Head of Development & Fundraising

With a mission of organizing and sustaining a powerful consumer voice to ensure that all individuals and communities can influence the local, state and national decisions that affect their health, Community Catalyst has been transforming the health care landscape for more than two decades. Louis, Pittsburgh, Lansing, MI, and Atlanta, Community Catalyst organized and currently supports a growing network of healthcare advocates in more than 40 states who are on the front lines advancing a pro-consumer health policy agenda in their states and communities.

Expanding health care access and coverage. Improving the quality of care. Protecting individuals and families from crushing medical bills. Holding health care institutions and corporations accountable to the public interest. Spurring and supporting advocacy to address social and economic factors that affect the health of people and communities. Promoting health care policies that reflect a commitment to health equity and social justice. This is Community Catalyst.

Members of the Community Catalyst team have spearheaded some of the most visionary health policy campaigns in a generation, including the movement-defining push for universal health care in Massachusetts that was a model for the Affordable Care Act. Staff members provide policy, legal, communications, organizing, and advocacy expertise so that advocates across the country are equipped with proven strategies, real-time information, and the necessary tools to succeed. Community Catalyst is also engaged in efforts to impact policy making through its 501(c)(4) arm, the Community Catalyst Action Fund.

After an extensive national search following the unexpected departure of its long-serving senior executive last year, Emily Stewart was recently named as Community Catalyst’s new Executive Director with a start date of September 9, 2019. (See: Community Catalyst Names Emily J. This leadership transition represents a unique opportunity for Community Catalyst’s development efforts, bringing fresh energy and vision to development strategies, providing new ways to engage with supporters, and offering the Development Director the chance to work hand-in-hand with an innovative leader to take fundraising to new levels of growth and success.

At this time when the number of uninsured has begun to rise again, when new consumer protections are under attack and efforts to turn back recent progress remain, the work of Community Catalyst has perhaps never been more important.

Reporting This position reports to the Executive Director with dotted line responsibility to the Chief Operating Officer and will directly supervise 2.5 staff, including two Assistant Development Directors (one focused on individual giving and the other on prospect research, writing, and database design and strategy) and a Development Associate.

Position Summary The Director of Development is responsible for leading and expanding development programs that represents roughly $20 million in private fundraising dollars annually. The vast majority of Community Catalyst’s revenue comes from private foundations, representing some of the largest and most well-known funders in the country. The Director of Development will be responsible for developing – in collaboration with the E.Chief Operating Officer, and Program Leadership – an overall development strategy for Community Catalyst that leverages existing relationships and identifies opportunities for growth across all revenue categories.

A primary accountability for the Director of Development will be to steward existing relationships and develop new relationships with foundations and institutions that are not currently funding Community Catalyst’s work. The ideal candidate will have had significant, direct experience securing philanthropic support from state and national foundations and forming relationships with program officers and/or executive level foundation staff.

Community Catalyst is unique in that its Program Directors and staff share responsibility for funding their programmatic initiatives; as such, they are directly involved in grant and report writing, strategic planning, and managing relationships with funders. However, given the demands of programmatic work, staff require leadership and support from the Director and development team to assure all fundraising goals are met. Community Catalyst submits approximately twenty-five to forty proposals (many invited) and just as many reports. The development department serves as a project management hub orchestrating the people, processes and other resources to ensure all funding goals, timelines and deliverables are met.

Primary Responsibilities Strategic Development Provide strategic direction and leadership to development activities, programs, and staff to ensure growth and sustainability

Explore and lead efforts to diversify funding streams and sources in support of Community Catalyst’s work and mission

Manage existing partnerships and develop new, national foundation partners capable of providing meaningful (5-, 6-, and 7+-figure) gifts to meet and/or exceed organizational funding goals

Oversee proposal development, grant writing/submission, and follow up/through to close contracts and negotiate terms in partnership with appropriate agency partners

Help write, review, and edit proposals and other materials as necessary

Internal/External Relationship Management Work in close collaboration with Community Catalyst’s Executive and Program leadership to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to stewarding funding relationships

Represent Community Catalyst at external events

Enhance Community Catalyst’s growing national network of major donors through direct outreach, events, materials, and other stewardship activities

Staff Supervision Provide leadership and day-to-day management of Development team

Establish overall performance objectives metrics

Play a key role, in partnership with the Director of Finance, in assessing organizational needs and assuring that the organization is positioned to meet budget and fundraising goals

(While no single candidate is likely to have equal expertise in all of the above categories, successful candidates will have a compelling combination of strengths in many of them and the self-awareness and maturity to identity and leverage resources in the area(s) where she/he/they lack personal mastery.)

Candidate Profile You know that relationships with funders are about much more than just financial support. You understand and appreciate your role as a thought partner and can add value as a content expert. Successful team members at Community Catalyst are those who demonstrate respect for and commitment to diverse groups of people (i.e., across race, social and economic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, physical and mental ability, and immigration status). They exhibit an emotional intelligence and a level of self-awareness that results in a truly collegial atmosphere. All members of the staff have a personal (as well as professional) drive to advance social justice and they embrace Community Catalyst’s core values of Empowerment, Pragmatism, Diversity, Collaboration, and Continuous Learning.

Other Skills/Experience Minimum of +/- 10 years of work experience, including some experience as manager/supervisor;

High level of content expertise in health policy and advocacy, ideally in one or more of Community Catalyst’s areas of focus. Alternatively, a high level of content expertise in other social justice movements with an emphasis on policy and advocacy;

Exceptional writing and editing skills;

Strong project management skills able to administer multiple projects, plan ahead and anticipate competing deadlines, and meet all deadlines.

Education Bachelor’s degree required. To Apply Kevin Chase Executive Search Group has been retained to lead this recruitment effort on behalf of the Community Catalyst. Community Catalyst does not discriminate in hiring based on age, color, ethnicity, race, national origin, primary language, religion, socio-economic status, family status, mental and physical disabilities, veteran status, gender identity characteristics and/or expression, sex, medical condition or sexual orientation or any other classification that is protected by federal, state, or local law. Through all of its programs, Community Catalyst works to build a better future for all individuals by advancing health equity, focusing on people of color, immigrants, as well as disability, gender, sexual identity and socio-economic status. It is important for our staff to reflect the diverse communities with which we work. People of color, LGBTQ identified people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English are encouraged to apply.