Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) is seeking a Director of Advancement + Community Impact that will lean into the inherent value of the WOCA community which rests in cooperative economics - recognizing that among our vast, connected, and well-resourced community, we have everything that we need. Looking within our community as the first and  initial resource for support, this position will also pull from traditional and ancestral knowledge to bring forth supportive resources and find people and institutions that are in alignment with this value. 

The Director of Advancement + Community Impact will work closely with the Executive Director and Managing Director to help realize the mission of the organization through funding initiatives and special projects that support the growth and development of the WOCA community and its members. 

The ideal candidate for the Director of Advancement + Community Impact role is a creative and critical thinker that has a decolonized approach to nonprofit work, an acute understanding of community, experience working in a dynamic environment that demands a high level of flexibility and problem-solving skills, and a clear alignment with WOCA’s mission and vision. 

LOCATION & OFFICE

Fully remote office
 

SCHEDULE 

A typical work week is Monday - Friday 10amET - 5pmET. Nights and weekends may be required for special in-person events, virtual programming, and Advisory Board and/or community meetings. The weekly work schedule will always be adjusted to ensure boundaries around a 32 hour work week.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Advancement + Community Impact will: 

• manage efforts to support WOCA’s organizational operations and community development (This includes fundraising work but with a decolonized approach to traditional “development” work and an intentional focus on building bridges and uncovering resources for our community. )
• create, develop, and execute comprehensive partnership strategies to drive fundraising initiatives, aligning with the organization's mission and goals
• help steward transformational, not transactional, investments in our WOCA community and develop a community-centric approach for raising funds 
• play a crucial role in securing financial support to ensure the sustainability and success of our programs, charting the course for our organization's long-term objectives, with a particular focus on the cultivation of resources for the Sabbatical Fund, a community fund established to help provide opportunities for rest to our members
• be responsible for grants management including grant design, proposal and report writing, prospect research, effective cultivation and stewardship
• lead the execution of WOCA’s external marketing materials and communications strategy to ensure that WOCA is well positioned to communicate its work and results to key stakeholders
• develop written, printed, and media materials to articulate WOCA’s mission and results to various external audiences, including WOCA’s Annual Report, for use in meetings with potential investment partners, media, and in briefings with WOCA’s senior leadership team and Advisory Board.
   

QUALIFICATIONS

• passion and commitment for social justice 
• prior experience in fundraising and partnership building
•  a background working in a nonprofit arts or cultural organization, (particularly valued is experience within a grassroots setting)
• exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including both oral and written communication skills 
• experience in proposal writing and developing non-profit fundraising materials, including campaign materials and annual reports, in a way that is visually compelling and that ensures materials are aligned to their audience
• experience managing or proficiency with a CRM database platform
• current authorization to work in the United States – a candidate must have such authorization by their first day of employment 
• 5+ years of work experience preferred 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

• $75,000 (full-time position 32 hours/week)
• full benefits (health, dental, vision, and life insurance)
• remote work environment + flexible schedule
• generous vacation time + personal and mental health days

POTENTIAL START DATE

July 2024

APPLICATION CLOSES

April 12, 2024  

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions regarding the hiring process, please email admin@womenofcolorinthearts.org with the subject line: Director of Advancement + Community Impact.

WOCA is a membership organization and seeks to prioritize extending opportunities to women of color and its community members. This application is open to all that align with the mission, vision, and values of WOCA.
 

ABOUT WOCA
Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) is a national, grassroots service organization driven and grounded by our values and dedicated to creating transformational change in the arts and culture sector. We do this by championing racial equity as a basic tenet of eliminating systemic disparities in the field and by providing a platform to help amplify the voice and visibility of women of color,* leaders that are disproportionately affected by inequitable structures and practices in the sector. WOCA aims to cultivate a just and inclusive field with the intent of creating equitable systems for all to prosper inside and outside of the arts.
 

*WOCA uses the term “women” to encompass all those that self-identify as women or with womanhood including non-binary, transgender, and cisgender women. Our intention is to uplift and address the very specific ways in which this particular group of people, and their multiple identities, are impacted by various forms of oppression, notably sexism and racism. WOCA uses the term “women of color” as an organizing tool, acknowledging the expression is a political designation, not a biological one, and borne out of a solidarity movement originating from the labor of Black women.
 

