PEN America, a nonprofit organization that stands at the intersection of literature and human rights, seeks an experienced, motivated, and highly organized development and engagement manager to advance our fundraising strategy in Los Angeles and the region. This is a full-time position based in Los Angeles, CA, and applicants should be available for in-office and in-person work when health regulations permit.
The development and engagement manager will engage with donors, support fundraising events, manage prospect research, identify and collaborate on grant opportunities, and produce correspondence and other communications. The role reports to the Los Angeles executive director and coordinates with the chief development officer and deputy director of development at PEN America’s New York headquarters. The manager will work to support our multiple programs and engage externally with a wide range of individual donors.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter, enthusiastic, detail-oriented, excels at multitasking, and is ready to develop and execute a variety of initiatives. The development and engagement manager is a hands-on role on a tight-knit team accustomed to working on a range of projects at a fast pace. No task should be considered too big or too small.
The successful candidate will have a passion for identifying, cultivating, and stewarding supporters for PEN America’s mission and be interested in all aspects of development, including online fundraising. Creativity and strategic thinking are important aspects of the role, as are strong organizational skills, efficient follow-through on all assignments, and an interest in developing systems and fully utilizing the capacity of our Raiser’s Edge database.
This is an ideal position for a development professional with at least five years of directly relevant experience and offers a significant opportunity to expand a portfolio of skills related to donor cultivation and stewardship, events production, strategic fundraising, and other aspects of development in the nonprofit sector. We are looking for someone with demonstrated professional confidence who will assess the state of our fundraising progress and prospects and find ways to drive forward our donor base and revenue strategies.
PEN America offers the opportunity to be part of a high-performing, mission-driven organization with high-caliber staff, a fascinating array of programs involving well-known and emerging writers, human rights advocates, and prominent supporters, and a strong, positive organizational culture.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Drive forward PEN America’s galas, authors’ evenings, and other fundraising events from inception to completion, including project tracking, solicitations and other correspondence, website and email marketing, creating invitations, and other components as needed
- Coordinate donor and supporter cultivation events
- Conduct donor and prospect research, management, and all aspects of fundraising pipeline
- Coordinate and produce effective correspondence with current and prospective donors
- Carry out donor cultivation and stewardship through the use of the database and other tools to ensure timely correspondence and next steps
- Review and track executive meetings and prepare materials as needed
- Contribute to planning and execution of year-end appeal and all other campaigns
- Oversee tracking pledges and payments for individual and major donors, including event donors
- Manage development interns and projects
- Process credit card donations as needed
- Create and pull reports as needed
- Update donor records
QUALIFICATIONS:
- At least five years of experience in a nonprofit development office, preferably with experience in fundraising events, individual giving, and appeals. More experienced candidates will be considered
- Demonstrated understanding of donor cultivation and stewardship and the ability to handle relationships with stakeholders with tact and maturity
- Ambitious work ethic and ability to produce high-quality contributions both autonomously and as part of departmental or cross-departmental team
- Familiarity and comfort with databases and other digital tools, and demonstrated commitment to use data effectively to support development functions
- Experience with Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge or similar fundraising software
- Nonprofit development marketing experience is a plus
- Strong ability to communicate in writing in a range of forms and contexts
- Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks, with attention to detail
- Interest in the PEN America’s mission, and commitment to develop a strong understanding of the organization’s work
Salary and Benefits: PEN America offers competitive compensation and benefits, commensurate with experience.
TO APPLY:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and the contact information for three references. Please submit the entire application to jobs@pen.org. Please use “LA Development and Engagement Manager” and your name as the subject of your email (for example, “LA Development Manager – Jane Doe”). Only complete applications will be reviewed, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
PEN America is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices, and in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool.
No phone calls, please.
ABOUT PEN AMERICA:
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.
Type: Full-time.
To apply, please e-mail your resume to jobs@pen.org .