Chief Development Officer

Location:

St. Louis or willing to relocate

About WEPOWER:

WEPOWER is building a team full of dreamers and doers. In our first five years, WEPOWER has activated nearly 400 community leaders, won a historic ballot measure that guarantees millions in public funding annually for early childhood, supported 100 Black and Latinx-owned businesses with access to capital, coaching, and connections, and launched a one-of-a-kind investment fund. We envision a future where systems are accountable to powerful communities that have been historically oppressed and nurture our freedom, well-being, dreams, and joy.

We are building a powerful movement led by everyday people, and we have bold plans to get us there. Join us!

Our team is:

Fun

Focused

Values-driven

Community-centered

Creative:
Lots of brainstorming and imagining what’s possible and then chasing each possibility until it is reality!

Responsibilities:

Build and optimize comprehensive fundraising plans, especially with a focus on institutional grants and major gifts, in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer

Track and analyze development data to set and assess progress towards ambitious yet achievable goals and benchmarks that align with annual budget projections

Consistently forecast progress toward fundraising goals and pivot when necessary to achieve annual goals

Cultivate, develop, and steward strong, trusting partnerships with donors to increase and retain the donor base.

Use donor research tools to identify, pitch, and close prospective donors

Ensure consistent cultivation, follow-up, and reports for ongoing donor engagement by efficiently tracking and monitoring donor activity in Every Action

Work closely with staff to create compelling, effective, and reusable fundraising materials that clearly explain WEPOWER’s impact and vision

Work with the CEO to manage the Board’s Development Committee effectively to increase fundraising opportunities

Leverage the expertise of partners and teammates effectively in funder meetings by coaching them on how to represent their work effectively

Own the project management and systems for relationship management and funder reporting, ensuring grant requirements are met and tracked against the budget

Build a high-performing development team, ensuring quality submission of grants and grant reports

The ideal candidate will have:

A background in fundraising for nonprofits with demonstrated success cultivating and securing grants and/or major gifts for annual budgets of $3M or more

A track record of securing major gifts from high net-worth donors

Strong examples of setting, adjusting, and achieving fundraising growth goals

Experience communicating and amplifying compelling stories that drive people to commit to the mission and vision of the organization

Excellent relationship-building skills with a deep understanding and comfort with cultivating authentic relationships with funders or donors

A clear approach for donor research to identify new opportunities and tailor pitches accordingly

An analytical mindset with a track record of using data to identify what is working and what isn’t working

Deep commitment to racial equity, with self-awareness around privilege, bias, and oppression

Experience developing donor management systems with a CRM, ensuring compliance with external and internal requirements with high attention to detail (WEPOWER uses Every Action)

Experience working with a board of directors to drive fundraising outcomes

More Information:

Reports to:

Charli Cooksey, CEO

Manages:
Development consultants to start, with potential to hire full-time staff

Travel:
Up to 15% of the time

Salary: $110,000-$120,000 annually. This is a full-time exempt position.

Benefits include:

Comprehensive Health Insurance: medical, dental, vision…