Program Officer, Solidarity Giving

About Us

Solidarity Giving was established in 2016 to support national organizations that advance social justice while centering Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, women and families, and people experiencing poverty. It is part of a family of philanthropic entities collectively referred to as Wildcard Giving. In addition to Solidarity Giving, Wildcard Giving includes two “sister” organizations, Sunlight Giving and Acton Family Giving. Together, they are committed to community through a common set of values, grantmaking practices, and staff.

Wildcard Giving believes our endowment and purpose sit in the public trust. We have established an approach centered on valuing the power and wisdom of our grantees and the communities they serve. Our practice is grounded in trust, transparency and equity and prioritizes long-term flexible funding and minimizing the time and effort we ask of our grantee partners.

Summary

This Program Officer is responsible for an annual $10M grantmaking budget, tends to approximately 60 grantee relationships, and represents the organization at national funder collaboratives. This will be the inaugural program role for Solidarity Giving, as previous grantmaking was made collectively by the Wildcard Leadership team.

The Program Officer provides day-to-day management of relationships with applicants and grantees, performs due diligence on organizations, and participates in grantmaking planning, budgeting, and strategy. The Program Officer works with nonprofits, staff, board members, and external partners to learn from and better understand an evolving philanthropic landscape. This role is expected to develop and manage relationships and networks that advance targeted focus areas.

A successful candidate is an independent self-starter, collaborative team player, and confident liaison. They are curious, open-minded, and perceptive and demonstrate strong emotional intelligence. Given this role’s proximity to the donor, the individual must have the ability to execute a high level of confidentiality, discretion, and sound judgment.

Core areas of responsibility

• ●  Grantmaking facilitation

• ●  Grantee partnership and support

• ●  Program strategy development and implementation

• ●  Grant budget management

• ●  Collaboration and team leadership

• ●  External Wildcard representation

Essential competencies

• ●  Lived experience with, or demonstrated commitment to, issues we address/communities we serve

• ●  Professional experience in nonprofit sector/understanding of grantee perspective

• ●  Ability to analyze nonprofit programs, operations, and financials

• ●  Mission-driven with knowledge of program areas and communities, and desire to pursue continuous learning

• ●  Ability to advance individual workstreams and to work in collaboration as a member of a team

• ●  Ability to communicate with clarity and empathy for both internal and external stakeholders

• ●  Highly organized and detail oriented with a strong sense of ownership and accountability

• ●  Alignment with our organizational beliefs and values

Relevant competencies

• ●  Understanding of principles of trust-based philanthropy

• ●  Experience applying a racial equity lens in grantmaking and program design

• ●  A commitment to ongoing individual and collective learning on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion

• ●  Project management skills

• ●  Familiarity (or ability to gain familiarity) with systems and processes, including Fluxx, Asana, Google Workspace, Slack, and Microsoft Office

Not required for this role

• ●  Operations experience

• ●  Advanced data management skills

• ●  People management experience

Office Location

Our office is in Palo Alto, California. Based on position, staff are expected to work in the office one to three days per week to convene as small teams, perform group projects, or gather as the full Wildcard Giving team. We follow the guidance from local/state public health officials on safely being in-person and have the ability to return to fully-remote schedules if needed.

Hours: Full time, exempt. Company hours are 9am – 5pm. Your schedule will be set in collaboration with your manager. Minimal travel is required for this position, generally for professional development/conferences, as grantee partner meetings are held over phone or Zoom.

Reports to: Managing Director

Target Starting Salary: $115,000 - $130,000

Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401K retirement matching contributions, flexible spending account/dependent care account, and more.

Application Deadline: February 10, 2023

Ideal Start Date: March 2023

To apply please use this link to submit your information and resume: https://form.jotform.com/230086802800145

Hiring Process and Timeline

Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates should expect:

• ●  An initial Zoom interview with the Managing Director to discuss general qualifications and give more detail

  about the position and our organization

• ●  An in-person group or Zoom interview held with members of our team

• ●  A final interview with the organization’s donor/principal

All final candidates must provide three relevant employment references and be able to verify the right to work in the United States.

Sunlight Giving, a 501(c)3 private foundation, will be the employer of record as donor advised funds are not able to pay operating expenses.

Sunlight Giving is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.