Development Communications Director

Imagine if we could bring the same innovations that pervade every other part of our lives to child welfare. This is Foster America’s vision. Foster America recruits talented professionals who have the skills needed to address old, persistent problems in our child welfare system in new ways: skills in data and technology, design and marketing, strategy and planning, and finance. We prepare these professionals to serve as full-time fellows at public agencies across the country, where they lead major reform projects. For example, fellows with marketing and human-centered design backgrounds help agencies improve their recruitment and retention of foster parents. In the long-term, Foster America aims to scale the innovations its fellows develop and build a movement of fellowship alumni who will transform child welfare outcomes nationwide.

As a small but growing start-up organization, Foster America aims to be as efficient and effective with the resources we have. In fundraising, that means following a sales-based system: having a focus on connecting 1x1 with our best prospects, sharing the story of our impact, and inviting people to invest in the change we are creating. With the Executive Director as the lead salesperson for the organization, we are looking to bring in a rockstar writer and process manager to orchestrate the overall fundraising process, produce the bulk of our written fundraising materials, and support our organization’s communications work.

This position is meant for someone who enjoys being behind the scenes, thrives in finding the best way to help the team be even more effective, and in using influence to help them focus on key fundraising and communications priorities. To join our partly virtual team, it also requires a systems thinker who is proactive and can work independently.

The ideal candidate

• Has a passion for issues related to foster care and vulnerable youth, whether through direct experience or knowledge of the challenges in the system and the children affected.
• Is an exceptional writer and storyteller – asks questions and listens carefully to capture the details and find the connections that others will care about, and then uses their well-honed writing skills to document these stories. This is a person who is curious about the “why” and the impact, who wants to understand all the aspects that contributed to success, who can find the stories that need to be told.
• Is a natural builder – this person has gravitated toward roles that didn’t exist before, has a start-up mentality, and creates things with minimal resources. This person is constantly assessing how processes could be improved and actively working to share those ideas and implement improvements.
• Gets how to keep people focused on the goal – has experience with influencing people and project management. In particular, this person excels at upward management, understanding the universe in which their boss operates and how to keep moving toward results.
• Feels a real sense of ownership to get things done as a partner to the team – this person sees it as their responsibility to help others be effective, using creative ideas, finding joy in routine tasks, and staying focused on the goal.
• Is an organizational whiz – this person LOVES handling details and multiple projects running in parallel, methodically working through checklists (and creating them as well). This is the kind of person who might color-code their calendar or create a spreadsheet to plan a trip.

Responsibilities

Foster America is a small but growing team, and this position is brand new. The initial set of responsibilities outlined here will evolve over time, based on the organization’s needs and the strengths of the person hired. Key duties include:

Development Writing

• Develop and maintain the grants calendar, with key deadlines and actions
• Serve as project manager for each proposal and report, pulling in other team members at appropriate times in the process
• Craft grant proposals, letters of intent, and reports
• Prepare and customize written correspondence for prospects and funders, including predisposition letters, follow-up materials, and thank-you notes
• Create PowerPoints and other funder presentation materials
• Develop templates and write stories of our impact for use in development materials

Fundraising Process Management & Support

• Manage the fundraising process:
  • Own the process and tools of managing funder prospects and progress to goals
  • Manage the complete list of funding prospects, including securing updates from relationship managers
  • Run regular sales team meetings to ensure accountability and progress to fundraising goals
• Support fundraising team with prospect research, predisposition, and visit preparation
• Ensure critical visit follow-up occurs in a timely manner
• Attend some prospect visits to listen, take notes, and support
• Strengthen systems around processing and acknowledging gifts, and long-term stewardship of funder relationships
• Assist with memorable experiences / special events as needed
• Maintain and update donor database (in Salesforce) and establish related systems and processes

Communications

• Craft talking points for speeches, thought leadership, and other activities
• Regularly update Foster America’s website
• Provide other communications support as needed

Work Environment

• This is a full-time position is based in San Francisco.
• The projected salary range for this position is $75,000-90,000, depending on experience.

To Apply

If this profile calls out to you, please send a tailored, authentic cover letter that explains 1) why this mission excites you; and 2) why this particular role is a fit for you – along with your resume – to our partners at For Impact: talent@forimpact.org.

For Impact | The Suddes Group brings a fresh approach to talent searches. We combine our decades of experience in talent, leadership, and organizational development with our 30+ years helping 5,000+ organizations raise over $2 Billion. We believe that success lies in the ability to commit to a fundraising model that focuses on sharing the impact that will help drive income to sustain and grow the organization.