Position Summary

NFF’s Consulting team works with nonprofit organizations, philanthropies, and other mission-driven partners to address issues of finance within the flawed nonprofit system. The team engages most often with nonprofit leaders who are at an inflection point in their organization’s journey and experiencing tremendous change and systemic inequities. We support these leaders by being a thought partner, providing advice on ways to build financial strength, and informing decision-making through analysis. We believe we can only succeed when recognizing and complementing the organization’s unique strengths, aspirations, and values.

NFF is looking to fill multiple consulting positions at the Manager and Associate Director levels. They will be part of a close-working national team and play an integral role in client delivery. This will include one-on-one consulting engagements with nonprofit leaders, design and delivery of workshops and webinars, team management on complex initiatives, and data analysis to inform initiatives. NFF’s consultants are client-facing and required to quickly pivot with different audiences and problem-solve for different situations. For example, in a given week, they may need to coach an Artistic Director on budgeting, facilitate a multi-stakeholder dialogue about structural inequities in nonprofit finance, or develop a webinar on financial management tools. Regardless of the situation, individuals will need to manage work across four major areas—content knowledge, financial analysis, presentation and facilitation, and project management. Consultants will need to have good judgment for when to lean into numbers and when to shift away from them. They must also be able to handle complex or ambiguous situations with emotional intelligence, clarity, and aplomb. Additionally, given NFF’s strategic direction, we are looking for individuals who have experience working with communities of color.

Consultants at the Manager level will lead our core client consulting engagements, present our standard workshop/webinar content, and support the execution of initiatives. Managers must be able to lead more complex projects that require flexibility and the ability to operate within ambiguous situations. They may also lead initiatives with the support of a senior advisor and manage key relationships. Managers must be able to support and mentor more junior colleagues in program delivery, financial analysis, and initiative management.

Consultants at the Associate Director level will be expected to lead in the same way as Managers but must also be able to design and shape future initiatives and projects, requiring the ability to apply nonprofit finance knowledge, community-level change, and interpersonal or group dynamics. They must also be able to manage important and sometimes difficult relationships. Associate Directors must have deep knowledge of the key areas required for the position. This includes nonprofit sector-wide issues, nonprofit management and finance, project and initiative management, coaching or consulting, facilitation or presentation to groups, and program design and/or executive leadership experience.

The preference is for the position to be located out of any of NFF’s five offices (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and Philadelphia), but remote locations will be considered as well. We are currently working remotely and will not require attendance in any office until Spring 2021 at the earliest.

There is a potential for up to 20% travel once it’s safe to do so.

Learn more and apply

The age-old story continues for 2018. There’s more work for nonprofits to do and fewer resources with which to do it. More than four out of five (86 percent) of nonprofit leaders report the need for services is rising. Nearly two-thirds of those leaders (63 percent) are planning to up services, but the majority (57 percent) do not anticipate meeting need.

The data illustrates a sector that is stretched thinner than 2017. Last year, 79 percent of organizations saw an increased demand for services and 55 percent were not able to meet that need.

The figures come from Nonprofit Finance Fund’s (NFF) State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey 2018, which features responses from about 3,400 sector leaders across all 50 states. The survey results, according to authors, are intended to provide nonprofit leaders with comparisons as to how peer organizations are faring, support open discussions among organizations, and inform testimonies and grant proposals.

Two-third of respondents (67 percent) reported that federal government action has made the lives of their clients more difficult, with 63 percent of organizations serving low-income individuals. Leaders disclosed keeping organizations afloat has been difficult while helping clients back onto their feet. Greater than three out of five (62 percent) of participants stated that financial sustainability is one of the top challenges faced.

Despite this struggle, half (50 percent) of leaders reported that their organization ended 2017 with a surplus while 26 percent broke even and 24 percent ended up in the red.

“These data reaffirm the unflagging dedication of nonprofit leaders, who continue to pursue new ways to more effectively support more people and communities,” said Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of NFF. “That said, we are also hearing intense worry among nonprofit leaders on behalf of the people they serve.”

Collaboration and diversity is another sizable trend moving through the sector, per the survey data. Nearly seven out of 10 (68 percent) of leaders reported their organizations are collaborating with peer groups. And, 60 percent have made plans to increase organizational diversity.

https://nff.org/learn/survey

From Exempt: The Financial Magazine for Nonprofit Executives via the United Way Common Good newsletter

Raise your organization’s voice through completing the Nonprofit Finance Fund State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey, Jan. 17-Feb. 21, 2018.

Help Nonprofit Finance Fund raise nonprofit leaders’ voices through the State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey. This Survey – the biggest national sampling of our sector – collects data about US nonprofits’ health and challenges into an accessible, evidence-based illustration of our ability to help the communities we all serve. It’s a powerful platform for nonprofits large and small, urban and rural, across sub-sectors and geographies, and its findings are widely used and cited by nonprofit leaders and boards, funders, advocates, policy advisors, media, researchers, and many others.

Please take the Survey and raise your organization’s voice. It will take only about 25 minutes, and will be a valuable contribution to this important effort.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4054075/NFFSurvey-Outreach

The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has released the first-ever compilation of the nation’s first Pay For Success (PFS) projects, examining a wide range of details on each of the 10 projects.

