An application made for this job — a tailored resume and cover letter that speak straight to the posting.
Cultivating Community in Portland, ME seeks a Director of Development to lead donations, grants, and fundraising strategy. This senior role supervises the Donor Relations Manager and partners with staff and community partners to advance our mission.
The ideal candidate will champion equity, build diverse funding streams, and help shape a sustainable future for Maine's good food movement, in a collaborative, values-driven environment.
We believe that everyone has a unique food story and can participate in the good food movement! We seek to create opportunities for sharing food and farming knowledge and making the food system in Maine more just and welcoming to all. The organization works closely with and for immigrant communities, particularly refugees from central and east Africa who have arrived in Maine within the past 5-15 years. We also serve food insecure communities and families and individuals living on low incomes. Currently the organization is operating with a 1.2 million annual budget and 15 full time staff members. Funding sources are split evenly between individual donors, private foundations and federal grants. Our goals include expanding our donor and partnership base to grow our programs and maximize our impact.
The Director of Development is a key member of the Cultivating Community's leadership and is responsible for overseeing efforts relating to donations, grants, and related fundraising strategies. The Director of Development will supervise the full‑time Donor Relations Manager, and will be responsible for setting and implementing a sustainable development strategy. The Director of Development will work as a liaison and ambassador both internally and externally. An essential component of this position, as with any job at Cultivating Community, is capacity and commitment to working closely with colleagues and communities of color and of different cultural backgrounds and elevating their needs and voices.
Amidst the pandemic, Cultivating Community is in a period of transition and this position presents a unique opportunity to help shape a longstanding partner in Maine's food movement. In late 2019, Cultivating Community implemented new models of collaborative decision making and leadership and the Director of Development has a key role to play in defining the future of the organization. The ideal candidate would share our organizational values and be excited about how the structure of Cultivating Community can better reflect and embody our values both internally and externally. Our board, staff and community partners are all committed to seeing Cultivating Community's evolution continue and for the impact of our work to continue to grow. Creating a positive, supportive and joyful work environment is also important to us all! This position will require a great deal of patience and flexibility as the organization grows and changes during this period of transition. Personal maturity and willingness to persevere through uncertain times are essential qualities.