Development and Communications Director

Overview

Organization:              North Carolina for Community and Justice (NCCJ)

Location:                     Hybrid: Remote + NCCJ Office: 713 North Greene Street, Greensboro, NC Founded:                      1937

Employees:                8 FTE + 2 PTE (once this role is filled)

Reports to:                  President & CEO

Key Relationships:     NCCJ board members (especially Donor Stewardship Committee), major donors, other funders including grantmakers and sponsors

Supervises:                 Development Associate; interns, contractors and vendors seasonally/as needed

Mission

To build compassionate and just communities free of bias, bigotry, and racism.

Vision

To ensure every community becomes a place of promise with opportunity and justice for all.

Organizational Overview

NCCJ has served this community since 1937. We are North Carolina’s oldest human relations organization, and the one with the greatest depth of experience working with teens on social justice issues. You can read more about NCCJ’s long history here and here.

NCCJ is a human relations organization that promotes understanding and respect among people of all cultures, races, and religions through advocacy, education, and dialogue. NCCJ does not advocate for any one group; we work to build mutual respect among all people – regardless of race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic background, faith, or any other aspect of identity.

To fulfill our mission, NCCJ’s key initiatives strive to create inclusive, respectful, and just communities. We do that work by committing to the following activities and areas of focus:

1. Ongoing workplace, community, and interfaith programs
2. Anytown, STARR: Students Talking About Race + Racism, and other youth programs
3. Targeted advocacy and communication aimed at counteracting bias, bigotry, and racism

Our current strategic plan is focused on taking NCCJ to the next level in fulfilling our mission, with a common thread of growth and expansion. The plan can be summed up by these Top 5 Big Ideas:

1. Evolve and establish the most timely, high impact programs
2. Develop, expand and grow donor base and total contributions
3. Superior marketing that expands awareness and recognition of NCCJ
4. Best in class staffing, systems and management practices
5. Establish process and action steps that are responsive to community needs to further NCCJ’s

mission and vision

Position

The Development and Communications Director (DCD) will report and serve as a strategic partner to the President & CEO, as well as work in close collaboration with Board members. They will establish a broad understanding of NCCJ – history, strategic priorities, programs, finances, and key stakeholders – to inform the expansion of comprehensive development and communications functions. They will be responsible for securing specific funding levels to meet the goals and objectives of the organization through a diversified funding base, and for increasing awareness of NCCJ’s brand and mission.

Major benchmarks for this position include success in increasing: revenues, requests for services, and participation in activities. The DCD works collaboratively with other members of the staff and Board and manages relevant contract workers, interns and volunteers to execute these key responsibilities:

Strategic Fundraising (40%)

• • Lead the execution of relationship-based fund development plan in partnership with the President & CEO, board, and staff
  • Lead the execution of annual fund strategy in partnership with leadership team
  • Lead the planning and execution of a comprehensive capital campaign within the first 1-2 years (exact campaign timing and strategy TBD; the person in the DCD will play a key role in making those decisions) in partnership with the President & CEO, board, and staff
  • Supervise the training of board members, staff, and volunteers on fundraising principles and techniques
  • Conduct annual evaluations of development campaign activities to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
  • Partner with leadership team to develop gift cultivation and solicitation presentation materials with tailored templates adaptable for major gift prospects.
  • Support the grant process, including identification, submission and deliverables for local, state and federal grants. Take a lead role in identifying opportunities and making connections to develop, sustain and deepen relationships with funders. In coordination with the Finance and Data Analytics Director, execute the preparation, submission, and reporting of grant applications and reports.
  • Oversee and strategically position the Citation Award Dinner as a major development platform, managing invitations, program design, messaging, seating, and follow-up
  • Hires, trains and supervises development staff (currently one position) and interns

Donor Cultivation and Stewardship (30%)

• • Cultivate and maintain relationships with major donors, corporate sponsors, foundations and other key supporters, engaging staff and board members in execution of identification, cultivation, and stewardship activities.
  • Supervise the cultivation and stewardship of key Citation Award event sponsors and other attendees
  • Serve as staff liaison to the Donor Stewardship Committee and leverage committee members to implement donor engagement and stewardship strategy
  • Serve as a member of the leadership team, bringing a philanthropic lens to organizational strategies and helping to ensure strong staff relations and fulfilment of mission, vision, and core values.
  • Serve as an "internal advocate” on behalf of the needs and interests of NCCJ’s funders and community partners and stakeholders, with an eye to balancing donor-centric and community-centric principles, values and priorities

Communicating NCCJ’s Impact (30%)

