Project Manager & Senior Consultant

Project Manager/Senior Consultant - Job Description

Artistic Fundraising Group seeks a skilled fundraising professional with a holistic understanding of nonprofit development strategy and operations, with strengths in developing creative, bespoke fundraising solutions while strengthening internal processes. The Project Manager/Senior Consultant will serve as a primary strategist and client liaison for a portfolio of arts and humanities nonprofits through their supervision of a team of two AFG Consultants and their own client projects. In addition, this role will support the internal operations at AFG in project development and communications. The operations responsibilities of this role may diminish during project-heavy months of the year.

Team Management - 30-35%
Supervisory responsibilities include mentoring AFG Consultants in their work by fostering a supportive environment in which to work and grow, while guiding their respective clients to achieve results in their fundraising goals. Day to day responsibilities include weekly/bi-weekly 1:1 meetings with direct reports, ongoing communication regarding client work and strategies via Slack, review and approval of work generated by the team (such as grant proposals, donor communications copy, and other collateral), biweekly meetings via Zoom with clients, and overall supervision of project goals, outcomes, and timely deliverables with the guidance of AFG leadership.

Client Projects - 60%
The Project Manager/Senior Consultant will also maintain their own portfolio of advanced client relationships between regular, ongoing engagements and the opportunity to take on isolated/short-term consulting projects as capacity allows. Services provided to clients include advising on overall fundraising strategy, the preparation of grant proposals and reports, and generation of donor communications. Additional client projects include work in developing moves management strategies, annual/multi-year planning, development operations and best practices, and workshop presentations, working both independently and in collaboration with AFG team members.

Operations - 5-10%
The Project Manager/Senior Consultant will have the opportunity to support AFG's operations as capacity allows, including collaboration on team professional development, establishing/revising frameworks for new client services and workshops, and contributing to the launch of our quarterly newsletter.

Hours, Compensation, and Work Environment
The Project Manager/Senior Consultant will work as a full-time, hourly/non-exempt employee. AFG's established threshold for full-time employment is a minimum of 32 hours per week, with the option to maintain a 40-hour workweek.

The Project Manager/Senior Consultant earns $29.00 per hour, with the opportunity to take on isolated consulting projects at a higher rate ($50/hr+) as available. Benefits include health/vision/dental insurance, 401k, tech stipend, professional development stipend, and a generous PTO policy that provides 15 personal days in addition to federal holidays and our annual winter break.

Work may be completed in a flexible/remote format, with the option to work at the Artistic Fundraising Group office in Chicago's Fine Arts Building as desired. As occasional in-person meetings with clients may be necessary, preference will be given to candidates local to the Chicagoland area. However, as we have several nonlocal members of our team, we remain open to considering nonlocal candidates for this role, particularly those who demonstrate a deep understanding of Chicago's cultural and philanthropic landscape.

Responsibilities

• Manage a small team of AFG consultants to provide supervision, project quality control, training, and mentorship.
• Deepen client relationships by gaining an intimate understanding of their work and devising effective, customized, and scaled fundraising solutions
• Provide high-level consulting services in overall fundraising strategy, inclusive of portfolio cultivation/stewardship plans and special fundraising initiatives
• Collaborate with AFG team members on joint workshop presentations and consulting projects
• Collaborate with both clients and fellow AFG team members regarding upcoming deadlines and deliverables to ensure timely completion of work in advance of project deadlines
• Plan, manage, and execute foundation, government, and corporate grant proposals and reports for arts and/or community engagement nonprofit organizations
• Write and edit proposal and report narratives, prepare attachments and other supporting materials
• Devise comprehensive appeal strategies which may also include execution, such as the composition of select donor communications and collaboration with clients’ marketing/communications teams
• Complete thorough prospect research for potential funder/donor/client matches

Qualifications

Please note that we are open to candidates with a wide range of professional and lived experiences, as we understand that both hard and soft skills that are an asset to our team and our clients can be developed in a variety of settings. We encourage candidates to apply, even if they do not meet all of the qualifications listed here.

• Previous experience serving in a management/supervisory role, with an emphasis on empathic mentorship and supportive leadership practices
• Previous experience in grant writing with a track record of proven success
• Previous experience in individual giving, major gifts/moves management, and board fundraising, with a track record of proven success
• Previous experience in the development and presentation of fundraising strategies
• High-efficiency writing and composition skills that support the timely generation and revision of written deliverables
• Effective verbal presentation skills, with experience in articulating new concepts to those with limited understanding of processes and best practices
• Production of timely, quality work with thorough attention to detail
• Technical proficiency/ability to train in Google Drive/Microsoft Suite, project management software, and donor CRMs

Qualities

• Commitment to a culture of collaboration and continued learning
• Commitment to a culture of IDEAA and community-centric fundraising
• Background and/or enthusiasm for the arts, humanities, journalism, education, or social services
• Intimate understanding of Chicagoland's philanthropic landscape
• Enjoyment in creative problem solving and critical thinking
• Ability to analyze client needs and resources, identify opportunities for growth, and develop sustainable pathways to lasting impact
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively on multiple deadline-oriented projects at once
• Ability to produce timely, quality work with thorough attention to detail
• Ability to develop responsive internal solutions to support fellow team members in project management and execution

Values

Artistic Fundraising Group is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to growing our team in alignment with our inclusive and equitable working practices, exemplified by our values of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Antiracism (IDEAA). All applicants will be considered without discrimination in regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, parental status, or ability. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment to IDEAA.

To Apply

Email info@artisticfundraising.com with a cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample relevant to your grant writing and fundraising work. Please include your name and the title of the role you are applying for in the subject line of your email. In your cover letter, please share why working in the arts or the nonprofit sector is important to you.

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, with priority given to those received by April 26, 2024.

About AFG

Artistic Fundraising Group provides fundraising strategies and resources to small and midsized nonprofit organizations with our own hybrid model of project execution and traditional consulting. We offer services in all areas of nonprofit fundraising, including major gift strategies, individual giving campaigns, freelance grant writing and proposal review/editing, fundraising training for organizational leadership, multi-year development plans, special fundraising initiatives, and foundational workshops in all areas of contributed revenue. In alignment with our values of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Antiracism, and Accessibility (IDEAA), we employ a community-centric fundraising model that prioritizes equitable relationships between the philanthropic sector and the organizations we serve.

Artistic Fundraising Group supports a wide range of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in all artistic disciplines, including theatre, dance, music, independent film, creative writing, and visual art. Our client base has also expanded beyond the arts to include organizations that intersect with education, healthcare, youth development, journalism, and social services. Finally, we support nonprofits of all sizes–from <$100k to $10MM+ in annual operating expenses–as we believe that a vibrant and diverse nonprofit ecosystem includes major institutions as well as those working at a grassroots level. As such, we are experts in scaling our services to be right-sized for each organization we work with.

We generate growth in all areas of contributed revenue by building comprehensive, custom fundraising strategies and professional development opportunities. We also extend the internal capacity of our clients by providing sustainable outsourced grant writing and donor communications support. Above all, we take pride in effectively and collaboratively working with each client to develop unique, ambitious, and achievable fundraising solutions that garner results–100% of our clients raise new or increased funds in their first year of working with us.