Narrative, the leading nonprofit digital publisher of fiction, poetry, essays, and art, is looking for an experienced, entrepreneurial leader with a proven track record for growing an organization through fundraising, development, and strategic partnerships and who shares our belief that excellence, equality, and inclusivity go hand in hand, to join our team as Director of Advancement and Partnerships.
ABOUT NARRATIVE:
Founded in 2003 in San Francisco, Narrative is dedicated to advancing the literary arts in the digital age by supporting the finest writing talent and encouraging readership across generations, in schools, and around the globe.
As the premier digital publisher of first-rank fiction, poetry, essays, and art, each year Narrative publishes hundreds of well-known and emerging writers. The Narrative Prize, awarded annually, has helped launch the careers of authors Min Jin Lee, Maud Newton, Natalie Diaz, Ocean Vuong, Anthony Marra, Javier Zamora, and Gbenga Adesina, among others. The Narrative for Schools program supports teachers and students around the world by providing a free library of literature, video writing tutorials, and other resources, including mentorship and publication of a new generation of readers and writers with our annual Narrative High School Writing Contest. Narrative was founded on the conviction that there should be no socioeconomic barriers to accessing great literature. Our ever-expanding modern library of thousands of stories, poems, and essays is always open and always free.
POSITION SUMMARY:
As we celebrate twenty years of continuous growth and impact, which has garnered an audience of more than 300,000 readers, Narrative seeks a talented Director of Advancement and Partnerships with a proven track record to take our mission-driven organization to the next level. The position presents a unique opportunity for an innovative, hands-on Director who is looking for that unique role that invites them to bring their know-how, passion, and heart to work each day. In other words, are you our rainmaker? The Director, as a key member, will join our esteemed leadership team, which includes cofounders and editors Tom Jenks and Carol Edgarian, Creative Director John Miller, and Poetry Editor Michael Wiegers (editor of Copper Canyon Press).
The Director position requires a proven record of fundraising six-figure support and development success, as well as demonstrated creativity, organizational expertise, and entrepreneurial instincts. The Director will work in collaboration with the founders and the Board to develop new strategic partnerships, lead all fundraising activities, and direct and execute new program initiatives, with particular emphasis on growing the Narrative for Schools program, which expanded during the pandemic by a stunning 600 percent to reach more than 100,000 students and teachers worldwide. The Director will continue to grow and assess the range of revenue opportunities within Narrative and will shape the messaging and presentation of those opportunities with new and existing donors, foundations, partners, advertisers, and sponsors. Love of words, a deep personal interest in literature and education, and a commitment to inclusivity will be important attributes for engaging the readers and supporters of Narrative.
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
- Prospecting, cultivating, and stewarding a large portfolio of individual donors and institutional (foundation and corporate) partners; writing grant proposals.
- Developing strategic fundraising initiatives, including events and campaigns.
- Expanding via partnerships and foundation support our Narrative for Schools programming—which currently serves teachers and students in middle and high schools, community colleges, and universities in more than thirty-eight countries—and includes our free Narrative Library resources, video tutorials, and the annual Narrative High School Writing Contest.
- Developing and implementing strategies to increase the subscriber base, engage partnerships, and identify new opportunities for growth.
- Driving revenue via paid advertising, sponsorships, and merchandising efforts.
- 5+ years relevant experience in executive management of a mission-driven organization in the realm of publishing, arts, and/or education.
- Significant experience in scaling a nonprofit and exceeding revenue goals; proven success securing major gifts from private donors and institutional funders, as well as all aspects of annual campaigns and event planning and execution.
- Thoughtful, nimble, compelling, and highly effective communicator, both verbally and in writing, demonstrated in various formats.
- Passion for the literary world and the vital role of storytelling in our culture.
- Demonstrated accomplishment in online/offline marketing.
- Excellent human resources and project management skills; ability to think strategically and programmatically.
- Experience in event curation and production.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of hiring and training staff, partner/board recruitment, community building, and programmatic outreach.
- Ideally, familiarity with the Bay Area literary, philanthropic, and business spheres.
- Creativity, a strong work ethic, a drive toward excellence, collaborative thinking, leadership ability, and a spark of humor.
We seek a visionary leader, an effective communicator, a creative self-starter with superior organization, prioritization, and time-management skills to inspire a diverse virtual team to achieve and exceed agreed-upon goals. Narrative’s Director will be a doer with a high degree of integrity who can actualize a vision from planning through completion. If you are a collaborative, confident, proven leader with a deeply instilled sense of excellence, commitment to inclusivity, and roll-up-your-sleeves energy to get work done, and if you love working with folks who share these values, we look forward to talking with you.
Narrative staff and consultants work from home but connect constantly through digital communications and meet periodically in San Francisco and New York, health restrictions permitting.
Narrative is an equal opportunity employer. We especially encourage applications from LGBTQ+, disabled, and BIPOC candidates.
Compensation is expected to be in the $100,000-$120,000 range depending on experience, plus benefits. We are open to a possible part-time role for the right candidate.
To apply: Please email a detailed cover letter, résumé, and your salary requirements (a range is fine) with the subject heading “Director of Advancement and Partnerships position,” to @email, and please let us know how you heard about the position.
