Advancement Officer

Start Early (formerly known as the Ounce) is an energized, future-focused organization devoted to providing quality early learning and care across the country.

Our desire to close the opportunity gap and build more equitable early learning experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy, and research through partnerships across the country.

Start Early Washington, a state office of Start Early, is committed to promoting equity and increasing the visibility and voice of early learning. We work across policy and program to ensure that early learning systems support all children and families with equitable access to services that nurture healthy, lifelong positive outcomes. In partnership with public and private organizations, we support comprehensive prenatal-to-5 learning experiences for children and families statewide with a unique focus on home visiting services. We are recruiting individuals who want to join our newly launched Washington state office in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning and communication.

Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture! We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do.

The Advancement Officer, Washington State is a frontline fundraising position responsible for relationship management leading to the identification, engagement, cultivation and solicitation of new individual major gifts, family foundations and corporate partnerships to support Start Early Washington. This position will also serve as lead Washington state writer for private funding proposals and reports, partnering with program leads and New Business, Corporate and Foundation Relations teams to ensure programmatic objectives are aligned with funder expectations. This position joins an experienced Individual Giving team currently raising $8 million annually, experiencing high growth, and focused on building a major gifts program focused on supporting our Start Early Washington work.

Candidate will have demonstrated frontline fundraising experience, with a proven track record of cultivating high net worth individuals for significant annual or multi-year gifts to support the organizations strategic plan, geographic focus areas, endowment and/or high priority programs. Must have the ability to collaborate with different levels and parts of a diverse organization, be skilled in synthesizing complex initiatives for an individual donor audience, and ability to work autonomously in the initial outreach and communication with high-net-worth prospects.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Start Early Washington you will: 

Serve as a key member of the Start Early Washington team to help build and launch our development strategies to grow and support our Washington state team and expand our early learning priorities.

Serve as a key member of the Start Early Development team and be responsible for building and sustaining a new major giving program that supports Start Early Washington.

Build and manage a portfolio of individual gift donors, family foundations and/or corporate partnerships generating significant annual and multi-year investments for Start Early Washington. Establish and track progress against revenue goals and other related fundraising activities.

Manage relationships and develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for a portfolio of 125+ national and Washington-based major gift donors and prospects capable of considering a significant gift of $50k or more annually and building from there.

Seek referrals and introductions from Board members, high net worth individuals, national or IL major gift donors, and others. Consider other prospecting strategies.

Build a pipeline for qualification and prioritization working with prospect research, development staff, and others to evaluate and determine giving potential.

Work in partnership with programmatic and development colleagues to create and deliver donor strategy documents, gift proposals, stewardship, and cultivation materials needed for the donor cultivation cycle. Serve as lead writer on several funding applications, proposals, reports, and other related materials for institutional donors. Partner with internal New Business and Foundation Relations team to ensure program execution is aligned with funder expectation.

Collaborate with the individual and development teams on shared goals, priorities, and activities to best leverage resources.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree (minimum); Master's degree Preferred.

At least 8+ years of relevant experience in major gifts with experience working in Washington state.

A track record of successful major gift fundraising and extensive experience with prospecting and new donor acquisition.

Excellent verbal and written communications skills.

Goal-oriented, results-focused.

Ability to work in a start-up environment.

Ability to work 100% remotely, with occasional travel, when required.

Belief in the Start Early mission and core values.

A strong work ethic with an ability to work alone and within a larger team. Ability to collaborate within and across departments.

Knowledge of Microsoft Office software and familiarity with appropriate fundraising tools. Knowledge of computerized systems of donor recordkeeping and data-tracking of prospects and donors, such as Salesforce.

Optimally establish and maintain relationships with colleagues/clients and gain their trust and respect.

Deep commitment in advancing diversity, racial equity, and inclusion into organizational routines and practice.

Effectively establish and maintain effective relationships with customers and gain their trust and respect.

Comfort and experience in handling risk and uncertainty to move work forward.

We recognize that few candidates might meet every single piece of knowledge, experience, or education listed here. Research shows that women and people of color, among many other historically excluded groups, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Start Early is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your qualifications don’t perfectly align with everything in the job description, we still encourage you to apply!

Salary: $135,000-$150,000

Our generous benefits plan includes:

Comprehensive Health Plans, Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Holistic Wellness Program, Professional Development Program, 401k Contribution, Paid Volunteer Days, 6 months paid parental leave, and much more.

Start Early is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to our core values by creating an inclusive environment for all staff.