Development Director

WHO WE ARE

We Are In (WAI) is a strategic initiative recently formed by a coalition of civic leaders representing housing and homelessness advocacy organizations, people with lived experience of homelessness, and philanthropic and business organizations. The focus of WAI is to bring together diverse external stakeholders to closely partner with government on advancing solutions to homelessness in King County that are racially equitable, community-driven and data-informed. Our goal is to reduce and ultimately end:

●      the number of people experiencing homelessness in Seattle and King County

●      racial disproportionality in who is impacted by homelessness; and

●      fragmentation in our community’s response to homelessness

 COMMITMENT TO EQUITY

Black, Indigenous, and people of color disproportionately experience homelessness due to historical and systemic racism. We cannot address homelessness without addressing racism at its roots and the trauma it continues to perpetuate. We set universal goals to end homelessness and pursue targeted solutions to achieve these goals. Our racial equity work does not stop there. We are committed to building an internal culture that challenges racism within our organization.

 Individuals identifying as Black, Indigenous, people of color, having lived experience with homelessness, and/or LGBTQ are strongly encouraged to apply. Further, in our effort to conduct an inclusive search for qualified candidates, this position does not require an advanced degree. Educational attainment will be considered along with other experience.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Development Director you will…

General expectations

●      Ground your work in racial equity and social justice- this means, using an anti-oppression/anti-racist lens to all facets of fundraising, content creation, and engagement

●      Acquire and maintain a detailed knowledge of We Are In’s policies, principles, and strategies, and keep up-to-date with relevant developments

 Fund development & management

●      Design, implement, and track a robust and diversified fund development plan to grow We Are In’s revenue and advance our mission in collaboration with staff and board members

●      Launch and facilitate a fund development workgroup to support and advise a fundraising strategy

●      Keep donors engaged and aware of the organization’s work through regular communication, virtual and in-person meetings, small group events

●      Track, prepare, and submit required grant reporting.

●      Collaborate with partners to creatively engage donors more deeply in We Are In’s work

●      Build and maintain relationships with community-partners, funders / philanthropists, and other key external role-players within the homelessness sector

 We Are In strategy and implementation

●      Collaborate with the Founding Director and Directors to cultivate, write, and submit grants reports funding proposals to funders (private and public) to secure flexible and project-based revenue. Work with staff to ensure compliance and communication to funders

●      Work with the Founding Director and fiscal sponsor staff to develop revenue projections

●      Lead quantitative and qualitative evaluation of fundraising outcomes, resulting in informed, data-driven strategies

 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

Anti-racism

●      Proven experience centering and giving power to the voices of people and groups often underserved and underrepresented, namely people with lived experience in homelessness

●      Be personally committed to racial equity, anti-racism, and personal growth

●      Have direct experience working with historically marginalized communities

 Fundraising

●      7-10 years of experience minimum in nonprofit fundraising or comparable experience

●      A proven record of securing visits with donors/prospects and successful face-to-face solicitation. The most competitive candidates will also have experience growing prospects into major donors

●      Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including the ability to motivate and inspire staff, board members, volunteers, funders, and donors.

●      Strong relationship building skills- ability to connect with people from different backgrounds and build relationships across differences

●      Ability to represent the organization at fundraising and community events, comfortable with public speaking

●      Experience creating innovative donor engagement and solicitation strategies to grow a fundraising program and increase unrestricted contributed revenue

●      Experience with growing an annual fund, direct mail, digital campaigns and events, event management, virtual events, and donor stewardship is desired

●      Experience or ability to respond effectively to shifting and evolving fundraising priorities

●      A commitment to donor confidentiality

●      Plus for candidates with experience in fundraising for community advocacy targeting diverse private donor

 Project and donor management

●      Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving objectives

●      Exceptional organizational skills; able to meet deadlines while balancing multiple projects

●      Experience planning and coordinating large-scale events

●      Experience creating reports in Salesforce or other nonprofit CRM applications preferred

 Sector knowledge

●      Possess an understanding of the complexity of homelessness and housing challenges affecting King County and understands the diverse perspectives of varying stakeholders within the region

●      Experience working in sectors such as homelessness, criminal justice, foster care, or other similar sectors where you have formed partnerships with people with lived experience within those systems

○      Preferred lived experience of homelessness

○      Preferred experience within homelessness sector in King County

Culture / work environment

●      Ability to work well within a cross-functional team environment and ability to receive and synthesize feedback from multiple audiences in a collaborative manner

●      Experience connecting and building the brand of an organization and it’s network

●      Proven experience creating opportunities for sharing and learning for Board Members, committees, and community-centered leaders

●      Experience working in collective impact environments involving multiple stakeholders and navigating complex bureaucracies

●      Experience with bureaucracy and heavily matrixed positions

●      Be enthusiastic for our mission and a desire to help us achieve our goals

 Technical

●      Well-versed in Microsoft Suite (esp. Outlook, Word, PowerPoint), social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, email newsletter platforms (e.g.MailChimp / Constant Contact)

●      Plus for candidates with experience in visual and audio content creation (e.g. graphic design, audio / video development and editing, etc.)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full-time salaried position requiring a willingness to work some evenings and weekends and occasional travel. The expected annual salary is $120,000. This position can be fully remote (within Washington state). We Are In is physically housed in the Building Changes office space at the Pacific Tower Building, in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, and will be eligible for the benefits of BC staff. This includes excellent health, time off, retirement and other benefits. Medical and dental insurance are offered through Kaiser Permanente.

HOW TO APPLY

Please note: Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Priority reviewing will be given to applications submitted before May 23, 2023. However, the position will remain open until filled.