Executive Director; YEF

The Youth Engagement Fund/Youth Engagement Action Fund is looking for an energetic, strategic thinker and communicator with proven leadership skills and a demonstrated commitment to a just and inclusive democracy to serve as its next Executive Director. If you are a results-oriented person with deep ties in philanthropy, a commitment to social justice, a passion for civic engagement, and outstanding interpersonal skills who excels at written and verbal communication, managing complex projects, and working independently, we would like to hear from you.

WHO WE ARE
Youth Engagement Fund (YEF), a 501 C (3) organization, is the largest network of donors dedicated to increasing civic participation among young people in the United States. We invest in every aspect of youth power-building – from leadership development and policy making, to organizing grassroots and national issue and electoral campaigns through Youth Engagement Action Fund (YEAF) – in the belief that young people are key in the creation of a new social contract in the USA.

Young people have the power to determine the outcomes of today's advocacy and electoral campaigns. Young people of all races, including young people with inherited wealth, are seizing the opportunity and taking the responsibility to craft a legacy that is about enhancing equity and advancing democratic rights. Through an emphasis on issues of equity and historically disenfranchised and underrepresented communities, the Youth Engagement Fund invests in solutions to increase youth participation and sustain it for the long-term.

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION
A typical day for you will include identifying prospective grantees, meeting face-to-face with donor committee members and prospective donors, sharing the YEF/YEAF story at programs and events, and providing supervision to staff to ensure the organization meets and exceeds its goals. As Executive Director of YEF/YEAF, you will:

• Recruit, train and onboard donor committee members
• Hire, train and onboard staff as needed
• Directly supervise work of staff, communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and establishing program priorities
• Work shoulder-to-shoulder with donor committee members and leaders in the philanthropic community to develop vision and strategic plans for YEF/YEAF, and implement the existing strategic plan 2018 – 2020
• Conduct research to facilitate solicitation of large gifts from a variety of sources, including individuals, private/family foundations, and corporations
• Prospect and develop donors, working with the donor committee to leverage their resources and networks to identify prospective donors
• Conduct electronic and face-to-face meetings to solicit and cultivate existing, new and prospective grantees
• Maintain and build a portfolio of equity and social justice-focused programs, initiatives, and services, and implement portfolio-level strategy, including making recommendations related to authorizing or declining grants
• Evaluate ongoing work of and build relationships with existing grantees
• Scope new possibilities, building relationships with prospective grantees, experts and activists in the field, peer donors, and others to advance grantmaking as well as other civic engagement and social justice efforts
• Work strategically to expand awareness about the organization
• Develop media messaging and communications materials, such as op-eds, press releases, reports, and blogs
• Catalyze and facilitate collaboratives, working groups and peer networks oriented toward the advancement of civic engagement and social justice goals
• Attend and participate in key social justice, civic engagement and philanthropy meetings and events.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Development

• An understanding of donor research, identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Proven success in asking for and closing gifts and building and maintaining long-term relationships with donors
• The ability to manage multiple and highly complex client and prospect relationships
• Presence and high comfort level in interactions with leaders in business…