Job Title: Foundations Officer
Organization Name: Landesa
Organization Type: Other
Organization Website: www.landesa.org
Job Summary: The Foundations Officer supports Landesa’s fundraising team in securing revenue from private foundations. S/he will work closely with the Senior Foundations Officer to identify, cultivate, and steward foundation prospects in alignment with Landesa’s programs and strategic plan. The Foundations Officer will be responsible for managing the proposal writing process, engaging with foundation representatives, and collaborating regularly with Landesa program, finance, and fundraising staff. The Foundations Officer will help secure resources that will allow Landesa to expand its impact to change the lives of millions of rural families.
Reporting and relationships: The Foundations Officer will report to the Senior Foundations Officer.
Availability: The Foundations Officer will be expected to work a standard workweek of 40 hours plus additional hours as necessary to get the job done.
Essential Job Functions:
- Supports and participates in implementing a strategic fundraising plan to annually raise $8M+ from foundation sources.
- Collaborates with global staff on foundation giving strategies for projects and programs.
- Develops and manages cultivation, relationship building, and stewardship activities with foundations, including preparation of cultivation materials.
- Manages grant writing and grant reporting processes in collaboration with program, finance, and fundraising staff.
- Tracks and monitors grant and reporting processes in donor database, Salesforce.
- Evaluates and develops cultivation strategies for potential foundation prospects that align with Landesa’s mission, programs, and goals.
- Utilizes cultivation strategies and research to prepare senior Landesa staff in advance of events, conferences or meetings.
- Develops a thorough understanding of Landesa’s practice areas, nuances of land rights and various Landesa projects.
- Participates in Resource Development team activities and events.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- A deep commitment to the mission of a better, safer future for people experiencing poverty through secure land rights.
- Demonstrated fundraising success in managing a portfolio of foundation funders and winning foundation grants over six figures.
- Strong prospecting skills in identifying potential new funders and developing strategic approaches for successful introductions.
- Experience managing reporting requirements for foundation funders.
- Superior thinking, speaking, and writing skills to build Landesa’s case for support and describe Landesa programs, projects, and activities for fundraising purposes.
- Leadership, collaboration, and consensus-building skills.
- Project management skills and flexibility in a fast-paced working environment.
- Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, especially in cross-cultural environments; ability to thrive as a team member.
- Proficiency using Microsoft Suite (365) of products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other fundraising-related software.
- Commitment to Landesa’s Core Values of Adaptive, Bold, and Collaborative.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required.
- The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of 5 years of experience fundraising (prospect research, grant writing, grant report writing) with foundation funders.
- Experience working in deadline-driven environments.
- Donor database experience, preferably with Salesforce.
Salary Range
$70,000-$80,000 DOE
Supplemental Information
Physical and Environmental Conditions: Work is primarily performed indoors with some potential for exposure to safety and health hazards related to electronics work. A substantial percentage of work may be performed remotely. This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms, residences, or commercial vehicles; e.g., use of safe work place practices with office equipment, and/or avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.
Additional Comments: The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
To Apply: Qualified candidates should complete an online application on Landesa’s career page. Authorization to work in the U.S. is required. International travel may be required.
Equal employment opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at Landesa. Landesa is committed to a work environment in which relationships are characterized by dignity, courtesy, and respect. We are committed to nondiscrimination in all of our business operations and embraces diversity as a key strategic philosophy and strength of how we do our global work. Landesa actively seeks diverse candidates for employment.