Hiring for Development Director Position
Iraq Veterans Against the War is hiring.
Director of Development | Job Posting
Full-time: 40 hours/week
The Director of Development is responsible for all aspects of revenue generation for Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), including grant writing and foundation relations, individual donor solicitation including major donors, direct mail, online fundraising, and earned income in order to meet the annual budget goals of the organization. This position also supervises the part-time administrative assistant who processes direct mail donations. The Director of Development collaborates closely with the Directors of Organizing, Communications, and Operations as part of a shared leadership team, which reports directly to the board.
RESPONSIBILITIES
IVAW seeks a dynamic self-starter, who is excited to join IVAW in its next phase of growth and development. We are looking for a Director of Development who is a fundraising generalist with experience in individual giving (direct mail and online) as well as grant writing to increase revenue.
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IVAW has a strong track record in individual giving and seeks a director of Development with significant experience in this area and a strong interest in developing a focus on major donors, which is an area of our individual donor program that has been under-developed.
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The Director of Development will be charged with securing additional foundation funding from new sources for programmatic as well as unrestricted support, improving fundraising systems (prospecting, donor cultivation, and analytics), and establishing a clear path for sustainable growth into the future.
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The Director of Development directs an IVAW Fundraising Team comprised of board members, volunteer members, and key allies who help with fundraising activities on an as-needed basis.
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IVAW’s annual budget currently stands at just over $400K with 72% coming from individuals via online and direct mail donations, 25% from private foundations, and 3% via earned income.
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IVAW receives no government funding in order to preserve its independence and impartiality.)
THE ORGANIZATION:
Founded in 2004, Iraq Veterans Against the War is a national membership organization of veterans and active members of the military who have served in the ‘Global War on Terror’ since September 11, 2001. Our membership also includes Afghanistan veterans, conscientious objectors, and war resisters. Members work together through local chapters, through regional networks, or via national campaigns, committees, and work teams to expose the human costs of war and advocate for remediation by our government for U.S. veterans and Iraqi and Afghan civilians. Members follow agreed upon organizing principles and engage in non-violent direct actions locally, regionally, and nationally.
Strategic Changes:
IVAW is presently in the midst of a strategic planning process, based on newly revised Mission, Vision, and Values statements that reflect our membership’s evolving interest beyond a focus on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars specifically, to work more broadly on ending U.S. militarism. By the end of 2013, the Strategic Planning Team will make recommendations for some new strategic priorities and programmatic work areas for IVAW from 2014-2017. In addition, given the influx of Afghanistan veterans into our movement and organization, we are exploring a re-naming and re-branding strategy that will parallel our new program direction.
Staff Structure:
IVAW has a small national staff consisting of four full-time director positions and one part-time administrative assistant. The Directors of Communications Organizing, Operations, and Development work as a collective, sharing leadership and making joint decisions together. There is no Executive Director of the organization. This is a new structure and will be evaluated in early 2014 by the staff and board of directors. We are presently looking to fill both the Director of Operations and Director of Development positions. Our national office is located in New York City, and some staff work virtually.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Organizational Leadership:
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Create an annual fundraising plan with clear objectives to meet the budgetary goals of the organization, including strategies to acquire, retain, and upgrade donors, increase institutional (foundation) support, and improve earned income strategies.
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Work as part of a leadership team with other directors to develop annual operating and project budgets, do cash-flow forecasting (including bench-marking), and engage in organizational planning.
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Provide fundraising support and training to members at the chapter level.
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Provide training and support to board members in doing phone appeals and face-to-face donor solicitations.
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Work with Director of Communications to implement coherent messaging to current and prospective donors and supporters.
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Lead the creation of a fundraising culture within the organization.
Individual Donor Solicitation:
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Oversee and coordinate all individual donor appeals, both direct mail and online (including writing appeals and donor analysis) in line with IVAW organizing and campaign work.
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Work with Director of Operations and administrative support staff to ensure proper donations processing, donor acknowledgment, and donor data collection occurs.
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Develop a plan and goals for building a major donor program to retain and upgrade large donors, including conducting face-to-face and phone solicitations.
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Engage in cultivation and stewardship of all donors with various methods of donor engagement, including online and written communications, emphasizing the human lives touched by the organization’s work.
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Strengthen development infrastructure and systems, including doing an assessment of current database and advocacy tools.
Foundation Grants:
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Responsible for grant re-application to existing foundations as well as research of appropriate new grant sources.
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Responsible for cultivation and maintenance of existing grantor relationships as well as nurturing new relationships with staff at prospective foundations.
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Ensure timely submission of proposals, acknowledgments, and reports as well as regular interstitial communications with foundation program officers.
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Preparation and distribution of IVAW annual report.
Other Activities/Duties as appropriate:
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Participate in organizational planning.
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Attend annual national IVAW convention, and periodic gatherings as required to conduct fundraising trainings.
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Travel to attend meetings with existing or potential donors or grantors.
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Travel to attend professional development training, as needed.
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Support donors who agree to host local benefit house parties.
CREDENTIALS
Required Qualifications:
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Bachelor’s degree or higher educational background.
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Excellent written communication skills.
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Ability to maintain high standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism, and to handle sensitive and proprietary financial information.
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Excellent interpersonal and team-building skills.
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Ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively in a team environment.
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Excellent time management skills and attention to detail.
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Anticipatory and strategic thinker.
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Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
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Good sense of humor, ability to relate to people of diverse backgrounds and communicate across cultures.
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Ease relating to influential, well-known individuals, and high-dollar donors.
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Flexibility and a willingness to be open to new ideas.
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English proficiency.
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Commitment to social justice and strong belief in the vision, mission, and values of IVAW.
Required Experience:
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A minimum of three years of fundraising experience.
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Proven track record cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding various donor constituencies.
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Past success at writing awarded grants.
Required Computer Skills:
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Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel.
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Experience with Internet, social networking sites and web-based tools.
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Experience with database software (DIA/SalsaLabs experience a plus).
Desired but not necessary:
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Familiarity and experience with social justice, human rights, and/or civil rights issues and organizations.
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Experience with military veterans.
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Spanish or Arabic language skills.
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Experience organizing events.
Salary:
Commensurate with experience. Benefits include health insurance and paid vacation.
Hours:
Average 40 hours per week (may work additional hours around events or to meet important deadlines, some evenings and weekends; flex-time is available).
How to Apply:
Please email the following to jobs@ivaw.org and make sure to write “Director of Development Search” in the subject line:
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A one-page letter indicating their interest and qualifications for the position
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A resume or CV
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A writing sample, preferably a fundraising appeal or an excerpt from a grant proposal (2-3 pages). If neither of these are available, submit a sample of writing you feel best exhibits your ability to write grants and/or fundraising appeals.
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Salary history
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Name of 2 references with contact information
Please submit your materials via email to jobs@ivaw.org.
Position available immediately.
No phone calls please. All applications will be acknowledged.
IVAW is committed to the principles of equal opportunity employment at every level without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity characteristics or expression, age, non job-related disability, or political affiliation.