Donor Organizer

Org Background

The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is an environmental justice organization with deep roots in California’s Asian immigrant and refugee communities. Since 1993, APEN has built a membership base of Laotian refugees in Richmond and Chinese immigrants in Oakland, and more recently, Asian Americans in South Bay LA. Together, we have fought and won campaigns to make our communities healthier and just places where all people have the resources we need to live full, dignified lives. We are growing our local roots and building power to make decisions at the state level that have real local impact. By building an organized movement, we’re leading a transition away from an extractive economy based on profit and pollution and toward local, healthy, and life-sustaining economies that benefit everyone.

Position Summary

This is a new position at APEN. Over the past several years, APEN’s base of supporters has grown as the organization has become more visible and known locally and nationally. We currently have an email list of approximately 10,000 people, and 300 individual donors at various levels of giving. During this extraordinary period of change, challenge, and opportunity in the climate and environmental justice movement in California, APEN seeks a Donor Organizer who has strong fundraising / resource mobilization experience but is also able to think outside the box and experiment with new ways to strengthen our individual donor program in alignment with our organizational power-building goals. The Donor Organizer position has three main areas of responsibilities:

1. To lead communications, stewardship, and strategy for expanding and deepening the engagement of APEN and APEN Action’s small and mid-level donors;
2. To coordinate efforts to strengthen APEN and APEN Action’s staff and members’ individual donor fundraising skills and improve the overall culture of fundraising; and
3. To support major donor fundraising in close collaboration with the Development Director and Co-Directors.

Roles and Responsibilities

Donor prospecting, cultivation, engagement, and stewardship (40%)

• Create/distribute content and develop and lead strategy for APEN and APEN Action’s individual donor fundraising, including email, social media, paid media, video/multimedia, storytelling, blog posts, direct mail appeals, and annual reports
• Plan and execute individual donor engagement events, both online and in person (minimum two per year)
• Hold primary responsibility for moves management strategy for small donors and mid-level donors and coordinate with development director on moves management for major donors
• Share valuable insights and feedback from donors with internal teams to help inform programs and strategy as needed
• Sit on the communications crew and coordinate regularly with communications staff to align messaging and schedules of appeals and other communications with donors and supporters

Strengthen APEN and APEN Action staff and member fundraising skills and overall culture of fundraising (15%)

• Support, coach, and train staff, members and/or volunteers in individual donor and grassroots fundraising strategies
• Conduct onboarding orientations for new staff on donor fundraising
• Lead staff, member, and / or volunteer teams during annual fundraising appeals and other campaigns

Portfolio Management: (15%)

• Manage a portfolio of at least 30 donors at mid-level and major donor levels, stewarding relationships with these donors and doing annual solicitations via phone, email, text, and / or in-person meetings.
• Provide administrative and technical support to manage staff, board, and volunteer fundraising committee’s donor portfolios.

Other support for individual donor fundraising (10%)

• Develop and execute processes for evaluation of the effectiveness of donor engagement and fundraising strategies, including regular data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Work closely with Development Coordinator to ensure accuracy of donor data
• Integrate small and medium donor engagement with volunteer opportunities and advocacy work
• Support finance and development teams in administrative processing of individual donations as needed

Organizational development and support (10%)

• Engage in overall organizational integration, budget, and planning processes, including yearly and strategic planning
• Coordinate with APEN staff teams on larger organizational priorities
• Manage volunteers and interns when needed
• Contribute to the APEN culture of team-building, emotional intelligence and feminisms
• Develop personal and professional growth and leadership
• Support for other APEN components by supporting member meetings, signature gathering, voter engagement, and other APEN-wide support needs

Required Qualifications

• Commitment to the mission and principles of APEN and environmental justice
• At least 3+ years’ experience in a similar role
• At least 1 year of experience doing direct donor solicitation via phone and / or in person
• Compelling and accurate writer and editor; experience telling stories that motivate people to take action
• Highly organized, with strong project management skills and attention to detail.
• Working knowledge of mass email, social media, and digital organizing best practices
• Strong quantitative and qualitative reasoning
• Fast learner
• Basic graphic design skills – familiarity with Canva or Adobe products
• Previous experience using Contact Relationship Management platforms (CRMs) e.g. Action Network, Action Builder, Salesforce (or others)
• Clear communication skills
• Team-oriented
• Strong facilitation skills, experience working with groups, and designing agendas and curriculum for interactive group processes.
• Proficiency in: Intermediate Excel, Office 365, Slack, Asana or other project management applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree preferred with a strong emphasis on personal lived/professional experience.
• Paid or volunteer work experience training groups of adults in fundraising / resource mobilization
• Background in community organizing
• Experience with fundraising event planning and coordination
• Knowledge of 501c4 fundraising and compliance rules
• Knowledge of the social justice philanthropic landscape in California, including donor affinity groups and current trends in individual donor fundraising / resource mobilization

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time, non-exempt position with an hourly rate range of $35.92 to $45.77 commensurate with experience. APEN also offers its staff a generous benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage for employee and spouse/dependents
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
• Dependent Care and Health Care Flexible Savings Account (FSA)
• Vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays
• Fully paid 2 week winter holiday and 1 week summer break
• 401k with 5% employer match
• Professional development
• Commuter benefits
• Sabbatical opportunity
• APEN is also a family-friendly employer

Recently, APEN voluntarily recognized the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America, UAW as the exclusive representative of a group of APEN staff members. Please note that this position is a bargaining unit position, represented by UAW.

Accessibility and Working Conditions

This position will require applicants to work on a computer daily for long periods of time, and collaborate with colleagues and coalition partners through Zoom, email, and other digital platforms. APEN will provide a computer and other equipment needed to fulfill basic job responsibilities.

This position will be hybrid requiring 2 days of in-person work at one of our APEN offices (Oakland, Richmond, or Los Angeles). In addition, this position will also follow APEN’s COVID safety policies and protocols regarding in-person work. Masks are required to be worn in APEN offices and indoor events, with the exception of eating and drinking. All employees also are required to be vaccinated as part of our safety policy. APEN will continue to closely monitor local and state health officials guidance around COVID and any additional guidelines around safety for people to return to offices and gather in-person as needed.

This position may require work during irregular hours including on nights or weekends, and will require travel within California.

This position will not require applicants to carry or move heavy equipment, regularly ascend or descend a ladder, or stand or sit for long periods of time. This position will not require working in hazardous or unusual conditions such as outdoors in inclement weather. We provide reasonable accommodations for the application, interview, or any other aspect of the program manager selection process to applicants with disabilities. Please email hiring@apen4ej.org to request an accommodation.

Application Process

This position was posted in April 2025 and will be open until filled. Applications are due electronically by clicking “Apply Now” on the APEN website. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

The application must include the following:

• Resume
• Cover letter describing interest in the position and qualifications

APEN is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, caste, or any other characteristic protected by law. APEN conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. Queer, transgender, intersex, gender non-conforming, disabled, black and indigenous people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.