Chief Development & Communications Officer

Title:  Chief Development & Communications Officer               

Unit:  Development & Communications

Reports to:  President and CEO     

Status:  Full Time; Regular; Exempt

Salary Range:  $200,000 - $210,000

Location:  Long Island City, NY    

Days/Hours:  Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm

Organization Overview:

The Fortune Society, Inc. (Fortune) has been working for almost 60 years in service to our mission: to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities. The organization has evolved into one of the nation’s preeminent reentry and justice-informed service organizations, providing formerly incarcerated people with the skills and wrap-around services needed to break the cycle of crime and incarceration and to build productive lives in their communities.

Fortune has grown steadily over the years to an agency with over $100 million in annual budget with over 600 staff. We anticipate that we will keep growing, both in size and depth of service. Fortune has a dual mission: both advocacy and service. The advocacy portion of our mission focuses on building a more just criminal legal system and reducing the barriers to reentry into society. The service side of Fortune has evolved to encompass a broad range of programs that started with employment and education and now includes a robust array of services, among them: alternatives to incarceration, supervised release, court advocacy, discharge planning within correctional facilities, licensed outpatient substance use and mental health treatment, a housing continuum ranging from emergency and transitional through permanent congregate and scattered site housing, assistance in obtaining benefits, a care management unit, HIV services, a food and nutrition program, an arts program, lifetime aftercare, policy advocacy through our David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy, and research through our Center for Research, Inquiry and Social Justice. Each service we provide is informed by the needs of the population we serve. Fortune currently serves approximately 20,000 people per year. Our program models are recognized, both nationally and internationally, for their quality and innovation. We have locations in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens.

Position Summary:

The Chief Development & Communications Officer will directly lead and oversee all fundraising and communications activities and serve as a member of The Fortune Society's executive team and C-suite b. They will hold the primary responsibility for conjointly developing all strategic fundraising goals and implementation plans for the organization, including funding raised from government contracts, legislative appropriations, private foundation grants, corporate support, individual and major gifts, and fundraising events.  They will also lead Fortune’s communications strategy, including branding, press/PR, website, email updates, social media, printed matter, and all other channels.

Core Competencies:

• Embodies Fortune’s mission and values and will be an effective member of the team in furthering both. The candidate should exhibit compassion and understanding for our participants (wherever they are in their re-entry process) and embrace Fortune’s core value that none of us should be measured against the worst things we have done.

• Comfort interacting with a wide array of constituencies, including board members, major donors, participants, and community members.

• The candidate must be an excellent writer and have extensive experience in fundraising, managing volunteer leadership, and budgeting. 

• Strong demonstrated history of effective management is essential.

• Must be detail oriented and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish strategic annual fundraising plan to set forth fundraising goals in major areas, including government, private funds and major donor cultivation and engagement.

• Provide direct daily oversight, supervision, and guidance to all key Development and Communications staff (currently 10 members) and activities to foster a highly collaborative and effective team, to achieve annual fundraising goals and objectives.

• Develop reporting systems and tools to monitor the effectiveness of all fundraising and Communications activities. 

• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board’s Development & Communications Committee and work with all Board Members and senior staff to cultivate relationships with donors and to plan fundraising events, including the annual Benefit and NYC Marathon.

• Develop a major giving and strategy to raise Fortune’s profile and attract new donors.  Measure the effectiveness of major giving activities, including engagement, funds raised, and identification of potential donors.  Ensure the timely response and engagement to potential and existing donors.

• Supervise and provide direction to Individual Giving staff to increase funds raised from individual donors through events, cultivation, stewardship, fundraising appeals, etc. Maximize the utilization of the Raiser’s Edge database for the purposes of tracking donations, generating acknowledgement letters, cultivating donors, and managing all donor relationships including those generated by Executive team and Board contacts.

• Supervise and provide direction to the Grant Writing team to maximize the success of funds raised through government RFPs, appropriations, and private and corporate foundations.

• Establish an annual strategic communications plan that sets forth organizational messaging and communications goals across major focus areas, including social media, media relations, stakeholder engagement, brand awareness, advocacy campaigns, digital communications, and community outreach.

• Supervise and provide direction to staff and consultants on all aspects of communications, including website, Fortune Weekly email, Fortune News, Annual Report, policy publications, social media platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn), and graphic design for all publications, events, and agency-wide marketing materials (flyers, signage, etc.).

• Conduct extensive outreach and cultivation to build and sustain strong relationships with private foundation and corporation staff to support direct services, policy/advocacy, and general operating funding needs for the organization.

• Work closely with and supervise public relations firm(s) to generate media stories about our programs, services, clients and staff success stories, policy/advocacy, and criminal justice expertise.

• Work closely with our lobbyists on the State and City levels to advocate for increased appropriations funding; prepare for, facilitate, and conduct follow-up meetings and visits with key legislators and government officials.

• Initiate and oversee the development of innovative projects and collaborative partnerships with other non-profit organizations, government agencies, foundations and corporations that facilitate new fundraising opportunities – as vehicles to elevate Fortune’s visibility and impact in the field.

• Oversee confidential prospect research and analysis on key donors (including but not limited to biographical, philanthropic, professional, and personal financial information of donors and prospects).  

• Provide executive-level leadership for the organization as a whole and draw upon agency-wide and executive team strengths in fundraising and communications work.

• Other duties, as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and addressing employee relations and resolving problems.

• Grant Writing team (4)

• Individual and Major Gifts staff (3)

• Communications staff (3)

• Consultants (fundraising events, lobbying firm, and PR firms

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; Master’s degree level of expertise preferred, although degree not necessary.
• Seven to ten years of senior management and fundraising experience in a large organization.
• Demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of strategies for cultivation and solicitation of institutional and individual funders, including government contracts, major gift and/or capital campaign experience.
• We seek talented, dedicated individuals from all walks of life who possess a strong commitment to this mission.  Relevant personal experience is a plus.

Travel and Scheduling Requirements:

Requires some travel for events and meetings, along with travel to our Harlem and Bronx locations, and ability to attend key events and meetings periodically held on evenings or weekends.

Physical Demands:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status.

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