includes grant writing, deadline and deliverables tracking, and portfolio and relationship management.

A successful Director is open to change and excited to shape a foundation  fundraising team that has the capacity to engage with the work of the organization and meet the fundraising and prospecting needs of program portfolios. The Director is able to learn quickly, work collaboratively, pivot nimbly, and drive projects independently. They are comfortable with a shared leadership structure and committed to working in diverse and cross-functional teams. The Director is determined, resourceful, effective, and a persistent problem-solver who is able to exercise good judgment, and meet deadlines.

As a member of IA’s leadership, the Director of Foundation Relations will help to lead a growing team of mission-driven fundraising professionals alongside the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Director of Brand Strategy and Chief Writer, and the Director of Development. This position reports to the Director of Brand Strategy and Chief Writer, and will supervise a team of grant writers (Senior Development Strategists).

The Director will see fundraising as a vital contribution to the movement for social justice and will be committed to advance the struggle for immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial equity. They will support Community Change’s senior leadership in managing their specific fundraising portfolios, and they will support and cultivate the organization’s culture of philanthropy. They will be committed to supporting the growth of the IA team’s mid-career leaders to achieve their professional goals.

A portion of time will be spent working with Community Change’s sister organization, Community Change Action.

Principal Responsibilities:  

Grant Portfolio Management and Growth

• Develop fundraising strategies that target diverse revenue sources, including identifying new avenues for potential funding, to raise the combined Community Change (C3) and Community Change Action (C4) budget of $50 million annually.
• Oversee the development of foundation prospects; oversee management and cultivation of relationships with key institutional funders; and ensure regular communication with philanthropic stakeholders.
• Support a Culture of Philanthropy across the organization that engages senior leaders in fundraising and funder cultivation and that supports their fundraising activities as part of an integrated development strategy supported by the IA team.
• Support and strengthen the IA team’s unique grant writing model that “embeds” Senior Development Strategists within program teams to better manage grant deliverables and collaboratively develop grant funding strategies.
• Consult with program colleagues to capture the strategies, outcomes, and deliverables of new program areas and connect them with funders.
• Forecast foundation revenue quarterly and collaborate with finance colleagues to plan revenue pipelines; Monitor and report regularly on the progress of the institutional fundraising program.
• Ensure that data are captured properly in Salesforce and used to inform IA fundraising activities.
• As needed, assist with the creation of grant proposals and other content for funder audiences.
• Represent Community Change in meetings with foundation staff and other outside audiences.

Team Leadership and Supervision

• Work with the IA team’s directors to lead and support the team and cultivate cohesion and trust in a remote-work context; actively support the team’s efforts to advance racial and gender justice through its approach to grantseeking and fundraising.
• Supervise and direct the work of the Senior Development Strategists to develop funding proposals, track and report on grant deliverables, and drive prospect cultivation.
• Cultivate professional growth of Senior Development Strategists and provide guidance on work tasks and performance.

Qualifications: 

• Deep commitment to the mission of Community Change and the project of building power with low-income communities of color; passion for social justice and a commitment to work in solidarity with the people directly impacted by injustice.
• Experience managing a large grant portfolio, both in the number of grants and the scale of funding, including a minimum of 10 years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising with at least 5 years of supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of and dexterity within the social justice landscape and its funding environment, including the major funders, national movement organizations, and community-based partner groups. Existing funder relationships appreciated.
• Experience and passion for leading a team, including a commitment to the growth and leadership development of team members; management experience in a rapidly changing environment and collaborative team/reporting structures.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusting relationships internally and externally.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Outlook, MS Office applications, and Salesforce.
• Knowledge of political and electoral fundraising and/or 501(c)(4) fundraising approaches.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including experience crafting and editing written content for philanthropic audiences.

Travel Requirements: During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all work related travel for Community Change staff is voluntary. In the future, we anticipate approximately 10-15% of the year will be spent traveling.

Other Duties:  Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

This position reports to: Director of Brand Strategy and Chief Writer

Supervisory Responsibility:  This position will supervise the Senior Development Strategists.

Classification: Community Change recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with IFPTE Local 70, a union for non-profit workers. This position is not included in Community Change’s bargaining unit and therefore not covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Travel Requirements: Limited travel may be required – up to 10% (upon office reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic)

Salary & Benefits: $125,000 – $135,000 annual salary. Community Change also offers an excellent benefits package, which includes 4 weeks of annual paid vacation; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8% employer contribution to retirement account after six months of employment (and 3% employer contribution for the first 6 months); and a choice of generous health insurance plans.

Closing Date of Position: Open Until Filled

 Position Location: Remote

How to Apply: Please submit cover letter and resume through our website.