Director of Foundations and Philanthropic Partnerships

ABOUT US

UnidosUS, previously known as NCLR (National Council of La Raza), is the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Through its unique combination of expert research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico, UnidosUS simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels. For more than 50 years, UnidosUS has united communities and different groups seeking common ground through collaboration, and that share a desire to make our community stronger. For more information on UnidosUS, visit www.unidosus.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

SUMMARY

UnidosUS is seeking a highly motivated development professional to assume a leadership role in expanding grant funding and foundation support for the organization. The ideal candidate will be an individual who has progressive and successful development experience writing and securing grants from foundations and the ability to manage their implementation and reporting requirements. The candidate will strategically apply their knowledge to enhance and expand the foundation grants pipeline for UnidosUS; align fundraising approaches to organizational strategic priorities; and significantly increase the funds received from foundation donors. 

Under the supervision of the Vice President for Resource Development, the Director of Foundations and Philanthropic Partnerships will be responsible for the strategic oversight and expansion of the foundation pipeline by actively identifying, researching, and cultivating new foundations and grant opportunities, the management of foundation relationships, and overall grant management operations and stewardship, both internally and externally. With the support of grant writers, the Director will be charged with helping UnidosUS meet its comprehensive fundraising goals, across the organization, with new, current, and lapsed foundation donors. 

The ideal candidate will pro-actively work with the Vice President for Resource Development to collaborate with colleagues across the organization including members of UnidosUS Leadership to centralize foundation fundraising efforts.  

The position is hybrid, and will be based in Washington, DC.

Salary: $114,300-$127,000

Essential Functions

• Strategize and manage all endeavors to secure gifts from foundations to expand the donor pipeline.
• Provide the essential leadership and guidance for grant writers and managers to maximize productivity to meet and exceed grant fundraising goals. 
• Develop and maintain a personal portfolio of high-level foundation prospects ($1 million+) to cultivate, solicit, and steward.
• Provide support and strategic oversight of the overall foundation pipeline in collaboration with the Vice President for Resource Development, members of the Resource Development team, program, and policy leads, as well as members of the UnidosUS Leadership team. 
• Build partnerships with institutional leaders, foundation program officers, and colleagues to strategically collaborate, streamline communications with funders, and seek opportunities to maximize foundation grant requests. 
• Manage and mentor the Foundations and Philanthropic Partnerships team to reach both individual and team goals, and effectively serve as liaisons to the Program and Policy and Advocacy teams.
• Develop cultivation and stewardship strategies for foundation donors, both internally and externally, seeking new opportunities to creatively engage funders. 
• Collaborate with members of the Finance team to manage operational grant implementation and spending and oversee grant managers.
• Develop and manage the budget for the Foundations and Philanthropic Partnerships team.
• Produce reports in collaboration with the Director of Database and Development Operations to measure the health and success of the overall foundation portfolio, and foster proactive pipeline development, expansion, and management. 
• Set measurable success metrics, gather data and qualitative feedback, evaluate impact, deliver reports and recommendations, and adjust strategy accordingly.
• Position us to shape direction/priorities of philanthropic sector investment in the Latino community and help us lift up Latino leadership and contributions to the philanthropic sector to reach our financial goals.
• Maintain a solid understanding of UnidosUS, its programs and initiatives, operational structure, and history.

Qualifications & Requirements 

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of successful experience in non-profit fundraising, with specific experience in grant writing, foundation fundraising, and grant management.
• Possess a solid understanding of the U.S. Hispanic culture, community, and key policy issues.
• Excellent Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills; familiarity with Raiser’s Edge NXT.
• Understanding database management, reporting, gift processing, and prospect research tools. 
• Demonstrated experience with and knowledge of the Latino community.

Skills and Abilities 

• A steadfast commitment to the UnidosUS mission, vision, and values of Excellence, Accountability, Respeto.
• Clear understanding of philanthropic giving and the fundraising life cycle. 
• Knowledge and experience managing large foundation portfolios and relationships.
• Advanced skills in writing and submitting grant proposals and raising foundation gifts of a minimum of $1M+.
• Ability to provide oversight and implementation of $1M+ grants, including impact reporting. 
• Excellent communication, presentation, writing, and organizational skills.
• Commitment to excellence and high standards.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously as a liaison to colleagues, leadership, and philanthropic partners.  
• Ability to travel and work occasionally during nights and weekends.
• Ability to initiate, analyze, monitor, evaluate, and alter donor strategies, individual work plans, and timelines, and perform other duties as assigned. 
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills are helpful. 

Competencies 

• Project Management--Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages project team activities.
• Oral Communication--Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
• Written Communication--Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information.
• Leadership--Exhibits confidence in self and others; Inspires and motivates others to perform well; Effectively influences actions and opinions of others; Accepts feedback from others; Gives appropriate recognition to others.
• Managing People--Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; Takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; Available to staff; Provides regular performance feedback; Develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; Solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); Fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products, and services; Continually works to improve supervisory skills.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: 

• Accurately complete detailed forms and reports.
• Coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Perform some repetitive motion activities.
• Sit for long periods of time.
• Frequently required to stand.
• Frequently required to walk.
• Frequently required to sit.
• Frequently required to utilize hand and finger dexterity.
• Frequently/Continually required to talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to lift/push light weights up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required for this job include [close vision, distance vision, peripheral, depth, and ability to adjust or focus].
• Utilize visual acuity to operate equipment, read technical information, and/or use a keyboard.
• The noise level in the work environment usually is quiet to moderately loud.

COVID-19 Considerations: 

• All employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID - 19. 

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Employment with UnidosUS is contingent upon the successful completion of a background screen.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, personal appearance, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or enrollment in a college, university, technical school, or adult education.