Development Director

Position Title: Development Director

Classification: Full‐time 

Reports to: Executive Director 

Location: Preferably tristate area of New York,
New Jersey, and Connecticut; Option of working remote or working
from our Brooklyn, NY office

Compensation: Commensurate with experience;
Vacation & health insurance included in benefits package

Position Overview

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Director is
responsible for leading fundraising for Mercado Global’s innovative
poverty alleviation model in Latin America, including the direct
management of the organization’s four fundraising income streams:
Foundations, Appeals, Galas (New York City and San Francisco), and
Major Donors charitable donations. 

The Development Director will manage a dynamic department that
has three staff – two associates and one manager – and a current
budget of $1.5 million with the goal of raising that budget to $2
million over the next three years. The ideal candidate should have
a proven track record of success in development work coupled with a
keen interest in women’s empowerment, and excitement for helping
grow a cutting-edge model for fighting poverty and empowering women
in rural Latin America.

Core to the responsibilities of the Development Director will be
managing relationships with different actors across a variety of
sectors. The position is ideal for someone who is comfortable
working with a range of organizations, including C-suite executives
from top international companies like JP Morgan, Bank of America,
and PwC, foundation partners from grantors like Echoing Green, Clif
Family Foundation, and Greater Impact Foundation, and high-net
worth individual donors.

A development professional with experience managing corporate
partner (donors) and large fundraising events is preferred for this
position. The
Fashion Forward Gala (in NY city) is a key piece of the
organization’s fundraising strategy and has been instrumental in
establishing strong relationships with fashion side and financial
companies such as Levi Strauss, Stuart Weitzman, and Free People,
and with corporate supporters such as Blackstone, Apollo, and
JPMAM. 

The position provides a development professional with the
opportunity to take over an already impactful program and take it
to the next level. Through their work, the Development Director
will be able to ensure the indigenous women artisans Mercado Global
serves are provided the skills, knowhow, and tools they need to
become independent entrepreneurs – providing them with the economic
empowerment they need to ensure their families are fed and their
children are in school.

Key Responsibilities: 

The Development Director is a multi-function role and serves as
the organization’s strategic fundraising leader. Key
responsibilities include: 

Develop and implement fundraising
strategy and annual fundraising plan with accountability for
execution in the areas of Foundations, Appeals, Galas (New York
City and San Francisco), and Major Donors. 
Oversee development growth from $1.5
million to $2 million over a three year period
Report fundraising progress to the
Development Committee and Board of Directors
Manage development team to meet
fundraising goals, including supervision of donor communication
strategies, event strategies, and development operations

Key Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of
ten years of fundraising experience. 
Demonstrated success in developing
fundraising strategies and meeting fundraising goals
Demonstrated success in cultivating
and managing major donor relationships
Demonstrated success in managing
major donor events
Excellent writing skills and proven
success in writing donor correspondence
Experience in grant writing and
managing foundation relationships
Staff management experience
Excellent planning and organizational
skills with a demonstrated ability to move multiple projects
forward simultaneously
Proficiency in written and spoken
Spanish a plus but not required
Enthusiasm for Mercado Global’s
mission

How to Apply 

Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].
Please indicate “Development Director” in the subject line of your
email. 

About Mercado Global

Since 2004, Mercado Global has worked to empower Indigenous
women to transform their lives through entrepreneurship. The
organization’s three pillar model – Community Based Education,
Market Access, and Asset Development – affords indigenous women the
chance to gain the skills, know-how, and tools they need to become
independent entrepreneurs. 

Over the years the organization’s partner artisans have been
able to work with an extensive list of impressive major retailers
and brands like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Levi Strauss, Stuart
Weitzman, Stitchfix, and Shopbop, amongst others. They then are
able to take the income they earn from these work opportunities and
drive real, sustainable change across their communities. 

The organization has been recognized for its important impact
making work in a variety of contexts including by being featured on
the cover of Newsweek, by NPR, and on Good Morning America, while
Mercado Global’s founder has been asked to speak about the
organization’s work at the United Nations, the Clinton Global
Foundation, The Global Summit for Women, and the U.S. Department of
Labor.

At its core, the organization stands for the belief that,
together, we can make the world a more ethical, sustainable, and
just world – for all of us. 

Learn more about Mercado Global here: https://www.mercadoglobal.org/pages/our-work