Website https://twitter.com/HonorTheEarth Honor the Earth
environmental justice indigenous
ABOUT HONOR THE EARTH
Honor the Earth (HTE) was established in 1993 by Winona LaDuke and Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. In nearly 30 years of operation, HTE has re-granted over two million dollars to over 200 Native American communities. HTE is the only Native organization that provides both financial support and organizing support to Native environmental initiatives. As a unique national Native initiative, Honor the Earth works to not just raise public awareness but also direct funds to grassroots Native environmental groups. Honor the Earth has grown dramatically over the last few years and we are now a family of organizations – interconnected and working together. In 2018, Honor the Earth launched a sister organization, Akiing. Akiing is a community development initiative working with Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute to develop local food systems and fiber hemp. Honor the Earth and Akiing together support 8th Fire Solar, an affiliate of Honor the Earth and solar thermal panel manufacturer. Together, our family of organizations are establishing a solid foundation for local food systems and sustainable energy, a new economy.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As Honor the Earth grows in partnership with family organizations, we require the support of a Development and Finance Associate to help sustain our work for the long-term. This position will work in close partnership with the Director of Development and the Controller, Payroll and Benefits Manager. In addition, this person will also help to foster ongoing coordination and communication among Honor’s family of organizations: Akiing, 8th Fire Solar, and Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
● Grant Writing and Reporting:
○ Applications and proposals
○ Prepares proposals by determining concept, gathering and formatting information, writing drafts, and obtaining approvals.
○ Determines proposal concept by identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs, studying requests for proposal (RFPs), and attending strategy meetings.
○ Meets proposal deadline by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.
○ Enters and monitors tracking data.
○ Develops proposal by assembling information including project nature, objectives/outcomes/deliverables, implementation, methods, timetable, staffing, budget, standards of performance, and evaluation. ○ Writes, revises, and edits drafts including executive summaries, conclusions, and organization credentials.
○ Maintains quality results by using templates; following proposal-writing standards including readability, consistency, and tone; maintaining proposal support databases.
○ Improves proposal-writing results by evaluating and re-designing processes, approach, coordination, and boilerplate.
● Attract and Solicit New Funds:
○ Regularly investigate and research potential funding opportunities on an ongoing basis
○ Develop letters of interest for potential donors and foundations
○ Network in the philanthropic community to identify new sources of money
● Organizational Coordination:
○ Coordinate efforts within Honor the Earth’s family of organizations
○ Promote communication and identify opportunities for financial partnership or strategic gain
● Expand Capacity:
○ Expand the capacity of the Director of Development and Grantmaking
○ Expand the capacity of the Assistant Controller & HR, Payroll and Benefits Manager
○ Serve to coordinate and support the partnership between Development and Finance
● Development Goal-Setting & Strategy:
○ Partner with the Development Director to design a development strategy and to set stretch development goals
○ Partner with the Development Director to implement development strategies
○ Create development materials to support ongoing fundraising and to cultivate donor relations (e.g. campaign fact sheets, templates, etc).
● Cultivate and Develop Relationships:
○ Develop internal relationships across program and office staff to ensure ongoing communication and coordination
○ Cultivate relationships with program and gift officers of foundations and grantmaking organizations
○ Cultivate relationships with individual donors
○ As opportunity allows, develop a strategy for individual donors and gift giving
SKILLS AND AREAS OF EXPERTISE
● Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
● Ability to work in a cross-cultural, geographically dispersed team environment.
● Time management skills with the ability to consistently meet deadlines
● Attention to details even under pressure
● Excellent organizational skills and the ability to multitask
● Excellent analytical and problem solving abilities
● Strong presentation skills
● Skilled record-keeping and documentation
● Desire to improve process and policies
MUST HAVE
● Fundraising Experience: 1-year experience in grant writing, prospect research, general fundraising
● Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets: A firm grasp and experience using Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets, including: Capturing and recording important data, using 2 shortcuts and formula functions, building charts and graphs, sorting and filtering data, utilizing pivot tables, etc.
● Coordination + Collaboration: A track record of collaboration and working across distance, culture, conflict, and uniquely complex situations. Experience coordinating across departments and teams.
● Trust-Builder + Relationships: A reputation for building influence, trust, and healthy relationships. You leverage influence without authority.
● Resourceful + Agile: This person must be a self-starter who comfortably operates in spaces of ambiguity or rapid change. This person must be a problem solver who takes initiative to manage complex responsibilities.
● Project Management: Experience in project management with the ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously.
● Committed to Improvement: This position requires someone that is committed to ongoing learning and improvement.
PREFERRED
● Finance Management: 1 yr of experience in finance management or financial planning.
● Business Planning: 1yr of experience in business planning and/or development
● Conflict Management: A track record for managing teams through conflict.
● Education: Bachelor’s degree in community development, economics or similar field
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
This is a full-time position that may be remotely located (Minnesota preferred). Indigenous people and women are highly encouraged to apply. Honor the Earth offers a salary package commensurate with skills and experience. The anticipated salary range for this position starts at $45,000 depending on experience, plus benefits, including Medical, Dental, Vision, basic life insurance, health savings account, paid time off, paid holidays . Honor the Earth is a 501(c)(3) organization. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to jobs@honorearth.org with the subject line “APPLICATION FOR HIRE.” Positions will remain open until filled. Honor the Earth is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on identity. Indigenous people, people of color, Two-Spirit or LGBTQA+ people, and members of other marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.