Director of Development

The African American Policy Forum seeks an inaugural Director of Development to play a pivotal role in building the infrastructure and strategy to sustain AAPF’s bold vision for racial and gender justice. As the organization continues to mature and develop strategies to ensure its resiliency, this leader will shape and execute a comprehensive fundraising program that aligns with AAPF’s values, voice, and intellectual leadership. This is a critical time for AAPF—and for the broader movement—and this role is designed for a development leader who brings the clarity, creativity, and conviction to help AAPF meet the urgency of the moment with sustained resources and strategy. The Director of Development position is made possible by recent catalytic investments from key funders and reflects AAPF’s commitment to professionalizing its internal systems and resourcing its ambitious agenda; the right candidate will recognize both the opportunity and the challenge of building a development function within a deeply intellectual, evolving, and mission-driven environment.

Reporting directly to Co-Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, the Director of Development will serve as a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and the entire organization, This leader will play a pivotal role in sharpening and communicating AAPF’s case for support, building and managing a high-performing development team, strengthening foundation relationships, and launching a new individual giving program to diversify and grow the organization’s funding base.

As the senior fundraising leader, the Director is responsible for preparing and implementing an annual fundraising plan and related collateral including projections, timetables, and deliverables, that will detail how AAPF will meet its philanthropic fundraising goals. They will oversee all fundraising activities and initiatives for AAPF, including grants management, individual giving, annual planning, corporate sponsorship, and reporting including assembling the organization’s end-of-year report. As the organization develops long-term plans for financial sustainability, key collaborators with the Director of Development will include the Executive Director, the Director of Finance and the Vice President of People and Culture.

The Director will assume some existing relationships, mainly reflective of foundation donors and prospects and some corporate – while conducting their own exploration of new funding opportunities and engagements – and will have direct involvement in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major gifts. They will research, identify, pursue, develop, and respond to emerging funding opportunities; partner with leadership and program colleagues to develop and submit proposals for funding; and fully steward grants – inclusive of timely administration, budgeting, and reporting – while providing the programmatic team with funder-related guidance as needed.

SELECT RESPONSIBILITIES (see position description for full details)

Given the breadth and depth of responsibilities, these will be prioritized and sequenced over a twelve to eighteen-month period.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy that reflects AAPF’s mission, values, and evolving organizational priorities.
• Partner with leadership to clarify AAPF’s value proposition and develop compelling donor communications that translate AAPF’s intellectual work into funding narratives.
• Participate with the management team in developing and implementing the AAPF’s strategic and operational plans, providing insight into funder and donor needs and expectations.

FUNDRAISING IMPLEMENTATION & STEWARDSHIP

• Deepen and expand existing institutional relationships across family foundation, corporate, and government funders.
• Lead grant strategy and proposal development in collaboration with the Executive Director and Program staff, and ensure thoughtful stewardship, reporting, and compliance. Hire 1 FTE who will support this work.
• Design and initiate a baseline individual giving program, including donor segmentation, messaging, cultivation and solicitation strategies, and infrastructure setup.
• Identify and develop effective approaches for seeking new sources of funding including researching and analyzing relevant philanthropic opportunities and remaining informed of trends in related social justice movements and philanthropy serving organizations.

INTERNAL COORDINATION & SYSTEMS BUILDING

• Create internal systems to connect funding opportunities with organizational priorities, including a grant development pipeline, calendar, and impact tracking framework.
• Identify and implement a donor management database.
• Collaborate closely with program staff to ensure alignment between funding strategies and field-facing work.
• Collaborate with the management team and program team leaders to provide a development perspective on content, timelines, and milestones for AAPF’s programs and campaigns.

SELECT QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS (see position description for full details)

• 5+ years of experience in nonprofit development and fundraising; demonstrated effectiveness in cultivating, raising, and managing funds from institutional donors and individuals.
• Practical working knowledge of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality to credibly ground and inform the organization’s fundraising strategy.
• Demonstrated familiarity with AAPF mission, programs, and initiatives, with a willingness to deepen that knowledge to ensure alignment and strategic support through tailored fundraising content and outreach efforts.
• Prior experience managing a team.
• Successful solicitation at the $50,000 level and higher.
• Track record of developing effective fundraising strategies, systems, and plans.
• A proactive approach; experience initiating relationships and building a portfolio from scratch is helpful.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

To express interest in the position, please submit your confidential resume and letter of interest to

aapf-dod@pearlstreetcollective.com. Full position description may be viewed here: https://www.pearlstreetcollective.com/positions/aapf-dod

The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is an equal opportunity employer that values a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are committed to building a team that reflects a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and we strongly encourage applications from individuals who have historically been underrepresented in nonprofit, academic, and policy work. If you are committed to advancing racial and social justice and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, we encourage you to apply.