Development Officer

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is a 45-year-old Native American controlled nonprofit organization whose mission is to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing.

First Nations is hiring for TWO Development Officer roles:

Development Officer - Individual Giving

Grants Development Officer - Institutional Development

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Position Title : Development Officer

Reports To : Senior Director of Individual Giving

Job Level : Exempt

Location : Albuquerque, NM or Longmont, CO

The Development Officer supports the strategic fundraising efforts of First by enlisting support for the organization’s key programs and initiatives with an emphasis on individual, planned, and monthly gifts. The Development Officer identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards individual donors and prospects in accordance with goals set in First Nations’ strategic plan. The Development officer develops brief proposals and reports to funders to demonstrate impact of investments and spends the majority of time interacting with supporters through virtual and in-person visits. The Development Officer will work collaboratively with the individual giving team to ensure departmental goals are achieved.

• Identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards major gifts, planned giving donors, and prospects through virtual and in-person visits and other forms of direct personal contact
• Tracks and reports on assigned goals to meet organization’s objectives
• Maintain a portfolio of approximately 150 donors and prospects
• Manage information-tracking processes regarding acknowledgement, recognition, ongoing communication and continued cultivation of donors in portfolio
• Provide input to development team on campaigns to support mission
• Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with First Nations’ program teams, development colleagues, and consultants to maximize total gift revenue to advance First Nations’ mission
• Assist in short- and long-range planning activities to create and implement goals and objectives
• Assist in developing strategies to engage supports in First Nations’ mission
• Make effective use of the First Nations’ databases and other resources to ensure appropriate management of donors and prospects
• Conduct research to identify prospects, with an emphasis on major gifts exceeding and creates strategies to match prospects' interests to the strategic priorities of the First Nations
• Be available and willing to perform other tasks assigned by direct supervisor

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 1 to 3 years of experience working in individual giving or on other fundraising initiatives
• Strong computer skills, including MS Office Suite (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and selected fundraising and project management software
• Availability to travel frequently as needed (up to 14 times per year to include mandatory First Nations’ meetings).

Preferred Requirements

• 3 plus years of experience working in individual giving or on other fundraising initiatives
• Experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge fundraising and RENXT software
• Experience working in a nonprofit organization
• Experience and knowledge regarding nonprofit organizations and best practices
• Knowledge of and familiarity with Tribal Sovereignty and the historical and contemporary legal development and workings/status of Tribal Nations (highly desirable)

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Position Title : Grants Development Officer

Reports To : Senior Program Officer of Institutional Development

Job Level : Exempt

Location : Albuquerque, NM or Longmont, CO

First Nations’ Institutional Development department is a fundraising arm of the Development team that focuses on working with corporations, foundations, tribes, and federal funders. We build new partnerships, strengthen relationships, and provide education and awareness on philanthropy in Indian Country. We nurture trust and responsibility with our funders, supporters, and community partners by exercising transparency, high ethical standards, and accurate and timely communications. We believe in the honor of receiving and the responsibility of giving, and that the connection between both makes all things prosper.

The Grants Development Officer supports First Nations’ development team in identifying and securing opportunities by coordinating grant writing; providing data and reports to support prospect research; managing the grant management process for federal and private grant opportunities; coordinating report writing with Program Officers or grant contractor; monitoring development activities and goal attainment; and identifying potential new funding sources. The Grants Development Officer reports to the Senior Program Officer of Institutional Development and works in close collaboration with First Nations’ development, finance, program, and administrative staff.

Develop and maintain systems for tracking status and deadlines of all funding applications, renewals and reports to individuals, corporations, foundations, and other First Nations’ supporters

• Manage the proposal development process, including assisting with budgets, reviewing proposals, and providing supporting documents in coordination with leadership and program staff, and submitting proposals to First Nations supporters
• Facilitate intra-organizational cooperation for grant applications and the submission process. This includes coordination of teams during funding request cycles, and development of concept papers, and other grant materials necessary for submission
• Provide outstanding stewardship for foundation and corporate funders ensuring reports, other updates and requests are completed on or before the due dates
• Manage grants received, which include entering and managing grants in Raiser’s Edge, logging relevant communications, and maintaining relevant grant documentation
• Provide excellent database management, including monitoring grant income and programmatic goals and regularly reporting progress to program staff and First Nations leadership
• Ensure proper and complete documentation of organization’s institutional fundraising activities; Work with staff to comply with funder’s terms and conditions, including notifying staff of pending due dates and reporting requirements
• Work with the development team to create annual goals, strategies, and tactics to increase funding and expand revenue streams
• Support grant development efforts by clearly communicating First Nations’ relationships and institutional development work to internal audiences and external funders during meetings, onboarding, and funding engagements
• Partner with finance staff to reconcile grant payments
• Assist in funder campaigns as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Analytical skills to review and interpret proposals, reports and other documents and formulate appropriate responses and resolve issues
• Demonstrated experience with non-profit fundraising, including proposal development and work with institutional funders
• Knowledge of core fundraising principles, techniques, strategies, and information sources
• Ability to organize and meet deadlines for a wide variety of job assignments simultaneously, with minimum supervision
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with diverse internal and external partners
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work independently as a self-starter, while also collaborating effectively as part of a team
• Sound judgment, resourcefulness, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot issues and manage projects through completion
• Advanced computer proficiency, including, but not limited to, MS Office (including the use of templates and document formatting), Excel (including the use of sophisticated Excel formulas and macros) and PowerPoint
• Experience using databases or data management systems to manage projects and activities
• Ability to translate user requirements into data management and reporting specifications

Preferred Requirements

• Prospecting research experience
• Grant writing and grant management experience
• In-depth technical knowledge of Raiser’s Edge/RENXT platform and Airtable
• Knowledge of and/or familiarity with tribal nations
• Sophisticated nonprofit fund and federal grant accounting and management experience

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

First Nations is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination guidance. We reserve the right to request proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and similar vaccines, from candidates and employees as part of the hiring process, in accordance with applicable laws and company policy.