Foundation Accessibility, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (AIDE) Commitment
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is committed to providing and advancing accessibility, inclusion, diversity, and equity in all aspects of our work. We believe that everyone deserves equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of their disability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, religion, socioeconomic background, or any other characteristics that makes us unique, such as diverse cognitive skills and individual talents.
We recognize that everyone deserves the opportunity to participate fully and equally in all aspects of society and that accessibility is not just about physical barriers, but also about social, economic, and cultural barriers. We offer resources, information, and community to individuals and families affected by vision loss, and we strive to do so in a way that is inclusive and respectful of their unique experiences and identity. We are dedicated to ensuring that our programs, resources, and events are accessible to all individuals.
We understand the importance of promoting diversity and equity within our organization and in the broader community. We embrace and celebrate the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities of our community, actively working to remove barriers and foster an inclusive environment. And through this commitment we will continue to educate ourselves on matters related to accessibility, inclusion, diversity, and equity, and we will collaborate with other organizations, experts, and advocates to promote these values and advance progress towards a more inclusive society.
Job Opportunities
We are looking for talented and passionate individuals to join us in our mission. Learn more about the job opportunities that are currently available at the Foundation.
CONTROLLER
Position Overview: The Controller is a key member of our Finance team and reports to the Vice President, Finance. This position is responsible for timely and accurate monthly financial closing and related financial reporting, while leading a small team and working collaboratively with staff throughout the organization.
Primary Responsibilities include:
The following are representative of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list:
- Foster an innovative, engaging, and accountable Finance team culture to drive the goals, achieve results, and support a meaningful employee experience in alignment of the Foundation’s mission and values.
- Supervise the daily functions of general accounting, accounts payable, and payroll operations
- Manage the preparation of monthly financial schedules and statements.
- Direct the year-end financial closure procedures, encompassing the preparation and scrutiny of audit analyses and schedules.
- Assist in the annual consolidated audit and 990s preparation.
- Oversee and manage the preparation and review of annual organizational department budgets; work closely with the VP, Finance and other Foundation team members in various departments to explain process and assist with creating and refining budgets as required; serve as the resource regarding budget related questions.
- Manage timely filing of reports and charitable registrations with regulatory agencies, including compliance with fundraising laws and regulations.
- Partner with the Gift Processing Manager and Assistant Controller to synchronize the donor database with the accounting system for seamless integration and accuracy
- Provide support as a contingency for Vice President of Finance as required and within authorized parameters
- Explore opportunities for enhancing operational efficiencies and innovating financial procedures within the Foundation
- Oversee or support various projects and emerging opportunities as they arise
The successful candidate will have:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance and/or CPA required
- A minimum of 5 years of non-profit financial experience.
- Expert-level experience with payroll and database systems (NetSuite, Virtuous, Adaptive, ADP or comparable platforms)
- Requires 5+ years’ experience leading a team, with demonstrated ability to motivate people and obtain results through others.
- Must be fully proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook), with experience using Excel’s advanced features, such as conditional formatting, VLOOKUP, and pivot tables.
- Applied knowledge of regulatory compliance and government grant accounting, state and local tax laws and regulations.
- A detail-oriented, clear communicator.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines by effectively prioritizing workload.
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID and requires documentation of vaccinations.
Position Specifics:
- Location: Midwest and Eastern time zones only (Relocation not provided)
- Leads small mighty team located in Columbia, MD
- Home-office based; office tech equipment and monthly stipend provided
- Salary range: $115,000 – $130,000 annually
The range is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role. The range considers a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: geographic markets, business or organizational needs, skill sets, experience, training, licensure, and certifications.
- Annual Incentive Bonus Eligibility up to 8%
- Direct Reports: Payroll Manager, Assistant Controller
- Reports to Vice President, Finance
To apply: Send resume with cover letter explaining your interest in this open position to HR@fightingblindness.org
Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be scheduled as qualified candidates are identified. Do not wait to apply!
Gift Officer, Visionary Circle
About Visionary Circle: This program gives focus to the mid-level giving donor cohort, those who donate between $1,000 to $9,999.00 and ensures a “personal touch” to the donor experience for this cohort—between the basic outreach done for annual giving donors and the individualized proposals done for major donors. In addition to raising funds, the Visionary Circle program helps to increase the retention rate for some of our key champions and enhances the pipeline to Major Gift donor prospects.
