Senior Development Role

Senior Development Role at The Action Lab

About The Action Lab

The Action Lab is a strategy center for social movements that
sparks political and personal liberation. We provide rigorous and
joyful spaces for organizers, leaders and artists to learn, to
create, and to strengthen our capacity to win. We strive to build a
powerful culture that lifts us out of the immediate and enables us
to envision and realize a just future.

The Action Lab’s programs center three primary objectives:

Learning: The craft and context of
community organizing are ever-evolving and demand
interdisciplinary, experiential learning  – and a durable
scaffolding for that process. The Action Lab works with our
partners to identify, pilot, and scale new insights and practices
to realize transformational change.
Creating: While politics is a vehicle
to engage and challenge injustice, culture, not politics, is the
way we make meaning of the world. The Action Lab is convening and
nurturing a new and dynamic community to spark new work, and
innovative ways of working, to realize our highest aspirations for
justice.
Strengthening: Our health, rigor,
wisdom and community are what enable us to realize our potential.
The Action Lab is committed to the foundational importance of the
well-being of our people and organizations –  to helping to
create programs and support for organizers, artists, and
organizations to drive discipline, reflection, impact and joy.

About the Position

The Action Lab is seeking an experienced leader in nonprofit
development to fill a senior development role, with the precise
title and seniority to be determined based on the selected
candidate. The person in this role will be a leading member of the
organization’s fundraising team and will help secure the long-term
sustainability of our vital and growing programming for social
justice movement organizations. The person filling the role will
join The Action Lab with significant experience and demonstrated
success in nonprofit organizational fundraising, and will have a
shared commitment to the mission and vision of The Action Lab.

Reporting to a member of The Action Lab’s senior management, the
new role will be responsible for managing a portfolio of
fundraising and development projects from inception through
completion and reporting. This role will also work closely with The
Action Lab’s finance, communications, and program teams.

Primary Responsibilities

Design, contribute to, and execute
multiple parts of a fundraising strategy that ensures the
organization’s ability to plan for multi-year growth.
Cultivate and steward relationships
with funders and decision makers at philanthropic foundations,
government agencies, corporations, and individual donors to secure
funding for organizational programs and initiatives.
Lead the development and production
of compelling grant proposals, donor appeals, and other fundraising
materials, in close collaboration with programming and
communications leads.
Manage a portfolio of major donors
and prospects, including conducting prospect research, scheduling
meetings, and maintaining accurate records of ongoing fundraising
efforts and past awards in a shared organizational database.
Register and maintain The Action
Lab’s accounts in new funder portals, payment systems, and
databases.
Liaise with program and finance team
members to ensure the accurate and timely submission of reporting
to fulfill funder requirements.
Support staff members across the
organization in setting and reaching individual fundraising
goals.
Plan, coordinate, and manage
fundraising events.
Coordinate on fundraising and related
projects effectively with other staff, Advisory Board Members,
Board of Directors, Fellows, allied organizations and Anchor
Partners.
As the development team grows,
provide excellent supervision/management of staff, volunteers and
consultants.
Represent The Action Lab at
fundraising events, conferences, and other public forums to promote
awareness of our mission and attract new supporters.
Support the Director of Development
and Learning and other senior staff in additional duties as
assigned to advance the organization’s fundraising goals and
overall mission.

Job Requirements

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of the following
experiences and skills:

A demonstrated commitment to social
justice and a sound analysis of racial and economic justice as
imperative for successful organizing and change work.
Demonstrated success in meeting or
exceeding fundraising goals and targets, with experience of helping
to lead a team in securing funding in the range of $5 million
annually or more.
At least 5 years as mid- to
senior-level staff in nonprofit fundraising and development, with
evidence of securing significant contributions from individual
donors, foundations, government agencies, and/or corporations.
Experience applying for, successfully
winning, and reporting on grants of substantial value from local,
state, and/or US Government agencies and elected officials, ideally
including funding for both programming and capital projects.
Excellent written and verbal
communication skills, with the ability to articulate The Action
Lab’s mission, details of programming, and funding needs
persuasively to diverse audiences.
A set of strong positive
relationships with existing funders and/or deep familiarity with
the social justice organizing and arts/culture funding
landscape.
Proven ability to manage multiple and
increasing numbers of deadlines for application deadlines,
reporting requirements, and related fundraising tasks.
A strong numerical literacy and
advanced proficiency with technical tools including AirTable and
Google Sheets.

Salary and Benefits

Salary will be in the range of $100,000 to $160,000, determined
according to the experience level of the candidate, with a generous
benefits package.

Location

Primarily virtual; NYC preferred.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email the following as a single PDF
document with the subject line “Application for
Senior Development Role” to [email protected]:

a cover letter of
not more than 1 page that outlines your relevant
experience, background, and interest in helping to lead The Action
Lab’s fundraising team;
a resume not to
exceed 2 pages.

Applications will be accepted and considered on a rolling basis.
The Action Lab is seeking to fill this position as of June 1, 2024,
but will be flexible to accommodate the ideal candidate.

The Action Lab is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and
actively recruits people of color, women, individuals with
disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community.