Director of Development

Job Details

Time: Full-time role

Pay: $100,000 - $115,000 annual salary including benefits (Dental, vision and medical, PTO) 

Location: Remote with a strong preference for New York State residency

Travel Commitment: Travel is required for 3-5 times per quarter, as needed

About the Organization

Black Farmers United - New York State (“BFU-NYS”) is a newly established coalition of over 100 Black farmers, educators, and food justice advocates from across New York State. BFU-NYS’ mission is to advocate for, unify, amplify, and create pathways to ownership for NYS Black farmers through education, policy development, networking, and mutual aid. As a collective, BFU-NYS centers Black farmers, builds collective power, cultivates love and liberation, advances equity, and fosters transparency. Black farmers hold the power to radically change how black communities control access to safe, healthy food, and build collective wealth and health in New York State.

In New York State, the almost $2 billion farming industry is well poised to leverage BFU-NYS’ community of Black rural and urban farmers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and other food and land workers who understand the needs and build power and wealth in Black communities. Together, BFU-NYS’ coalition of Black farmers, educators, and food justice advocates from across the state developed 9 Solutions for Racial Inequity in New York Agriculture.

The Opportunity

BFU-NYS seeks an experienced, self-starter to serve as part of its founding co-directorship team, as Co-Director, Development Lead. In an organization that desires to organize itself non-hierarchically, three co-directors will provide needed guidance to staff and members, facilitate critical conversations, work closely with the board, and ensure egalitarian decision-making whenever possible. In a non-hierarchical structure, the authority to make decisions is spread across a flat organization. Decentralization gives employees a higher level of responsibility and accountability for their work, as well as bigger stakes in outcomes. 

The Co-Director, Development Lead (Development Director) will create successful practices to raise the financial support necessary for the operation of BFU-NYS. This position serves as the primary fundraiser responsible for securing and maintaining an annual organizational budget of at least $750,000. 

Role Responsibilities

The Co-Director, Development Lead (Development Director) will be responsible for the following:

Fundraising & Grant Writing

• Leading fundraising for the organization’s budgets, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Evolving a fundraising strategy and team

  • Writing grant proposals and reports

  • Collaborating with a member-led fundraising committee 

  • Recruiting a team of grant writers, if the budget allows

• Developing and executing fundraising campaigns 

• Developing and managing a grants database that tracks key prospect and donor info, reporting deadlines, and other to-do’s

• Working with the board of directors to set and achieve increased fundraising goals annually

• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with funders

• Ensure timely adherence to all grant requirements and funder requests

• Working with the Director of Programming & Operations to ensure financial management and oversight, including managing the filing of tax returns, audits, and compliance

Shared Organizational Development & Leadership

This co-director will work collaboratively with other co-directors to:

• Organize staff professional development opportunities

• Work with consultants and facilitators, as needed, to develop an equitable organizational structure, strategic plans, and achievable goals

• Support the Board of Directors with board recruitment, onboarding, resourcing, and engagement with input from staff and membership

• Generate public-facing documents and reports around organizational growth, needs and successes with support from members and other staff

• Accomplish additional responsibilities as determined by the board of directors or co-director team

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in a nonprofit or similar organization, including at least 3 - 5 years serving in a leadership capacity in development and fundraising 

• Experience in developing integrated fundraising budgets

• Ability to cultivate and identify funding opportunities

• Proven experience in securing funding from diverse sources including governments, foundations, corporations, major donors, and individuals

• Knowledge of cash flow projections, financial analysis and management

• Proficient in budgeting, and reporting

• Experience navigating the New York State “Grants Gateway,” as well as the reimbursement process

• Demonstrated evolved analysis of food justice, labor, capital and Black liberation through the lens of political, racial, class, and gender

• Impeccable judgment and demonstrated alignment with BFU-NYS’s values: centering Black farmers, building collective power, cultivating love and liberation, advancing equity, and fostering transparency

• Strong leadership skills within a non-hierarchical framework, including the capacity to inspire collaboration, build consensus, and boost motivation among coworkers, as well as other stakeholders, such as boards, community members, politicians, and funders

• Working understanding of farming and food systems in New York State 

• Strong entrepreneurial spirit and ability to thrive in a small organization with limited resources and evolving infrastructure

• Proven success working with a board of directors

• Robust organizational, problem-solving, delegation, and time management skills

• Aptitude for learning new applications

• Outstanding communication skills—both verbal and written-to include public communications

Reporting Relationship

The steering committee will apply for 501c3 status in 2023 and the three co-directors, including the co-director, development lead, will report to the newly formed Black Farmers United — New York State Board of Directors once 501c3 status is approved. Prior to this, the co-directors will report to the steering committee.