UPDATE: THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.
Please note: WRL has an office cat. The office is not wheelchair accessible.
War Resisters League seeks an enthusiastic and experienced grassroots fundraiser, who brings initiative and works well collaboratively, to coordinate and facilitate our fundraising program, and increase our income, national visibility and membership base. The Development & Membership Coordinator, a full-time staff member based in our national office in NYC, will lead and coordinate the work of and help expand the volunteer Fundraising Committee to build relationships with donors, secure contributions, and grow WRL’s membership.
As one of the leading radical voices in the anti-war movement, we challenge military recruitment, advocate war tax resistance, organize nonviolent direct action, support conscientious objectors and GI resisters, and offer on-the-ground anti-militarism organizing resources and training. We have a campaign challenging the militarization of police globally and domestically and focusing on the use of tear gas as a repressive tool against people’s movements.
WRL does not rely on grants. We depend on individual contributions from members, donors, and sustainers. While we receive some income from an endowment built through donor bequests, strengthening our individual giving programs is our top fundraising priority. We operate with a grassroots fundraising philosophy, believing that cultivating relationships with donors who give at any level and expanding our membership are the keys to long-term financial stability.
Structure of Position:
The War Resisters League has a non-hierarchical staffing structure that is accountable to multiple bodies within the organization. The national office staff operates collectively, using a modified consensus model, and is accountable to an Administrative Coordinating Committee (a local oversight body) which meets with staff monthly. Our work is directed by the National Committee of WRL which meets two face-to-face weekends a year. All staff attend.
The Development & Membership Coordinator will work closely with and is directly accountable to the Fundraising Committee. The Development & Membership Coordinator works as a team member within our staff collective to support the daily work of the organization, including brainstorming and strategizing about program, administrative work, office maintenance, email and social media communications with membership. There is a half-time staff member who does the majority of administrative work related to fundraising and who, in collaboration with the Development & Membership Coordinator, assists with a small amount of development work.
Major Tasks:
The main work of the Development & Membership Coordinator is to help the organization maintain an intensive focus on individual donor work. Our grassroots fundraising model is based on the primacy of growing our member/donor base, fostering relationships with our member/donors, and working to both maintain and increase their gift amounts. All of our fundraising activities are aimed at facilitating this relationship-building and working toward boosting income from the different segments of our donor base. The Development and Membership Coordinator organizes the National Committee members, Fundraising Committee, staff, and volunteers to do this work and participates in the work as well.
- Organizes National Committee members to make solicitations to existing members. Works with the Fundraising Committee to implement a give/get model of fundraising with our National Committee members,
- Coordinates Major Donor Program, Sustainer Program, fund appeals and ‘drop-mailings’, yearly direct mail prospecting campaign, raffle. Organizes in-house phonebanks and occasional paid phonebanks
- Web-based fundraising: Expand existing and develop new web-based fundraising strategies around specific projects and use new online fundraising tools. Prepare email appeals; tailor each program email to a special list of email prospects we have already acquired. Update and improve fundraising pages on website.
- Events: WRL holds a gala fundraising event every five years. This year is our 90th anniversary, and we are having a gala in the late fall. The Development and Membership Coordinator will work with our already-hired gala consultant and the Fundraising Committee to help organize the event. Plans are well underway but work will pick up over the summer.
In addition, the Development Coordinator:
- Convenes Fundraising Committee meetings. Participates as a member of the Finance Committee.
- Oversees database management for the organization.
- Works with organizing staff to develop project-specific fundraising strategies. Helps implement either a yearly organization-wide fundraising drive or helps staff integrate some fundraising work into their tasks.
- Helps develop and updated printed fundraising materials.
- Maintains effective intra-organizational communication between the Fundraising Committee and other relevant bodies (Finance Committee, Administrative Coordinating Committee, and other staff). Reports to the National Committee on fundraising efforts, creates, monitors and evaluates membership and development plans and drafts annual budgets.
Skills/Qualifications:
- Demonstrated non-profit fundraising experience and knowledge of development practices
- Experience and comfort with grassroots fundraising work at all donor levels
- Comfort discussing planned giving and asking for major gifts
- Experience with membership development and prospecting
- Familiarity with the peace and social justice movements.
- Grounding and commitment to revolutionary nonviolence.
- Strong written and verbal skills, including comfort with public speaking
- Excellent time management, communication, and organizational skills
- Ability to plan, analyze, evaluate, and implement needed adjustments to fundraising work
- Proficiency with database queries and reports, spreadsheets, email blast systems, social media and willingness to do basic updates in content-management style website
- Knowledge of or commitment to learn Salsa/Democracy in Action, our current fundraising software and database
- Proven experience directing projects from conception to completion
- Detail-oriented, responsible, and accountable. Familiarity with basic office operations and administrative work assumed
- Willing and able to do administrative work related to fundraising, and contribute to office tasks
- Proven ability to work both independently and in coordination with a committee
- Strong ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities
- Demonstrated comfort with self-initiated work and managing multiple tasks simultaneously
- Experience and comfort with volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision
- Comfortable in a non-hierarchical, collaborative office setting
- Strong facilitation skills and comfort preparing agendas and convening meetings
- Skills in organizational development and strategic planning
This is a full time salaried position. Yearly salary is $43,800 with full benefits, including health insurance, paid vacation and a pension contribution of five percent.
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs [at] warresisters.org with Development and Membership Coordinator in the subject line. The deadline is April 12.
The War Resisters League is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The office, however, is located on the second floor and not wheelchair- accessible. There is an office cat.
The War Resisters League affirms that all war is a crime against humanity. We therefore are determined not to support any kind of war, international or civil, and to strive nonviolently for the removal of the causes of war, including racism, sexism and all forms of human exploitation.
