Director of Fundraising

Director of Fundraising

New Media Ventures / New Rising Ventures

New Media Ventures 501(c)(4) and New Rising Ventures 501(c)(3) are affiliated organizations with a connecting theory of change – that by changing where capital is invested, we can shift the structures of power to benefit more people. The two entities share employees and non-financial resources, but there is a separation between finances and program delivery as mandated by nonprofit law. Employees carry the same title and duties across both entities, however, their (c)(3) work is social and their (c)(4) work is political.

New Media Ventures (NMV) is a mission-driven fund and investor network focused on innovation to advance progressive political change. Our mission is to find, fund, and support organizing, technology, and media startups that build political power.

New Rising Ventures (NRV) is a mission-driven fund and investor network focused on nonpartisan social and civic innovation to advance societal change. We invest in visionary founders who are empowering citizens, strengthening democratic institutions, dismantling inequitable systems, and advancing responsible technology for the common good.

Collectively, the affiliated entities have supported over 150 values-aligned startups, many of which are now widely recognized pillars of the social change community including Vote.org, Blavity, Swing Left, CrowdTangle, and ActBlue.

Organizational Culture

NMV and NRV are a pro-Black mix of Millennials and Gen-Z employees. We believe in a liberated workforce and strive to cultivate a low-ego, high-performance culture and a flexible work environment that centers joy and impact. We are looking for a self-motivated colleague who is diligent about their work, takes risks, thinks outside of the box, and is bold in their love for culture and community – basically, someone who wants to do dope shit with dope people.

The Opportunity

NMV and NRV seek an innovative, experienced Director of Fundraising to drive and restructure our fundraising program, which has been built over the last 14 years, for efficiency and growth. Reporting to, and in partnership with, the Co-Presidents, this person will serve a key leadership role and will be an active participant in strategic decision-making.

The Director of Fundraising will be responsible for planning and executing all development initiatives to sustain and grow our funder pipeline, including the solicitation of individual, corporate, and foundation gifts, and the implementation of special events and major gift initiatives. The director will also be heavily involved in developing strategies for effective social media and marketing and other external engagement campaigns. A successful candidate will have broad exposure to philanthropy and a background in corporate, political, entertainment, or nonprofit giving.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop NMV’s fundraising strategy to achieve annual revenue targets and manage execution
• Drive fundraising activity for the organization, leading the weekly fundraising meeting and creating revenue forecasts and scenarios to ensure we meet our goals
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit major donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors
• Collaborate with the executive team to align fundraising efforts with organizational priorities
• Manage a portfolio of prospects and donors and support the NMV/NRV leadership and board members in being effective fundraisers for the org
• Actively bring new prospects into the organization through personal networking and external engagement
• Manage and mentor a part time fundraising operations team member
• Create and execute funder events and partnerships strategy, identify opportunities to showcase NMV’s work to key audiences, and represent NMV at key events as needed
• Manage funder-facing communications including grant proposals, reports, emails, and other materials as needed
• Manage NMV’s engagement with any membership organizations, such as Media Impact Funders and others
• Keep the organization and principles informed about the latest news and shifts across the donor landscape

Qualifications

• Deep mission alignment with NMV as well as deep familiarity with progressive politics and/or social justice movements
• Demonstrated understanding of the difference between partisan and nonpartisan legally permissible activities as outlined in sections 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code
• An understanding of impact investing fund models, including venture philanthropy, and a willingness to experiment with big ideas (and the ability to message them to prospective funders)
• 5+ years total experience in fundraising; at least 3 of those years of experience must be in large-dollar fundraising, e.g. stewardship, major gifts, political or movement campaigns, and/or institutional giving
• A demonstrable record of success with a broad array of development techniques (including prospecting, donor cultivation, and donor management) and proven ability to lead a fundraising program
• Culturally competent with a track record of working effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
• Excited about event planning and networking
• Ability to see the big picture and think strategically while also executing discrete tasks
• Skill at managing upwards and motivating team members to excel
• Proficient with CRMs (we use Salesforce) and Google suite products, and quick to learn new technology and tools. High-priority proficiencies include data segmentation, tracking audience interactions, and automation abilities
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, capable of balancing and prioritizing concurrent projects and deadlines

Candidate Pluses

note: we don't expect the successful candidate to match more than a handful of the list below:

• Experience working in a grantmaking or impact investing organization
• Experience working in media, technology, or digital organizing
• Strong writing skills and/or experience with grant writing
• Significant experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion or anti-oppression work
• Deep familiarity with one or more marginalized communities in the U.S. such as communities of color, undocumented communities, low-wage workers, LGBTQ communities, disabled communities, Muslim communities, etc.
• Demonstrated skill with graphic or web design

Details:

• Salary range: $107- $145k. The higher end of this range assumes additional experience and more alignment with the Candidate Pluses stated above.
• We prefer for the position to be based in Los Angeles, Bay Area, New York City or Washington DC, but will give consideration to qualified candidates in other locales. The team is currently working remotely but meets in person a couple of times per year.
• Full benefits, including employer-covered health/vision/dental, life and disability insurance, 401k match up to 5%, and more than 30 days of paid time off annually.

Ready to apply? Please fill out this form answering the questions below and upload a 1 page PDF resume:

• What about our work, both at New Media Ventures and New Rising Ventures, motivated you to apply? Please read the vision of NRV here. (200 words max)
• Describe an experience that demonstrates your potential success in this role. (150 words max)
• What opportunities do you see in the funding landscape for progressive and/or social impact organizations like NMV / NRV? (200 words max)

The application deadline for this role is February 16. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.