Major Gifts and Development Director
- Employer
- KickStart International, Inc.
- Location
- California, United States
- Salary
- Salary Commensurate with experience
- Closing date
- Jul 30, 2021
View more
- Position Type
- Fundraising, Donor Relations, Fundraising Administration, Major Gifts, Prospect Research
- Fields
- International
- Employment Type
- Full Time
Seeking a talented fundraiser to help us grow and implement our high-impact mission for a food secure Africa.
Join KickStart: A proven, high-impact Social Enterprise:
KickStart is an award-winning nonprofit social enterprise with a
mission to empower millions of small scale farmers in Africa to
build lasting food and income security, adapt-to-climate-change and
climb out of poverty. To succeed we introduce highly affordable
irrigation technologies that enable farmers to grow crops
throughout the year—independent of the rains—harvest in the “hungry
seasons” when prices are high, and transition their farms into
highly profitable businesses. With its headquarters in Nairobi,
Kenya and operations in 16 African countries, KickStart has already
enabled over 1.4 million people to transform their farming, and
permanently break out of poverty.
About the Role:
KickStart is quickly expanding its impacts to reach our goal of 2
million people out of poverty by 2025, and to help transform the
systems that will enable millions more to follow. The Major Gifts
and Development Director will play a central role in this effort,
by defining and strengthening our overall fundraising strategies,
and growing and cultivating a core circle of individual donors,
corporate partnerships, and family foundations. While also
contributing to, and supporting, all aspects of our fundraising
activities. As the senior member of our US-based fundraising team,
they will report directly to the CEO and liaise closely with the
President/COO and other senior staff. Location options are San
Francisco, New York City (where our teams are based) or working
remotely from anywhere in the US.
Position Overview
• Serve in a frontline fundraising role, joining our leadership
team and representing KickStart at meetings and conferences with
donors, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Play the leadership role in our small, but dynamic, development
team to upgrade fundraising strategies, establish and track
data-driven goals, and expand overall donor revenues to implement
KickStart’s strategic growth plans.
• Manage and grow KickStart’s portfolio of Major Gift individual
donors and family foundations, and develop and implement strategies
to prospect for, grow and support our Enterprise Council of HNWI
major donors—including ‘moves management’ to recruit and graduate
lower level donors.
• Plan and manage fundraising events, and targeted communications,
to raise KickStart’s profile and to expand and support our donor
networks e.g.: webinars, donor-led dinners, tournaments, etc.
• Actively contribute, and collaborate with the development team
to; prospect for, expand, close and upgrade, our institutional
giving pipeline of foundations, corporate partners, and
large-scale/multi-lateral grants. And to manage our donor
communications, to attract, cultivate and grow our individual and
other donors at all levels.
• Serve as a primary liaison to KickStart’s individual Board
Members; support the Board in its governance, help it to raise
funds and to expand and diversify its membership.
• Coordinate with our staff in Africa, on cross-functional
collaborations to develop and report on innovative activities,
partnerships and projects targeting specific donors and RFP funding
opportunities.
Do you have the required skills and passion?
• A proactive, entrepreneurial, organized and highly motivated
self-starter
• Outstanding oral, written, and interpersonal communication, and
story-telling skills
• Demonstrated expertise in individual and institutional
fundraising, including closing major gifts in the 5-7 figure
range
• Driven team player, who works well alone, with a small team, and
loves to collaborate
• A passion for, and experience/knowledge of, working in the Global
South—sub-Saharan Africa a plus.
• Minimum 8 years of direct nonprofit fundraising experience with 3
years at a senior level closing major gifts.
• Bachelor’s degree required, and Master’s degree preferred
Career Growth and Organizational Values
We have a work culture grounded in the entrepreneurial spirit of
our farmers—we encourage constant learning, creative autonomy, and
innovation. You’ll have access to mentorship/training programs
within a flexible work environment, plus the opportunity to travel
domestically and internationally. The job can be done with remote
and flex hours, but with the ability, as required, to work
mornings/evenings/ weekends to collaborate with colleagues/donors
across multiple time zones in the US and Africa.
We Take Care of You
At KickStart, we want you to be well and thrive!
• Comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes
medical, vision, dental, and pharmacy coverage; life insurance;
retirement; and disability coverage.
• Optional co-working membership near your home (if hired remotely)
and commuter benefits (if local in NYC).
• Flexible work schedule with generous vacation/sick leave
policy.
If this sounds like you, then we invite you to apply at KickStart International www.kickstart.org and help us raise the funds to grow our impacts, help small-scale farmers in Africa to access transformative and affordable irrigation technologies, grow their crops, harvest and sell high value fruits and vegetables year round, adapt to climate change, and break out of poverty.
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