Careers

Public Wise Benefits

Publc Wise offers an excellent benefits package that includes full family medical
(including contributions toward the deductible), dental, and vision, as well as other
great benefits such as 4 weeks’ vacation and 17 paid holidays.

We strongly encourage people of color, people with dis/abilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, or members of other marginalized communities to apply. Public Wise offers a stipend for home office setup. Staff is offered 20 PTO days per calendar year and a student loan repayment benefit. Public Wise requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless a medical or reasonable accommodation request has been granted.

Fundraising Director

Public Wise is looking to hire an experienced Director of Fundraising (Director) with strong donor relations to help grow and increase our impact in the field. This individual will build rapport with a diverse field of donors, foundations, and other funding sources to increase Public Wise’s budget by $3-$5 million annually and will work with key partner organizations to ensure they are meeting their fundraising goals. The position reports to the Executive Director and will work closely with the entire team and Board.

The Director serves as a key member of the senior leadership team at Public Wise and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting the overall impact of the organization. This position is responsible for all fundraising and development activities. The Director will manage and continue to evolve the fundraising function to implement and improve on a comprehensive plan for developing multiple sources of fundraising, new key external alliances, enriching the current array of Public Wise philanthropic partners, and building development capacity.

Succeeding in this role requires a proactive fundraiser that thinks strategically, seeks out and builds compelling opportunities and mutually beneficial relationships with funders and colleagues, writes and communicates clearly and persuasively, and has excellent people management skills.

Scope of Work

• Drive the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising plan in conjunction with the Executive Director, Board Chair, and team, to include diverse sources of funds and support departments in their own strategic planning and build a culture of fundraising within the organization.
• Build out a diverse fundraising base including individual donors, foundations, corporate donors, and grants to support Public Wise’s 501c3, 501c4, and PAC.
• Work alongside the Board Chair, Executive Director, Chief of Staff, and senior leadership team to plan and execute fundraising events and development workshops for, craft fundraising plans with, and pitch to donors on behalf of partner organizations.
• Act as a translator between team members and potential funding partners.
• Maintain collaborative fundraising across the organization to ensure successful execution of all proposals, new business development and stewardship; partner and guide team using a long-term relationship management approach cultivating deeper ties with current and prospective donors.
• Oversee research on funding sources and trends to strategically position Public Wise to accomplish its mission and strategy.
• Grow and diversify Public Wise’s portfolio of general operating support funders with an eye to increased and multi-year funding.
• Increasing Public Wise’s presence in and exposure to funder spaces, including participation in panels, speaking engagements, and events.
• Work with colleagues across Public Wise to build an organization-wide fundraising ethos, creating educational fundraising presentations/ opportunities for the team, and identifying points of collaboration internally.
• Embrace and participate in the community and culture of Public Wise, taking the time and care to build meaningful relationships internally.

Requirements

• Strategic – You’re a long-term thinker who prepares for the future and anticipates what is coming. You are motivated by the opportunity to be a builder.
• Highly skilled communicator – You ask the right questions, motivate your colleagues, and team, and inspire ever-improving results.
• Persuasive and succinct storyteller – You know the right story to tell in the right way.
• Innovative – You’re always looking for ways to improve and learn more.
• Team Builder – You hire and keep the best fundraisers. You coach and mentor team members not in the fundraising space to be stewards of development.
• Results-driven – You track the numbers and measure success and are constantly thinking about how to innovate in the fundraising sphere.
• Networker – You love connecting with like-minded philanthropists and building healthy, long-term relationships with partners rather than seeking short-term gains.
• Passion for the Public Wise Mission – You’re inspired to manifest a more just world and understand the power of fundraising to make it happen. You’re committed to a just multiracial democracy and are energized by the opportunity to fight for this.

Requirements

• Experience working with a geographically dispersed organization in multiple time zones. 5+ years of development experience with at least 3 years of successfully soliciting and stewarding large gifts in the c3 and c4 space.
• Interest in researching and recommending internal systems and best practices.
• Experience juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced non-profit environment with strong organizational, project management, and leadership skills along with close attention to detail.
• Highly developed written, verbal, research, and editorial skills with the ability to synthesize information and compose clear and effective prose.
• Adept at self-management and ability to work simultaneously with initiative on multiple projects at various stages of completion; good problem-solving and collaboration skills; a positive, professional attitude with sound judgment, flexibility, determination, and good humor in a fast-paced organization.

The salary for this role is $175,000 with additional bonuses paid for reaching and surpassing key performance indicators. This full-time position is completely remote; however, travel will be required.

How to Apply

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Turner Delano of Koya Partners is leading this search. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Public Wise is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

Political Director

Public Wise, a 501(c)(4) organization whose goal is to ensure that the government reflects the will of the people by expanding democracy and promoting voter access and participation, is searching for a Political Director.  Public Wise’s strategic goals are to:

• Provide resources to and build capacity of existing organizations that are doing frontline work to expand voter access and eligibility. Resources can include but are not limited to financial support, organizing capacity, and groundbreaking data;
• Identify and address barriers to voting and representation that are not currently being addressed in the existing voter engagement landscape

Public Wise is a remote organization based in the US.

Responsibilities

The Political Director will lead the political, organizing, and campaigns work of the organization and will make recommendations on organizational strategy based on the most recent legislative, legal and political developments, filtered through a research-based lens. The responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop and implement strategies to best achieve organizational priorities in target locations and communities. Organizational work will be data-driven based on research conducted by research team and consultants as well as information gleaned from the field based on thorough needs assessments;
• Work with campaigns on implementing Public Wise’s research, while also making recommendations to the research team on how the research can be useful to organizers;
• Advise Executive Director and Public Wise team on key campaigns, efforts, and actions we should be aware of to create a more informed team;
• Manages government relations by serving as liaison with elected officials, organizations and coalitions that span the ideological landscape from far left progressive to right of center;
• Managing and hosting briefings for stakeholders, elected officials, and partners;
• Compliance: Ensure our work is in compliance with IRS laws around 501c4 status and complete required reporting on organizing work;
• Working with communications team on messaging to strengthen Public Wise’s brand in political spaces as a leader on voting rights and democracy;
• Maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of the voter rights landscape nationally in order to make recommendations on issues and campaigns that Public Wise should support either through funding, organizing support, research, or other capacity building resources.
• Working with the Public Wise team to build a sustainable organization that is fighting for the expansion of voter rights for the next several decades.
• Some national travel will be required.

This position reports to the Chief of Staff.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have most of the following qualifications:

• Extensive experience in field and organizing in at least 3 campaign cycles
• Experience in supervising staff, consultants, volunteers and interns. Experience supervising staff remotely preferred
• Experience training staff and community members
• Experience doing non-partisan outreach and education around voting rights
• Ability to work collaboratively and creatively in a start-up environment.  Understanding that building an organization means that staff work is goal oriented as opposed to task oriented.
• Commitment to expanding the rights and access of voters.

Salary:

Salary is $150,000. Public Wise offers full benefits including medical, dental, and vision as well as student loan assistance and 401k. We offer generous paid time off including sick, vacation, personal, and holidays. 

How to Apply

Send your cover letter and resume to info@publicwise.org