Philanthropy Officer

Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Bemidji MN

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) is one of the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs) established by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to assist Minnesota’s rural regions during the farm crisis in the 1980s. As the region’s MIF and the only community foundation in the region, NMF has been serving the vast nonprofit community in northwest Minnesota for more than 30 years.

NMF provides grants and loans to organizations and small businesses and scholarships to individuals within the 12-county region and the two tribal nations. Since its founding, NMF has invested millions to help make the region a better place to live and work.

Position Description

The Philanthropy Officer facilitates NMF fundraising and grants policy and procedure within its family of funds. They support efforts to build capacity and assist with fund development, fundraising, and grant management. They build regional awareness of NMF's role in philanthropy, match donor goals with philanthropic opportunities, coordinate and manage community-based philanthropy and work with the Communications Director, Senior Management Team, and staff to ensure inclusivity and accessibility.

Duties & Responsibilities

You will contribute to the Foundation’s efforts to impact the region through community philanthropy. You will collaborate with a team of philanthropy officer(s) and specialists to promote philanthropy in the Northwest Minnesota region served by NMF. You will support the development and implementation of approaches for effective community-based philanthropy.
You will plan, assess and facilitate the timely incoming of gifts to and distribution of grants and mission-related expenses from the Foundation’s community-based funds.
You will support the use of processes and tools to build the capacity of volunteer fund advisors. You will provide guidance to help fund advisors effectively manage and grant dollars to meet the mission of the funds they serve.
You will help build greater regional awareness of NMF’s role by promoting philanthropy and matching donors’ goals with philanthropic opportunities in the region.
You will help plan and facilitate virtual and/or in-person meetings, with a focus on improving the capacity and impact of the community-based funds. You will respond to requests for information from NMF’s partners and potential partners. You will be knowledgeable about NMF Programs and community-based philanthropy to create lasting community impact.
You will support Advancement’s involvement in Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership (PPREP) activities, helping to connect program efforts with community philanthropy work.
You will build and strengthen relationships within agricultural communities across the region, identifying opportunities to connect community needs with philanthropic resources.
You will report to the Senior Vice President of Advancement and work with them to build and strengthen the impact of community philanthropy in Northwest Minnesota.
The primary focus of this position will be to work directly with community-based funds and advisors and facilitate their capacity, growth and impact as a fund serving their mission and purpose.
You will provide quality communication and collaboration in all interactions, including external individuals and internal staff and board members.
You are responsible for all other duties as assigned.

What success looks like:

You cultivate collaboration and lead others in the organization and region through your example of courteousness, prompt resolutions, and answers. You excel at fielding multiple requests at once with efficiency, prioritization, clear communication, and accuracy.
You are a person who demonstrates a high level of initiative in working with community-based component funds and their fund advisors and partners.
You are a person who excels at collaboration and mentoring fund advisors in ways improve their community’s sustainability strategies. Your ability to think strategically and collaborate will lead to positive advancements of the Foundation’s mission and the impact of community-based philanthropy.
You are a person who is curious about the organization, the region, and the philanthropic sector. You review best practices and new trends in the philanthropy field and you apply that information, as appropriate, to the work of community philanthropy. You work together with other staff in a team-first approach.
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. You actively seek opportunities to grow your skills and strengthen our work across the region.

Obligations

Ownership of:

Community philanthropy within assigned community-based funds
Development and facilitation of the fund advisor’s council
Continued outreach to communities, fund advisors, and volunteers and relationship management
Capacity development of fund advisors through planned and coordinated efforts.

Will collaborate in:

Advancing the Foundation’s position with relevant constituents,
Positively impacting the impact of community-based philanthropy

Qualifications

Required:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
3 years of professional experience working in the philanthropy, nonprofit, private, or public sector.

Preferred:

Experience working with rural communities, as well as tribal nations, in Northwest Minnesota.
Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work and volunteer teams.
Passionate about NMF’s mission and purpose to Build Better Lives and able to promote and communicate the philosophy, mission and values of NMF to external and internal stakeholders.
Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with a variety of community fund advisors, including public officials, agencies and general public.
Excellent communicator who is energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive.

Job Information

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, pregnancy, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. This policy applies to hiring, wages, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, and terminations.

This position offers a competitive salary (minimum $56,242 to a maximum of $87,487), commensurate with experience and qualifications.
This position may be a flex/hybrid or a remote home office that is located in the 12 counties or two tribal nations served by the Foundation and the primary offices of the Foundation in Bemidji. A successful individual in this position will spend significant time in person at our Bemidji offices to foster both collaboration and effective team building.
This position will require travel locally, regionally, state-wide, and potentially nationally.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation

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