Leadership Giving Officer - New York / San Francisco / or Remote

Overview:

At KickStart International, our mission is to empower millions of people with irrigation tools and technologies to grow more food and earn more money—transitioning farmers across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from poverty to prosperity in just one growing season. As a leader in the social enterprise movement and 30 years of experience designing practical solutions for poverty alleviation in the Global South, KickStart now works across 16 SSA countries to equip smallholder farmers and their communities with the tools to build vibrant livelihoods and climate-resilience. Designed and developed by our team of engineers based in Nairobi, Kenya our award-winning tools are trusted by farmers, cost-effective, and use clean energy—kickstarting profitable farming businesses at the grassroots through year-round harvests, greater yields, and transformed market access. 

Recognition of KickStart’s leadership in innovation and transformative impacts include: Forbes “Impact 30 List” of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, Skoll Social Entrepreneur Awardee, and “Top 100 Best NGOs in the World” by The Global Journal. The U.S. Department of State presented KickStart with the first-ever Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls in 2012, and recently, KickStart won the Autodesk 2019 Design & Manufacturing Excellence Award for “Making A Better World”. With the launch of KickStart’s latest and most affordable technology, our team is positioned for transformational impact, exciting growth, and rapid career development opportunities.

About the role:

KickStart seeks an enthusiastic and entrepreneurial Leadership Giving Officer based in San Francisco, New York City, and/or working remotely within the US. The successful candidate will be a key player in KickStart’s fundraising team, directly reporting to the CEO, and focused on building relationships with, and securing gifts from, individual donors and family foundations. Join our dynamic team with the goal of increasing annual giving, developing a strong pipeline of individual donors, and supporting our donor-facing marketing strategy!

Responsibilities:

• Identify, develop and implement strategies for prospecting, cultivating, soliciting and closing current and new individual donors to achieve revenue goals of $2.5 million annually.
• Manage and build a portfolio of Major Gift donors, ensuring that timely steps are taken toward solicitation, closure, referral, and stewardship. Serve as first point of contact and utilize a variety of gift vehicles including giving-circles and multi-year pledges. This will include playing a key liaison role with members of KickStart’s Board of Directors to steward their giving, introductions, recruitment and fundraising efforts.   
• Upgrade individual donors through a planned, moves-management, pipeline from prospects, to base, to mid-level, to major gifts.
• Develop and maintain online and printed donor-facing materials, manage and track the production of outreach and acknowledgements, and contribute to the implementation of a vibrant communications and marketing strategy including use of our website, personal outreach, social media, newsletters, annual appeals, customized updates and annual reports.   
• Plan, create, organize and (as-needed/possible) attend and manage, remote and in-person, donor solicitation and stewardship activities and events, including learning-get-togethers and trips.
• Participate in cross-functional collaboration with team members in the US and across Africa
• Perform other special projects as requested by the CEO.  

Qualifications:

• Minimum of bachelor's degree required. Advanced degrees and/or related certifications is a plus.
• At least 3-5 years of work experience with a minimum of 2 years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in individual and annual giving, especially closing 4-6 figure gifts.  
• Experience with planned giving is a plus.
• Direct experience or knowledge of working in the Global South is a plus.

Demonstrated skills:

• Self-starter, entrepreneurial, and highly motivated individual.
• Passion for KickStart’s work and its social enterprise model empowering people in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Background and keen interest in the social impact space.
• Works successfully in a complex, fast-paced organization serving multiple stakeholders.
• Outstanding oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Ability to communicate clearly and succinctly through strong phone, e-mail, and written communications. Ability to be effective in a variety of formal presentation settings including one-on-one, small, and large groups.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with clients/donors and colleagues.
• Highly detail-oriented individual with exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional team structure.
• Ability to manage and work through change in a proactive and positive manner.
• Have a can-do attitude with a flexible disposition to respond to fast-paced, shifting priorities.
• Mastery of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), Adobe Acrobat, and Social Media platforms required.
• Experience with Bloomerang or other donor-database/CRM platform.
• Experience with DonorSearch and Foundation Directory Online a plus.

Working environment:

• Requires remote/flex-time work.
• Ability to work evenings/weekends for cultivation events and meetings.
• Collaborating with colleagues across multiple time-zones in Africa and the United States.
• Occasional domestic/international travel.

We take care of you: At KickStart, we want you to be well and thrive!

• Comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes medical, vision, dental, and pharmacy coverage; life insurance; voluntary 403(b); and disability coverage.
• Co-working membership near your home (if hired remotely) and commuter benefits (if local).
• Flexible work schedule with generous vacation/sick time policy.

How to apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter to KickStart's e-mail address. Please be sure to include the job title in the subject line and include where you heard about KickStart in your cover letter.