Director of Local Impact, Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund

Job Description:

The Director of Local Impact for the Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund will lead the Fund’s state-based grantmaking strategy that strives to inspire more individual donors to give to nonprofits in parts of the country with less access to philanthropic funding. Your prior experience in a grantmaking role, managing community philanthropy programs for donors and nonprofits, understanding of philanthropy in the South or Mountain West, strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, passion for strengthening nonprofits, and local leadership experience will help you thrive in this role.

Note: Fidelity is not providing immigration sponsorship for this position

The Role

The Catalyst Fund is a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable, led by our Board of Trustees and separate from Fidelity Charitable’s donor-advised fund program. The Fund makes grants to intermediaries that inspire donors to give more to promising nonprofits and elevate nonprofits to build their muscle and confidence to find donors. The Fund has three portfolio areas: Engage Donors, Elevate Nonprofits, and Field Building and grantmaking across these areas is divided based on national grantees vs. state and local grantees. The Director will:

• Manage a portfolio of 45+ grant relationships working across the South Central and Mountain West, including community foundations, nonprofit capacity builders, giving circles, and other bridge builders
• Develop relationships with potential grantees, complete grant diligence and assessments, and make grant recommendations
• Serve as the primary representative of the Catalyst Fund throughout our priority states, including speaking at local grantee events, participating in funder conferences, organizing site visits, and connecting local grantees to national organizations. Travel will be required for at least 60% of this role
• Recommend revisions to the ongoing strategy and grantmaking priorities for our state and local work, staying on top of research, trends, and learning from our grantees
• Work with grantees to set goals aligned with the Catalyst Fund’s learning framework, manage grantee performance towards these goals, and analyze and synthesize grant reports
• Partner with Fidelity Charitable’s Marketing team to promote the work of our local grantees, coordinate local events, and inspire our donors to engage with grantees
• Partner with the Executive Director on grantee learning events and communications, process improvements, board communications, and special projects

The Expertise & Skills You Bring

• 8+ years of experience leading donor education/engagement/advising programs that connect individual donors with local nonprofits and/or nonprofit fundraising capacity building programs. Leadership and management experience at a community foundation, public foundation, giving circle, association of nonprofits, or similar community-based intermediary preferred.
• 4+ years of experience as a grantmaker with responsibility for leading a portfolio, assessing and recommending grants, managing ongoing grantee relationships, and conducting impact analysis on grants and across a portfolio
• Lived experience in South Central or Mountain West United States preferred, with demonstrated knowledge of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector across the regions. Preference for candidates based in one of our current priority states, particularly Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, or Texas
• Confident and diplomatic oral communicator with significant public speaking experience in front of donors and nonprofit audiences
• Understanding of the latest trends, research, and organizations influencing donor giving behavior, donor-advised funds, capacity building, and nonprofit fundraising
• Prior experience effectively managing a small team and/or consultants
• Exceptional analysis, research, and writing skills including ability to produce succinct and informative communications
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies to build trust and achieve common goals, both internally and externally
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently and take initiative
• Ability to adapt quickly, work calmly, and maintain good judgment in a fast-paced environment; must be comfortable working through ambiguity
• Highly proficient with PowerPoint, Excel, and Word and experience with grants management systems (e.g. Fluxx)

The Team

Fidelity Charitable is the leading donor-advised fund sponsor in the country with a simple mission—to grow the American tradition of philanthropy. We have helped donors support more than 433,000 nonprofit organizations with over $100 billion in grants. At Fidelity Charitable, our job is to help donors maximize their generosity by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective.

The Catalyst Fund team is led by an Executive Director who works closely with the Fidelity Charitable board of trustees and senior staff on strategy, impact assessment, finances, and external relations while managing a national portfolio of 50+ grantees. The team represents Fidelity Charitable at many philanthropic and nonprofit convenings. The team also includes a Program Associate to support the Executive Director and Director. The Director will coordinate relationships in priority states with other Fidelity Charitable staff and work on projects across several Fidelity Charitable teams that help educate our donors about giving.

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Fidelity’s hybrid working model blends the best of both onsite and offsite work experiences. Working onsite is important for our business strategy and our culture. We also value the benefits that working offsite offers associates. Most hybrid roles require associates to work onsite every other week (all business days, M-F) in a Fidelity office.

Please be advised that Fidelity’s business is governed by the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940, ERISA, numerous state laws governing securities, investment and retirement-related financial activities and the rules and regulations of numerous self-regulatory organizations, including FINRA, among others. Those laws and regulations may restrict Fidelity from hiring and/or associating with individuals with certain Criminal Histories.