The Alliance for Youth Action and their sister 501(c)(3) organization, the Alliance for Youth Organizing, is looking to hire an experienced Chief Development Officer with strong donor relations to grow and increase impact on a national scale. This individual will build rapport with a diverse field of donors, foundations, and other funding sources to increase the Alliance’s budget of $3-5M in new money annually to sustain and grow their network of 20 progressive youth-led organizations. The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will lead a growing development team (currently a Development and Grants Manager and a Development and Individual Giving Manager with plans to grow to 4). The position reports to the Executive Director and will work closely with the entire team and Board.
About the Alliance for Youth Action
The Alliance convenes, supports, and scales a national network of youth-led, locally rooted organizations growing civic engagement and social justice coast to coast. We truly are a multiracial network “of young people, by young people, for all people.” Our Affiliates and Partners run massive voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, train new young leaders and run powerful campaigns to win on the progressive issues our generation cares about most. Our national team empowers this work by tracking down national resources for the network, building capacity for local groups, seeding new efforts, and coordinating national issue campaigns.
Job Responsibilities
Key responsibilities of this position include:
Development Planning, Strategy, and Execution
- Planning, developing, and implementing a multi-year strategic fundraising plan at multiple levels, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors.
- Working closely with the Board Fundraising Task Force to leverage relationships and identification of potential new board members.
- Building on a robust donor program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with individual and institutional donors.
- Providing guidance and support to the Development team in the planning and execution of individual and institutional donors and strategies.
- Crafting the Alliance’s fundraising narrative that reflects work across the organization and network; and ensuring a clear and consistent narrative across all fundraising materials and communications.
Organizational Leadership
- Building, growing, and leading a developing department in a way that is consistent with the Alliance’s culture.
- Designing structure, process, and performance metrics.
- Managing the Development team (including hiring a Director of Development) and supporting them in reaching the goals and objectives set forth in the annual work plan.
- Building and maintaining key stakeholder relationships with foundations, individuals, and major donors, among others.
Partnerships
- Uplifting network organizations to national partners and inviting collaboration or direct resourcing when appropriate.
- Working with the Executive Director and Development team to develop and execute a fundraising strategy that identifies and raises money from new revenue streams, including corporate partnerships, unions, and high net worth individuals.
- Collaborating with key stakeholders who are actively raising and granting funds to local and state based organizations on fundraising and donor organizing strategies.
- Developing strong relationships with other colleagues in funding spaces and communicating the Alliance’s vision with donors, stakeholders, and partners, while also working to expand community engagement and identify prospective funding partners.
Development Capacity Building
- Introducing training sessions aimed at enhancing the development capabilities of Executive Directors and Development staff across the network.
- Establishing a culture of mentorship within the network and fostering a culture of professional development and growth.
- Implementing regular feedback loops and assessment mechanisms to continuously improve the development strategies across the network.
- Facilitating collaborative fundraising efforts among network members, leveraging collective strength.
Candidate Profile
Strong candidates will bring a clear track record of development success, experience leading and growing teams and achieving ambitious goals, and a desire to be part of a highly mission-driven organizational culture. The CDO will be a natural partner with a demonstrated ability in building transformational relationships for sustainable revenue, relevance, and impact. A highly adept and strong communicator, the CDO will steward high-net worth individuals, work to grow all donor touch points, and cultivate key stakeholders. Calling upon their broad and deep fundraising experience, the CDO will demonstrate fluency in effective partnerships with mass donor and integrated fundraising campaigns as well as philanthropic operations.
While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- Fundraising & Development Expertise
- 7+ years’ experience leading a robust and complex fundraising operation, with direct experience and knowledge of the full spectrum of development, including planned giving, major gifts, institutional fundraising, stewardship, online fundraising, and partnerships.
- Experience working across multiple program areas and legal entities and developing a culture of philanthropy internally.
- Experience in securing six- and seven-figure support and an understanding of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.
- Strategic Leadership
- A self-starter with a strong initiative who, in addition to directing current systems, has the vision and skill to streamline and improve those systems.
- Demonstrated knowledge and application of strategic planning and project management expertise.
- Ability to identify short- and long-term needs, goals, and challenges, and ensure that the programs and initiatives of both departmental and interdepartmental work are directed toward addressing those needs, goals, and challenges.
- Relationship Builder & Collaborator
- Strong understanding of how race dynamics impact supervisory relationships,
organizational culture, partnerships, campaigns, and coalition work and can demonstrate a
history of successfully intervening in problematic dynamics and deepening a racial justice
approach within an organization, team, or campaign. - Commitment to ensuring that organizational values, especially those related to diversity,
equity, and inclusion, are reflected in all development programs and operations. - Strong emotional intelligence with dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space for
learning and growth. - Balances judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and political acumen.
- Strong understanding of how race dynamics impact supervisory relationships,
- Passion for the Alliance’s Mission
- Belief in youth organizing as a vehicle for change and will have a core philosophy of young people as change managers within their communities.
- Understanding of power and racial, LGBTQ+, economic, and gender justice and how they intersect.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture.
- Belief in a federated model of organizing and local power.
In Addition, Strong Candidates Will Offer:
- Proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets.
- Proficiency in Google Suite, Project Management Software, and Slack.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and patience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Comfort with technology and virtual communication systems, including Zoom, Google
Hangouts, etc.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $150,000 – $175,000 with a generous benefits package covering 100% of employee medical, dental, & vision insurance premiums, 75% of premiums for employee dependents, employer retirement contributions (SEP IRA), life insurance, short and long term disability income protection insurance, cell phone stipend, Wi-Fi stipend, WMATA transportation smartbenefits, professional development opportunities, a generous paid time off policy, and up to 16 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
Travel: Must be willing to work periodically long, irregular hours and to travel as needed. Domestic travel for this role may be up to 35% of this position.
Equal Opportunity
The Alliance for Youth Action is an equal-opportunity employer committed to a diverse work environment. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities are encouraged to apply.
Contact
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. To express interest in this role please submit your resume and a compelling letter of interest directly to Turner Delano (tdelano@koyapartners.com) and Sarah Wilson (swilson@koyapartners.com).
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.