Foundations Officer

Job Summary: The Foundations Officer supports Landesa’s fundraising team in securing revenue from private foundations. S/he will work closely with the Foundations Relations Director to identify, cultivate, and steward foundation prospects in alignment with Landesa’s programs and strategic plan. The Foundations Officer will be responsible for managing the proposal writing process, engaging with foundation representatives, and collaborating regularly with Landesa program, finance, and fundraising staff. The Foundations Officer will help secure resources that will allow Landesa to expand its impact to change the lives of millions of rural families.

Reporting and relationships: The Foundations Officer will report to the Foundation Relations Director.

Availability: The Foundations Officer will be expected to work a standard workweek of 40 hours plus additional hours as necessary to get the job done. As a global organization, we work across time zones, and this position may require work outside of standard business hours. Many of Landesa’s offices are taking a hybrid approach, with work performed at home and in the office, negotiated with a supervisor.

Essential Job Functions:

• • Supports and participates in implementing a strategic fundraising plan to annually raise $14M+ from foundation sources.
  • Manages a foundations portfolio consisting of country and cross-cutting programs.
  • Collaborates with global staff on foundation giving strategies for projects and programs.
  • Develops and manages cultivation, relationship building, and stewardship activities with foundations, including preparation of cultivation materials.
  • Manages grant writing and grant reporting processes in collaboration with programs, finance, and fundraising staff.
  • Tracks and monitors grant and reporting processes in donor database, Salesforce.
  • Evaluates and develops cultivation strategies for potential foundation prospects that align with Landesa’s mission, programs, and goals.
  • Utilizes cultivation strategies and research to prepare senior Landesa staff in advance of events, conferences or meetings.
  • Develops a thorough understanding of Landesa’s practice areas, nuances of land rights and various Landesa projects.
  • Participates in Resource Development team activities and events.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• • A deep commitment to the mission of a better, safer future for people experiencing poverty through secure land rights.
  • Demonstrated fundraising success in managing a portfolio of foundation funders and winning foundation grants over six figures.
  • Strong prospecting skills in identifying potential new funders and developing strategic approaches for successful introductions.
  • Experience managing reporting requirements for foundation funders.
  • Superior thinking, speaking, and writing skills to build Landesa’s case for support and describe Landesa programs, projects, and activities for fundraising purposes.
  • Leadership, collaboration, and consensus-building skills.
  • Project management skills and flexibility in a fast-paced working environment.
  • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, especially in cross-cultural environments; ability to thrive as a team member.
  • Proficiency using Microsoft Suite (365) of products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other fundraising-related software.
  • Commitment to Landesa’s Core Values of Adaptive, Bold, and Collaborative.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required.
• The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of 5 years of experience fundraising (prospect research, grant writing, grant report writing) with foundation funders.
• Experience working in deadline-driven environments.
• Donor database experience, preferably with Salesforce.

Physical and Environmental Conditions: Work is primarily performed indoors with some potential for exposure to safety and health hazards related to electronics work. A substantial percentage of work may be performed remotely. This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms, residences, or commercial vehicles; e.g., use of safe work place practices with office equipment, and/or avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.

Additional Comments: The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.