Deputy Director

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Deputy Director will serve as a core member of Progress Alliance’s leadership team, partnering closely with the Executive Director to lead member engagement and fundraising growth, and support organizational strategy. This role leads fundraising systems and donor engagement strategy, while the Executive Director retains primary responsibility for top donor and major institutional relationships. This role strengthens our donor (“member”) organizing program, develops systems for relationship management and cultivation, and helps align resources behind our political and movement-building priorities. The Deputy Director will also play a key role in organizational planning and operations, supporting strategic planning, budgeting, and cross-team coordination. This is a full-time, permanent position reporting to the Executive Director.

We are seeking a highly organized, relational, and strategic leader who thrives on collaboration, systems-building, and relationships. The ideal candidate brings a deep understanding of fundraising and donor organizing, progressive movement infrastructure, and power-building, and is energized by connecting donors, partners, and staff around a vision for the future we all deserve.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Fundraising Strategy and Capacity-Building (40%):

This role leads a values-driven fundraising strategy that ties Progress Alliance’s revenue goals to its mission of building long-term power. You will work with the team to raise a multi-million dollar budget, aligning major gifts, institutional funding, and member giving into a coherent approach that sustains the ecosystem for the long game. That means cultivating strong funder partnerships, spotting new opportunities, and helping staff and board build confidence in fundraising as a collective act of power-building. You’ll lead with curiosity and discipline — using data, storytelling, and feedback to refine what moves donors and deepens alignment over time. Specifically, you will:

• Develop and implement an integrated fundraising strategy that builds and connects major gifts, member contributions, and institutional funding.
• Lead the development, maintenance, and improvement of fundraising systems, including CRM practices, and segmentation.
• Develop and maintain internal and external fundraising tools, including data analysis, visuals, and training materials.
• Support and train staff and board in fundraising and donor engagement, helping to build a culture of shared ownership and fundraising confidence.
• Support the Executive Director in managing relationships with key institutional partners and program officers.
• Identify, pursue, and renew foundation funding opportunities aligned with Progress Alliance’s long-term goals; oversee grant writing, submission and reporting processes.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and team to track progress toward fundraising goals and adjust strategy as needed.

Member (Donor) Organizing and Cultivation (30%):

In close partnership with the Executive Director, this role co-leads the work of organizing money to build power – connecting Progress Alliance members to the strategies, people, and stories driving change in Washington. You’ll hold a clear vision for how member organizing strengthens a base of bold, aligned donors who see themselves as part of a shared political movement. That includes co-designing creative ways to deepen members’ sense of belonging and purpose – through storytelling, one-on-one and small-group conversations, and member-led spaces that build solidarity and connection with the broader movement. Specifically, you will:

• Co-develop and lead the execution of strategies and systems for member recruitment, engagement, and stewardship – including events, briefings, and one-on-one relationship cultivation.
• Help build meaningful events that connect members with our work and the broader movement, and help shape a vision for progressive politics.
• Support the Executive Director in donor cultivation, relationship management, meeting strategy development, and briefings/debriefings.
• Lead member recruitment efforts by identifying and cultivating prospective members, developing outreach strategies, and building a strong pipeline of new donors.
• Support donor engagement by leading small and mid-level donor meetings and representing Progress Alliance alongside or in place of the Executive Director as needed.
• Support the Program and Engagement Manager in narrative and communications strategy for donor materials, newsletters, and events.
• Develop and maintain tools for donor follow-up, brief templates, and light-touch cultivation.
• Coordinate cross-team donor-related workstreams—ensuring alignment across communications, events, and campaigns.

Organizational Strategy and Leadership (20%)

This role supports the Executive Director and team in aligning fundraising, program and political strategy, and organizational capacity toward a shared long-term vision — helping ensure Progress Alliance’s structure and strategy advance our mission to organize money and build power.

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and staff, contributing to organizational direction and long-term planning.
• Support board development and capacity, particularly around fundraising, member engagement, and organizational strategy.
• Help design and facilitate strategic planning and evaluation processes to ensure alignment between fundraising, programs, and capacity.
• Support annual budgeting and goal-setting processes, connecting financial planning to strategic priorities.
• Represent Progress Alliance in external coalitions and funder tables as needed.
• Support staff or consultants as assigned, fostering collaboration, accountability, and learning.
• Contribute to organizational culture by modeling trust, curiosity, and shared leadership — sustaining a culture that values reflection, experimentation, and political alignment.

First Mile Program Support 10%

Work closely with the team leading First Mile and provide support for the growth and impact of the program – Progress Alliance’s direct-to-candidate giving program – by helping organize donor power, strengthen program infrastructure, and ensure first-time BIPOC candidates have the resources to run competitive, values-aligned campaigns.

• Organize and grow First Mile participation by supporting recruitment, donor engagement, and direct-to-candidate fundraising efforts.
• Manage donor communications and pledge operations, including the communications calendar, pledge tracking, renewals, data entry, and follow-ups.
• Support event strategy and logistics by drafting invitations, preparing materials, coordinating details for First Mile events, and assisting the ED with prospect events and recruitment.
• Contribute to program strategy and systems, participating in planning meetings, offering strategic insights, and helping strengthen the overall effectiveness and evolution of First Mile.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Required Qualifications – work, volunteer, academic, and other life experience are all acceptable and valuable for satisfying qualifications.

Progress Alliance is seeking a highly organized, adaptable, and relationship-driven individual for this role. The Deputy Director should be a curious researcher and sharp thinker who exercises sound judgment and discretion with sensitive information. We are looking for a team member with an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ mentality, where no job is too small and we all pitch in to get the job done. Please be sure your application materials demonstrate how you meet the below required qualifications and highlight any of the “nice to haves” in your experience.

• 7+ years of experience in political, nonprofit, philanthropic, or movement settings – especially roles that bridge strategy, relationships, and fundraising
• 3+ years of experience designing and carrying out fundraising or donor engagement strategies that connect people to purpose
• 3+ years of narrative or communications experience, skilled at turning complex information into compelling messages that build shared analysis, inspire action, and align donors, partners, and staff around common purpose.
• Experience in building and running planning and logistics for purpose-driven events that connect people with mission and meaning
• Strong facilitation and collaboration skills, with demonstrated experience helping teams and partners find clarity and alignment
• Strong project management skills: comfortable leading projects from start to finish, juggling multiple priorities without losing sight of the big picture
• Deep commitment to building multiracial cross-class power in Washington State, with a clear-eyed analysis of how race and class shape the work and our movement

“Nice to Have” Qualifications – the list below are skills that will be helpful, but we can also teach after you take the role. All we require is a desire to learn. [NOTE: Most hard skills are learned on the job. As such, we don’t require people to come in knowing a particular platform, or having a particular skill or experience level, if it’s not actually fundamental to their success in the role.]

• Familiarity with Washington’s progressive ecosystem and funding landscape
• Experience in donor organizing, community-centric fundraising, or political donor tables
• Experience with c3, c4, and PAC nonprofit legal structures
• Experience with CRM systems (EveryAction or similar) and collaborative tools like Google Workspace and Asana
• Experience managing staff or consultants and building collaborative teams

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employee and their qualified dependents
• Twelve paid holidays annually (8 organizationally observed + 4 floating)
• Four weeks paid vacation accrued annually
• Two weeks paid sick days accrued annually
• Opportunity to participate in SIMPLE IRA retirement savings plan, with up to 3% employer matching
• Professional development opportunities
• Paid family leave for qualifying employees
• Sabbatical leave option for qualifying employees