Friends of the Children

Title: Director of Mission Advancement              

Reports to: Executive Director              Status: Full Time

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.

PUT CHILDREN FIRST

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth's needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally-informed practice. We don't give up easily, and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long-term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy, and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.

PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.

Basic Function / Position Objective:  

Our Director of Mission Advancement will be instrumental in accomplishing the fundraising goals of the chapter. They will work alongside our Executive Director (ED), the Board of Directors, with support from our staff and Friends and in coordination with the rest of the Friends National network, to actualize the organization’s fiscal goals and values.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Passion for serving youth facing the most challenging situations  
• Work effectively – with ED, Board, and independently -- to identify and cultivate donors including individuals, corporations and foundations
• Support the ED and Board of Directors with revising and implementing a development plan, systems, and strategies as necessary to move our fundraising to the next level  
• Perform prospect research on individuals, corporations, and foundations and evaluate prospects for corporate and foundation grants
• Demonstrate and create processes for showing gratitude in timely, appropriate, and delightful ways
• Actively participate in aspects of planning, budgeting, and managing the growth and development of the organization through philanthropy
• In partnership with the team, plan and implement a minimum of two successful events each year
• Excellent organization, time management, delegation and follow-up skills  
• Coordinate with ED and board on revenue targets and achievements 
• Plan and execute special funding opportunities (end-of-year-end appeal, Annual Report, etc.)
• Collaborate with our marketing contractors on a basic communications plan that will focus on educating and raising visibility for donors and prospects. This should include social media channels and electronic newsletters
• Familiarity with state, local, and national philanthropic, governmental, and business communities   
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to research, prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals and reporting requirements.
• Make, and in some cases attend, appointments with/for ED with foundation officers and other prospects, arrange for onsite tours for supporters (foundation officers, foundation trustees)
• Prepare timely, specific, and relevant materials for development meetings and conversations
• Identify and utilize creative methods for gathering stories from Friends to be shared as appropriate
• Strive to ensure that organization’s commitment to equity is reflected in all decisions, communications, and processes  

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Attend and actively participate in team meetings, staff functions, and development events
• Possess commitment to extreme attention to detail, including but not limited to ability to implement self-checking procedures for data entry, produce accurate correspondence and reports, and produce and edit written materials accurately and consistently
• Have excellent project management and organizational skills to routinely manage and prioritize daily work and meet multiple deadlines simultaneously, especially during high-volume times of the year
• Demonstrate ability to work independently as well as in a team setting
• Have a passion for serving youth facing the most challenging situation
• Be a self-starter with high level of initiative and willingness to learn
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Be social media savvy
• Bachelor’s degree or 7 years equivalent experience required
• Provide specific evidence of success in fundraising

Required Education, Experience, and Abilities:

Preferred Experience, and Abilities:

• Two to three years of professional experience in sales, marketing, business development, and/or fundraising desired.

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices, and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Friends of the Children is growing rapidly as communities across the country are experiencing the power of how “One” changes a child's story: One Friend. One Child. 12+ years. No matter what. #ThePowerOfOne

To learn more about Friends of the Children Fargo-Moorhead, go to https://friendsfm.org