ABOUT WOCA ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Based on the lived experiences of our co-founders and founding members, WOCA was established to help create more visibility and support for leaders who have been systematically marginalized and historically under-represented in the arts sector and to create opportunities where women of color hold shared power at decision making tables. WOCA operates through the lens of women of color in order to best articulate the needs of all people in a racially just world. We recognize that when women of color with their intersectional identities thrive, the world thrives. We like to think of our work as liberatory – but recognize that oppression shows up in many ways, even in communities and organizations of color. Yet, we work to create an environment that is inclusive and intentional. As a membership-driven network, we encourage all our community members to openly express their views on how we can be our best selves. As an organization, we value transparency and the collaborative work involved with creating a culture of community inside and outside of the workplace.

Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) is a grassroots, members-driven organization which works to provide professional support to arts leaders - historically those working in the support of the performing arts. WOCA serves as a forum to share and create unique opportunities for learning and development among colleagues including mentorship and leadership training. WOCA exists to provide a network of support and facilitate the exchange of diverse ideas and practices in the performing arts field, all the while cultivating a stronger, more equitable field. 

About The WOCA Application Process

WOCA understands the immense mental and emotional labor Black, indigenous, and people of color endure on a daily basis simply as a part of our very existence in this world. It is not our intent to add to this load. This compact application process for WOCA membership is meant to help us collect and coalesce all of our community’s information in one place so that we can identify and connect members, and share meaningful and relevant resources. The demographic information we collect also helps us develop critical tools for organizing, creating space for self-advocacy and solidarity among our members. We thank you for taking the time to become an active participant in our community. We value and appreciate you and your work.

Eligibility for Membership
Before completing your online application, you must review and meet the basic criteria to be eligible for WOCA membership. Basic membership criteria includes:

1. You must be a self-identified woman of color.* – defined by WOCA as a woman of African, Latin, Asian or Pacific Island, Middle-Eastern, or Native American descent – historically under-represented groups working in the performing arts field.

*WOCA uses the term “women” to encompass all those that self-identify as women including           cisgender and transgender femmes. Our intention is to uplift and address the very specific ways in which this particular group of people, and their multiple identities, are impacted by various forms of oppression including sexism and racism. WOCA uses the term “women of color” as an organizing tool, acknowledging the expression is a political designation, not a biological one, and borne out of a solidarity movement originating from the labor of Black women.
 

     2. You must serve in some type of administrative capacity in support of the performing arts. While WOCA recognizes that administrators’ roles and responsibilities are often fluid within many cultural organizations and that artistic disciplines like the visual and literary arts often work in tandem with performance art (for example, we have many members that work with/in museums), we require that a part of your current professional career be dedicated to the development, cultivation and/or support of the performing arts. 

          OR

         You must be a full-time undergrad or part or full-time graduate student pursuing
         a degree in arts administration, arts management, non-profit leadership, cultural policy or a related
         field.
 

Membership Application
If you satisfy the aforementioned basic criteria, please proceed to complete the brief membership application below. Please note that fulfilling basic criteria does not automatically confirm WOCA membership. Along with a completed application, you must submit a PDF copy of both your resume and a short bio. A LinkedIn profile link may be submitted in lieu of the resumé. We ask for these things in order to identify the demographics of our community and to further members’ connections inside and outside of the network. Please note that providing a high-res photo may also part of the application submission process.

Membership Process
Membership applications are generally evaluated bi-monthly on an on-going basis. Applications that are received the last week of the month will be evaluated the following month. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding terms of eligibility or the application process, please email membership@womenofcolorinthearts.org.

Membership Dues
WOCA offers three levels of membership to facilitate access for all our colleagues in the field:

Emerging Leader Membership
$30 – administrators currently with five (5) years or less of professional experience.

PLUS full-time students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program or a part to full-time graduate degree program in arts administration, arts or theater management, arts or cultural policy, non-profit management or a related track.
 

Established Leader Membership
$60 – administrators with 6-20 years of professional experience.

Senior Leader Membership
$120 – administrators with 21+ years of professional experience.

(Please know that no eligible member will be turned away for their inability to pay dues. Membership dues are the vital engine that helps keep our WOCA community running. However, we never want economic barriers to be a reason for our members to not have access to the resources and wealth of this community. Please note that if life's challenges currently prevent your ability to pay membership dues, WOCA will waive your first year's membership. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at membership@womenofcolorinthearts.org to activate this option.)

Membership Benefits
All three membership levels are granted full access to a wide range of professional development opportunities including, but not limited to, webinars, mentorship/leadership program, panel discussions, networking events, and committee and advisory board participation. Members will have access to our membership directory and have exclusive first-viewing rights to job, funding, and career opportunities. Members can additionally take advantage of special offers throughout the year exclusively provided by our partners, which have included APAP and DanceNYC.