Director of Development and Communications

About Us

Free to Run’s mission is to drive change in community gender norms in conflict areas by supporting adolescent girls and young women to develop their leadership and wellness through running. We are a registered nongovernmental organization that has been operating community-led programs for migrants and ethnic minority populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Hong Kong since 2014. We deliver long-term, youth-led, progressive running, leadership, rights and health programs directly to individuals (ages 10-24) to build assets and social access. However, the longer term impact of our work is building enduring social change – decreasing barriers to public participation, increasing women in leadership and making power structures more equitable and inclusive. In 2023, the organization is positioned for significant growth, in terms of our strategy, reach, impact and operating budget.

Position Overview

The Director of Development and Communications is an ambitious, creative and organized driver of resources to support the mission of Free to Run. Reporting to the Executive Director, this (fully remote) position leads on articulating big-picture fundraising strategy as well as implementing the daily tasks of all fundraising campaigns, including individual giving, peer-to-peer fundraising, and special events. This position is focused more on individual giving efforts but also plays a key role in coordinating and securing institutional funding through grants and overseeing the growth of our community of support and global communications. The role is ideal for a result-oriented, highly-proactive person with a strong ability to self-manage to achieve goals and a demonstrated passion for the work of Free to Run.

Core Accountabilities

Create and Manage Implementation of a High-Impact Individual Giving/ Development Strategy (40%)

• Create and execute a development/individual donor engagement strategy aimed at hitting individual fundraising targets annually; establish performance measures, monitor results, and evaluate the efficacy of the strategy
• Lead research on prospective donors and partners
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships between Free to Run and past and prospective individual donors to generate financial resources and build our base of support
• Lead concepting, design and execution of multiple fundraising campaigns annually, including asset/messaging creation with support of Exec. Director and Marketing/Communications Committee
• Utilize our (EveryAction) database and external sources to help build, maintain, and evaluate an integrated fundraising program that increases giving from current and prospective donors and tracks key information about community members
• Analyze donor data to inform and optimize performance of fundraising efforts
• Research, design and execute high-impact peer-to-peer fundraising to achieve overall revenue goals (called our Ambassador Program)
• Oversee all gift processing, including database entry, donor acknowledgement, payment tracking and reconciling all payments
• Compile regular fundraising reports

Lead Organizational Communications (20%)

• Ensure brand integrity across external communications and lead on communications both internal and external as they pertain to Free to Run purpose alignment
• Plan and oversee the creation and deployment of social media content across channels (with support of social media volunteers) -(Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn currently)
• Manage design, content and function oforganizational website
• Develop and implement a search engine optimization strategy
• Develop, send and track general and targeted emails on a regular basis to inform and engage our community
• Collaborate with organizational leadership and staff to produce thought-leadership pieces for earned and owned media channels
• Regularly evaluate performance against communications goals, making adjustments in real-time and during quarterly and annual performance review cycles

Oversee Fundraising, Race and Community-Building Events (15%)

• Lead Free to Run’s efforts in using races (i.e. NYC and Berlin Marathons) to raise funds for the organization through charity platforms and peer-to-peer fundraising
• Plan and project manage (TBD) fundraising events throughout the year to achieve fundraising and community building goals
• Secure corporate sponsorships and donations/auction items for fundraising events
• Work with third-party service providers to produce events, as needed
• Oversee feedback loops and learning to ensure improvement and evolution of events

Collaborate with Executive and In-Country Directors in Developing and Maintaining Corporate and Institutional Donor Partnerships (20%)

• Identify and engage with potential corporate and institutional (government, foundation) donors
• Collaborate in writing grant proposals and concept notes for institutional funding
• Attend key events (meetings, conferences, etc.) to build and deepen relationships with donors and/or present Free to Run’s work
• Ensure Corporate and Institutional donor information and relationships are tracked and continually updated in Free to Run’s database
• Prepare reports, communications and presentations as needed for corporate and institutional donors
• Liaise with in-country and Programs teams to develop proposals and ensure goals and objectives of corporate and institutional grants are being met

Engage with the Free to Run Team (5%)

