Director of Philanthropy

The Center for Responsible Lending is hiring a Director of Philanthropy for our office in Durham, NC.  The Director of Philanthropy is responsible for coordinating and executing efforts to cultivate relationships and solicit support from foundation, corporate, and individual funders. The Director will work closely with the leadership team, Board members, and other development staff to set the strategic direction for fundraising activities, carry out this strategy, and raise in excess of $3 million annually.  This is a highly collaborative role which is very involved in developing and coordinating strategy with several other teams within CRL and engaged in frequent communication with those teams, as needed.

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to CRL’s culture of collaboration, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and its mission to eliminate the racial wealth gap through opportunities for wealth building and economic security for underserved communities.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and insight into philanthropy opportunities and threats and help prioritize workplans.
• Lead the establishment and implementation of development plans including foundation giving, major individual gifts, endowment growth, and corporate giving (including research, identification, solicitations, cultivation, and proposal development).
• Identify potential funders and increase the number of foundation and individual donors.
• Track solicitations, anticipated gifts, pledges, and income, and provide regular revenue and cash flow updates on projections versus actual revenues and expenses. Coordinate grant tracking and reporting in conjunction with CRL staff, Self-Help’s resource development team, and accounting staff.
• Sustain active collaboration with Self-Help Development, Policy and Investment team on joint grant and funding opportunities—including recurring meetings and proactive outreach with regard to pitches and prospects.
• Write and/or manage the writing of proposals, reports, and other solicitations or stewardship communications to funders.
• Initiate, coordinate and/or attend meetings with funders and potential funders.
• Working closely with internal stakeholders, manage the resource development strategy, calendar, and staff roles to meet CRL's goals and deadlines.
• As appropriate, engage CRL Board or Advisory Board members.
• Assist CRL in identifying and pursuing opportunities to meet potential funders and partners, particularly at conferences and other settings.
• Supervise philanthropy staff. Set individual employee goals and provide routine feedback and evaluation of progress toward these goals. Conduct annual performance appraisals and administer salary adjustments. Develop and implement professional development with team members.
• Model inclusive behavior, continuously build cultural humility, and support staff interested in deepening their DE&I knowledge—including requesting and raising awareness of learning resources.
• Act as a change agent to drive Self-Help’s economic inclusion initiatives by integrating supplier diversity and the use of businesses owned by women and people of color in third-party contracting and vendor management for relevant products and services.
• Perform other duties as may be deemed necessary.

 Credentials, Experience and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree or comparable equivalent experience plus 5 to 7 years development experience with foundations, corporations, and/or major gifts from individual donors. Graduate degree preferred.
• Experience in marketing, investor relations, and/or in the community economic development or financial services fields a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, families of modest means, communities of color, and experience in racial justice analysis and understanding of how federal/state/local policies contributed to and sustained racial wealth disparities.
• Passion for CRL’s mission; interest and commitment to social justice work.
• Preference for working in organizations that place priority on teamwork, collaboration, and inclusion.
• Sensitivity to issues of low-wealth borrowers and families and communities of color and a desire to work in a racially and socially diverse organization.
• Ability to work well as part of a team and with a diverse group of people and settings.
• Strong supervisory and team-building skills and experience and ability to work productively with peer leaders.
• Self-starter, able to initiate and juggle multiple projects and work independently.
• Strong strategic planning abilities and critical thinking skills.
• Strong writing, editing and oral communication skills. Able to execute communications assignments with limited oversight and provide feedback to peers.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate programmatic and organizational budgets and financial statements.
• Ability to act and react quickly to urgent, unplanned opportunities or needs.
• Ability to travel, including overnight travel, as needed.

 Application:

Visit our Careers Page to apply for this position.  This position will remain posted until filled.  A resume and cover letter must be uploaded with the application for this position.

About The Center for Responsible Lending

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to ensure a fair, inclusive financial marketplace that creates opportunities for all. Through research, legal analysis, policy development, and state and national advocacy engagement, CRL fights for economic equity for underserved communities—particularly Black and brown communities and low-to-middle income families. CRL’s staff reflect a collective commitment to eliminating systemic injustice in America’s financial services.

CRL provides a strong voice on both the state and national levels for these families to expand family wealth and financial stability through sustainable homeownership, affordable higher education, and support for small businesses, and protect their financial stability by preventing abusive products that trap families in debt and strip away their income, by ending payday lending and other predatory high-cost lending, exorbitant bank fees, and abusive debt collection practices.

CRL is an affiliate of Self-Help, a community development lender founded in 1980 that has provided more than $9 billion dollars in financing to help 164,000 low-wealth borrowers buy homes, build businesses, and strengthen community resources.

Self-Help is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons, regardless of race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression (including transgender status), age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, class or family status.