Job openings/Development
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WMF Job Description: Head of Development
- Title
Head of Development, Wikimedia Foundation
- Purpose
As head of development, your job is to develop and execute a fundraising strategy for the Wikimedia Foundation in the context of its overall mission, vision, values and goals. This position reports to the Chief Financial and Operating Officer.
- Summary
This position will develop and execute a fundraising strategy for the Wikimedia Foundation in the context of its overall mission, vision, values and goals. This is a critical role: 96% of the Foundation’s revenue is derived from individual donations. The role will include a mix of major donor cultivation and online fundraising, as well as other fundraising initiatives.
- Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a fundraising strategy to ensure financial sustainability for the Foundation;
- Identify and cultivate major donors (100K+);
- Manage projects such as the annual online fundraiser and special donor events;
- Develop new initiatives such as donations-by-SMS, donations-on-Facebook, etc.;
- Explore other sources of funds such as foundations, grants development, etc.;
- Develop and maintain a database of donors and prospective donors;
- Develop and manage a responsive and effective donor communications program including query response, appeal and acknowledgement letters;
- Achieve annual financial targets, as established during the budgeting process.
- Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred;
- 7+ years of non-profit fundraising experience, preferably in a well-known organization that is active internationally;
- Experience creating and executing strategic plans, staging special events, and measuring project success;
- Good knowledge of donor pools, trends in giving and the process of foundation, corporation and individual prospect research, cultivation and solicitation;
- Basic understanding of tax, financial and estate planning issues;
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills including the ability to persuade, motivate and negotiate with a diverse array of people, both verbally and in writing;
- Technology literate; comfortable and proficient using a wide variety of communications and networking tools (e.g., mailing lists, IM, IRC, wikis, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.);
- The ability to speak multiple languages is a major plus;
- Experience living or working outside the United States is a major plus.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive more than 489 million unique visitors per month, making them the 5th most popular web property worldwide. Available in more than 270 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 21 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than 100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants. The Wikimedia Foundation was created in 2003 to manage the operation of Wikipedia and its sister projects. It currently employs 138 staff members. Wikimedia is supported by local chapter organizations in 39 countries or regions.
Apply
Please send a CV and cover letter to jobs
wikimedia.org. Please put the position title (Development) in your subject line.
Applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered.
Please copy and paste the text of your CV into the e-mail, in addition to attaching the file.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
