Hiring Executive Director in Baltimore

Founded to harness the collective power of Baltimore’s 1.2 million+ alumni living across the United States, Baltimore Homecoming is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has spent the last 5 years building a national network of former residents, students, and workers who maintain deep ties to the city. Our work centers on crowdfunding local community projects, facilitating skills-based volunteer placements for alumni in Baltimore, and advocating for equitable economic development policies that benefit long-term Baltimore residents. To date, we have funded 42 small business grants for local Black and Latino entrepreneurs, connected 1,200 alumni to high-impact volunteer roles with Baltimore nonprofits, and launched a mentorship program serving 500 Baltimore high school students, all led by a small steering committee and part-time operational staff. We are now hiring our first full-time Executive Director to scale this impact and formalize our operations for long-term growth.

As Executive Director, you will serve as the strategic and operational leader of the organization, reporting to our 9-member steering committee of local nonprofit leaders, business owners, and alumni advocates. This is a permanent, full-time hybrid role based in Baltimore, with 2 days per week required in our Mount Vernon office and flexibility for remote work the remainder of the week. You will own all aspects of the organization’s work, from fundraising and partnership development to program delivery and stakeholder engagement.

Your core responsibilities will include:
1. Leading full-cycle fundraising operations, including managing relationships with 200+ existing individual donors, writing 3-5 major grant proposals per year targeting $50k-$200k awards from foundations focused on urban equity and community development, and growing our annual operating budget from $350k to $750k within your first 18 months of tenure.
2. Overseeing end-to-end management of our 4 core programs: the Baltimore Alumni Small Business Grant Fund, the Alumni Skills Volunteer Corps, the High School Mentorship Initiative, and the annual Baltimore Homecoming Week event, ensuring each meets predefined impact metrics (e.g., 100% of grant disbursements made within 30 days of award, 90% volunteer placement retention rate after 6 months) and stays within allocated program budgets.
3. Building and maintaining partnerships with 30+ local Baltimore stakeholders annually, including small business associations, K-12 school leaders, city government economic development staff, and corporate sponsors, to align our programs with local community needs and secure in-kind support for events and programming.
4. Managing a team of 3 part-time program coordinators and 1 part-time development associate, including setting performance goals, providing weekly check-ins, overseeing professional development opportunities, and conducting quarterly performance reviews to ensure staff have the resources they need to deliver on program goals.
5. Serving as the primary spokesperson for Baltimore Homecoming, representing the organization at 12+ local events per year including alumni mixers, community town halls, and media appearances, to grow our national alumni network from 15,000 to 30,000 registered members within 2 years.
6. Overseeing all administrative and operational functions of the organization, including managing our AWS cloud-based donor database (Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack), ensuring compliance with all 501(c)(3) IRS and Maryland state nonprofit reporting requirements, and managing our $150k annual operating budget with monthly financial reporting to the steering committee.
7. Leading the annual Baltimore Homecoming Week planning process, coordinating with 15+ local venues, sponsors, and volunteer teams to host 8+ public events across the city each year, drawing 2,000+ alumni attendees and generating $100k+ in fundraising revenue for local community projects.

Our work environment is collaborative, community-centered, and flexible. Our small team prioritizes inclusive decision-making, with all staff and steering committee members invited to weigh in on program design and strategic priorities. We operate on a trust-based model: as long as you meet your agreed-upon program and fundraising goals, you can adjust your schedule to accommodate community events, family needs, or local volunteer opportunities. We are a majority-Black organization committed to centering the voices of long-term Baltimore residents in all our work, and we actively prioritize hiring and promoting staff who reflect the diversity of the city we serve. Our Mount Vernon office is located in a historic brownstone with access to a shared community kitchen, free street parking for staff, and regular team lunches featuring local Baltimore food vendors.

To qualify for this role, you must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Business, or a related field (a master’s degree is preferred), plus 7+ years of professional experience in nonprofit management, community development, or a related field, with at least 3 years of experience leading fundraising initiatives for a 501(c)(3) organization. We require a proven track record of growing annual operating budgets by at least 50% within a 2-year period, and experience managing cross-functional teams of 3 or more staff. Candidates with deep ties to the Baltimore community (as a former resident, alum of a local university, or long-time volunteer with local nonprofits) will be given priority. You must be comfortable public speaking to groups of 50+ people, and have experience building partnerships with local government and corporate stakeholders. Fluency in Spanish is a strong plus, given Baltimore’s large Spanish-speaking resident population.

You will be expected to use the following tools in your day-to-day work: Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) for donor and volunteer management, AWS S3 for secure data storage, QuickBooks Online for financial tracking, Canva and Mailchimp for marketing and donor communications, and Asana for cross-team project management. Experience with grant writing software such as GrantHub or Foundant is preferred.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to support your well-being and professional growth. The salary for this role ranges from $85,000 to $95,000 per year, adjusted for relevant experience. Benefits include 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents, 20 days of paid time off per year plus 10 paid company holidays, a $2,000 annual professional development stipend for conferences, courses, or certifications, a $500 monthly remote work stipend to cover home office costs, internet, or coworking space access, and a 403(b) retirement plan with a 4% employer match after 1 year of tenure.

This role also offers clear pathways for career growth. As our first full-time Executive Director, you will have the opportunity to shape the long-term strategic direction of the organization, with a clear path to promotion to Vice President of Programs and Partnerships after 3 years of successful tenure, or the option to take on a seat on our steering committee as you build deeper ties to the Baltimore nonprofit ecosystem. We cover full costs for you to attend the National Association of Nonprofit Executives annual conference each year, and provide quarterly mentorship sessions with our steering committee members, who include leaders of top Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises.

Our hiring process is designed to be transparent and low-friction, with no unnecessary rounds of interviews. Submit your resume and a 1-page cover letter outlining your experience growing nonprofit budgets and your connection to Baltimore to [email protected] by October 15, 2024. Our steering committee will review all applications and reach out to 10-12 candidates for a 30-minute initial phone screening with our Hiring Manager within 1 week of the application deadline. Finalists will be invited to a 2-round interview process: first a 60-minute panel interview with 4 steering committee members, followed by a 45-minute presentation to the full steering committee where you will share your 90-day plan for scaling our programs and fundraising efforts. We expect to extend a formal offer to the selected candidate by November 8, 2024, with a start date of December 2, 2024. If you have questions about the role or application process, you can reach out to Vince Connelly at [email protected] or 443-413-6033.