National Director — Washington, D.C.

Organization: Voices for Progress

Job Title: National Director

Location: Washington, D.C.

Hours and Compensation: Full Time – We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits including fully paid employee health care premiums, and a collegial work environment

Position Dates: Full Time

Application Deadline: open until filled

Posted On: Aug. 27, 2012

Organization Overview

Voices for Progress is a national, progressive grasstops advocacy organization that mobilizes opinion leaders, political major donors, and business and community leaders to advocate progressive policy priorities with policymakers. Over the last three years, its members have fought for health care reform, to reduce air pollution and prevent climate change, to fairly tax wealthy people, and to invest in creating jobs and opportunity. It seeks to counterbalance the immense power of self-interested political donors by speaking directly with policymakers about issues such as health care reform, climate change prevention, and federal budget and tax policy, to serve the public interest. Founded in 2009, its headquarters and this position are based in Washington, DC.

Description

The National Director oversees membership enlistment, cultivation and activation; development; and operations at Voices for Progress. The National Director works closely with the President to lead strategic planning and growth as well as advocacy campaigns. In the future, the National Director will also lead the enlistment of new constituencies and the development of state offices and state advocacy capacity.

We seek a candidate with strong relationships to progressive political donors as well as individual and foundation funders, management experience, and a strong grasp on public policy and advocacy.  Relationships with political donors and others across party lines would be a significant additional asset, as would relationships to state and local elected officials, business leaders, and other grasstops constituencies.

This position supervises the Membership & Development Coordinator and one or more interns (with opportunities for more supervision as the organization grows). The National Director reports to the President.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Advocacy

• Working closely with the President, leading the daily operations and strategic planning and growth of a small but growing (~100 member) grasstops membership advocacy organization.
• With President and Policy Director, developing and implementing policy advocacy campaigns for grasstops members, including lobbying and some press operations.
• Leading efforts to grow the organization by recruiting board and advisory committee members.
• Representing VFP at meetings with allies, advocates, members, and policymakers.

Membership Enlistment

• Identifying, enlisting, and building relationships with new grasstops members, including major political donors, philanthropists, business leaders, state/local elected officials, and other opinion leaders. The goal is to grow the organization from 100 to 1,000 members in the next four years.
• Planning and executing events and communications to engage current and prospective members in the organization (including recruiting co-hosts, developing invitation lists, appropriate follow up, etc).
• Supervising consultants and staff in various states/cities to engage new members, and once new members are identified, supporting and engaging them from the national office.

Development

• Directing and implementing, with support from Voices’ President and development staff, all efforts to raise funds for the organization.
• The fundraising work is a mix of member gifts ranging from $2,500 to $50,000 and foundation support, and the annual budget is approx. $1 million.
• Managing grants, solicitations, annual reports, etc.

Operations and Management

• Overseeing administrative and operations work. Developing budgets and financial plans.
• Supervising membership & development staff, with opportunities for future growth in management and supervision.
• Once the organization is able to hire state staff, supervising state directors.

Education, Experience, & Abilities:

• Experience in enlisting grasstops leaders and/or nonprofit development and/or campaign fundraising (especially with individual major donors).
• Demonstrated success and a strong background in personal solicitation of high-level donors.
• Demonstrated commitment to the progressive advocacy movement.
• Preferred: Brings a network of relationships with progressive political donors, fundraisers, and other opinion leaders.
• Preferred: Experience in non-profit operations (bookkeeping, hiring, legal, etc.).

Qualifications

• Excellent writer.
• Excellent management skills.
• Comfortable building relationships with high-level donors and other key individuals.
• Sets a high bar for themselves and their work.
• Willing to do what it takes to get the job done and stays positive even in quickly changing circumstances.
• Well-informed about current events and policy issues.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities at once.

How to Apply

Please email the following to [email protected] with “National Director” in the subject line:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Writing Sample of 1-3 pages (preferably not academic), and
• Answers to the questions below.

Questionnaire

1. Your daytime and evening numbers and the best time to reach you by phone.
2. Where did you see this job listing, aside from this website?
3. Why are you interested in this position?
4. What do you anticipate to be one challenge and one reward of working at Voices for Progress?
5. Please indicate the salary range you would expect to be paid for this position.
6. Additional comments (if you choose).