Position Overview: Through direct outreach and ongoing stewardship, the Gift Officer plays a critical role in bridging the gap between annual givers and major givers. This individual will work closely with the Sr. Gift Officer to actively engage with and manage a nationwide portfolio of 600+ donors and donor prospects to achieve strategic plan and financial goals.
Primary Responsibilities include:
The following are representative of the responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list.
- Assist in the strategic development and management of a portfolio with approximately 400 – 500 prospects and donors initially capable of making gifts of $1,000 – $9,999 building to a total of 600+ donors.
- Engage and cultivate new donors in an ongoing process, cultivate and steward existing donors to increase overall retention and level of giving, and grow a pipeline of Visionary Circle donors up to the planned maximum (700 donors).
- Actively engage with donors via phone calls, email, correspondence, social media reviews and surveys to determine actual giving capacity, past philanthropy, affinity for retinal diseases, stage of vision loss (if applicable), and living with low/no vision considerations (if applicable).
- Assist in the development and implementation of solicitation strategies with the major gift team, any direct mail service employed by the Foundation, and collaborate with leadership and staff to maximize fundraising revenue.
- Conduct a minimum of 200 personal virtual (phone, video, email) contacts monthly to prospects and donors; record contacts and pertinent info the CRM system.
- Proactively provide follow-up for Visionary Circle solicitations, research updates, and donor support to achieve an average gift of $1,500 2,500 per donor, closing at least 50% of the donors each year.
- Partner with Prospect Research, Major Gifts, chapters, and events to identify prospective donors and strategically assess their philanthropic capacity and inclination.
- Be an active and collaborative team member in Development, partnering with and maintaining close communication with the various stakeholders across the department (i.e., Chapters, Major Gifts, events etc.).
- Review donor strategies quarterly and make donor referrals to build the major gift pipeline.
- Provide timely follow-up to communications, including tracking moves and solicitations within database systems, and sending personalized follow-ups to individual prospects.
- Drive for Results – steadfastly pushing self and others for results with a focus on bottom-line results and moving donors up to major gifts or back down to Direct Mail.
- Use key metrics and effective time management to achieve higher retention rates and communications.
The successful candidate will have:
- Minium of five years of experience with constituent engagement and non-profit fundraising. Preferred experience includes a history of personally solicited individual gifts and working on gift strategies
- Demonstrated track record of accomplishment in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, closing gifts up to $10,000, and providing stewardship to donors
- Experience in direct mail, mid-level and major gift work continuum/moves.
- Demonstrated abilities to partner successfully with staff, volunteers, donors and event staff in creating new giving opportunities.
- Ability to work collaboratively as well as independently
- Ability to initiate and build long-term relationships with prospective individual donor partners.
- Strong fundraising ethics; with discernible respect for confidentiality of donor information
- Excellent people skills with effective verbal, listening and written communication abilities.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Initiative-taking, enthusiastic and have strong follow-up skills
- Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook) and CRM database systems.
- Ability to work flexible week including some weekends including some travel to markets around the country.
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID; requires documentation of vaccinations
Position specifics:
- Home-office based position with some travel expected.
- Budgeted Salary Range: $75,000–$90,000; Annual Incentive Plan eligibility 8%
The range is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role. The range considers a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: geographic markets, business or organizational needs, skill sets, experience, training, licensure, and certifications.
- Reporting to: Sr. Gift Officer, Visionary Circle
- Annual Incentive Bonus Eligibility up to 8%
For consideration, send your resume with a letter of interest to HR@fightingblindness.org.
CHAPTER ENGAGEMENT MANAGER (aka COMMUNITY MANAGER)
Multiple Openings:
- Chesapeake Territory – DC, Richmond, Hampton Roads
- Mid-Atlantic Territory – Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore
- Central Midwest – Ft Wayne, Cincinnati, Indianapolis
- Texas Territory – San Antonio, Dallas, Austin
- Gulf Coast –New Orleans, Houston, Mississippi
Position Overview: The Community Manager is accountable for all volunteer management and planned activities for their 3 or 4 assigned chapters that encourage, promote, and achieve successful volunteer engagement, community relations, and ambitious revenue goals. The community manager is the “face” of our organization, the first point-of-contact for our chapter constituents within their home territory. They forge strong relationships, provide information about local resources, and share scientific advancements that assist individuals through their personal journey.
The Foundation chapter network brings people together across the country to join in fighting blinding retinal diseases. Our chapters focus on three key areas: education, resources, and revenue.
