Los Angeles, CA (Remote Option)

Director of Development – Black AIDS Institute

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The Black AIDS Institute (BAI), the only uniquely and unapologetically Black HIV think and do tank in America, seeks a Director of Development to lead the organization’s fund development and to ensure that fundraising activities are consistent with the organization’s mission and strategic plan.

The Organization

Founded in 1999, the mission of BAI is to stop the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals to confront HIV. BAI envisions a world where all Black people are free and flourishing without HIV and AIDS, free of stigma and shame, where Black health and well-being are paramount. With a foundation in advocacy and policy work, BAI works towards improving the health and wellness of Black people through research, community efforts, and clinical work.

Areas of Impact

BAI grounds its work in Black leaders and communities across the country. BAI’s programs and work fall across the following four segments:

  • Advocacy and Mobilization: BAI facilitates the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), a national network of local chapters and stakeholders who mobilize Black communities across the country to confront HIV.
  • Black-centric Healthcare: BAI and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center partner together to operate A Clinic For Us (ACFU) in BAI’s Los Angeles, California headquarters. ACFU provides access to primary care and specialty HIV biomedical prevention and care services.
  • Training and Capacity Building: BAI provides training and capacity building assistance to healthcare organizations, community-based organizations, and health departments that serve and work with Black communities.
  • Information Dissemination: BAI develops unique content related to HIV and Black Americans in the U.S. BAI combines its annual state of AIDS reports, social media, Black media, and traditional media outlets to reduce stigma and increase awareness of how to end HIV.

Governed by a 12-member board of directors, BAI operates with 23 full-time staff and a budget of $4.3M comprised of corporate funding, government funding, event income, and foundation grants. BAI is projected to operate with a staff of nearly 40 and a budget of more than $5M by the end of 2021. Raniyah Copeland serves as BAI’s President & CEO after succeeding the organization’s Founder & CEO, Phill Wilson, in 2019, having previously served BAI in numerous programmatic roles since 2008.

Recent Accomplishments

Since 2019, BAI has:

  • Nearly doubled its budget from $2.5M to over $4M, increasing its capacity to hire more staff and enhance operations.
  • Gained funding from the University of California as a California Research Policy Center that focuses on ‘rapid responses’ of short-term research projects designed to quickly address questions that emerge in a dynamic health policy environment.  
  • Partnered with the COVID-19 Vaccine Prevention Network to advance efforts to respond to COVID-19 in Black communities, an initiative that merges HIV Vaccine and Prevention Trials Networks with the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium and AIDS Clinical Trials Group.
  • Expanded A Clinic For Us (ACFU), in partnership with St. John’s Well Child and Family Clinic, to provide access to HIV biomedical prevention and care services to over 3,000 Black, Latino, and other under-served Angelinos annually.

Strategic Priorities

BAI’s strategic plan outlines the following long-term goals:

  • High-impact prevention information and services are available and accessible to all Black Americans at risk of HIV.
  • Black Americans know their HIV status.
  • Black Americans living with HIV are virally suppressed and receive care and support services in their local community.
  • Black Americans understand HIV and support people living with HIV and AIDS.
  • Appropriate policies are in place to support those living with HIV, and political decision-makers are actively responding to the epidemic.

For more information on the organization, please visit https://blackaids.org/ .

The Position

Reporting to the President & CEO and serving as a visionary partner, the Director of Development serves as an essential part of the BAI executive team by providing strategic leadership to the organization. The Director of Development oversees all of BAI’s fundraising efforts.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Development leads BAI in its development and implementation of its overall fundraising strategy. In addition, this position will support the advancement of the organization-wide communications plan to raise the visibility of BAI to key external audiences. The Director of Development will:

  • Lead the agency’s overall development efforts to raise an annual budget of $5M by expanding and diversifying BAI’s revenue streams.
  • In collaboration with the President & CEO, design and execute the organizational strategy to grow partnerships and increase funding to become financially sustainable as BAI expands.
  • Create and implement multiyear comprehensive development plans to establish fundraising goals and ensure renewal of annual giving in accordance with BAI objectives.
  • Lead and organize all application requirements for government, corporate, and foundation grant applications and proposals.
  • Assess the fundraising potential of existing programs and collaboratively develop new initiatives to meet the agency’s strategic objectives and vision.
  • Manage development software and processes to ensure the accurate maintenance of donor records, development-related activities, and information.
  • Identify, cultivate, and nurture relationships with donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and private funding sources who are passionate about HIV care and Black people to steward sponsorship growth.
  • Maintain fundraising contacts, giving history, and analysis of overall trends in the donor base. 
  • Coordinate a robust schedule of development events to engage new and existing donors.
  • Collaborate closely with the President & CEO and relevant staff on executing the organization-wide communications strategy to build the brand and raise the visibility of BAI.
  • Support the writing of communication materials such as campaigns, appeals, newsletters, op-eds, and press materials to amplify the BAI mission and to engage community members.
  • Supervise fundraising consultants and staff and provide ongoing guidance and coaching to improve the performance of staff supporting the development work.
  • Prepare monthly development reports to the agency’s President & CEO and Board of Directors.

Skills and Attributes

Ideal candidates for this position will believe in and live BAI’s values of Black empowerment, equity, impact, self-determination, and integrity. They will bring a variety of experiences and attributes to BAI, including:

  • Demonstrated commitment to BAI’s mission and experience and passion for serving Black communities.
  • Entrepreneurial mindset and approach; demonstrated track record of setting strategic vision and building tactics to advance it.
  • Knowledge of HIV programming and the issues and efforts underway to end the HIV epidemic.
  • Proven track record of navigating HIV funding channels (state and federal grants, corporate grants) and understanding of the opportunities for fundraising for a nonprofit that delivers HIV and healthcare services.
  • Experience developing and leading development plans, including coordinating with multiple departments within an organization to align on fundraising strategy.
  • Demonstrated ability to compose and manage comprehensive grant proposals, government contracts, and corporate contracts.
  • Quantifiable experience in cultivating and maintaining relationships with individual donors and corporate relationships as well as with other community-based entities.
  • Experience with strategic communications, marketing, and branding a plus.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills; strong interpersonal skills and comfort with being part of an intimate but growing team.
  • Demonstrated success in working independently with attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, excellent organization, administrative, time management, and project management skills.
  • Strong leadership and exceptional supervisory skills; proven effective management of staff, teams, and a department.
  • Ability to manage during times of uncertainty and devise solutions; ability to effectively cope with change, shift gears, comfortably work through ambiguity, and navigate risk.
  • Minimum seven years of professional experience in nonprofit fundraising or business development, preferably in human service delivery.

Additional Details

This position would preferably be out of BAI’s Los Angeles office, but remote work is an option. The salary range for this position is $92,175 – $115,235 (salary is based on LA cost of living).

Equal Opportunity Employer

BAI provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy or recent childbirth or related medical condition, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, the use of a guide or support animal because of blindness, deafness or physical handicap of any individual, citizenship, veteran or military status, genetic information, marital status, familial status, domestic or sexual violence victim status, possession of a GED instead of a high school diploma, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state or local laws.

Application Process

To apply, please upload your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements by clicking here. Please also email a short professional writing sample such as a grant application or marketing piece to Adrienne O’Rourke. Email Adrienne for other inquiries as well. Resume reviews begin immediately.