Advancement Specialist

Job Title:          Advancement Specialist 

Department:    Fundraising 

Division:           Programming Support 

Duty Station:   United States 

Line Manager: Director of Advancement 

Position Type: Full-time

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations. 

JOB SUMMARY

The Advancement Specialist plays a key role in driving the success of our institutional philanthropy efforts, focusing on cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting major institutional donors. This role is primarily responsible for securing gifts from private foundations. They will work closely with the Director of Advancement and the entire fundraising team to develop and execute fundraising strategies and ensure the achievement of annual revenue goals. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

INSTITUTIONAL PHILANTHROPY STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Write Proposals & Reports: Draft compelling letters of interest, grant proposals, and reports for major foundation donors. 


• Engagement Planning: Develop tailored annual engagement plans for each foundation donor. 


• Donor Relations & Stewardship: Support the Director of Advancement to build and maintain long-term, customized relationships with institutional donors through regular communication, including VIP updates, in-person meetings, calls, and email check-ins. 


• Prospect Research & Pipeline Growth: Regularly identify and develop strategies to grow the portfolio by prospecting for new institutional funders and stewarding existing donors with additional capacity. 


• Database Management: Ensure that donor data is accurately tracked, analyzed, and utilized to support fundraising operations. Identify new tools and processes to improve fundraising efforts. 

Other

• Manage annual renewals of charity watchdog sites and work to ensure our scores are as high as possible. 


• Assist with special projects and attends events as assigned.  


• Perform any other work duties as appropriate to the role. 

Commitment to NP Principles

All NP employees are expected to uphold work in alignment with the organization’s guiding principles:    

• Nonviolence  


• Non-partisanship  


• Primacy of local actors  


• Civilian-to-civilian action  

These principles and beliefs guide our actions and relationships, supporting our mission to protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies   

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Education: Bachelor's degree in related field and three years’ experience or equivalent combination, with the majority dedicated to institutional philanthropy. 


• Database experience, Salesforce preferred  


• Proven track record of securing gifts from institutional donors, including foundations and corporations. 


• Experience building relationships with donors, volunteers, and staff. 


• Experience writing communications for donors and asking for gifts. 


• Experience generating reports, analyzing and interpreting the data. 


• Experience managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors. 


• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to persuasively convey in writing and verbally the mission of Nonviolent Peaceforce to diverse stakeholders important to the organization’s overall prosperity. 


• Experience, coursework, or other training in fundraising principles and practices. 

Skills and Competencies

• Institutional Fundraising Expertise: Experience in institutional fundraising, including prospect research, writing grant proposals, and building donor relationships. 


• Project Management: Exceptional organizational and project management abilities, with a proven capacity to handle multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment. 


• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to craft compelling narratives for institutional donors. 


• Demonstrated skill in the technique of donor prospect research 


• Ability to determine a foundation’s interests, capacity, and potential for helping Nonviolent Peaceforce meet its goals and act appropriately to tie those interests with the NP’s work. 


• Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills and a passion for cultivating meaningful relationships with institutional donors. 


• Careful attention to detail and strong organizational skills. 


• Knowledge of current trends in charitable giving. 


• Cultural Sensitivity: Ability to work effectively with a diverse group of colleagues, partners, and donors, particularly in a cross-cultural context 

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position may include challenging conditions and potentially unstable security situations. 


• Must be able to remain in a stationary or standing position 80% of the time. 


• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds. 


• The ability to communicate information so others will be able to understand 


• Flexibility to work evenings or weekends as required. 


• Some occasional travel may be required. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page), through our website detailing their experience and how they qualify for the role. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 


• The closing date for applications is Friday, March 6th 2026.


• Candidates may be selected before the closing date; apply early 


• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a technical assignment before participating in an interview. 

SPECIAL NOTICE 

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. 

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, communities we work with, and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities and government guidance and complies with best practices in the Humanitarian and Development sector.
NP expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We prioritise ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. 

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation. 

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. NP also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

NO FEE
 

We never ask for payment as part of our selection process, and we always contact candidates via our corporate accounts and platforms. If you are approached for payment, this is likely to be fraudulent. Please check whether the role you are interested in is posted here on our website.