Job Opening: Co-Director

About Alphabet Alliance of Color

Founded in 2017, Alphabet Alliance of Color (AAoC) is an organizing alliance of queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and people of color (QTBIPOC) in the Puget Sound region working on every level of change, from individual to institutional.

AAoC was born from our struggle for dignity and self-determination within white, cisgender, and heterosexual-led nonprofits.

Our purpose is to build and nourish the interconnected network of alliance members who challenge and tear down the systems that cause or recreate harm to the community. We will know we are successful when these harmful systems have been replaced with a world rooted in reciprocity, non-hierarchical leadership, shared power, and mutual aid.

We are fiscally sponsored by Rooted in Vibrant Communities (RVC), who promotes social justice by cultivating leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities. For more information about us, check out the rest of our website or social media.

Essential Responsibilities

Lead: Fundraising and Development - 15%

• Create and implement our organization’s first annual fundraising plan, with a focus on major gift programs, individual giving, and corporate sponsorships that meet the annual budgetary needs of the organization, as well as strengthens long-term sustainability, with accountability to organizational goals

• Manage stewardship of current individual donors, donor correspondence and acknowledgement (digital and handwritten), donor database, and lead donor retention and expansion strategy 

• Cultivate relationships with new and prospective donors

• Leverage network for fundraising

• Develop and maintain sponsorship program with corporations and local businesses 

• Engage in continual learning about this area, with support from RVC Seattle and other capacity building organizations or programs, keeping an eye on trends in donor engagement strategy and adjusting accordingly

• Work with Co-Director to track outcomes and provide reports to funders, core team members, and external stakeholders 

Co-Lead: Leadership and Core Team Collaboration - 20%

• In collaboration with other staff and Core Team, co-create and advance the strategic vision and direction of Alphabet Alliance of Color programming in alignment with our values in ways that are transparent and accountable to our movements 

• Represent AAoC externally and build and nourish relationships with stakeholders and partners by being an active presence at community events, member events, various engagements in the community and on committees and non-grantee boards

• Continually stay up to date and informed about the evolutions in grassroots liberation movements, specifically disability, racial, queer, and gender justice.

• Co-create staff meetings by keeping track of agenda items, time keeping, and keeping track of follow up tasks

• Guide Core Team during monthly meetings, yearly retreats, and during recruitment and onboarding process to ensure that it has the talent, knowledge, and direction to be effective in its work

• Report to Core Team to seek involvement in major decisions

• Provide ongoing feedback to other staff and Core Team members, and make hiring decisions for contractors

• Build and maintain Alliance Member relationships through checking in annually with Alliance Member organizations and collectives, assessing for needs and recruiting and onboarding new members

Co-Lead: Programing - 25%

• Manage program budgets and ensure programmatic compliance with all grants and contracts

• Create and implement all AAoC programs including annual Alphabet Institute, monthly General Alliance Meetings, monthly Policy Practice Spaces, monthly Co-Working Spaces, Fall Workshops, and Community Care Fund

• Create a warm and welcoming space for all participants

• Co-facilitate virtual and hybrid programming 

• Plan and host yearly events including the Open House and Holigay Party

• Dream up and implement collaborative community events like Taking B(l)ack Pride and Seattle Public School’s Gender Affirming Clothing Swap, among others

• Regularly use Canva to create programmatic materials or templates

• Ensure proper storage and documentation of programmatic content, including Google Drive, Canva, and photos

• Engage in collective community feedback and assessment strategies to inform programming, fundraisers, mutual aid asks, and resources 

Co-Lead: Operations - 15%

• Manage the operations and growth of the organization

• In collaboration with RVC’s Operations Support Program Manager and Capacity Building Lead, create and refine operational and capacity building systems for the organization

• In collaboration with the Social Media Contractor, create and adapt an organizational communications strategy, including developing and updating an editorial plan and schedule for the year, and creating content for social media, website, and newsletter

Co-Lead: Grant Writing - 10%

• In collaboration with RVC’s Grant Writer and Capacity Building Lead, search for, craft, and finalize grant applications for charitable foundations, corporate charitable funds, service clubs, and other funding sources 

• Grant writing responsibilities will be shared with the other Co-Director

• The other Co-Director will take the lead on grant reporting, compliance, and relationship stewardship, which this position will support

Co-Lead: Emotional Labor - 5%

• Eyes on overall organizational emotional capacity

• Holding space for community members as they check-in or process about current life experiences, often interacting with systems of oppression and harmful institutions or workplaces

• Co-leading internal conflict resolution and supporting creation of accountability processes for organization

Support: Financial Management - 10%

• In collaboration with Co-Director and RVC Seattle Staff, develop the annual budget

• Ensure the financial health of the organization

• Prepare invoices and Paypal payments for weekly payments of contractors, program participants, and recipients of financial assistance

• Submit and track program expenses based on RVC and AAoC protocol 

• Maintain financial records and tracker, including coding income and expenses in accordance with RVC and AAoC Protocol

The Details

Salary Structure

AAoC’s Co-Directors will be individually compensated $85,000, in accordance with our equitable hiring practices that strive for internal parity. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable. Similarly, there are no title negotiations. 

Work Environment

Schedule

AAoC has a variable work schedule:

• Evening meetings (5:30 - 9 p.m.): generally one weekly fall through spring and two weekly in the summer.

• Weekend events: generally monthly

Because of this, we tend to maintain normal/extended work hours Tuesday through Thursday (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. or 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.), and have flexibility on Mondays and Fridays.

Schedules can be agreed upon with your Co-Director. 

Remote work

Staff primarily work from home: we are a hybrid work organization with no central office.

In-person work

Staff host events at various locations and attend collaborative community events throughout the Puget Sound region, throughout the year.

Co-Directors decide which events will be hybrid. Expect about 3 - 4 in person events or meetings per month.

Background Check 

A criminal history background check will be conducted on the final candidate prior to beginning employment. A criminal background will not automatically eliminate you from consideration, and would instead open up a conversation.

Accessibility Accommodations

We aim to challenge and confront ableism within societal structures and ourselves. We do so within the context of our workplace policies, our community offerings, and our organizational relationships. We hold accessibility not just a goal, but a priority. We do so because a commitment to accessibility is a commitment to challenging colonialism, white supremacy, anti-Blackness, capitalism, imperialism, misogyny, queer and transphobia.

AAoC offers accommodations, upon request, for candidates with disabilities during the application, interview, and hiring process (such as forms in alternate formats or interpretation services during the interview). As a community with many Disabled, Neurodivergent/Neuroexpansive, Sick, Mad people, we are doing our best to weave access needs, accommodations, and care into everything that we do and are actively seeking support in how to make our workplace supportive to the needs of individuals and the collective. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact hiring@alphabetalliance.org. 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

Alphabet Alliance of Color is a fiscally sponsored project of RVC Seattle, a 501(c)(3) organization, and an equal opportunity employer. We believe communities that exist at the intersections of oppression must be centered in all the work we do. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from Black and Indigenous women of color, Trans and gender non-conforming people, LGB people, Sick, Mad, D/deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Disabled people of color, working class people for all of our positions. Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at RVC Seattle, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.