Deputy Development Director

About People’s Action/Institute

People’s Action Institute (501c3) and its sister organization People’s Action (501c4) are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of an agenda that reflects people over profits. People’s Action/Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections. 

With offices in Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, and remote staff across the country, we support and advance state-based and national fights for progressive policies on the environment, decarceration, health care, economic security, housing, education, and more. Our member organizations, over 40 organizations across 29 states, improve lives by running local and federal issue and electoral campaigns to change national policy and politics.

People’s Action/ Institute has a track record of leadership in coordinating field mobilization and advocacy to advance an array of issues at the local, state, and federal levels. Our member organizations have won important victories at the national, state, and local levels, including health insurance for millions and the reversal of health care laws that discriminate based on citizenship, stopping Wall Street banks from selling predatory payday loans to their customers, and historic legislation like the Community Reinvestment Act to victory and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

For more information on PAI, please visit https://peoplesaction.org/.

The Opportunity

Are you an experienced fundraiser with strong writing skills, marketing skills, staff development experience, and management experience? Do you enjoy working with internal and external stakeholders, working behind the scenes, and supporting grassroots organizations and campaigns? If this resonates with you, then you’ve come to the right place!

Overview of the Position

The Deputy Development Director will lead the foundation strategy by monitoring revenue, maintaining the health of the fundraising program, and building external funder relationships.  This role will focus on expanding sustainable funding streams for People's Action/Institute, developing fundraising competency within the organization, and identifying diverse fundraising streams.

As Deputy Development Director, your typical day will include (but isn’t limited to): 

Program Management: 

• Research key players for potential funding opportunities and prospecting opportunities for institutional development.
• Drafting, editing, and submitting proposals, reports, and other donor marketing and communications materials to advance institutional fundraising opportunities.
• Manage grant portfolios to ensure all funder deadlines are met
• Prepare for funder engagements, including strategy development, agenda creation, and staff preparation.

People and Information Management 

• Supervise a team of Development Managers and provide ongoing mentorship and support; identify professional development and training opportunities as needed.
• Develop and update organizational tracking and filing systems for fundraising-related information and materials. 
• Serve as in-house coach to the Development Manager team to set realistic yet ambitious goals through work plan development.
• Promotion of fundraising materials (pitches, slide decks, existing written material, reports, etc.) to connect funders to our work and help them visualize themselves supporting it. 

Drive and Advance Strategy Internally & Externally 

• Implement new and existing strategic plans internally and externally to ensure smooth implementation of fundraising work across the organization.
• Represent People’s Action/Institute in communities of donors, advisors, and fundraising professionals.
• Manage a portfolio of high-level funders and our foundation work

• Other Duties as Assigned

The ideal Deputy Development Director should have the following experience and qualifications: 

• Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and their intersections, both inside and outside the organization.

• Ability to work with diverse people and organizations.
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in a similar development or fundraising role in progressive movement/organizing or power-building spaces.
• Proven experience leading a multi-person team
• Experience managing, mentoring, and investing in staff.
• Familiarity with grassroots, community, labor, and/or political organizing.
• Strong writing, marketing, proofreading, and detail-oriented research skills.
• An understanding of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit compliance. 
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with a broad range of people, from grassroots leaders to donors.
• Experience working collaboratively on teams and coordinating multifaceted projects.
• High level of independent working ability and initiative, and ability to manage multiple tasks under deadline pressure

Compensation and Benefits:

Status: Full-Time, Regular, Exempt, benefits-eligible

Union Position (Yes/No): No

Salary Range: Level F - $96,910 - $132,613, salary commensurate with experience

Location: Can be based in our Chicago, IL  or Washington, D.C. office but remote locations may be considered anywhere within the continental United States.   

Reports to: Development Director

Supervises: Development Managers (Two)

Travel Requirements (Yes/No): Yes, 4-6 times per year (all-staff events, conferences, institutional events, funder briefings)

Benefits include: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Medical, on the first day of employment, and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401(k) plan after 30 days, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, 4 floating holidays (Presidents Day, May Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, a week off during the summer, 10 paid holidays plus the last two weeks of the year that include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as well as, New Year’s Eve, and you accrue two weeks of vacation your first year of employment.  

Our Commitment to Equitable Compensation:

We believe in fair compensation for your work - no matter where you live. Our salary scale is comparable to salaries you would find in Chicago, IL, where our headquarters is based. It is based on your months/years of work experience.  While we do not determine education as a factor in whether we hire someone to work for People’s Action Institute, we do factor in any relevant higher education experience that you have. To further counter pay inequities and inequality on the team, we have a non-negotiable compensation practice and provide opportunities for advancement for full-time employees based on performance evaluation. Your starting pay reflects where you sit within our salary scale and is based on the information that you provide us on your resume. PAI continues to monitor wages through triennial compensation analysis to ensure that we continue to offer our prospective and current employees fair wages.  

Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

People’s Action/Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; womxn, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Union

People’s Action Institute recognizes our staff bargaining unit affiliated with Chicago Midwest Regional Join Board, Workers United (CMRJB). Any position that is indicated as included in People’s Action Institute’s bargaining unit will be covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. 

Close date: January 15, 2024