Groundswell Fund Seeks Program Officer
PROGRAM OFFICER
Reports to: Executive Director
Location: Flexible
Overview: Groundswell Fund supports a stronger, more effective U.S. movement for reproductive justice by mobilizing new funding and capacity building resources to efforts led by historically underrepresented women - including low income women and women of color. Groundswell’s strategic grantmaking supports constituency and movement building work that is accelerating policy and systems change. Its powerful funding vehicles enable individual and institutional donor partners to have their contributions paired with evaluation and capacity building support for grantees, and leveraged to generate increased visibility and resources for reproductive justice. For example, over the past three years, 17 national foundations, 11 local foundations, and 1300 individual donors, have partnered with Groundswell’s Catalyst Fund to move more than $7 million in new resources to women of color-led reproductive justice efforts. Groundswell has granted over $12 million to 70 organizations since 2003.
Position Summary:
The Program Officer is responsible for supporting Groundswell’s three funds: the Catalyst Fund: Resources for Women of Color in Reproductive Justice, the Reproductive Justice Fund, and the Community Midwifery Fund. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Program Officer contributes to the design and implementation of grantmaking, technical assistance, evaluation, communications, and fundraising programs. The Program Officer advances strategic grantmaking that maximizes the impact of donor giving on constituency/base building and movement building to effectively accelerate policy and systems change. The Program Officer plays a leadership role in the field of philanthropy by generating increased visibility and resources for reproductive justice.
Responsibilities:
GRANTMAKING
• Stay abreast of trends in philanthropy, reproductive justice, and related social justice movements.
• Identify priorities, gaps, and opportunities to strengthen strategic grantmaking.
• Conduct research on key issues and policies and communicate findings.
• Conduct thorough assessment of grant applicants, including comprehensive proposal review and site visits.
• Regularly monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of grantees.
• Provide individual and institutional donors with timely updates and briefings.
• Prepare docket write ups and present grant recommendations at meetings of donors and stakeholders.
FIELD BUILDING
• Serve as an effective public spokesperson for Groundswell and raise the visibility of reproductive justice by writing and speaking in diverse forums.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with funder colleagues, individual donors, grantees, and other key partners.
• Contribute to the implementation of technical assistance and evaluation programs for grantees, including coordinating logistics for grantee meetings and convenings and managing consultant contracts.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
• Participate in strategic planning and the development of key programs and activities.
FUNDRAISING
• Cultivate new funder and donor relationships and identify and leverage new resources for reproductive justice organizations.
Qualifications:
Required
• Experience working in social justice movements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively via phone and email, and to serve as a public spokesperson for Groundswell.
• Fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated ability to research an issue area and effectively communicate findings.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in strategic and analytical thinking and planning.
• Experience moving a project from conceptualization to completion.
• Experience coordinating the planning and logistics for meetings and convenings.
• Experience working as an effective member of a team.
• Good computer skills, including familiarity with MS Office and database systems.
• Willingness to travel.
Strongly Preferred
• At least ten years of experience working in social justice movements.
• At least three years of experience in funder, labor, community, political or faith-based organizing.
• Strategic communications experience.
• Grantmaking experience, and/or development experience, including grantwriting and working effectively with individual, institutional, and/or corporate donors.
• Evaluation experience.
Compensation: Annual salary commensurate with experience; generous benefits package.
To Apply: Please send resume, cover letter, two writing samples, and a list of three references to Vanessa Daniel at: info [at] groundswellfund [dot] org by December 1, 2011.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Groundswell is a project of Tides Center, which is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.
Applicants with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.
