Head of Partnerships

Position: Head of Partnerships (Full Time, Remote)

Organization: Accelerate Change

Reports to: Frank Morris Lopez, VP of Development & Executive Operations

Direct Reports: N/A

Location: Full-time, 100% remote position in the United States (from home or co-working space)

COVID-19: We take Covid-19 safety very seriously. Employees must follow our Covid safety protocols and be fully vaccinated and boosted. Accommodations are provided to the extent required by law. For employees based in the state of Florida and Texas, the COVID-19 vaccine is encouraged but not required due to Florida and Texas state laws.

About Accelerate Change

Founded in 2012, Accelerate Change is a nonprofit (c3/c4) digital media lab that develops and scales innovative models for civic engagement, particularly in communities of color and low-income communities.

We are the nation’s largest mission-driven media network with our vibrant cultural media partners, including NowThis, Impact, PushBlack, ParentsTogether, Pulso, plus más media, Warp Media, The Root / Watering Hole Media, and FEMINIST, alongside dynamic creator networks that collectively reach more than 135 million people. Each month, one in three American adults views an average of more than six stories or videos across our platforms, more than two-thirds of whom are BIPOC.

Our theory of change is rooted in functional organizing: the belief that sustainable, scalable civic engagement grows when organizations provide real value in people’s everyday lives. By producing culturally resonant media content, not ads, we build affinity and trust before layering in nonpartisan civic engagement, issue education, and action.

Across our network, we:

• Scale emerging cultural media properties
• Invest in and expand established mission-aligned platforms
• Lead a digital media experimentation lab
• Build and support influencer networks
• Drive large-scale civic engagement campaigns

At our core, we are collaborative, solutions-oriented, and deeply committed to advancing racial equity through an intersectional lens. We center distributed leadership, reject scarcity mindsets, and view anti-racism as mission-critical, both externally and within our organizational culture.

Learn more about our theory of change, approach, and impact at https://acceleratechange.org/about/

Our team is made up of digital media innovators and operators who bring a mix of tech, business, civic engagement, and media backgrounds. Meet our team and learn more about our culture at https://acceleratechange.org/values-team/

About the Position

Accelerate Change is seeking a strategic, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven Head of Partnerships to lead institutional fundraising and cultivate transformative philanthropic relationships.

Reporting to the VP of Development & Executive Operations, this role will drive the expansion of high-impact institutional partnerships and secure gifts in the $100,000–$500,000 range. The Head of Partnerships will work closely with executive leadership to design and execute a comprehensive strategy to grow philanthropic revenue, steward long-term partners, and position Accelerate Change as a premier investment opportunity in civic media and organizing innovation.

This is a relationship-forward, externally facing leadership role for someone energized by building trust with funders, translating complex digital media and organizing strategies into compelling investment cases, and helping shape the next chapter of growth for a rapidly scaling organization.

The Opportunity

Accelerate Change has experienced significant growth and network expansion in recent years, scaling both its media reach and its civic engagement impact. With a strong foundation of institutional support and a predominantly institutional funding base, the organization is well positioned for its next phase of strategic growth.

The Head of Partnerships will play a central role in that trajectory.

This is an opportunity to:

• Build and deepen relationships with leading philanthropic institutions investing in democracy, civic engagement, media innovation, and racial equity.
• Shape and refine a compelling case for support that bridges digital media experimentation, cultural content, and measurable civic outcomes.
• Partner closely with executive leadership to identify new funding pathways and strategic growth opportunities.
• Contribute meaningfully to an organization that is redefining how young people and BIPOC communities engage with civic life.

The ideal candidate will thrive in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment where experimentation, iteration, and strategic learning are core operating principles. Responsibilities will evolve as the organization grows — and the right leader will embrace that dynamism.

Here’s what you could expect to do as the Head of Partnerships (key responsibilities):

• Identify, cultivate, and secure new institutional funders aligned with Accelerate Change’s mission and growth strategy.
• Strategically manage and expand a robust portfolio of philanthropic partners capable of six-figure investments.
• Lead fundraising efforts to secure gifts between $100,000 and $500,000, working toward an annual fundraising target of $5M after two years in the role.
• Travel (~40%) to conferences, funder convenings, and in-person meetings to deepen relationships and expand visibility.
• Collaborate closely with the VP of Development & Executive Operations and executive leadership to refine and execute donor outreach and engagement strategies.
• Help shape and evolve the organization’s philanthropic case for support and partnership narrative.
• Identify trends, opportunities, and risks within the philanthropic landscape and proactively adjust strategy.
• Produce high-quality, compelling proposals, presentations, reports, and donor communications.
• Translate complex digital media experimentation and civic engagement strategies into accessible, outcome-driven investment opportunities.
• Ensure timely and strategic reporting to funders, working cross-functionally with program and finance teams.
• Implement high-touch stewardship practices to foster long-term partnership growth and donor loyalty.
• Track donor activity and pipeline development with rigor and accuracy in collaboration with internal teams.
• Serve as a trusted ambassador of Accelerate Change to philanthropic audiences.
• Embrace evolving responsibilities within a growing organization.
• Actively contribute to Accelerate Change’s anti-racism commitments and equitable workplace practices.
• Support cross-functional collaboration and represent the organization externally with professionalism and alignment to values.

