About ColorOfChange

With over 1.2 million members, Color Of Change is the largest online community dedicated to taking action on behalf of Black people in America. Both corporations and our government make decisions every day that impact Black people and communities. With our members' voices leading the charge, we fight to hold them accountable and change their practices: in the criminal justice system, in the media, in the workplace, in the economy, everywhere.

Founded in response to Hurricane Katrina – where government officials failed to meet even the most basic needs of Black people in crisis, and the media promoted unfair, inaccurate and dehumanizing images of Black people – our mission is to make the voice of our community powerful enough to change the system. We believe creating a less hostile and more human world for Black people and all people is possible, if we act together.

Position Summary

ColorOfChange seeks a self-motivated, experienced professional writer and strategist to expand and manage the institutional giving portfolio, conduct issue-specific research and provide overall support to other development activities, as needed. The Development Officer will report to the Development Director and will also collaborate with administrative, campaign and program teams across the organization to strengthen the organization’s development products and strategies.

A competitive applicant will possess a deep commitment to and understanding of current social justice issues that intersect racial, media, economic, criminal, gender and climate justice. Further, strong applicants will be seeking an opportunity to share their talents as a writer and fundraiser while working within an organization that is leading the progressive social movement at a very exciting moment in our nation’s history.

PrincipalResponsibilities:

• With the Development Director, design the annual and long-range fundraising plan for institutional giving;

• Develop a portfolio of new and existing funders to support organizational growth and new ventures;

• Drawing on the annual fundraising plan and previous proposals and reports, and in collaboration from other key staff, write concept papers, letters of inquiry, grant proposals and reports;

• Submit proposals and reports in a timely manner. This includes maintaining a tickler list; alerting Development Director, Campaign and Finance staff of upcoming deadlines and need for input; ensuring compliance with guidelines; coordinating and editing inputs from other staff; and maintaining complete and organized digital files;

• Remain abreast of Color of Change’s work by attending campaign meetings and following related current news and events and other resources for the purpose of capturing the latest and most interesting developments for inclusion in proposals and reports;

• Build and maintain relationships with staff of institutional funders as needed for grants management; as appropriate, develop relationships with staff of donor advised funds, family foundations and philanthropic advisors;

• Develop and maintain database profiles on potential donors and keep up with trends in the field; including research to identify new foundation funders;

• Proactively research new public and private grant funding opportunities for programmatic and project priorities to assist in fully funding organization's operating and capital budgets;

• Incorporate regular research for ongoing and future grant priorities into weekly and monthly work-plans and regularly report out on research findings ("quarterback" research);

• Maintain relationships with funders (and prospective funders) by providing stewardship of grant gifts, inviting them to special events and programmatic functions, keeping them abreast of major organizational changes, and assisting in periodic check-ins over the grant period;

• Assist in coordinating meetings and site visits with funders.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualities.

• A demonstrated commitment to social justice and progressive social change;

• Past experience in grant proposal writing or exceptional and persuasive writing abilities;

• A talent for organizing the work, tolerant of some uncertainty, with high standards for quality and productivity, close attention to detail, ability to coordinate, synthesize and track large amounts of information, ability to work effectively and accurately under pressure, meet deadlines and manage competing priorities;

• Enthusiasm for the organization’s mission and campaigns, as well as a passion for building the organization;

• A track record of demonstrating professional judgment and discretion;

• A demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with diverse staff across the organization; strong team player with a sense of humor, excellent interpersonal skills, proactivity and ability to “manage up”.

Compensation

The salary for the Development Officer is commensurate with experience. Color of Change offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including generous vacation and holiday schedules and medical, dental and disability insurances.

Application submission

Interested applicants should click https://colorofchange.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0h8aj and submit a resume, cover letter and two writing samples. Deadline is Monday, November 23rd. 

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.