is seeking a Vice President of Growth and Development

What is Unify America?

Unify America is a nonpartisan nonprofit on a mission to replace political fighting with problem solving. We are seeking an entrepreneurial-minded Vice President of Growth and Development who will spearhead fundraising and help us work toward our vision of saving our democracy.

Saving democracy? Seriously?

Reasonable question. We’ll get to that. As the ideal candidate, you are someone who has experience raising sizable, six and seven figure donations for non-profit growth campaigns. You have an established network, are energized by meeting people, building relationships, and securing mission-aligned donations. 

Let’s get back to the saving democracy part.

Think Americans are hopelessly divided? We are on the way to proving that the vast majority of Americans (over 90%) share many of the same goals for the country. If that sounds unbelievable, then let us give you an example: we demonize each other over gun control legislation, but gun control isn’t the goal, it’s a tactic. Reducing violence is the goal, and most of us want that. We don’t realize that for most political issues we’re just arguing about tactics or even less productively, political personalities.

Our journey begins with an experience we call “The Unify Challenge.” Americans who are outside each other’s bubbles get together online and take a survey to help uncover how we not only share the same goals, but are grossly misinformed about the intentions of people “on the other side.” However the Unify Challenge is just the beginning. We aim to recruit, train and engage a huge community of citizens to shift our country away from political fighting toward problem solving. It will be an ambitious and expensive effort.

That’s where you come in.

Sounds great. Tell me more about the role.

We’re looking for someone who believes in our mission and knows that they’re the person that can help us develop and grow access to financial resources so we can scale our impact.  Our VP of Growth and Development will need to be able to build and expand a list of prospects, cultivate relationships, and secure funding. 

The right person for this role will be energized by this challenge. We are not starting from scratch - we have working capital and have secured grant funding from a handful of foundations. You will start as a one-person department but you will not be alone. You will report to the President and will also have support from our Founder, as needed. 

Are there specific qualifications?

Yes! We’re looking for someone who:

• is experienced - you have 8-10 years of demonstrable experience with successful non-profit fundraising 

• is entrepreneurial - You’re a self starter. You can take a loose vision and turn it into a full fledged strategy. You don’t need a ton of direction and you take initiative to drive fundraising efforts.

• is a relationship builder - Your superpower is relationship-building and managing those relationships. Nothing gets you more excited than meeting people and finding ways to connect with them past the usual surface level conversations. 

• has experience working with both foundations and major individual contributors.  The leaders of Unify America come from the for-profit world, so we need someone who can bring deep development experience in non-profit fundraising.

• knows how to write successful grant applications.  This includes knowing how to build relationships with donors and foundations so our applications have the best chance of being funded.

• speaks in tax planning.   You don’t need to be fluent (that is, you don’t need to be a non-profit tax attorney - we can access folks who are), but you do need to know enough to be helpful to donors and open up conversations that could propel our fundraising efforts.

• is a process builder - Supported by our President, you will be a one-person-operation to start, so you’ll be responsible for creating fundraising systems and processes. You’ve documented processes before and can communicate them clearly to other Unify staff. 

• is passionate about our mission - You recognize that decisions are made by those who show up and that there is more that unites us than divides us. You believe in bringing people together, building community, and solving problems. You care deeply about the plight of democracy and want to dedicate yourself to being a leader in the movement to secure its blessings for generations to come.

• knows how to laugh - Fixing how our democracy works isn’t going to happen by next Tuesday. We’re running an ultra-ultra-marathon here. We’re going to have a good time along the way,  and it’s not just internally. Having fun is key to our strategy for building a movement. We considered doing it with fear-mongering, lying, and demonizing the politicians, but we thought, “Everybody is already doing that. Let’s be original.”. 

• welcomes and can give feedback. Our mantra is “Be Honest & Be Kind Simultaneously.” You need to have the confidence and grace to be able to give feedback effectively and be able to take direct (but kindly worded) feedback constructively…and grow from it.

• is capable of and willing to commit to embracing radical non-partisanship.

Where is work?

We work remotely, and we welcome candidates from anywhere within the United States. In fact, we value having a team from different areas of the country. However, travel is required from time to time. Since this position requires relationship building, travel to meet potential funders is part of the gig. In addition, we have two annual company meetings in Chicago. Travel expenses are covered by Unify America.

What is the compensation?

The salary range for this role is $100,000 to $135,000 based on experience. 

I’m interested. How do I apply?

Great! Upload your resume and cover letter that includes your salary expectations. Give us three reasons why you’d be great for the job and if you like, share your political beliefs (liberal? conservative? something else entirely?). Most importantly, be yourself. (Yes, really! We are looking for people who are culture “adds,” not culture “fits.”) 

​​Anything else I should know?

Yes! Here are a few benefits you can expect:

• Excellent 401k Matching

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• Self-managed “unlimited” PTO policy

• Health and wellness reimbursement

• Internet and phone reimbursement

• An appreciative work culture. Unify America has a daily emphasis on building a positive work environment and recognizing the great work of our team. Our founder’s previous start-ups have won awards for their positive culture. 

Unify America is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the organization in all of its forms. This includes a commitment to having a team filled with people at every point on the political spectrum.