The Organization
At Democracy Works, we work to help Americans vote, no matter what. To that end, we build technology for both voters and election administrators that increases voter access and participation.
Position Overview
Democracy Works’ Development Team excels in generating revenue to advance our work to help Americans vote, no matter what. To create sustainability in both our funding pipelines and in our programmatic offerings, the Democracy Works Development Department raises over 70% of the organization’s annual budget through contributions, distributed through multiple revenue channels: corporations, foundations, major gifts, mid-level gifts, and the community giving fund.
As a part of the team, you will be in charge of making sure we hire, retain, and grow a talented and diverse team of development professionals, while you maintain your own portfolio of donors and investors.
You will:
Grow and supervise two Associate Directors of Development and one Development Manager that are part of a union collective
Report to and collaborate with the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to assign portfolios, donors, leads, and prospects to team members
Collaborate with the CDO to set annual monetary team goals
Maintain and manage a multi-million-dollar portfolio of donors and prospects with the intent to discover and realize donor potential
Have a minimum annual fundraising goal of $1M+ tied to a blended portfolio as specified in performance standards, including both renewable and new incremental revenue
Partner with the CDO to create long-term strategies, identify new sources of revenue, and introduce innovative concepts to the team that strengthen our current tactics
Work alongside Democracy Works’ internal teams and partners to refine and segment fundraising strategies in alignment with their respective objectives and interests
Be accountable for cultivating relationships with individual, foundation, and corporate donors, and guide your team as they cultivate their portfolios
Engage in conversations about anti-oppression and racial justice in our work
You are:
A proven and motivational leader and manager that has experience managing multiple full-time staff
An experienced fundraiser with a history of raising five, six and seven figure gifts
Supportive of the mission of Democracy Works and understand the civic engagement space
A gifted storyteller who effectively communicates impact to external audiences
Able to work effectively with multiple stakeholders and audiences
Able to work independently, both remotely and in-person (post pandemic)
Able to meet donors in person (post pandemic)
Able to integrate strategic goals into day-to-day tasks
Proficient with Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Salesforce
Well-versed in issues of systemic oppression, including racial justice, or are committed to deepening your knowledge
You have experience:
Supervising, mentoring, motivating, and growing multiple full-time staff members for 1-3 years, preferably in a union environment
Encouraging staff accountability by setting clear expectations and providing constructive feedback
Managing independent work that requires self-direction and close attention to detail
Soliciting gifts from individuals and foundations from $10K up to and exceeding $1M
Of at least 2 years managing portfolios over $1M and up to $5M
Meeting annual $1M+ monetary goals
Creating robust prospect lists of high wealth capacity donors and expanding your portfolio
Working with clients, customers, donors, and investors
Working in the civic engagement space
Working with CRM software like Salesforce or equivalent informational databases
Physical demands:
This position requires regular, daily use of a computer (including use of G-Suite and Slack) to conduct work and communicate with colleagues. For those working out of our Brooklyn office, the F train stops closest to our office, but exiting the station requires the use of four flights of stairs. Our office has an elevator available at street level. Streets and buildings nearby are currently under construction, which can disrupt sidewalks and result in varying levels of construction noise audible from the office. Our offices share a set of bathrooms with other offices on our floor, and there are no gender neutral bathrooms in the building at this time.
Social expectations:
Regular (weekly and monthly) meetings are expected with the supervisor and direct reports for this role, as well as colleagues and donors, both in person (when appropriate) and virtual. External-facing meetings are required for this role.
Time and travel expectations:
Our regular operating hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. Two times per year, all full-time staff members participate in a five-day retreat in our Brooklyn offices. All Staff is held each year in May and November, when we are able to safely do so. This position requires 20% travel in non-pandemic times.
In your responses, please include only the following information:
What are your pronouns?
How did you find this job listing?
Why are you interested in this role and working at Democracy Works?
Democracy Works values diversity in its teams. Why is it important to you to work on a diverse team? How do you communicate a nonpartisan voice while balancing your passion for a cause?
Describe your supervisory experience and management style. (Number of direct reports, team dynamic, etc.)
Describe your most rewarding fundraising experience relative to gifts over $10K and up to and exceeding $1M. Include major gift experience, as well as foundation and corporate revenue.
Are you authorized to work lawfully in the United States for Democracy Works?
As part of our application, you’ll see an optional form used to collect EEOC demographic information. The data collected in this form is useful in our EEOC reporting and in our assessment of our recruitment practices. However, please keep in mind that the standardized EEOC language used in this form does not reflect the values of Democracy Works – for example, we don’t view gender as binary. We also encourage all applicants to state their pronouns when applying for any job opening at Democracy Works.
Democracy Works is committed to diversity and inclusion in everything we do and aspires to have a team that’s representative of the voters we serve. When hiring, we practice proactive outreach to top talent that’s underrepresented in our sector. We’re a woman- and gay-founded nonprofit, and promote an inclusive culture that stands against racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism (to name a few). To be explicit, we strongly encourage applicants of all races, ethnicities, political party associations, religions (or lack thereof), national origins, sexual orientations, genders, sexes, ages, abilities, and branches of military service.
Democracy Works follows the I-9 requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position, and you must possess your own work authorization in the U.S. now and in the future to continue working in this position.
Feel free to contact work@democracy.works if you have any questions about our commitment to inclusion or about general hiring practices, or if you need an accommodation for a medical condition during the hiring process. Democracy Works posts all current career opportunities at: https://www.democracy.works/careers