Primary Responsibilities: The following are representative of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list:
- Develop, nurture, support and grow 3–4 volunteer chapters whose primary objectives are raising money through special events, sponsorship partnerships, and individual giving programs, outreach, and education for chapter membership.
- In partnership with Regional Director, develop strategic plan with milestone activities and measures of success.
- Recruit, train, and engage a strong slate of volunteer leaders for chapters, walks, special events for all chapters within territory.
- Facilitate accessible chapter activities in person and video conference that increase chapter engagement:
- Work in partnership with volunteer leadership, Foundation Science Team, community groups, and/or professional organizations to provide science and resources information.
- Facilitate 2 chapter engagement events per chapter each fiscal year; coordinate regular leadership meetings; develop and deliver opportunities for volunteer development and training.
- Organize volunteer driven socials/networking meetings to help strengthen community and identify new chapter members
- Increase the effectiveness of chapters and chapter leadership in recruiting and retaining members, generating Foundation revenue, and developing on-going opportunities and activities for volunteers.
- Collaborate with VisionWalk and Event teams to create and implement strategic plans ensuring events meet their budgeted goals, with a target to increase year-over-year revenue.
- Plan existing annual events such as VisionWalks, dinner galas, wine tastings, golf tournaments, etc., developing accurate and reasonable timelines (with deadlines, benchmarks) and budgets that are attainable yet aggressive; oversees budget, expense tracking, and event reporting.
- Works in coordination with VisionWalk team and volunteer committee to select site and date of VisionWalk and other events and kickoffs.
- Recruit and manage active volunteer fundraising committees for budgeted events; lead planning meetings in partnership with VisionWalk and event specialists.
- Create and nurture an environment intended for growth; own the success of VisionWalks and Special Events.
- Identify opportunities for new VisionWalks and Special Events.
- Develop a portfolio of significant relationships and corporate partnerships in the chapter communities, (i.e., low vision specialists, local businesses, city officials) representing the Foundation as an on-the-ground ambassador; identify and cultivate new sources of support.
- Make presentations to businesses, organizations and community groups to secure sponsorships, recruit teams, and committee volunteers; steward relationships throughout the year.
- In collaboration with internal teams, implement business plan strategies, including sponsorship, professional outreach, corporate recruitment, and developing relationships with affinity organizations.
- Manages volunteer and donor retention, recognition, and pipeline development, with a focus on high impact relationships and key volunteer leadership roles.
- Establish meaningful and trusted relationships with functions across the organization; collaborate with peers to support events, coordinate resources, maximize the donor experience, achieve market fundraising goals, and increase overall engagement with the Foundation.
- Support Regional Directors in the roll out, training, and adherence of new and existing practices, as well as recruiting and acclimation of new staff members.
- Actively utilize donor database to capture donor information, identify (re)engagement opportunities, capacity for philanthropic giving, and for miscellaneous reporting.
- Identify uniqueness of each chapter and provide guidance and support to capitalize on opportunities and manage challenges to ensure maximum success.
- Manages the storage unit for all community collateral.
- Learn the science to effectively communicate this information; share information, insights, and organizational impact.
Requirements Include:
- Must have 3+ years demonstrated success in collaborating with volunteers and building volunteer groups, networks, or chapters of a non-profit organization.
- Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; Proven ability to work and communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and of varying physical and cognitive proficiencies.
- Ability to travel require—anticipate 20–25%.
- Must be able to work flexible week, including evenings and weekends.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Enthusiastic, takes initiative, and has strong follow-up skills.
- Strong fiscal management skills, including budget preparation, planning, analysis, decision making, and reporting.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office products and databases such as Salesforce, Virtuous, Raisers Edge or similar; contact, activity tracking and other reports.
- Proven track record in fundraising desired.
- Valid driver’s license with driving record acceptable to Foundation Fighting Blindness insurance carrier.
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID; requires documentation of vaccinations.
Position Specifics:
- Home-based, must reside in defined territory, relocation not provided.
- The budgeted starting salary Range: $68k–$75k. This range is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role. The range considers a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: geographic markets, skill sets, experience, and internal equity to comparable roles.
- Annual Incentive Bonus Eligible: 5%.
- Monthly technology stipend provided.
- Full-time, flexible schedule with some evening and weekends required
- Reporting to Regional Director; no direct reports
- 20–25% travel
For consideration, send your resume with a letter of interest to HR@fightingblindness.org. Within the subject line of your email include the specific Territory for which are applying.