• Attend weekly team meetings and key events
• Manage consultants and interns, as needed (currently budgeted as .5 FTE consultant for database/events work and 1 year-round, .5 FTE Development and Communications intern)
• Participate in 1 on 1 meetings with manager regularly
• Participate in Performance planning, goal setting and evaluation activities
• Liaise with key staff across functions of this position
• Support the advancement of the mission of the organization by participating in strategy/goal setting and planning processes

Location

The Director of Development and Communications position is a fully remote position that can be based anywhere in the world, with a slight preference for North America -compatible time zones. Seventy percent of our donor base is in North America. As such, this position will be expected to have deep familiarity with and ability to interact virtually and in person with donors in the United States and Canada. Travel will be required occasionally to fundraising events and meetings and general organizational meetings.

Working Hours

The Director of Development and Communications position is a full-time role, estimated at 40 hours per week. Due to the nature of the organization’s business, hours may fluctuate outside regular core hours, which are 9-5, with the possibility of some nights or weekends, depending on the needs of the organization.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation offer is based on experience and will be competitively-aligned with market rate in the candidate’s geographic location of residence for an NGO/nonprofit director role. An incentive-based bonus structure will also be negotiable.

Generous benefits package includes paid time off for 10-20 public holidays and 10-20 vacation days (aligned with norms and laws in country of residence), 10 personal health days, a technology stipend, contribution to health insurance (in geographies where it is standard practice for employers to contribute), and discounted pro deals on outdoor gear and apparel. Furthermore, one of the most powerful benefits of working at Free to Run is the opportunity to be part of a global team of people passionate about working in girls’/women’s/human rights through sport.

Education, Experience, Skills and Competencies

Below is what we are looking for as we evaluate applications. Candidates don’t need to have all these experiences and competencies but should be able to display strengths across multiple areas.

Education:

• Bachelor’s university degree in a field related to the nature of Free to Run’s work or this position specifically (required). Examples include marketing, nonprofit management, communications, public policy, social justice and/or rights-based degrees.
• Graduate degree or certificate in field related to this position (preferred)

Language: English (full fluency required – written and spoken), other languages appreciated

Experience

• 5-10 years of professional experience in relevant field (NGOs/nonprofits, international development, girls’/women’s/human rights, business for social good, activism, community organizing)
• 5-10 years of experience in a communications, development, fundraising or marketing position, managerial experience preferred
• Experience with fundraising campaigns, peer-to-peer and/or race-based fundraising preferred
• Experience in developing strategy and budgets
• Experience in digital and traditional marketing and search engine optimization
• Experience in managing organizational or cause-related social media
• 3+ years of experience working with a CRM (customer relationship management) database, such as Salesforce or an equivalent platform
• Experience writing grant proposals and prospecting funding opportunities
• Experience planning large-scale events and fundraisers
• Experience with Microsoft Office and G Suite/Google Business (Gmail, Drive, Calendar)

Skills and Competencies

• Powerful communication skills, including intentional listening, speaking, and high-quality, audience-centric writing skills
• Ability to convey passion for social justice, girls’ and women’s health, rights and leadership and/or the power of running/hiking/being in the outdoors in a persuasive and powerful way
• Relational savvy and partnering skills – strength in creating and maintaining relationships and developing partnerships with shared interests
• Public speaking skills, comfort in speaking in front of groups of people
• Results-orientation. Ability to self organize and deliver on goals
• Ability to set and meet deadlines, self manage time and workload
• Investigative sensibility and creative thinking
• Ability to work in dynamic, fast-paced and at times, ambiguous non-profit/NGO environments (the hustle factor)
• Interest in international girls’, women’s and human rights and/or running/outdoor sports (preferred)
• Demonstrable ability to work collaboratively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic, religious, sexual orientation, gender, and generational backgrounds

Free to Run is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We don’t just accept differences — we celebrate, support and thrive on them for the benefit of our team, our programs, and our organizational strength. We are proud to be an affirmative action employer, committed to diversity, equity and inclusion of ALL people in our hiring and employment practices. We encourage applications from people who have non-dominant identities based on race, ethnicity, migration status, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, etc.