• • Craft compelling stories and updates highlighting NCCJ's mission, vision, successes, and needs.
  • Continue to develop the case for support to align with the strategic vision and values of the organization while inspiring connection and investment.
  • Gather, shape, and share stories of impact to motivate volunteers, board members, donors, and partners in ways that inspire support for NCCJ
  • Develop and manage relationships with local and community-based media.
  • Draft statements and position pieces in partnership with the President & CEO, and with input from the Executive Committee and Advocacy and Communications Committee
  • Responsible for the development and implementation of a strategic communications plan in support of various media platforms and collateral materials, including but not limited to: Annual Reports, donor solicitation packages, special event material, briefing memos, brochures, newsletters, press releases, media kits, and the NCCJ website and social media

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following professional skills/abilities/experience:

• • A strong commitment to NCCJ’s mission, values and work
  • Demonstrated experience in major gift fundraising
  • Strong relationship and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrated ability to conceptualize and describe funding needs in a way that is compelling and comprehensive to potential donors
  • Demonstrated success in leveraging brand messaging and communications initiatives to enhance an organization’s image in the community
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Strategic planning experience
  • Demonstrated ability to set priorities and manage multiple tasks and deadlines
  • Experience managing staff and/or volunteers
  • Experience with database and/or fundraising software utilization and management
  • Ability to take initiative (seeing opportunities and acting without being directed to do so)
  • Experience using Windows/Microsoft Office 365 environment, as well as literacy in other online office productivity platforms. (We use the following: database – Salesforce; email marketing – MailChimp; project management – Microsoft Planner; simple graphic design – Canva; forms + surveys – FormAssembly and Microsoft Forms.)
  • BA or equivalent in related field preferred; high school diploma or GED required
  • A minimum of 3 years’ professional fund development experience or equivalent combination of education and experience

Other Requirements:

• • Valid driver’s license, auto liability insurance, and access to a vehicle for off-site meetings, events and programming are required
  • Willingness and flexibility to engage in occasional weekend, evening and overnight activities/programs/events from time to time (including week-long residential summer programs). Notification would be provided well in advance for scheduling purposes.

Hours:

• • Generally available to work 35-40 hours per week, and seasonal availability to work more than 40 hours per week (ex. during the lead-up to the annual Citation Award Dinner in early November.) There is some flexibility when you start and end your workday.
  • We operate under a hybrid model (ex. 3 days remote, 2 days in office.) Our work happens via phone/video conferencing/email and in-person meetings and events.
  • We strive to be flexible for team members (our job is just one aspect of our lives) and recognize that accommodation for personal and family demands may be needed at times.

Identity + Our Workplace

At NCCJ, our team members (people of color and white folks, across spectrums of masculinity and femininity) work together to create compassionate communities free of bias, bigotry and racism. Our current team’s race and gender identity demographics are as follows. Our people may have checked more than one category since their identities fall into multiple categories.

Black: 3

Indigenous: 0

Latinx: 0

Asian/Pacific Islander: 0

Middle Eastern/North African: )

White: 6

Women: 5

Nonbinary: 2

Trans: 0

Men: 2

LGBTQ+:5

Non-LGBTQ+:4

NCCJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strives for diversity among its applicant pool as well as within its staff and board of directors. We encourage people from all backgrounds, especially racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and people with non-linear/non-traditional experience and educational backgrounds to apply for this position. Most importantly, the person selected for this position must embrace, advocate for, and value equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Our Hiring Process and Timeline*:

• • We will read your cover letter first; we aren’t only looking for experience but also a skillset and mindset that will help you be successful in the role. In your cover letter, please be sure to tell us why you are interested in this job and to answer the question prompts provided in the “to apply” section below.
• Priority deadline to apply is December 4, 2024. Application reviews will start on December 5, 2024. We will review applications on a rolling basis until January 7, 2025.
• We will begin scheduling phone interviews January 7 and will do so until January 16.
• Here is the interview process we plan to follow:
  1. First round– short 30-minute phone interview. NCCJ-driven questions asked of candidate. January 7 – 14, 2025
  2. Second round– longer, 45-minute Zoom interview. More conversational dialogue between candidate and NCCJ. January 20 –22, 2025
  3. Third round– 60 minute in-person final interview with a panel of additional NCCJ staff, board members and other key volunteers. More details (including names of interview panel members) to follow 2nd round. January 27 -January 30, 2025

• • We would like to make an offer by February 4
  • This timeline is a general guide. Should we miss a deadline by a day or two, please remember that we are a small nonprofit office and things happen.
• We value transparency and openness and will communicate with every candidate throughout this process about the status of your application.
• Expect to receive communication from Savannah Knoble, NCCJ’s Operations Director. We don’t send batch emails (so that our emails aren’t being delivered to your junk folder) so please be patient as we send out emails as quickly as possible.

Note: This job description is only a summary of the typical job functions, not an exhaustive list of all possible responsibilities, and may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons,