Venture for America is committed to building a team of diverse professionals passionate about our mission. We look for the same qualities in a full-time position as we do in our Venture fellows. Qualities that distinguish successful entrepreneurs, include:
- Intellect and Independent Thinking
- Determination/Ability to Surmount Obstacles/Resourcefulness
- Leadership Ability/Initiative
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Purpose-Driven/Character
Venture for America (“VFA”) is a non-profit organization that seeks to 1) Drive talent to create jobs and spur enterprise in lower-cost cities; 2) Provide a path to entrepreneurship for young, talented college graduates; and 3) Help place recent graduates in start-ups around the country. Venture for America will do for entrepreneurship what Teach for America has done for education – provide a program for young, talented grads to spend 2 years in the trenches of a start-up with the goal that these young graduates will become socialized and mobilized as entrepreneurs moving forward. Board members include experienced executives, entrepreneurs, and investors. For more information, go to www.ventureforamerica.org/team.
Current Openings
Director of Development
Venture for America is looking for a Director of Development to become the driving force behind all VFA fundraising activities and initiatives. We’re looking for an energetic, reliable team player who can take on a non-traditional development role and oversee all of Venture for America’s fundraising efforts to ensure that the organization meets its annual and long-term goals.
To date, Venture for America has raised over $3 MM through a combination of national and regional foundations, corporate sponsors, and individuals, including the charitable arms of Bank of America, Blackstone, and PwC, and donors like the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh (see ventureforamerica.org/supporters for more information). This is an exciting role for someone ready to build fundraising infrastructure from scratch, and develop strategy and processes to ensure Venture for America’s long-term fundraising success.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree
- 5-10 (or more) years of relevant professional experience
- Excellent organization skills and attention to detail
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; can speak compellingly about our organization, mission, and goals and has a mature presence
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously; high degree of personal responsibility
- Resiliency; ability to operate under pressure in a fast-paced, deadline-driven startup environment
- Ability to build and leverage relationships with foundations, corporations, board members and individual donors to achieve ambitious results
- Strong values alignment with VFA mission and team culture
Responsibilities:
- Take ownership of all Venture for America fundraising activities, serving as a representative of the organization to potential and current funders
- Help develop fundraising infrastructure and processes
- Design and implement internal tracking systems for resource development
- Grow and manage relationships with existing foundation, individual, and corporate donors
- Research and identify potential funding opportunities; develop and cultivate new relationships
- Coordinate and attend fundraising meetings and events
- Write and edit fund proposals, reports, and other fundraising-related materials as needed; develop budgets for grants and corporate giving
- Assist with board development, including board engagement strategies, preparing for board meetings, and corresponding with board members
Opportunities:
- Join with and grow alongside an innovative and rapidly expanding national organization that is unique among nonprofits
- Become a core team member at a mission-driven company with a vibrant, fun company culture
- Enjoy a dynamic startup environment with varied responsibilities and a different challenge each day (we mean it – there’s always plenty of interesting problems to work on!)
- Cultivate resources for a program that will direct top grads to an opportunity that will allow them to make a difference while achieving personal success
- Contribute to Venture for America’s success in rebuilding the country through entrepreneurship
Compensation, Benefits, Etc.:
- Compensation commensurate with experience
- Health, dental, and vision insurance benefits
- Unlimited vacation time
If interested, please send a resume and cover letter detailing your interest to jobs@ventureforamerica.org. The title of the email should be “Application for Director of Development – [your name].” If you meet our qualifications, we will contact you for a phone interview.
Campus Ambassadors
Venture for America is looking for Campus Ambassadors at universities across America to help us generate awareness and interest among prospective applicants on campus. If you want to learn more about our program, this is a great way to get plugged in!
This is an unpaid internship for the 2012-2013 school year. However, there are several perks including:
- A guaranteed phone interview for the Venture for America fellowship, if you choose to apply
- Exposure to start-ups
- Lots of VFA swag
- The satisfaction of knowing you helped drive our nation’s talent to growth companies across the country!
Campus Ambassadors will be tasked with:
- Raising awareness through flyers, listserv/email campaigns, Facebook, Twitter, and other online and offline initiatives
- Developing partnerships with on-campus student organizations and faculty members
- Assisting with on-campus Venture for America events
- Brainstorming innovative online Venture for America marketing campaigns
Qualifications:
- An enthusiastic, energetic personality
- Interest in startups and entrepreneurialism
- A strong work ethic
- Involvement in student organizations and extensive knowledge of college networks
If interested, please send a resume and cover letter detailing your interest to jobs@ventureforamerica.org. The title of the email should be “Application for Campus Ambassador – [your name].” If you meet our qualifications, we will contact you for a phone interview.