Fundraising and Communications Officer - The Working World - New York, NY

The Organization

The Working World is a 501c3 organization with operations in the US, Nicaragua, and Argentina. We are a business lender like no other. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a part of a revolution in the financial sector – putting workers and economic justice at the center of your work while helping democratically run businesses thrive – then come and work with us!

The Working World builds cooperatively-owned businesses in low-income communities in the US, Argentina, and Nicaragua, using a groundbreaking model that combines non-extractive finance with tailor-made business support. We facilitate loans and business support to businesses with democratic ownership in many sectors of the economy that are designed to help facilitate business growth and worker ownership.

Since 2004, The Working World has supported more than 800 projects with over 200 businesses – lending more than four million dollars and creating hundreds of jobs in the process. We have over 98% repayment rates – unheard of in our industry. We attribute it to the tailor-made business support we are able to provide to each and every business that receives a Working World loan.

More information about our mission, impact, and team is available at our website: http://www.theworkingworld.org/

The Position

The Working World is a lender, but we are also a non-profit organization. Our loan fund is generated through relationships with investors who believe in our mission and want a return on their investment. We raise our operating budget from foundations and individual donors who have the same goals – they want us to deliver on our mission through the proliferation of successful democratically-run businesses. This is their return on investment.

The Working World is seeking a new member of the team who can beautifully articulate our work, impact, reach, and dreams to foundations through our grant proposals, foundation reports, and ongoing communication with our institutional funders and investors. The Fundraising and Communications Officer will work closely with our Founder and Executive Director, our Director of Research & Strategy, our Director of Operations, and our Lead Office Administrator to successfully increase The Working World’s operating budget over the coming years. Specifically, the Fundraising and Communications Officer will work to prepare grant proposals and grant reports, as well as keep track of the logistics of grant applications, organize and draft foundation updates and individual donor solicitation communications, and help log donations and send thank you letters.

This position will report to our Executive Director. Preference will be given to candidates who are in the New York City metro area and can work from our office in lower Manhattan.

Essential Duties

Prepare initial drafts of all grant proposals, and refine and perfect them as a team with the Executive Director, the Director of Operations, and our Lead Office Administrator.

Collect information about loans, business support services and other programs from staff members to fully articulate activities and impact in a given grant reporting period. Draft all grant reports for foundations and refine and perfect them as a team with the Executive Director, the Director of Operations, and our Lead Office Administrator.

Draft all foundation and partner update emails and thank you letters for individual donors.

Lead the process of developing the organization’s annual and quarterly reports, and disseminating them widely, liaising with a designer to ensure the highest quality report possible.

Coordinate fundraising campaigns.

Research potential donor and foundation prospects and maintain the prospect database.

The ideal applicant:
Possesses positive, superhuman energy and knows how to get things done.

Is an easy fluid writer who can articulate complex ideas in simple terms.

Is an enthusiastic nerd, or avid learner, about financial markets, lending, business development, the new economy, and democratic ownership models.

Is a creative problem-solver who can imagine how to make any funding opportunity connect with The Working World’s mission and impact.

Has 3-5 years of successful grant writing experience, with a great track record of success.

Has 3-5 years of communications experience, with proven effectiveness.

Believes fundraising and effective communications go hand-in-hand, and thinks they’re both fun.

Is a great communicator and team player – pleasant to work with every day.

Is devoted to transforming our economy, and believes in a future where democracy is not so alien to financial markets and the private sector.

Has proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Docs and spreadsheets.

Possesses experience in project management or with juggling several projects.