Vice President of Development

The Vice President of Development of the Alliance for Youth
Action and our sister 501(c)(3) organization the Alliance for Youth
Organizing, along with the Executive Director, will manage and be
responsible for all fundraising and development efforts for the
nation’s leading youth organizing network.

The Vice President of Development will lead a growing
development team (currently 2 people with plans to grow to 4) and
help raise $15-20 million annually to sustain and grow our network
of 20 progressive youth-led organizations . This is a full-time
position based in our Washington, DC office, reporting to the
Executive Director.

Development Planning, Strategy, and
Execution

• 
  

  Planning, developing, and implementing a multi-year strategic
  plan fundraising plan at multiple levels, including identification,
  cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors.

  
  


• 
  

  Working closely with the Board Fundraising Task Force to engage
  them in creating the strategy,and vision of our development program
  and implementing it, including leveraging relationships and
  identification of potential new board members.

  
  


• 
  

  Guiding and overseeing all aspects of grant seeking for the
  Alliance’s portfolio of core foundation grants.

  
  


• 
  

  Developing and implementing a robust donor program aimed at
  cultivating deeper ties with individual and institutional
  donors.

  
  


• 
  

  Providing guidance and support to the Development Director in
  the planning and execution of individual and institutional donors
  and strategies.

  
  


• 
  

  Responsible for crafting the Alliance’s fundraising narrative
  that reflects work across the organization and network; and
  ensuring a clear and consistent narrative across all fundraising
  materials and communications.

  
  

Organizational Leadership

• 
  

  Building, developing, and leading a department in a way that is
  consistent with Alliance’s culture.

  
  


• 
  

  Designing a structure, process, and performance metrics to hold
  the Development Department accountable.

  
  


• 
  

  Manage the Development Director and support them in managing the
  Development Department with two staff members to reach the goals
  and objectives set forth in the annual work plan.

  
  


• 
  

  Managing the Board Fundraising Taskforce and individual board
  members’ support of organizational fundraising efforts.

  
  


• 
  

  Building and maintaining key stakeholder relationships,
  including foundation program officers and mid-to- major individual
  donors.

  
  

Partnerships

• 
  

  Uplifting network organizations to national partners, and
  inviting collaboration or direct resourcing when appropriate.

  
  


• 
  

  Working with the Executive Director and Development Director to
  develop and execute a fundraising strategy that identifies and
  raises money from new revenue streams, including corporate
  partnerships, unions, and high networth individuals.

  
  


• 
  

  Collaborating with relevant funding intermediaries and key
  stakeholders who are actively raising and granting funds to local
  and state-based organizations on fundraising and donor organizing
  strategies.

  
  

• 
  

  Developing strong relationships with other colleagues in funding
  spaces and communicating the Alliance’s vision with donors,
  stakeholders, and partners, while also working to expand our
  community engagement, and identify prospective funding
  partners.

  
  

Development Capacity Building

• 
  

  Supporting Executive Directors and development staff across the
  network in development strategy, systems, and planning through an
  ongoing Development Cohort and one-on-one support. This work
  includes supporting the recruiting, hiring, and onboarding of
  network development staff.

  
  


• 
  

  Leading the planning and execution of regular donor events and
  programs, both on-line and in-person, that uplift the work of the
  organization and connect national resources to local network
  organizations.

  
  

We’re looking for candidates with particular strengths in the
following areas:

Fundraising Experience

7+ years experience and track record of leading a robust and
complex fundraising operation, with direct experience and knowledge
of the full spectrum of development, including planned giving,
major gifts, institutional fundraising, stewardship, online
fundraising, and partnerships.

• 
  

  Senior leadership experience working across multiple program
  areas and legal entities.

  
  


• 
  

  Experience in securing six and seven figure support and an
  understanding of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.

  
  


• 
  

  Proven ability to personally cultivate, solicit, and steward
  individual and foundation donors at five to seven figure
  levels.

  
  

Critical Thinking and Strategy

• 
  

  A self-starter with a strong initiative who, in addition to
  directing current systems, has the vision and skill to streamline
  and improve those systems.

  
  


• 
  

  Commitment to ensuring that organizational values, especially
  those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, are reflected in
  all development programs and operations. Know when to answer the
  question someone meant to ask rather than the one they did

  
  

Baseline Expectations

• 
  

  Believe in youth organizing as a vehicle for change;

  
  


• 
  

  Understanding of power and racial, LGBTQ+, economic, and gender
  justice and how they intersect;

  
  


• 
  

  Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice
  and culture;

  
  


• 
  

  Proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets;

  
  


• 
  

  Proficiency in Google Suite, Project Management Software and
  Slack

  
  


• 
  

  Excellent interpersonal skills and patience;

  
  


• 
  

  Excellent written and verbal communication skills; and

  
  


• 
  

  Comfort with technology and virtual communication systems,
  including Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.

  
  

Candidate Profile

We are searching for a candidate who:

• 
  

  Has a core philosophy and belief in young people as change
  makers within their communities;

  
  


• 
  

  Believes in a federated model of organizing and local power;

  
  


• 
  

  Has a well-developed skill set in project management: organized
  and disciplined, deep attention to detail, and active follow up to
  ensure the right results;

  
  


• 
  

  Has a sophisticated mix of emotional intelligence, judgment,
  discretion, diplomacy, and political acumen;

  
  


• 
  

  Can anticipate and avert problems;

  
  


• 
  

  Has excellent and versatile writing skills, including the
  ability to summarize detailed information;

  
  


• 
  

  Can demonstrate knowledge and application of strategic planning
  and project management principles;

  
  


• 
  

  Can provide strategic guidance to staff under their area(s) of
  responsibility;

  
  


• 
  

  Can identify short and long-term needs, goals, and challenges,
  and ensure that the programs and initiatives of both departmental
  and interdepartmental work are directed toward addressing those
  needs, goals, and challenges; and

  
  


• 
  

  Has a sophisticated understanding of how race dynamics impact
  supervisory relationships, organizational culture, partnerships,
  campaigns, and coalition work, and can demonstrate a history of
  successfully intervening in problematic dynamics and deepening a
  racial justice approach within an organization, team, or
  campaign.