Development Director

The U. S. Federation of Worker Co-ops (USFWC) is the national grassroots membership organization for worker cooperatives and other democratic workplaces. Our mission is to build a thriving ecosystem for worker-owned and controlled businesses and cooperative leaders in order to power movements for racial justice and economic democracy. Representing nearly 400 member workplaces and an estimated 12,000 workers across the country, we advance worker-owned, -managed, and -governed workplaces through cooperative education, advocacy and development.

The primary responsibility of a Development Director is to support the development and implementation of the USFWC’s Fundraising Plan, spanning philanthropic awards, government grants, small and large donors, and event & program sponsorships. The Development Director collaborates with the USFWC Communications Director to engage donors in our sustainer program as well as larger donor campaigns. This position works closely with the USFWC conference and events team to solicit conference, event, and other program sponsorships, and to plan publicity and special events that recognize sponsors who fund the organization. The Development Director works most closely with the Executive Director to develop and achieve fundraising goals as part of a diversified revenue plan that engaging strategies that align with the USFWC’s mission and values.

Job Description:

Time commitment: 40 hours/week

 

Development Strategy (35% of time)

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan to meet the organization’s annual revenue goals.
• Manage and lead a team of fundraising professionals, providing guidance, training, and support as needed.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to develop and execute effective donor communications and marketing materials.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to develop fundraising strategies and goals.
• Monitor and analyze fundraising data to evaluate performance and adjust strategies as needed.
• Synthesize information about our fundraising strategy, goals and needs in order to provide regular updates to the staff and board.
• Communicate with USFWC Executive Director, other Directors, and program staff to understand ongoing program objectives and programmatic budgetary goals
• Work with the Communications Director to compile and maintain resources for fundraising narratives, such as boilerplate program descriptions 
• Develop and improve our fundraising narratives, soliciting and internal outside feedback as appropriate

 

Grant Fundraising Management & Strategy  (30% of time)

• Manage and prioritize USFWC’s pursuit of funder prospects, leads and referrals, working with the Executive Director to set overall priorities and respond to specific opportunities
• Initiate, coordinate and prepare for meetings with current and prospective funders, briefing applicable staff in advance
• Monitor and lead ongoing communications and relationships with funders
• Maintain a calendar of submission deadlines and timelines
• Project manage and implement grant submissions, drafting content for specific proposals as needed in coordination with the Executive Director and applicable program staff
• Work with the Managing Director to ensure grant compliance and effective reporting

 

Donors, Program & Event Sponsorship Fundraising Management & Strategy  (15% of time)

• Identify and cultivate major gift prospects, as well as corporate and foundation donors.
• Plan and execute occasional special events that engage donors and raise funds for the organization.
• Coordinate and implement sponsorship fundraising program, including USFWC’s flagship biannual conference sponsorships, as well as program-specific sponsorships.
• Develop program & events sponsorship materials, make and track sponsor asks, track incoming sponsorships.
• Supervise administration of donor fundraising including task management, thank you notes, physical mailings and personal follow up with donors.
• Collaborate with the Communications Director to assess donor analytics, refining donor strategy. 
• Draft content for donor communications campaigns throughout each year.

 

Admin, Cross-Team Strategy and Support (20% of time)

• Participate in bi-weekly staff meetings and other recurring staff meetings
• Support the Executive Director and Leadership Team on ongoing reporting to USFWC board and staff across fundraising programs
• Support Managing Director in monitoring and producing timely, quality grant reports.
• Provide thought leadership and limited logistical support on USFWC conferences and events as needed

• Provide cross-team support on curriculum and training design for USFWC conferences, events and activities as appropriate
• Contribute to general organizational strategy in areas such as work planning, staffing, staff support, budget and programming, via regular meetings with the staff leadership team

 

Qualifications

 

Required Skills and Experience

• Experience with grassroots or nonprofit fundraising, with a proven track record of success in donor campaign gifts and foundation giving.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write grant applications that succinctly convey the impact of programs, compelling donor communications, and marketing materials.
• Strong organizational skills and project management experience
• Creative, collaborative problem solver
• Excellent people skills and comfort working closely with others in a team
• Experience with fundraising software and donor databases and comfort with with remote tools for collaboration such as: Google Drive, Google Sheets, Slack, Asana, Airtable, CRMs and Box, and ability to learn and operate new systems quickly
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice, economic democracy, organized labor and/or the Worker Cooperative field
• Ability to work remotely from home

Desired Skills and Experience

• Understanding of and experience with sponsorship fundraising
• Experience with democratic decision making and/or cooperative governance
• Knowledge of or experience working with immigrant and working class communities
• Capacity to travel
• Experience working in a member-led organization

Details about the position

Location

Our workplace is remote, with many staff residing in Philadelphia, PA. Other staff reside in California, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington state and the District of Columbia. We maintain a flexible work environment, with occasional out of town travel for work as health guidelines allow. 

About Being on Staff:

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives is a growing organization, currently consisting of 20 staff along with leadership from our nine-member Board of Directors. The USFWC has expanded both its programs and its staff significantly over the last five years. As our membership and the demand for our programs continues to grow along with the worker co-op field, we are focused on growing our impact, our value, and our menu of member benefits. 

Compensation & Benefits:

This is a 30-40 hours/week position at an FTE salary of $70-75k/year, prorated based on % of FTE. Base salaries are increased slightly for employees residing in particularly costly cities. The USFWC fully covers healthcare, vision and dental coverage for full time equivalent employees. Among our generous fringe benefits, we offer flexible holiday pay, 3-4 weeks of annual vacation, and stipends for professional development and tech equipment. As of 2024, the USFWC  provides full time staff the Gold PPO Preferred insurance plan with Independence Blue Cross. 

Applying:

To apply please CLICK HERE and include a resume, cover letter, and 3 references from current or former workplaces (or significant organizing initiatives). The position will be open until filled.

The USFWC is an Equal Opportunity employer. We highly encourage applicants of color, applicants who grew up poor or working class, LGBTQIA applicants, and applicants from other historically marginalized communities to apply.