Nonprofit Engagement & Capacity Building Manager

ABOUT BROOKLYN ORG

Brooklyn Org is a champion for Brooklyn. We celebrate Brooklyn’s brilliance and resilience, its incomparable culture and uncompromising grit – and we demand more for our communities.

Over our 15-year history, we have reimagined the role of philanthropy and provided immeasurable support to communities and nonprofit partners that are leading transformational change for Brooklyn. With a new model for community philanthropy, we are bringing together Brooklynites, Brooklyn backers, businesses, and broader believers in equity and justice to make Brooklyn a beacon for the world.

We are a platform for galvanizing giving. We are here to ensure that ideas are met with resources, challenges are met with solutions, and inequity is met with justice.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Brooklyn Org strengthens Brooklyn’s nonprofit ecosystem in two complementary ways: through flexible grantmaking and by investing in the relationships, skills, resources, and collective voice that help nonprofit organizations serve Brooklynites effectively. Reporting to the Vice President of Programs, the Nonprofit Engagement & Capacity Building Manager leads day-to-day implementation of the organization’s nonprofit ecosystem-strengthening strategy across three pillars: Community & Connection; Skills & Organizational Strengthening; and Voice & Influence.

The Manager is a relationship builder, convener, and curator. The ideal candidate is not expected to be a technical expert in every nonprofit management discipline. They listen to nonprofit leaders, identify shared needs, design relevant experiences, recruit participants through sustained personal engagement, coordinate expert partners and consultants, and measure whether programming creates meaningful value. They collaborate closely with Programs, Communications, Development, and Operations and help ensure that the voices and needs of Brooklyn’s nonprofit workforce inform BKO’s work.

This is a full-time, exempt position. It is located in Brooklyn, NY and will require some early morning, evening, and weekend work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Community & Connection

• Cultivate and sustain trusted relationships with nonprofit leaders and organizations across Brooklyn, including those not currently funded by BKO.
• Plan and facilitate leadership communities, affinity or issue-based peer groups, networking gatherings, and cross-sector convenings that foster belonging, mutual support, and collaboration.
• Lead personalized outreach, invitations, follow-up, and participant stewardship; use feedback and attendance patterns to improve the relevance and accessibility of gatherings.
• Identify opportunities to connect nonprofit leaders with peers, advisors, institutions, and collaborators; support relationships that continue beyond BKO-hosted events.

Skills & Organizational Strengthening

• Assess recurring nonprofit capacity needs through listening, participant feedback, grantee-facing staff, and credible sector research; translate findings into a focused annual programming plan.
• Coordinate practical workshops, peer-learning cohorts, technical assistance, and access to specialists in areas such as governance, fundraising, financial management, technology, and emerging workforce skills.
• Source, select, contract, and manage consultants, facilitators, coaches, and other partners; monitor scope, quality, budgets, timelines, and participant experience.
• Explore cost-effective shared resources and curated referrals that help nonprofits access expertise they might otherwise lack.

Voice & Influence

• Document recurring challenges, emerging issues, and promising practices shared by nonprofit leaders, and synthesize these insights for BKO leadership.
• Coordinate constructive conversations among nonprofit leaders and relevant institutional decision-makers, in partnership with senior leadership.
• Collaborate with Communications to elevate nonprofit perspectives, stories, and sector insights, with appropriate consent and sensitivity to grantee relationships.
• Close the feedback loop by communicating what BKO heard, what actions followed, and where further work is needed. Note: institutional advocacy positions and sensitive external relationships remain under senior leadership direction.

Program Management, Learning & Collaboration

• Implement and manage an annual workplan, calendar, and budget for nonprofit engagement and capacity-building activities, drawing on external consultants and cross-team support.
• Execute clear objectives and success measures for each offering; use registration and attendance data, pre/post survey results, and follow-up assessments to understand changes in skills, connections, application, and value.
• Report concise insights, outcomes, challenges, and recommendations to the Vice President of Programs and other stakeholders; adapt programming based on evidence rather than event volume alone.
• Lead coordinator for the annual Brooklyn Gives year-end local giving campaign activities, including managing technology platform consultants, recruiting nonprofit participants, managing matches and day-of prizes, and collaborating with other departments on communications and donor engagement strategies
• Coordinate event logistics in partnership with other BKO divisions and teammates.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong commitment to advancing racial justice in Brooklyn.
• Relevant experience in nonprofit engagement, community organizing, capacity building, coalition building, program management, or related work.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted, inclusive relationships across diverse communities and recruit participants through direct, sustained engagement.
• Strong convening, facilitation, event/program design, and project management skills; ability to translate community needs into compelling, useful offerings.
• Experience selecting or managing external consultants, vendors, or partner organizations and tracking budgets and deliverables.
• Comfort collecting and interpreting participant feedback and outcome measures, and using findings to improve programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, sound judgment, and commitment to Brooklyn’s nonprofit sector.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments, balance several projects, and occasionally attend morning, evening, or weekend events; multilingual skills are a plus.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Deep commitment to racial equity and justice
• Strong passion for Brooklyn communities
• Bachelor’s degree with at least 5years of work experience in nonprofit, grants, and/or events
• Excellent project management and written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work in a high-performance environment
• Ability to design, implement, and monitor effective workflow processes and procedures
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and cloud-based platforms and tools

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Currently full-time employees are expected to work in the BKO office located in Downtown Brooklyn Monday through Thursday with occasional events on Friday.

DIVERSITY

In alignment with its Racial Justice Lens, the Organization is committed to maintaining a staff that diversifies philanthropy, including lifting up the leadership of people from communities historically underrepresented in the field and those directly affected by structural racism, centering them in decision-making. Additionally, BKO does not base any hiring decisions on an applicant’s history of involvement in the criminal justice system.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Brooklyn Org is an equal opportunity employer. The Organization does not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Brooklyn Org has a competitive and exhaustive benefits and leave plan and the salary range for this position is $80,000 – $85,000 dependent on the successful candidate’s background and experience.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter and resume via email to search@brooklyn.org. Please write Nonprofit Engagement & Capacity Building Manager in the Subject Line of your email and mention where you found this job posting.