Grassroots Fundraising Manager (CF)

Chinook Fund; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 47,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental

Vision

SEP IRA

Paid time off

Job summary

Chinook Fund in Denver, Colorado seeks a Grassroots Fundraising Manager to lead individual donor fundraising and donor organizing. The role reports to the Executive Director and focuses on expanding the donor base and growing revenue through direct mail, email appeals, major gifts, events, and targeted outreach.

Ideal candidate has passion for social justice, grassroots organizing experience, and the ability to build authentic relationships with donors, volunteers, and grantees, while working

Qualifications

• Experience in implementing grassroots fundraising strategies.
• Proven success in donor campaigns and major gifts.
• Strong community organizing and volunteer engagement skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with donors.

Responsibilities

• Support the Executive Director with annual grassroots fundraising planning to meet revenue goals.
• Coordinate fundraising campaigns, events, and Colorado Gives Day to raise $250,000+ from individuals.
• Produce donor solicitations and materials to retain or upgrade gifts.
• Cultivate and steward donors with personalized correspondence and in-person visits.
• Maintain donor records and reports for the Giving Project during peak cycles.
• Develop fundraising materials and content for newsletters, social media, and websites.
• Participate in Development Committee meetings and collaborate with staff.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor organizing

Relationship building

Communication

Community organizing

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Tools

Canva

Civicore CRM

Microsoft Office 365

Word

Outlook

Excel

SharePoint

HootSuite

Wordpress

Job description

Reporting Relationship: Executive Director

Chinook Fund supports grassroots organizations working on issues of social and economic justice; by pooling our collective resources, we seed groups making a positive, systemic impact to improve the quality of life for all Coloradans. Since our founding in 1987, Chinook Fund has awarded over $3. 2 million in grants to more than 350 grassroots groups in Colorado. The annual operating budget is approximately $500,000 with an endowment of $1.9M. T he organization is poised for growth -- financially and programmatically, with aims to support more social justice initiatives across Colorado. www.chinookfund.org

Chinook Fund is both a fundraising and grantmaking organization. We award small grants to grassroots organizations that build power for social change. Funds for these grants are primarily raised through the organization's Giving Project, which unites a diverse group of people from all class backgrounds to strengthen their fundraising, grantmaking, and community building skills. The Giving Project is an innovative model for funding social change and fostering leadership. It gives participants the opportunity tohave intentional and transformational conversations about race and class, to experience the impact of collective giving, and to grapple with the tensions and joys of grantmaking.

Position Summary

The Grassroots Fundraising Manager is a full -time, exempt employee and reports to the Executive Director. The position is responsible for implement ing individual donor fundraising and donor organizing strategies. The position’s primary goal is to expand the base of individual donors and increase revenue from individual contributions through a variety of grassroots fundraising strategies.

S trategies i nclud e but are n ot limited to direct mail, email appeals, 1 to 1 fundraising ask s , major gifts, Colorado Gives Day, event s , and phone banking . The ideal candidate will be passionate about engaging and build ing authentic relationships with donor s , volunteers and supporters , have experience with grassroots fundraising and community organizing, be goal oriented with a strong sense of initiative, and enjoy working in a collaborative environment.

Thisposition’s efforts will have a direct impact in growing Chinook Fund’s budget as we implement our strategic plan , including sustaining and growing our Giving Project. We use a \"donor organizing\" approach to fundraising, rooted in the belief that everyone has the ability to give and the ability to ask for money. D onor organizin g is a key strategy of the Giving Project and includes organizing people around their giving through va lues-based conversations, political education, and supporting donors to see their giving as a vehicle for system ic change. By developing the fundraising leadership of Giving Project members, Chinook Fund reach es many donors new to social justice. Cultivating G iving P roject donors to make annual contributions to the general fund is a priority initiative for this position.

Compensation : $ 47,000 to 5 3 ,000 depending on experienc e, plus benefits. Benefits include health, dental, vision, SEP IRA tax-deferred individual retirement account, and paid time off. Employer pays 100% of employee premiums and contributes 5% of salary to SEP IRA (SEP IRA begins after 3 months of employment).

Development & Individual Giving Responsibilities

• Support Executive Director with annual grassroots fundraising planning and implementation to meet annual revenue generation goals ;
• Coordinate fundraising campaigns, activities, and events , includ ing Colorado Gives Day, biannual appeals (Spring/Fall) , donor meetings, and an annual special event to meet an annual revenue goal of $ 2 5 0 ,000+ from individual donors ;
• Produce donor solicitations and materials to retain or upgrade gifts and to convert Giving Project donors to general fund donors ;
• Cultivate and steward donors by produ cing specialized correspondence , preparing letters of acknowledgment, scheduling and attending in-person visits;
• Participate in Development Committee meetings with board and Giving Project alumni ;
• M aintain updated records in the donor contact database , including donation uploads and weekly donation reports for the Giving Project during peak fundraising cycles ;
• M aintain a working knowledge of trends, best practices, demographics, and issues related to grassroots fundraising, donor organizing, social justice , and philanthropy ; and
• Work collectively with staff and community members to ensure the health and sustainability of the organization.
• D evelop and maintain dynamic fundraising materials such as donor welcome packet, event sponsorship packets, fundraising appeals, phone banking scripts and materials, donor updates, and social media campaign graphics and content ;
• Participate on committee for annual Cultivating Change event to support ticket sales, promotion, sponsorships , and volunteer engagement ;
• C oordinate and create content for monthly e - newsletter ;
• Participate in development of social media and website content ; and
• Support staff in highlighting impact and success stories of Giving Project alumni and grantee organizations .

Job Duties may include other tasks as identified by the Executive Director.

Required Qualifications

• Goal oriented and f earless about asking for money, time, etc ;
• Proven success in implementing individual fundraising strategies raising $ 5 0,000+;
• Experience conducting o ne-on-one fundraising asks , soliciting major gifts or donor organizing experience;
• 2 years p roject or program management exp erience—demonstrated ability to create and execute a p lan that meets goals & objectives, devise and implement systems, evaluate and improve based on feedback, and co mmunicate with other staff ;
• One-year c ommunity organizing experience (formal or informal) . Chinook Fund defines community organizing as the process of bringing affected people together to use their collective power to win improvements in their community and change the power structure to advance social justice.
• Exceptional v erbal and written communication skills, including the ability to evoke emotion and action through crafting stories and narratives that highlight impact;
• Strong social justice analysis, including personal awareness about race and class privilege and d emonstrated commitment to issues impact ing Chinook Fund grantees ;
• Passion for cultivating and build ing strong relationships with our constituency, including donors, Giving Project members and alumni , and grantees;
• Strong interpersonal communication skills, including active listening, receiving and giving feedback, and communicating across teams;
• Ability to connect with people from a wide array of backgrounds and identities;
• Ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and work well under pressure to meet deadlines ;
• Willingness to work as a team on a variety of task s; and
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends and travel occasionally.

Preferred Qualities & Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in development and/or g rassroots fundraising;
• Experience managing a successful indivi dual giving program;
• Experience in fundraising from major donors ($1,000+ ) ;
• Grounded, authentic, non-judgmental, generous of spirit , and with a sense of humor;
• Computer skills with proficiency in Canva, Civicore CRM, Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Outlook, Excel , SharePoint) , HootSuite , Wordpress ;
• Experience with Chinook Fund constituency and/or grantees;
• Detail-oriented and ability to balance multiple priorities; and
• Self-motivated, effective problem-solver .

Chinook Fund is committed to equity and diversity and to the recruitment and retention of people from backgrounds traditionally excluded from philanthropy, including Black, Indigenous and people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and people with disabilities.