Are you a partnerships / fundraising / sales leader interested in giving back to Detroit? Are you passionate about inclusive innovation, startups and entrepreneurship? Do you approach challenges with a can-do attitude? We are looking for a results-oriented, proactive communicator, to be the face of Venture For America in Detroit.
As the Director of Detroit you will be responsible for all VFA regional operations in the city. You will increase local funding, support our Fellows in their professional journeys, select new Fellows, and execute new strategic initiatives for the organization.
What you’ll do:
Company Partnerships (40%)
- Recruit Fellows to the Detroit in the class of 2019
- Meet with startup leaders annually to identify, vet, and onboard Company Partners to hire VFA Fellows
- Help Company Partners identify talent needs and advise them throughout the VFA hiring process
- Work directly with incoming VFA Fellows to identify ideal roles based in their skills and industry interests
Fundraising (30%)
- Maintain relationships with existing partners in Detroit and build new partnerships resulting in new donations, especially in support of VFA Training Camp, which will take place in Detroit in July 2019.
- Write top-caliber proposals and reports to funding organizations under strict deadlines
- Recruit Advisory Board members to help lead VFA’s strategic directions in Detroit.
- Support national VFA fundraising as needed with proposals and donor outreach
Programs and Fellow Support (20%)
- Meet regularly with Fellows in Detroit and serve as a sounding board in their career progression and assist them with job transitions
- Organize monthly (or more frequent) events for Fellows including speaker series and community-building exercises
- Work closely with the Fellow City Leadership Council to strengthen the program
- Recruit new mentors and volunteers to support the VFA program
Fellow Recruitment and Selection (10%)
The Director, as is expected of all VFA team members, will participate in VFA recruitment and selection activities on an ongoing basis annually between August and March. Activities include:
- Participating in local recruitment events
- Evaluating written fellowship applications
- Conducting candidate interviews
- Facilitating Selection Days
- Hosting Selection Days in your city as necessary, including fundraising for the event, securing a venue, and recruiting Selection Day judges
You will also support VFA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, as is expected of all team members.
What you may have already done:
- Earned a bachelor’s degree
- Worked for 5+ years and have a proven track record of growing an organization / company through fundraising, partnerships, and / or sales
- Achieved results while working autonomously with little to no direction
- Coached diverse, recent college graduates to navigate challenges in work / personal life
- Have developed a working knowledge of the Detroit philanthropic community
- Written grant proposals to foundations and corporate donors
- Worked for a startup or in an organization supporting startups and/or have experience supporting diverse entrepreneurs
The good stuff:
- High performers at VFA are given substantial opportunity to grow and develop
- You’ll earn a competitive salary, commensurate with experience
- We offer a great benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), commuter benefits, flexible spending account, and gym, tech, and professional development stipends
- We have a generous vacation policy, plenty of paid holidays, and regular work from home Fridays
- VFA is a dynamic startup environment with varied responsibilities and a different challenge each day (we mean it – always plenty of interesting problems to work on!)
- You’ll work alongside an inclusive team of exceptionally motivated, high-caliber people