Development and Events Manager

(Full-Time Exempt; Oakland)
ABOUT THE POSITION: TransForm, a leading environmental and social justice organization,seeks an enthusiastic, experienced development professional to oversee individual donor cultivation and stewardship plus a range of fun events that seek to attract and engage more people in our mission. This isn't your typical development job. You'll have a great blend of responsibilities and a chance to take TransForm's individual fundraising to the next level. After a period of rapid growth,TransForm's budget is now close to $4 million, mostly from foundation support. This position would get to take on a fledgling individual donor program with enormous potential and ambitious goals for building a robust program over the next five to ten years. You'll get to build on and harness strong systems for donor cultivation and stewardship, plus a newly developed long-term fund development plan, while having the opportunity to design and implement new strategies. You'll be part of a fun, focused, collaborative, and supportive team that's excited to build strong relationships with people who care about our work plus harness social media and nonprofit marketing to get even more folks involved. This is the kind of job where you’ll have fun, be challenged, and really get to make your mark as we build something great! This isn't just any organization or mission, either. TransForm is at the cutting edge of climate change policy and equity issues as they relate to transportation and land use. We now have an office in Sacramento so we can fight even harder for more state funding for public transportation. We're getting national recognition for our work engaging Bay Area communities – particularly low-income communities – in local land use planning so they can shape future growth and create great communities with good public transportation options. As our issues get hotter and our reach and reputation continues to expand, there are incredible opportunities for increasing our individual donor base. You could be the person to make this happen!

This job might be right for you if: you're someone who's highly motivated, creative, strategic, and super organized. You’ll thrive if you: like to throw a great party; if you enjoy getting people so excited about a cause that they just can't help wanting to give; if you value building relationships; if you love a blend of big picture thinking and detailed day-to-day implementation; and if you like to have real
ownership over your work. And there are great benefits. We are flexible and family-friendly. We have generous vacation and holidays. We have excellent health and dental benefits, and designate funds for professional development. TransForm contributes to the Commuter Check program and administers an employee contribution 403(b) retirement plan.

The salary range for this position is between $45,000 - $50,000 and commensurate with experience. TransForm is an equal opportunity employer. This is a full-time
(37.5 hours/week) position. People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply. Our staff is focused on making positive change in the world, and celebrates diversity and is committed to being intentionally inclusive in all our relationships.

KEY RESPONSIBILITY AREAS:
This position works with the Communications and Development team, executive leadership, and the Board to establish overall fundraising goals – and then helps develop and implements key aspects of an annual fundraising plan in order to meet these goals. These include:
- Strategizing and overseeing at least two fundraising appeals per year, both mail
and online. This includes determining and overseeing: theme, special motivational aspects (like matching gifts), timing/timeline, content (text, stories, and visuals), segmenting (including who will get what level of personalization and follow-up), a multi-channel approach (accompanying email campaign, accompanying gift pyramids, the role of staff/Board members, web content including landing and donate pages, Facebook, email footers, etc.), reply devices, donation levels/gifts, thank you content/approach, printing and mailing.
- Developing and implementing new acquisition-focused, donation increase, and/or
peer-to-peer fundraising activities to bring in new high-quality prospects and
donors, plus move up the ones we already have. This would include developing a
strategy for increasing recurring donors, potentially bringing back the Car-Free Challenge in some form in 2012, and working closely with communications staff in building more sophisticated ladder of engagements for high-value prospects, current and lapsed supporters, and new leads.
- Developing and tracking current/potential major donor portfolios. This includes:
determining who's the best staff/Board lead for the individual, creating and ensuring
implementation of individual donor strategies for each (including how and when to ask, and how much), setting up a rating system, ensuring new hot prospects get into portfolios, and making sure regular meetings/touches occur. This position will maintain her/his own portfolio of donors. This position will also be the staff lead with the Deputy Director and some Board members in managing their individual portfolios, which includes coaching and attending gettogethers in a support role.
- Overseeing efforts to bring in new major donor prospects. This includes: identifying lower-level donors that should be moved up, developing strategies to bring donors from other organizations over to TransForm, tapping into Board prospects who ultimately do not join the Board, and working with existing major donors to tap into their networks. This position will be involved in shaping, engaging, and supporting the Board’s involvement in fundraising over time,
too, as we shift our Board composition over the next several years.
- Overseeing all aspects of the fall major donor appreciation event and any other
special events to appreciate/cultivate/acknowledge major donors/prospects like
tours, group dinners, etc.
- Planning and implementing approximately six TransForums per year to acquire new
donors, cultivate existing donors, highlight current work, and support TransForm's brand strategy. This includes: determining speakers and topics, selecting venues to increase geographic reach, developing strategies to attract new people, moderating events and overseeing all aspects.
- Managing the Communications and Development Assistant, whose main responsibilities include: conducting all individual and corporate donation processing, tracking, reconciliation, and formal acknowledgment, plus triggering personalized thank you’s from key staff; providing core support for all events; recruiting and managing volunteers in support of the CAD team; other relevant data entry; and more. This position is ultimately responsible for accurate reconciliation of donation data with the administrative department for legal and auditing requirements.
- Overseeing and harnessing the donor database (Salesforce / Convio Common
Ground). This position serves as the primary bearer of responsibility for the maintenance and analysis of all fundraising data in our contact database, with significant support from the Online Communications and Database Manager and the Communications and Development Assistant. This includes tracking, evaluating, and analyzing all individual fundraising efforts in order to track the performance of efforts to acquire, retain, and upgrade donors – and then developing strategies to address the results.
- Maintaining web content related to individual donations and applying best practices
for online giving. This position manages online giving, working closely with and supported by the entire team in implementation.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- At least 3 years of highly relevant work experience and a proven track record in fundraising. Experience with major donors, building up a fundraising program, and online giving strongly desired.
- Proficiency in using a donor/CRM database for tracking donations, interactions with current and potential supporters, and analyzing data. Salesforce and Convio Common Ground experience preferred.
- Proven project management and planning experience. Experience developing and managing budgets preferred.
- Strong communications skills including writing ability, speaking style, and an ability to truly engage/connect with people. An interest in social media a plus.
- Experience planning and executing engaging events of all sizes that meet budget expectations.
- Strong knowledge of the concepts and best practices in individual fundraising development, and a thirst for more.
- Some experience in managing volunteers, interns, or staff and an interest in gaining more.
- Experience working with or on a Board of Directors a plus.
- A "can-do" attitude; enthusiastic; graceful under pressure; self-motivated and directed; and a sense of humor and fun.
- Personal and/or work experience with stakeholders and/or social justice organizations that integrate equity and inclusion in their internal and external communications.
- A deep commitment to TransForm's mission and a strong desire to be a part of making positive environmental and social change in the world.

HOW TO APPLY: Does all this sound like the perfect fit for you? Then you should send:
1) a resumé;
2) two writing samples (ideally one from an appeal or event of which you were the primary author and one for any purpose but you should be the sole author); and 3) a cover letter detailing why both who you are and what you've done make you a great fit for this position.
Send these materials as attachments (preferably as one PDF file) to
DevelopmentMgr@transformca.org. You will receive an email indicating your materials have been received.
Please, no faxes, postal mail, or phone calls.
Application deadline: May 15, 2011 11:59 p.m