United States onlyKids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied refugee and migrant children. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety. KIND has accepted over 23,000 referrals of children seeking legal representation in their immigration proceedings. KIND has welcomed more than 41,000 attendees to trainings since its founding, cultivating partnerships with over 670 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations across the country.
KIND’s social services program ensures that migrant and refugee children – who have often endured trauma – receive counseling, educational support, medical care, and other comprehensive services.
To address the root causes of child migration from Central America, and strengthen the protection of unaccompanied children, KIND advocates for policy changes and educates lawmakers, the media, and the broader public on the conditions that drive these children to flee their home countries. KIND supports children returning to their home countries by connecting them to essential support services and sponsors gender-based violence prevention programs in Central America to protect children in countries of origin and transit.
KIND is also building upon its expertise in the protection of unaccompanied children to encourage the development of pro bono initiatives across Europe in partnership with European NGOs.
Position Summary:
KIND seeks a Director, Foundation Relations with primary responsibility for the successful planning and execution of cultivation and fundraising strategies designed to deepen foundation funder engagement in support of KIND’s organizational priorities. The incumbent will work strategically and collaboratively to drive the achievement of a $10M-$12M annual foundation revenue target and ultimately increase revenue year over year. The Director, Foundation Relations will manage their own portfolio of existing and prospective donors, while supporting the development and rollout of institutional development best practices and processes. The Director, Foundation Relations will also supervise a foundation relations officer who oversees their own portfolio of relationships. This position requires exceptional communication skills, substantial experience working with foundations, and a proven track record of cultivating and soliciting six-, seven-, and eight-figure grants. The Director, Foundation Relations is a key member of the institutional development team and reports to the Senior Director, Institutional Development. KIND’s preference is for the incumbent to be based in the Washington, DC or New York City areas. This position has the potential to be remote dependent on willingness to travel.
Essential Functions:
- Designs, implements, and oversees a comprehensive foundation relations strategy that results in meeting or exceeding an annual foundations revenue target of approximately $10 million with year over year growth.
- Cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of 70-85 active and prospective donors with the capacity to make six-, seven-, and eight-figure gifts.
- Creates tailored engagement plans, taking into account each prospect’s priorities, motivations, giving patterns, and ask preferences.
- Identifies and implements meaningful engagement opportunities for institutional funders to sustain their interest and long-term support of KIND.
- Develops and maintains strong knowledge of KIND’s program work, priorities, and achievements to effectively represent a wide array of regional, national, and international programs.
- Works in conjunction with the research team to identify new sources of potential revenue with six-figure capacity and design and execute cultivation strategies to increase win rate with new prospects.
- Writes and edits sophisticated strategy memos, regular programmatic updates, and other donor communications – all strategically framed for each foundation’s specific interests.
- Secures meetings with foundation leaders and lead the planning and execution of meetings between with foundation leaders and senior KIND staff, including overseeing or conducting donor research and preparing briefings for KIND senior leadership with strategic agendas and talking points.
- Provides direction, oversight, mentorship, and supervision of the foundation relations officer.
- Informs and reviews proposals and reports led by the grant writing team to ensure that these materials reflect the most recent funder knowledge and relationship developments.
- Documents executed and planned activities in Salesforce; ensures all activities are updated and completed in a timely manner.
- Monitors the philanthropic landscape, staying abreast of philanthropic trends and foundation giving.
- Supports departmental initiatives, including process improvements, updating tools, drafting standard operating procedures, and developing trainings.
Qualifications and Requirement:
- Undergraduate degree required.
- Must be fluent in English.
- Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience including business development, foundation relations, or grant writing.
- A recent record of identifying and securing grants that aggregate to $5M or more annually.
- Proven ability to secure six-, seven-, and eight-figure donations from a variety of institutional donors.
- Experience working on “big-picture strategy” and building processes and systems to improve team efficiency and success.
- Ability to take initiative and work independently with strong business development acumen.
- A team player with highly mature interpersonal skills – including ability to respond productively to direction and feedback, and facility working with staff and leadership at all levels.
- Outstanding attention to detail and accuracy – commitment to a work product that is thorough, complete, and polished.
- Strong analytical skills, creativity, and ability to develop fundraising strategies working in conjunction with program and development leadership.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to maintain enduring relationships with foundation leadership, program officers, philanthropic advisors, and colleagues.
- Strong communication skills, both oral and written, with an ability to communicate professionally with major donors and senior staff.
- Prior experience in utilizing and managing Salesforce or other CRM.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites (such as Teams, Excel, etc.).
- Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task in our KIND environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
- Excellent organizational skills with ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment. Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate as appropriate.
- Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
- Committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as embracing transparency and authenticity in daily work life.
- Be disciplined and nimble to ensure delivery on our core mission of access to justice and protection of children’s wellbeing and rights.
- Showing the ability to multi-task and work with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast paced environment.
- Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
- Experience working and communicating in a remote environment.
- While this position can be primarily remote, ability to travel (approximately 30%) and work in an office environment is required as needed.
Application Instructions:
Please be advised that an employment application will need to be submitted along with your resume and cover letter, in order to be considered for the desired role.
KIND has an organization-wide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strive to create a work environment where everyone has a sense of belonging. Individuals from historically underrepresented or underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer: KIND is committed to an ethical recruitment and hiring process and maintains a firm “no fees” recruitment policy. We will never charge a fee or ask for money as part of the application process. KIND also conducts all interviews via telephone or video conference, and at no time will KIND engage in a text or mobile app-based application or interview process. For more information, please visit the following website: https://supportkind.org/join-the-team/kind-employment-practices/.