We’ll also look for the Head of Partnerships to:

• TBD. As part of a rapidly growing organization, you’ll need to embrace change and that your responsibilities will shift over time. Pitching in to help with the needs of your department and the overall Central Team is an important part of your role.
• Help advance our goal of becoming an anti-racist organization. Within your role, apply equitable work practices, challenge white supremacy, and help make our programs more inclusive. Center our understanding that multiple systems of oppression intersect with racism and be an active part of our values work.
• Serve as a resource to our networks of partners. Help amplify partner successes, make connections between partners and facilitate learning sharing, and offer your expertise to partners in our networks wherever it makes sense.
• Take an entrepreneurial approach to their work and learning new skills. In our fast-paced, unstructured environment, we love it when staff first try to figure things out on their own and then ask for help if they’re stuck.
• Seek out opportunities to deepen their skills on current/emerging platforms and with lean startup methodology. We take an individualized approach to growth where staff have the chance to explore and propose development opportunities that align with their interests and the team’s priorities.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in:
  • Institutional fundraising and securing major gifts, or
  • Sales/business development in an impact-driven context.
• Demonstrated success cultivating and securing six-figure philanthropic investments.
• Experience managing and growing complex external partnerships.
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to independently drive outcomes.
• Experience within digital media, media-adjacent industries, or civic engagement ecosystems.
• Gravitas and executive presence when engaging high-level funders.
• Familiarity with lean startup methodologies or experimentation-driven organizations.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 40%.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong relationship-building instincts and emotional intelligence.

Benefits

• $90,000 - $110,000 salary range, and eligible for bonus based on funds raised. Flexibility for work and life: Unlike a lot of places, we actually believe that people should only work 40 hours each week, except for occasional sprints that require more time in a week. We also trust everyone to make a schedule that works for them, as long as you’re able to join all necessary meetings. Want to work more one day and less the next? Fine by us. Work better in the middle of the night than during the afternoon? Go for it. Need to shift your hours to be able to pick up your kid from school? All good.
• Health care at the beginning of your employment with individual premiums fully covered and cost-share for dependents. Vision and dental plans are available at-cost to the individual.
• 15 paid vacation days, 6 paid holidays, 3 paid floating holidays each year, and 7.5 paid sick days each year
• Professional development funds, with renewal of funds each fiscal year
• Cell phone and internet reimbursement (or co-working reimbursement): We acknowledge that working from home requires using your own internet and phone for work purposes, so we offer a set reimbursement amount for cell phone and internet usage. If working from home isn’t for you, we also have the option for folks to rent a co-working space and get reimbursed for their monthly costs.
• Need-based educational loan assistance after 3 months
• 401K contributions and a matching program available at the beginning of your employment
• Annual office closure during the last week of December

To Apply

Accelerate Change has retained the services of ThinkingAhead Executive Search. Interested applicants should send a resume and statement of interest to Heather Campbell, Partner and Executive Recruiter: hcampbell@thinkingahead.com.

Accelerate Change is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQIA+ people must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

• $90,000 - $110,000 salary range, and eligible for bonus based on funds raised. Flexibility for work and life: Unlike a lot of places, we actually believe that people should only work 40 hours each week, except for occasional sprints that require more time in a week. We also trust everyone to make a schedule that works for them, as long as you’re able to join all necessary meetings. Want to work more one day and less the next? Fine by us. Work better in the middle of the night than during the afternoon? Go for it. Need to shift your hours to be able to pick up your kid from school? All good.
• Health care at the beginning of your employment with individual premiums fully covered and cost-share for dependents. Vision and dental plans are available at-cost to the individual.
• 15 paid vacation days, 6 paid holidays, 3 paid floating holidays each year, and 7.5 paid sick days each year
• Professional development funds, with renewal of funds each fiscal year
• Cell phone and internet reimbursement (or co-working reimbursement): We acknowledge that working from home requires using your own internet and phone for work purposes, so we offer a set reimbursement amount for cell phone and internet usage. If working from home isn’t for you, we also have the option for folks to rent a co-working space and get reimbursed for their monthly costs.
• Need-based educational loan assistance after 3 months
• 401K contributions and a matching program available at the beginning of your employment
• Annual office closure during the last week of December