“Pay for Success has generated a flurry of ‘hype’ and ‘hate’ disproportionate to its limited applications in the field to date,” said NFF Vice President Jessica LaBarbera. “We believe that the legacy of these early projects will be their role in lighting the way toward a social sector more focused on collaboration, outcomes, and a commitment to understanding and paying for the full costs of positive change,” she said.

“The market is too young for us to draw conclusions,” said Dana Archer-Rosenthal, NFF’s Pay for Success program manager and lead author of the report. “The challenge – and opportunity – in the next phase of the PFS market’s development is not to advance a particular financial innovation but to collectively improve our ability to deliver better results,” she said.

Read more at: http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org/announcements/2016/nonprofit-finance-fund-issues-report-first-generation-pay-success

Full Report: http://www.payforsuccess.org/sites/default/files/Pay%20for%20Success_The%20First%20Generation_0.pdf

In addition, NFF’s departmental data must also meet a number of broader organizational needs. To accomplish these collaborative goals, a successful candidate must be able to work closely with counterparts in the Advisory Services Business Development Team, NFF’s Finance & Administration Team, and the NFF Salesforce Manager in order to ensure alignment across the organization.

Members of the AS Ops Team also support and participate in the delivery of NFF’s consulting services with clients. Increasingly, many of NFF’s clients are facing issues tied to data integrity and data management best practices as they adjust to the realities of a new “outcomes-based world.” As such, the Senior Associate may have the opportunity to engage in direct consulting services, as appropriate, particularly when client issues arise related to data management.

The preferred location for this position is NFF’s Philadelphia office. The Senior Associate reports to the Associate Director of Advisory Services Operations.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Reporting, Data Management & Data Integrity: 40%
• Maintenance/improvement of reports and user practices to ensure data integrity across:
  • Capacity planning – i.e., availability of our consulting team in order to aide their effective deployment against a national portfolio of work
  • Initiative management – i.e., the budgetary and workflow data needed to effectively manage complex projects
  • Comprehensive documentation of outputs – i.e., counting the full breadth and depth of services provided by NFF in a given time frame
• Develop a clear understanding of how business development and client delivery systems are being implemented in real time (i.e., how users engage with the system) in order to make recommendations for improvements within Salesforce
• Ensure a smooth user experience for our consulting team, inclusive of adequate individual training and user friendly processes
• Monitor trouble spots and cases logged by the Advisory Services team, in order to resolve and respond to systems issues in partnership with the Salesforce Manager
• Solve business challenges by playing a leadership role in the modification and development of existing Advisory Services systems, in alignment with NFF’s Salesforce Development roadmap and in partnership with the AS Ops team and the NFF Salesforce Manager
• Work in partnership with NFF’s cross departmental Salesforce Superuser Team

Essential Requirements for Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of five years’ experience, including experience in the nonprofit sector
• Highly effective in project management
• Experience working with database or CRM systems
• Excellent written and oral communications
• Ability to see the big picture while maintaining strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Strong organizational skills and time management abilities; capacity to prioritize competing responsibilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to effectively “manage up” and foster collaboration
• Ability to work in a team environment and to both effectively lead diverse working groups as well as be a strong contributor
• Commitment to learning new software and systems; flexibility, creativity, patience and a sense of humor are necessary qualities
• Strong familiarity/comfort with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Willingness to travel

Specialized Knowledge/Beneficial Skills and Experience:

• Master’s Degree
• Experience with Salesforce strongly preferred
• Experience with Eventbrite and/or online survey tools
• Familiarity with proven project management structures and techniques
• Training/teaching/presentation experience
• Institutional fundraising and/or donor database experience

Please Note:

All salaries are commensurate with experience and include an attractive benefits package.

NFF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or military or veteran status in accordance with federal law. In addition, NFF complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it maintains facilities. NFF also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.

This job posting provides a general list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required for this position. It does not represent a contract for employment and NFF reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

When submitting an application, please DO NOT include any of the following information with your job application: Social Security number; driver’s license number or state-issued identification card number; financial account number, or credit or debit card number.

The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) just opened its seventh annual Nonprofit State of the Sector Survey. The survey, which is anonymous and takes 10-15 minutes to fill out, collects data on challenges and emerging trends from nonprofits across the country. NFF’s survey is one of the largest data-driven community organizing efforts in the social sector.

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/nff/2015-state-of-the-sector-survey/

Findings from NFF’s survey have been included in government testimony and policy recommendations, presented at dozens of conferences, and reported widely in the media. Here are just a few examples:

• The White House Office of Social Innovation has quoted survey data.
• The National Council of Nonprofits used the data to inform policy recommendations on the treatment of Indirect Costs and cited the results in a recent publication, Investing for Impact.
• The Independent Sector has used survey data in a paper on increasing investment in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, which was presented to the U.S. Senate.

The findings are frequently used in media reporting about the nonprofit sector, many of which include substantive usage of the data.

While participation in this survey is optional, I encourage you to add your voice to this collective action. NFF will analyze the results and distribute them in early May.

Feel free to forward this email to other nonprofits in your community. The more survey respondents, the more representative and useful the findings will be!

Asim Mishra, Chief of Staff
Corporation for National and Community Service