Philanthropy Officer

Background 

Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) is a
non-profit organization that empowers and unites youth from diverse
backgrounds to find their voice and celebrate their common humanity
through the power of music. Founded at the dawn of the Civil Rights
Movement on the South side of Chicago, the organization has grown
from one choir to a vast network of school-based and after-school
programs serving thousands of youth ages 6 through 18 from every
zip code of Chicago. 

Uniting Voices is a civic treasure and model for culturally
responsive music education. Since 1956, the organization has built
programs that reflect the racial and economic diversity of Chicago.
80% of the youth it serves are from low to moderate income
households and the vast majority of students participate free of
charge. High school seniors enrolled in Uniting Voices Chicago
programs have a 100% high school graduation and college acceptance
rate, and go on to become global ambassadors who embody the core
values of education, expression and excellence in a wide array of
professional fields. As a national and international touring
ensemble, Uniting Voices has performed for dignitaries such as
former President Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela and former Chinese
President Hu Jintao and with artists such as Karol G, Chance the
Rapper, Bobby McFerrin, Common, Yo-Yo Ma, and Andrea Bocelli

Position Description

A member of Uniting Voices Chicago’s Development team, the
Philanthropy Officer will nurture and grow relationships with
individual donors and institutional partners, as well as seek and
cultivate new potential funders. This position is responsible for
creating and implementing a relational fundraising strategy to
expand the individual and institutional giving donor segments to
help meet the organization’s strategic growth goals (15%) by the
end of fiscal year 2027. This role will also serve as staff liaison
to the Ambassadors Board, and will play a key role in supporting
special fundraising initiatives and other activities as needed.
Reporting to the Vice President, Development, the Philanthropy
Officer works closely with the Senior Manager, Donor Services on
prospecting and reporting, and participates in regular
cross-departmental collaboration on donor engagement,
communications strategy and grant management. 

Responsibilities

Serve as a key solicitor for the
organization, managing a diverse portfolio of individual and
institutional donors/prospects, and helping them accomplish their
philanthropic goals/priorities through commitments to Uniting
Voices
Develop and execute rigorous and
dynamic outreach and stewardship strategy that  includes
emails, phone calls, in-person meetings, site-visits, and
personalized letters
Build innovative partnerships that
maximize engagement, affinity and advocacy
Track and report on all activities
(e.g., prospects identified, face-to-face visits, solicitations
made, etc.) using the organization’s CRM (Salesforce).
Set annual goals for prospect
engagement and portfolio members

Act as liaison to the Ambassadors
Board, the organization’s emerging philanthropic leaders, and guide
annual strategy
Work closely with the President,
Executive Vice President, and Vice President, Development on
comprehensive solicitations
Participate in the Development
Committee of the Board of Directors as needed
Attend external events and represent
Uniting Voices with community stakeholders and
donors/supporters 

Qualifications

Ideal candidates for the Philanthropy Officer role will possess
the following skills and

attributes:

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant
discipline or equivalent work experience
6+ years professional development
experience in a non-profit setting with demonstrated advancement in
responsibilities  
Direct experience successfully
soliciting, closing, and stewarding mid-level gifts
Excellent oral presentation, writing,
relationship-building, and listening skills  
Strong administrative and
organizational skills, with the ability to multitask, set goals,
and prioritize workload
Experience with CRM
applications/fundraising software
Flexibility to work after regular
office hours for rehearsals, concerts and events, as needed
Passion for the mission to inspire
and change lives through music

OTR” Life Experience: We know that many of
your most character-building experiences — where resilience, grit
and grace were required to persevere — do not show up neatly on a
resume. So, we want to hear some of those “OTR” (“off the resume”)
moments for you. In order to be on the Uniting Voices team, EQ
(Emotional Intelligence) is not a nice-to-have…it’s a must. So,
show us your EQ.

What it’s Like to Work at Uniting Voices:
Sincerely, we’re a family. We get it done while having fun. We’re
all working toward a colorful, peaceful and equitable future – and
that feels good. We share a passion for music and the vast
potential of young people. 

In addition to work you can believe in, Uniting Voices offers
the following perks:

Unlimited paid time off, including 8
state holidays and company-wide two week winter break.
Half-day Fridays out of respect for
the work we do on evenings and weekends.
An array of health insurance options
with generous subsidy of premiums. We also offer vision, dental,
short and long-term disability insurance and life insurance.
A retirement plan with matched
contributions up to 3% after a year of employment. We’re invested
in your future!
A pre-tax commuter program that
allows you to save on public transportation and parking.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should send a resume and
cover letter to [email protected],
with the job title in the subject line. 

Uniting Voices is an equal opportunity employer that
actively pursues candidates of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
We are committed to providing diversity, equity, and inclusion
training to all employees, and we do not discriminate on the basis
of race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality or national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or
expression, pregnancy status, marital status, age, medical
condition, disability, or veteran status in admission or access to,
or employment in, its programs and activities.