Development Director

Requirements : 40 hours per week (full-time)

Location: Hybrid, with some travel within NYC required

Anticipated Start Date: October 2024

Annual Salary: $80-95k plus generous benefits package

Reports to: Executive Leadership

Director of Development

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The Audre Lorde Project (ALP) is a Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming (LGBTSTGNC) People of Color (POC) center for community organizing, focusing on the NYC area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social & economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent, and serve our various communities.

ALP is hiring a Development Director that can help us sustain our work as a local organizing center striving for racial, social, and economic justice. The Development Director will work closely with Executive Leadership to build and implement a multi-pronged strategy that incorporates ALP’s organizing principles of self-determination and collective liberation, while supporting organizational sustainability.  As a leader in ALP’s overall resource mobilization, the Development Director will also work to uplift and integrate the work of ALP’s Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator into a broader strategic vision including individual and institutional donors. The ideal candidate is a seasoned fundraiser deeply rooted in progressive racial, sexual, gender, or economic movements who is passionate about ALP’s mission, vision, and goals. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, though applicants who apply before August 30, 2024 will receive priority.

What does the Development Director Do?

• Developing annual fundraising strategy 
• Stewardship and cultivation of Donor base.
• Grant writing and grant portfolio management.
• Supervision of the Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator 
• Expanding organizational capacity for staff and member engagement in fundraising. 

Role Commitments

• Development and implementation of a multi-pronged fundraising strategy that supports ALP’s 1.5 million dollar budget including:
  • Individual Donors (Monthly, Grassroots, Major)
  • Institutional Giving (Foundations, DAF, other)
  • Partnerships, where appropriate 
  • Other approaches 
    • Bi-annual giving campaigns
    • Fundraising events
    • Social media and online giving
    • Paid speaking engagements
• Stewardship & Prospecting of Donors, including: 
  • Strengthening current individual donor relationships, identifying opportunities to increase support as aligned with organizational goals
  • Leading prospecting strategy to identify new individual and institutional donors, holding meetings, conducting communications, and follow through as needed
  • Holding formal and informal meetings with new potential institutional donors
  • Creating an engagement plan for current and prospective donors to learn more about opportunities to support ALP’s work
• Grant Writing & Management
  • Ongoing tracking and research on opportunities that align with ALP’s mission
  • Ensuring timely completion of of applicable grants and subsequent supplement materials
  • Grants management, including tracking institutional gift agreements and/or reporting requirements
• Administration & Reporting Oversight,
  • Management of systems and processes for effective identification, tracking, and engagement with donors and prospects, including prospecting, data management, monthly donation and accounting reconciliation, acknowledgments, and ongoing communication with individual prospects, donors, institutional funders and other key partners.
  • Monthly donation and accounting reconciliation
  • Project revenue for fundraising portfolio and periodically update revenue projects to inform financial planning
  • Preparing reports and summaries for presentation at ALP Board meetings, ensuring timely and accurate reports on finances and fundraising metrics. 
  • Manage and process board correspondence, partnering organizations & community as it pertains to financial system (eg. audit) and prepare documentation as requested by the Board and/or Executive Team.
• Capacity Building, through:
  • Providing technical assistance and coaching to ALP’s Development team (currently consisting of the Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator) to help them develop and thrive in their roles
  • Serving as a thought partner to Executive Leadership as they explore fundraising strategies to support ALP’s overall mission and operations
  • Partnering with the Communications Coordinator to create fundraising content for social media, our website, and in our annual report
  • Increasing ALP community member knowledge of grassroots fundraising through bi-annual workshops and facilitating campaign and event committees
  • Representing ALP and our mission publicly on local, state, national, and international levels as appropriate, reflecting our commitment to LGBTSTGNC People of Color communities and collective liberation at large.
• Team Coordination & Supervision
  • Supervise all fundraising staff (currently, Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator), centering abundance, transparency, empathy, and accountability in the supervisory relationship
  • Coordinate and support ALP’s Fundraising Committee, including recruiting and supervising relevant staff, vendors, consultants, and volunteers
  • Ability to leverage relationships to skillfully management fundraising event(s) and activities throughout the year

Qualities We Expect of All ALP Staff

• Strong commitment to ALP’s mission
• Communicates with integrity
• Embodies a culture of respect
• Organized working style
• Transformation of self
• Reliable and shows respect for others time

Qualities We’d Love to See in an Applicant

• 5 - 7 years experience in fundraising and/or resource organizing, particularly for communities of color
• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience with conceptualizing, securing, and managing culturally-intentional fundraising strategies
• At least 5 years of proven ability working within multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-gendered, intergenerational communities, especially within LGBTSTGNC people of color communities  
• At least 3 years of direct supervisory and/or managerial experience
• Grant-writing & management experience
• Familiarity with databases and constituent relationship managers, particular CiviCRM
• Familiarity with design programs, such as InDesign or Canva
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Comfort with public speaking
• Experience with coordinating community-led fundraising events and facilitating grassroots fundraising political education workshops
• Aligned politics around philanthropy, capitalism, wealth redistribution, and economic justice
• Strong attention to detail (for example, you found typos in this job description)

What You Don’t Need

• A college degree. ALP recognizes that this is a common barrier to keep people of color and people from low-income backgrounds out of positions of power.
• A personal network of rich people. This role is focused on developing the power of all people to contribute to ALP’s movement work.

Who Should Apply?

The Audre Lorde Project is committed to justice for LGBTSTGNC people, people of color, women and femmes, immigrants, poor and low-income people, people with disabilities, chronic health issues, and mental health concerns, formerly and currently incarcerated people, youth, elders,  parents, those living with HIV, and those practicing religion or faith. ALP offers equal opportunity employment to all of these groups and others required by law. 

We believe that our people have the tools and lived experiences to fight for their own liberation and must lead the movement for justice. Therefore, we prioritize our work being led by those most affected by our work.

What Benefits Does This Position Provide?

ALP pays for 100% of premiums for employee health, dental, and vision coverage; flex spending account and additional wellness programs; retirement account; commuter benefits; life insurance; and annual professional development stipend. Generous leave benefits provided, including vacation, wellness and sick days, personal days, holidays, and the first week of July, last week of November, and last two weeks of the year off.

How Do You Apply?

Applications should submit  a resume and cover letter to apply. In your cover letter, please speak to the following questions:

1. What is the role of fundraising within movements and where do you find yourself in that ecosystem?
2. What are your specific strengths within development (i.e., major donors, institutional fundraising, grassroots) and how do you plan to leverage them for ALP?
3. What is your experience with LGBTSTGNC communities of color and how has your previous experiences uplifted progressive movements working toward their liberation?