Outreach & Development Officer, Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO)

Status: Full-Time, 2- Year Specific Term beginning June 1, 2021

Application Deadline: April 1, 2021

Location: New York, NY or Northeast proximate. This position will require remote work until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

For consideration, please submit a Cover Letter, Resume, and answers to all application questions (no more than 200 words for each answer) including 3 professional references with full names & contact info with your application.

For any questions about the position or application process, please contact us at quno@afsc.org.

Brief Summary of Organization

“Grounded in the Quaker belief that there is that of the divine in every person, QUNO New York seeks a United Nations that addresses key drivers of peace and violence, including the structures and systems that produce exclusion and injustice; that facilitates and supports change through peaceful means; and whose policies and practices reflect a diversity of voices, such that people around the world can safely and peacefully achieve their potential.” QUNO Vision Statement

QUNO’s 2020 Strategic Plan “Quiet Diplomacy at the Frontiers of Peace” articulates a central theme for QUNO’s work, to “expand constituencies of support for sustainable and people-centered strategies for peace among key UN stakeholders”. QUNO will pursue this strategy in the context of UN policies and agendas that relate to building sustainable peace, both over the longer term and in crisis response, while continuing to foster a growing understanding of what lies at the heart of efforts to build a peaceful world.

QUNO is set up as a partnership between AFSC and the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), acting together as trustees of the Quaker witness and the Quaker presence at the United Nations in New York. The Quaker UN Committee - New York (QUNC) is responsible for setting program priorities, recommending program plans and budgets to the AFSC Board of Directors, and monitoring and evaluating the work of QUNO.  The QUNO New York office is legally and administratively part of the American Friends Service Committee, based in Philadelphia. QUNO New York has a collegial relationship with the Quaker United Nations Office Geneva (QUNO-Geneva). 

QUNO grounds its approach in Quaker values and ways of working, with an emphasis on facilitating relationships, convening spaces for stakeholders to deal with difference through dialogue, integrating the voices of those with lived experience of peace and conflict, and lending support and encouragement to international policy makers engaging at the UN to enact policies and practices that actively build peace and address conflicts nonviolently.

Summary of Principal Responsibilities

In a manner consistent with the values and mission of QUNO and AFSC, the QUNO Outreach & Development Officer will work closely with the QUNO Director, and will coordinate with the AFSC Advancement team, QUNO senior staff and the Quaker UN Committee (QUNC)  in all facets of fundraising, outreach and communications for QUNO.

The 2020 QUNO Strategic Plan includes an organizational priority to “Use the opportunities provided by the new strategic plans at QUNO and AFSC, and the QUNO 75th anniversary in 2022, to work with AFSC, FWCC and the QUNC on refocusing outreach and fund-raising efforts to improve QUNO’s visibility and support among Quaker and other stakeholders”.

This position will focus on building the base of interested and engaged supporters for QUNO. For fundraising, this includes expanding and strengthening the current donor base to significantly increase contributed revenue. This position will also create and implement an effective outreach and communications strategy to raise the visibility of QUNO in anticipation of a public celebration of its 75th Anniversary in 2022 and to maximize QUNO’S public presence in the years beyond. This is a full-time position for an experienced development and communications professional.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:  The key responsibilities of the QUNO Outreach & Development Officer include the following:

Fundraising:

• Formulate and execute fundraising strategies to grow QUNO’s contributed revenue in a sustainable way, including efforts to increase funding from current/past donors, as well as attracting investments from newly identified prospects.
• Focusing on individual donors and Quaker Meetings, create and execute a stewardship plan to recognize and engage existing supporters of QUNO.
• Coordinate and support the fundraising efforts of the Director and other senior staff, including prospect outreach efforts and donor stewardship, meeting preparation and follow-up, strategy development, pipeline management and gift proposals. Accompany Director on prospect visits on as-needed basis.
• Serve as a front-line fundraiser for QUNO; hold primary responsibility for developing relationships with individual donors at the smaller and mid-level giving ranges; monitor and support leadership relationships with major gifts donors and institutional funders where the relationships may be held primarily by QUNO staff or AFSC Major Gift Officers.
• Support the outreach and development activities of the QUNC; serve as primary support and liaison with the new QUNC Outreach and Development Working Group in partnership with the Director
• Develop and implement an outreach and fundraising strategy for the 75th Anniversary, working closely with the Director and other QUNO staff
• Renew and deepen alumni relationships, including former QUNO staff and QUNC members. Research contact information for QUNO and QUNC alumni to create a viable and solicitable list.
• Plan and implement cultivation events for prospects, virtual and at Quaker House and in other venues. Prepare gift proposals, appeal letters and other fundraising collateral. Coordinate donor and outreach mailings with Office Coordinator.
• Oversee QUNO’s prospect and donor pipelines in coordination with AFSC Advancement staff including annual fund, Major Gifts and Planned Gifts. Manage prospect tracking/reporting using SalesForce database.
• In consultation with Director, senior QUNO staff and AFSC grants management team, develop grant prospect list (including foundations, governments, international agencies etc.). Support the preparation and tracking of grant proposals with program staff.
• Act as primary point of contact within QUNO for most (unassigned) donors and funders.

Outreach and Communications:

• With QUNO program staff, create and implement a comprehensive communications strategy, in coordination with QUNO senior staff, the AFSC Communications team and the QUNO Geneva communications team where appropriate.
• Take the lead in drafting content for donors and general public audiences of QUNO digital and print publications for outreach (newsletters, blog posts, etc.) with extensive input from senior staff.
• Compose and coordinate the production and posting of effective fundraising and engagement communications which describe QUNO’s mission and impact for diverse audiences, Quaker and non-Quaker.
• Create and implement a media relations plan, in coordination with QUNO senior staff and the AFSC Communications team.
• Work with Programme Assistants as they develop content for QUNO’s website, newsletter and Annual Review and support QUNO’s social media presence.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent related work experience is required.

Experience: 

• Seven or more years of experience in front-line fundraising, including experience with individual giving and grants programs
• Three or more years of experience in outreach and communications, including outreach materials, events, publications and social media
• Ability to navigate complex organizational relationships with grace, to work within a small office and coordinate with a larger remote advancement team
• Experience with a values-based policy or social change organization preferred

Other Required Skills and Abilities:

1. Excellent communications skills. Ability to communicate professionally and persuasively both orally and in writing.
2. Ability to work cooperatively with governance volunteers and staff at all levels, in an organization that is characterized by a high level of consultation.
3. Commitment to Quaker values and testimonies. Understanding of and compatibility with the principles and philosophy of QUNO and the AFSC, including non-violence and the belief in the intrinsic worth of every individual.
4. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multi-layered team environment. Experience that demonstrates ability to organize time, give attention to detail, and carry out careful planning and follow-up. Demonstrated ability to use imagination and innovation within financial, physical, time or other limitations.
5. Willingness and ability to travel (restrictions permitting) and to work occasional evenings and weekends.
6. Demonstrated ability to work and communicate respectfully with people of differing backgrounds, ideologies and perspectives. Understanding of and commitment to the principles and practices of AFSC with regard to issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities.
7. Experience working with SalesForce or another Donor Database CRM.
8. Computer literacy required.

Compensation:  Salary begins at $64,079 with possible additional percentage based on experience above the requirements - Exempt- Comprehensive medical and hospitalization plan; term life, accident and salary continuation insurances, defined benefit pension plan, plus fringe benefits; participation in unemployment and worker’s compensation and social security.

The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, national origin, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S. are unionized workplaces. This position is not represented.

The Quaker United Nations Office is a smoke-free workplace.