Executive Director

Needmor Fund; Indiana, Iowa (PA, LA, WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Needmor Fund seeks an Executive Director to chart new pathways for its grantmaking in support of community organizing and social justice in the Midwest. This leadership role focuses on building relationships with grantees, partners, and philanthropic peers to advance democratic participation.

The ED will work in a small, nimble environment, steward the Fund's footprint and reputation, and advocate for increased investment in organizing to empower communities to demand change.

Job description

In 1956, Duane and Virginia Secor Stranahan created the Needmor Fund to facilitate their family’s charitable giving and carry forward their parents' legacy of community stewardship. The work of the Needmor Fund continues to be informed by the energy, vision, and generosity of these forebearers. As members of the Needmor board and family members learned more about community organizing, they were drawn to the determination of communities to demand change and challenge inequitable systems in the name of a just society. Organizing can be an effective platform for change across many different issues, but at its core it is centered in tenacity, intelligence, and courage -- a testament to human potential. With that foundational understanding about the vital role organizing plays in our democracy, Needmor is deeply committed to funding people exercising their rights and demands for a just society through organizing.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The power of people and communities has always been at the heart of the Needmor Fund (The Fund). Grounded in partnership, the Needmor Fund works to bring about social justice and supports people who come together to organize their community, build power, and challenge the social, economic, or political conditions that bar their access to participation in a democratic society. As one of the few philanthropies funding organizing, the Needmor Fund seeks to build a just society in which all persons are treated with dignity and assured of their fundamental rights.

At an important time in our nation’s history, the Needmor Fund seeks a passionate and strategic Executive Director who will chart new pathways for the critical space the Fund holds in supporting organizing and building momentum toward impactful community power building in the Midwest. Needmor has played a key role in supporting emerging organizations, and the Executive Director (ED) will cultivate grantee relationships, develop opportunities for learning, and advocate for the increased investment of resources by philanthropy in community organizing. The new ED will be a relationship-oriented leader with a deep understanding of and passion for community organizing; they will be a self-starter who is drawn to a small and nimble environment where they can build on a strong organizational footprint and reputation in the field.