Director of Development
About WEPOWER
WEPOWER is building a team full of dreamers and doers. We partner with Black and Latinx communities to build power to re-design education, economic, public safety, and health systems to be just and equitable for all. We build powerful relationships with community members and amplify their voices to inform critical decisions that impact their lives. We train community members to design new policies, organize, and lead policy and systems change. We provide early-stage companies with access to coaching, capital, connections, and community as they create jobs in the communities with whom we partner. In just three years, WEPOWER has activated 300 community leaders, won a historic ballot measure that guarantees public funding annually for early childhood, supported 30 businesses with access to capital, coaching, and connections, and launched a one-of-a-kind investment fund for Black and Latinx businesses. We envision a future where systems are accountable to powerful communities that have been historically oppressed, and nurture our freedom, well-being, dreams, and joy. We are building a powerful movement led by everyday people, and we have bold plans for the years ahead to get us there. Join us!
About the Opportunity
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Director of Development (DoD) is an exempt full-time employee who needs to be based in or willing to relocate to St. Louis. The Director of Development will help ensure the organization is financially sustainable and able to execute our four-year strategic framework as we scale from a startup to an established organization that achieves bold systems transformation. This includes management of (1) donor relation tracking, data analysis, and reporting, (2) grant management, (3) and cultivating and stewarding new donors while also supporting other members of the team with doing so. The DoD is especially responsible for fostering a culture of fundraising that is deeply relational and anti-racist, particularly pushing the team and board to practice the 10 Principles of Community-Centric Fundraising. The salary range is $65,000-$100,000.
Together, We Will Celebrate...
- Achievement of our annual fundraising goals that align with our four-year strategic framework.
- 2021: $2 million
- 2022: $2.5 million
- 2023: $2.88 million
- 2024: $3.30 million
- Significant growth in the number of and diversity of new donors and continuous growth of donor retention.
- Improvement and management of a strong grant management system.
You Will
Continue to develop and innovate WEPOWER's annual development strategy in a way that models our values and the 10 Principles of Community-Centric Fundraising.
- Engage in weekly coaching and professional development experiences facilitated by WEPOWER's fundraising consultant/coach and fully immerse oneself in fundraising training opportunities made available.
- Track and analyze development data from previous years to set ambitious yet achievable goals and benchmarks in the years ahead that consider all appropriate revenue streams.
- Make development projections that align with the annual budget projections.
- Partner with the CEO and Board to refine and develop strategies, assign leads for the various strategies, and map out schedules to execute strategies.
- Oversee research funding sources and trends, with foresight, to help position WEPOWER ahead of major funding changes or trends.
- Work with the CEO to manage the Board's Development Subcommittee.
- Monitor and report regularly on the progress of the development program.
Manage the process of growing and diversifying WEPOWER's community of donors.
Donor Relations
- Manage backend coordination of development efforts that supports the CEO and board with the implementation of strategies and action plans to cultivate and steward high capacity donors and prospects.
- Manage systems and software to track and cultivate donors and prospects, including our donor database.
- Leverage the system to schedule and coordinate frequent communications and outreach to current and prospective donors.
- Manage the coordination of communications in between meetings and convos including thank you notes, updates on organizational impact, and creative tokens of appreciation.
- Efficiently track and monitor all communications, actions, events, and commitments for each partner in the portfolio in Salesforce to ensure a positive and consistent investor experience.
- Manage the process to expand the donor pipeline and cultivate new donors through research, and managing the CEO and board to build relationships.
- Complete donor research and briefs.
- Prep materials for meetings with current and prospective donors.
- Continuously leverage the donor database to analyze the current donor base and manage the process of growing the number of monthly and annual recurring donors
- Communicate fundraising goals throughout the organization and equip the team. members, especially the CEO to reach them.
- Work with the CEO to identify staffing needs, interview candidates, and onboard well-qualified team members to support development efforts.
- Work with the CEO, board, and the CEO's administrative assistant to respond quickly and comprehensively to requests for follow-up, clarification, and additional information with the aim of demonstrating the appreciation and value we place on our donors' support.
- Prepare materials for board and board-level development committee meetings to ensure our board members are informed of progress to goal and confident in our key strategies.
Grant Management
- Manage a grants manager or consultant who identifies grants, writes grants and grant reports.
- Work with the grants manager or consultant and finance team to ensure grant requirements are met and tracked against the budget.
Work Environment
Fun. Fast. Focused. Values-driven. Community-centered. Collaborative. Innovative. Lots of brainstorming and imagining what's possible and then chasing each possibility until it is reality!
As a startup, being part of the team at WEPOWER requires extreme commitment and agility, AND we value each team member's personal life circumstances and priorities. We will work together to ensure the organization prioritizes the health, social-emotional wellbeing, and morale of each team member! Some evening and weekend work will be expected.
Travel
You will engage in limited travel with the exception of professional development experiences that align to your short-term and long-term development goals and areas of interest.
Compensation
The salary and benefits package will be highly competitive with other organizations of similar stature and size. The salary range is $65,000-$100,000.
Equal Opportunity Employer
At WEPOWER, we don't just accept differences - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our team, our programs, and our community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, political affiliation or belief, or genetic information.
This position description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
Process
- Phase One: Submit an application by 11:59 pm CST, January 2nd, 2022.
- Phase Two: Interview with the hiring manager.
- Phase Three: Interview with selection team and performance activity.
- Phase Four: Leadership assessment, reference checks, coffee with close partners.
You Are...
- Thorough.
- An Effective Communicator.
- A Relationship Builder.
- A Champion of Racial & Cultural Identity Development.
- Results-Oriented.
- Entrepreneurial & Strategic Leadership.
Your Education & Experiences Include...
- Minimum of five years experience in fund development
- Demonstrated success cultivating and closing gifts of $25,000 and more
- Experience working with a board of directors
- Bachelor's degree preferred