Now hiring: Advancement Manager

Peace First is a global NGO igniting and supporting a youth-led movement of global innovators tackling everything from racial justice to climate change. We are looking for an innovative fundraiser who will help us successfully raise $10 million over three years in support of Peace First’s youth activation work around the world.

As part of the advancement team, the ideal candidate must be excited and ready to fundraise in partnership with young people. Our co-CEOs are based in Washington DC and Bogotá, with a team scattered around the globe, and we are open to strong candidates anywhere.

 

ABOUT PEACE FIRST 

Peace First was founded on a simple idea: if we are going to solve the world’s greatest injustices, we must support this generation of young people with the skills and commitments to solve problems by connecting across lines of difference with compassion, standing up for ideals and others with courage, and creating collaborative change. This is what we call peacemaking. 

Currently, there are 1.6 billion young people around the world, ages 16-30. They care deeply about what’s going on, they have boundless ideas on how to solve injustices and are ready to act yet seldom are they asked by adults what they think or, better yet, supported in bringing their ideas to life. Few have access to tools, mentors, and resources to turn their insights into reality. This is the divide we bridge. 

Peace First provides a blended digital design platform where young people can imagine and create powerful innovations to solve real problems in the world. In addition to digital design tools, we provide mentors, connections with young people from over 130 countries, and small start-up grants that start at $250 and scale up to $25,000 as youth scale their work. All of this takes place on the Peace First platform — the world’s largest marketplace for youth-led social change initiatives. In order for us to achieve our long-term goal of supporting a movement of 2.5 million engaged, compassionate, and creative youth, Peace First is launching a $10 million Global Youth Investment Fund to provide the financial spark to support efforts for social change. It will be the single largest investment in youth social action...ever. 

A key element of our strategic plan is to build out our team of talented professionals. We actively recruit, retain, and develop a multicultural and dynamic workforce that effectively and efficiently meets the wide spectrum of young people's needs across the globe. We believe that an inclusive and open environment fosters creativity, contributes to the quality of our work, and provides growth opportunities for all employees. To that end, we are seeking individuals who are excited about fostering this inclusive culture and working in an entrepreneurial environment where there is an immediate opportunity to have a tangible impact on organizational direction and achievement.

 

peace first environment

 

    POSITION OVERVIEW

    In partnership with the co-CEOs, Chief of Staff, and Senior Director of Advancement, the Advancement Manager is responsible for assisting Peace First’s efforts to successfully raise $10 million over three years in support of our youth activation work around the world. This is a role for a generalist advancement/development/fundraising professional – someone who is experienced in both individual and institutional giving. The Advancement Manager will (1) play a major role in maintaining and growing the Youth Investment Fund, our fund is comprised primarily of grassroots, recurring monthly donors; (2) build and manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals with the capacity to give five- and six-figure gifts; (3) lead our grant management and grant-writing efforts; and (4) provide general support and project management to the advancement team.

    The Advancement Manager will report to the Sr. Director of Advancement, who reports directly to the Co-CEO of Storytelling and Fundraising. This is a role for someone excited to build upon Peace First’s record of innovation and long-standing relationships with donors while helping to develop a new global grassroots fundraising model. The successful candidate has an entrepreneurial spirit, is excited about working in a small-shop setting, is passionate about investing in young people as agents of change, and wants to help grow a movement of young leaders and changemakers.

     

    Responsibilities 

    Grassroots Fundraising & The Youth Investment Fund

    • Partner with the Senior Director of Advancement to manage the Youth Investment Fund, helping us to achieve at least $100,000 in monthly recurring donations.

    • Design and implement stewardship tactics for Youth Investment Fund donors, in collaboration with advancement and storytelling team leaders.

    • Solicit grassroots donations to support the Fund on an ongoing basis.

    Major Gifts

    • Manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals (and institutions) capable of making gifts of five figures and more.

    • Take a leadership role at all phases of the donor cycle, including donor prospecting, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

    • Contribute to the design of a portfolio management system and help assign prospects to leadership team members’ portfolios.

    • Propose tactics for reaching out to historic/lapsed donors.

    • Prospect potential new donors.

    Grant Management and Writing

    • Lead our efforts to identify good-fit grant opportunities from public, private, corporate, and family foundations.

    • Coordinate teamwide efforts to complete grant applications.

    • Manage grant cycles, ensure completion of applications and reports, and meet deadlines.

    Project Management and Support for Advancement Team

    • Manage, plan, and coordinate Peace First’s fundraising events.

    • Partner with the Finance Department to process revenue and continue the donor life-cycle, including donor recognition and stewardship, income reconciliation, record keeping, coding, and tax processing.

     

    Key Skills and Experience 

    We understand that there are many paths to developing skills and acquiring experience and therefore welcome candidates from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds for this role who have demonstrated equivalent transferable skills to carry out the major duties outlined in this job description. However, candidates should have a strong track record in fundraising, comfort in start-up environments, and a passion for partnering with young people. 

    Additionally, we are looking for candidates who have:

    • 5+ years of professional experience in a nonprofit organization.

    • Demonstrated success in creating and managing relationships with donors of varying capacities, having personally closed at least five-figure asks with individual donors and deepened donor relationships over time.

    • Keen understanding of the donor cycle.

    • Experience with Salesforce and/or other CRMs, with the ability to leverage data for advancing strategies and operations. Excels at making data-driven decisions.

    • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral with the ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships.

    • Can positively impact both strategic and tactical initiatives.

    • Ability to work both independently without close oversight, but also as a team player. 

    • Strong organizational and time management skills with strong attention to detail.

    • The ability to work independently and as a cross-functional team player, to take initiative, and to manage multiple tasks and projects at a time.

    • Possessing a mindset of no task too large nor too small.

    • Ability to be an effective spokesperson who can mobilize and inspire others to action.

    You are Right for this Role if you:

    • Embody an entrepreneurial spirit and are comfortable operating in a start-up-style environment where priorities can quickly and necessarily change.

    • Are creative, innovative, and enjoy rolling up your sleeves to “get things done”.

    • Are comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy creating systems for scale.  

    • Enjoy collaborating with others and have the ability to integrate well into various teams and functional areas while achieving your own goals and outcomes. 

    • Believe in and lead with Peace First’s core values of courage, compassion, and collaboration.

    • Have a passion for supporting young people as they change the world for the better and self-identify as a changemaker.

     

    Other Requirements:

    • Written and spoken fluency in English, including fluency in colloquial United States English. 

    • Must be able to travel within the United States up to 25% of the time and periodically travel outside the U.S. for donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 

    • Proficiency in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Gmail, etc.; Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

     

    Compensation and Benefits 

    This is a full-time position. The salary range is $56,000-69,000 USD for candidates based in the U.S/U.K./equivalent markets and $34,000 - $44,000 USD for candidates based in any other markets around the world. Peace First offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, including unlimited paid time off, internet stipend, retirement matching, and remote work options from anywhere around the world.

     

    Start Date / Location 

    Immediate / This is a fully remote role that may include occasional travel. Location is flexible but must be available during the majority of East Coast US working hours

     

    To Apply 

    To be considered for this position, please go to this link to apply. 

    Peace First is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability. For more information, please go to www.peacefirst.org.