Director of Development Gay City Health Project

Seattle, WA

Gay City is seeking a passionate, dedicated, results-oriented and experienced fundraising professional to be our next Director of Development. This position reports to the Executive Director and is responsible for directing all activities related to attracting and securing the organization’s contributed income. This is an exciting time for a new leader to join our team; Gay City has experienced significant organizational growth over the past five years, expanding well beyond our initial reach of gay and bisexual men, and we have achieved significant fundraising growth and success over the past ten years. We seek an inclusive team player to build upon the organization’s fundraising success, execute a strategic, measurable development plan, and accelerate individual giving. Particular interest in having our donor base better reflect the expanded reach we have experienced programmatically.

Director of Development Gay City Health Project

Gay City promotes wellness in LGBT communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community.

Founded in 1995 as an organization focused on “building a community stronger than HIV,” our initial work brought gay men together in healthy ways to organize a community response to the local HIV epidemic. Gay City acknowledged the complexities of gay male lives, relationships and experiences, and our social media and community organizing work became a model program in the US and abroad, playing a key role in the national Gay Men’s Health Movement born in 1999 in Boulder, Colorado. We helped to define the question “What is a Healthy Gay Man?” and began to look more holistically at the health concerns impacting our communities. Our work expanded to include initiatives touching on chemical dependency and substance use, the impact of tobacco on our health, and social determinants of health.

In 2004, Gay City launched our Wellness Center, the first community-based full time HIV testing center in King County. Born from the initial foundation provided by the Seattle Gay Clinic, which operated with volunteers 8-10 hours weekly since the 1970s, Gay City’s Wellness Center is now the leading HIV testing provider for gay men and trans individuals in King County. This year, we will provide 3,500 HIV tests, and screen more than 3,000 clients for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. We provide hepatitis vaccination and rapid screening for hepatitis C, offer couples-based HIV testing, and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, an innovative new HIV prevention strategy. The majority of our testing happens on-site at Gay City on Capitol Hill, though we offer testing at locations throughout King County, as well, including Sea-Mar clinic, the Mexican Consulate, Casa Latina, Entre Hermanos, and Seattle Counseling Service. This month, we will launch a second location, significantly increasing our volume, and opening our HIV testing to the entire community, not just gay men/trans individuals.

While HIV testing is our core service, Gay City provides a wealth of other offerings to the LGBT Community through our center on Capitol Hill. Opened in 2012, Gay City’s new space includes a full service coffee shop operated by Kaladi Brothers and an intimate arts/performance space that is home to Gay City Arts, the only LGBTQ-specific performing arts collaborative in Seattle. Gay City collaborates with local LGBT artists to galvanize an audience for queer arts, foster the development of LGBT artists, and facilitate artistic excellence that is accessible, including the promotion of new works. Gay City Arts successfully produced seven productions in Season One last year, and we are in the midst of Season Two. Gay City’s LGBT Library and Resource Center houses a 7,000+ volume lending library of LGBT literature, and is home to the City of Seattle’s LGBT Resource and Referral line. Through the library, Gay City offers a Meet the Author series, writing workshops, and publishes an annual literary arts anthology. Through the resource program, Gay City provides more than 1,500 referrals a year, and offers training on issues impacting our communities. Our space is also home to Ingersoll Gender Center and Equal Rights Washington.

Gay City’s annual budget is currently $1.1 Million, and approximately a third of this amount is raised from individuals and special events, corporate support and private foundations. Just over half of our income comes from Government Grants, and the remainder is Program Income.

Essential Responsibilities:

Major Gifts, Fund Development and Planning (70%)

• Develop and implement a development and communications agenda in collaboration with the development team: design and execute an annual development plan for fundraising efforts, communications efforts, and events, re-engaging lapsed supporters, maintaining current supporters and reaching new constituencies.
• Partner with the events manager to create the successful production of our major fundraising events, currently including the Academy Awards Party (in collaboration with Three Dollar Bill Cinema), our annual Halloween dance fundraiser BUMP, our annual garden party Eden, and the World AIDS Day Breakfast (lead agency for multiple collaborative partners).
• Evaluate progress towards goals, preparing periodic reports for the ED and the Board, offering assessments and adjustments as needed.
• Maintain and continually work a major donor portfolio of about 50-75 donors and help the ED manage their portfolio, building strong relationships with donors and personally soliciting major gifts.
• Implement a compelling donor recognition and stewardship program.
• Regularly conduct face-to-face meetings with donors, institutional funders and other key stakeholders.
• Support efforts to foster a strong fundraising culture with the staff and board.

Leadership (10%)

• Partner with the Executive Director to thoughtfully manage their leadership and involvement in fundraising and major gifts as well as their public profile.
• Support the Executive Director in the development of alliances and partnerships with key agencies, associations, business entities and other stakeholders.
• Provide positive leadership, training, mentorship and support to staff and volunteers engaged with fundraising activities.
• Partner with the Board of Directors, ensuring their preparation to fundraise, support the recruitment of Board Members, lead the creation of a culture of philanthropy and strengthen communication channels.
• Work with the two other members of the development team (Communications Director and Media and Arts Coordinator) as well as high level volunteers.
• Partner with the Events Manager to manage the involvement of the Executive Director and other key staff in communications and fundraising efforts.
• Oversee the ongoing integrity of donor information; oversee the processing of all gift entries and acknowledgements.
• Serve as a public face of, and ambassador for, Gay City. May serve on community committees on behalf of the organization.
• Attend and report at board meetings and staff and management meetings.
• May serve as staff liaison to board committees related to communications or fundraising.

Communications (10%)

• Work with the Communications Director and Events Manager in their efforts to develop and execute a communications plan consistent with the communications goals and development plan of the organization.
• Assist the Communications Director and Events Manager in strategic communications ideas and writing as needed.

Foundation Grants (10%)

• Pro-actively build relationships with potential funders, and build on new opportunities with our arts and resource programs.
• Oversee submission of grants; write when necessary.
• Oversee preparation of grant reports.

Other tasks as assigned by the Executive Director.

Qualifications/Skills

• Personal passion for LGBT community work and demonstrated investment in the mission and values of Gay City.
• Experience managing a donor portfolio in a non-profit development position.
• Minimum 5-8 years of combined experience in communications and fund development.
• Excellent communication skills and experience including persuasive writing and clear and concise narrative reports, sophisticated interpersonal skills and cross cultural communications experience. Must be creative and professional.
• Proven leadership competencies.
• Event planning and coordination experience.
• Ability to communicate ideas with enthusiasm to diverse audiences, public speaking skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and donor database software (experience with eTapestry and Salesforce a plus). Strong computer skills and software knowledge including Word, Excel and previous experience with database software.
• Previous experience producing materials for public consumption.
• Must be able to efficiently manage multiple tasks, work well under deadline and be flexible.
• Project management experience with ability to meet deadlines, anticipating quickly changing needs and communicating effectively and in a timely fashion.
• Ability to work effectively and diplomatically with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, staff and counsel.
• Highly motivated, resourceful, flexible, outgoing and open-minded, easily able to adapt to change. Direct communication style preferred. Positive attitude required.

Supervision

The Director of Development reports to and is supervised by the Executive Director, Fred Swanson.

Work Culture

Gay City is a fast-paced work environment and requires high energy and calm focus. Requires occasional evenings and occasional weekend work throughout the year.

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