Who we are:

Seeding Justice’s mission is to build collective power by transforming philanthropy and funding movements in the pursuit of justice and liberation for all communities. Our programs are based on trust, relationships, and true partnership, and founded on the belief that the communities most impacted are the ones best equipped to solve the issues they face.

We are a small and mighty team of 13 folks who are passionate about centering the wisdom and agency of our communities most impacted by injustice – BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, poor, immigrant, and system impacted people – in order to upend broken systems. In centering these communities, we have organized our community-led and community driven model to ensure we are addressing the needs of our people and acknowledging we are most accountable to them.

About this position:

The Development Director will join Seeding Justice at an exciting time where our annual grantmaking budget has gone from approximately $500K per year to $50M over the last three years. The Development Director is responsible for the strategic vision, oversight, proactive planning and successful execution of a comprehensive fundraising program including institutional, corporate and individual donors. The Director of Development serves as a member of the leadership team and reports to the Executive Director.

Full-time, 32 hrs/week with some seasonal fluctuation of hours. This is an exempt position. Based in Portland, Oregon. Requires evening and weekend work and regular in-state travel.

Essential Functions:

The examples of essential functions listed below are intended as examples of the types of work that will be performed. Duties and responsibilities are subject to change as the needs of the organization and the requirements of the job shift over time.

Leadership and Management:

Lead a partnership with the Executive Director, Leadership Team, Board of Directors and development staff to design and fulfill annual fundraising strategies and goals.
Develop an annual development plan and oversee and direct its implementation.
Design strategies and tactics for growth and success across all areas of fundraising (i.e. foundations, corporations, individual donors).
Lead evaluation of fundraising outcomes, resulting in informed, data-driven strategies.
Work closely with the Executive Director, development staff, and board on donor stewardship.
Monitor fundraising results and consistently report progress to the Executive Director and Board of Directors; participate in Board Meetings as requested.
Collaborate with the Finance Department to develop budgets, monitor and forecast revenue and expenses, and drive financial results.
Manage and empower the development team and contractors in designing and fulfilling their goals.
Generate new ideas that increase revenue and donor longevity.

Grants, Annual Giving and Donor in Movement Funds:

Keep Seeding Justice’s community-led grantmaking and social justice work at the forefront of all asks and appeals.
Develop annual grant strategy and goals that build and sustain relationships with foundations, corporate partners and government agencies.
Lead on prospecting foundation and other institutional grants and contracts from local-, state-, and nationally-based funders.
Collaborate with the Executive Director and staff to refine grant-seeking strategies, write and/or review grant applications and finalize reports.
Develop and track proposals, outcomes and reporting requirements for all grants.
Oversee staff responsible for managing and maintaining our donor CRM, Bloomerang, as well as processing gift entry and acknowledgements.
Design and drive strategies and development of collateral for annual giving campaigns including online giving and annual report.
Direct and execute a strong relational individual donor program.
Oversee email solicitations, annual appeals, and donor thank-you processes.
Develop outreach and cultivation of Donor in Movement Funds.
Bring expertise of development background to work with staff to identify opportunities to reimagine philanthropy.
Collaborate with the Director of Communications to ensure messaging engages donors and new audiences.

Special Events and Other Fundraising:

In collaboration with the Executive Director, develop annual strategy and goals for philanthropic events.
Oversee annual Justice Within Reach event: solicit appropriate sponsorships, oversee event logistics and annually evaluate and recommend changes/improvements.
Work with the Executive Director and Program Directors to identify new strategic or one-time events that deepen the community’s ties to Seeding Justice’s mission and present fundraising opportunities.
Stay current on advancements in the fields of development, philanthropy, and social and racial justice.
Represent Seeding Justice at strategic programs and events.

Required Qualifications:

Have a passion for and experience championing social justice.
At least ten years’ experience and demonstrated track record of success managing a multifaceted development program, including increasing individual/major donors, managing foundation grants and relationships, and managing signature events.
Comfort working within a dynamic and community-responsive entrepreneurial environment with experience responding nimbly to shifting and evolving priorities.
Exemplary supervisory and people skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with leadership and co-workers to facilitate a healthy organizational culture and achieve mission impact.
Excellent oral and written communications and presentation skills and leadership experience.

Desired Qualifications:

Knowledge of the local/state/national nonprofit stakeholders.
Experience cultivating and maintaining donors for a mission-driven organization.
Understanding and/or experience with community organizing, civic engagement, policy advocacy, and/or community development.
Facility with social media platforms.
Technologically savvy and knowledgeable- experience in Google Suites, Bloomerang, Asana, Excel.

Compensation, Hours, and Benefits:

Salary: From $128,469, to $142,744

This is a full-time (32 hours/week) exempt position. We currently have a hybrid model where staff are at the Center for Social Justice office on Wednesdays and can work from home the rest of the week. The ideal candidate must live in the Portland Metro area.

Schedule is currently negotiable but a significant overlap with other team members’ office hours is necessary. In addition, the person will need to attend pre-scheduled staff and other meetings during the day. This role requires evening and weekend work and regular in-state travel.

In addition to the compensation, employees of Seeding Justice receive:

Fully-paid health insurance option for the employee, spouse and dependents
Employer-matched 403(b) retirement plan contributions
Four-day work week
Generous PTO that includes personal wellness days (22 days), self-determined holidays (6 days), and paid organizational leave (8-10 days depending on the seasonal calendar)
Access to a personal wellness funds and professional development funds

A note about qualifications:

Studies have shown that people from historically excluded communities (women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, and/or undocumented folks) hesitate to apply for jobs when their qualifications don’t match the job description 100%.

If you are interested in the position, but don’t meet all of the criteria, we still encourage you to apply. Be sure to tell us in your application why you believe you can be trained and how long it may take.

How to Apply

We are using Breezy HR as a tool to facilitate this search process.

Uploading a resume is required. For a cover letter or alternative way to introduce yourself, you can decide to either upload a short letter (no longer than one page), or a video in the questionnaire section if you prefer talking over writing. Please express how this position meets you where you are at today, where you are going in your career, and why you are the right person to be considered. Neither the short letter or the video should not be templated - be authentic, be bold, be clear. We’d like this to be a human to human recruitment method. Our value is to bring your whole self to this process (and our work place) - we are excited to meet you and learn about the diversity of your experiences.

This posting will close on June 2, 2025 and application review will follow.