The Organization
The Colorado Trust
The Colorado Trust (The Trust) is a grantmaking foundation dedicated to ensuring all Coloradans have the opportunity to thrive. When the nonprofit PSL Healthcare Corporation was sold to a for-profit organization in 1985, the proceeds of the sale were used to create The Trust. Since then, The Trust has provided funding and resources to people and organizations across Colorado that are working to make positive changes in their communities. We work side by side with Coloradans, including people who have been left out of decision-making and are directly impacted by hardships. The Trust also provides grants and support to organizations advocating for local and statewide policies that have a positive impact on people’s well-being.
The Trust strives to maintain a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
Position Overview
The advocacy program manager directs day-to-day management and execution of the advocacy grantmaking of The Trust, including the Building and Bridging Power funding strategy. This includes establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with grantees, supporting capacity-building needs, facilitating relationships and meetings, monitoring progress towards strategy goals over time, managing strategy budgets, and working with grantees, Trust colleagues and others on strategy evaluation. The advocacy program manager reports to and is supervised by the vice president of grants, and is an employee at-will of The Trust.
Responsibilities
- Direct execution of advocacy grantmaking, including managing the existing Building and Bridging Power funding strategy
- Direct advocacy grantmaking proposal processes, including designing and implementing grant application processes, reviewing and analyzing proposals and budgets, compiling additional information as needed, preparing summaries of proposals and making recommendations on grantee selection to senior staff and the board of trustees
- Design, implement and manage complex, multiyear, multimillion dollar advocacy funding strategies
- Direct the development and monitoring of advocacy grantmaking strategies, including writing descriptions and implementing board-approved plans in conjunction with an internal team of Trust staff
- Create budgets, approve spending and monitor funding-strategy expenditures; identify potential budget overruns and/or savings; modify budgets as needed to meet program needs
- Create, manage and maintain trusting partnerships with advocacy grantees to ensure strategies and workplans are co-developed, supporting their decision making, technical and capacity-building needs in order to advance health equity advocacy
- Collaborate with other funders and stakeholders to support advocacy efforts and grantee needs
- Create and manage scopes of work with outside entities that provide support to grantees or the advocacy strategies
- Attend and present at local, state and national conferences to both deepen strategy-related knowledge and share The Trust’s advocacy-related work
- Build deep relationships with grantee- and non-grantee organizations through meetings with co-created learning agendas
- Evolve The Trust’s internal and external operations towards authentic, grantee-driven work, complementing and in alignment with the Community Partnerships strategy
- Maintain in-depth knowledge of all foundation program areas, including current issues and key resource people and organizations
- Engage with community partners, grantees and stakeholders to maintain contemporary knowledge of pressing needs, local contexts and issues impacting health equity, including policy and advocacy programs, and field-building efforts locally and nationally
- Communicate with agencies, communities, funders and others about The Trust’s grantmaking priorities, guidelines and proposal review processes
- Contribute learnings at the local, state and national levels, and translate learnings into opportunities to increase impact
- Follow and identify pertinent trends among grantees and other organizations
- Work in partnership with the Communications Department, communicating information to grantees, communities, organizations and other stakeholders.
- Work in partnership with the Research, Evaluation & Strategic Learning Department on the development and implementation of strategic learning and evaluations tied to policy and advocacy funding strategies
- Work in partnership with the Finance & Operations Department to ensure compliance with organizational policies and procedures, track business and consultant expenses, initiate consultant and vendor proposals and scopes of work, assist in drafting contracts, and process and approve payments and invoices accordingly
- Simultaneously supervise and manage multiple contractors and consultants
- Periodically provide strategy updates to the board of trustees
- Maintain confidentiality with respect to the business and affairs of The Trust and those with whom it has relationships
- Participate in internal Trust committees and teams
- Participate in staff trainings and other efforts intended to improve The Trust’s alignment with our values of diversity, equity and inclusion
- Travel both in and out of state as needed
- Supervise support staff as needed
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- At least three years of experience working in social justice, community development, race relations, social policy, health equity, community organizing or a related field. A degree with a major discipline in one of these areas may be considered as commensurate with such experience
- Strong interpersonal skills that reflect courtesy, diplomacy and a collaborative approach to developing and maintaining effective relationships
- Excellent written, verbal, organizational and analytical skills
- Excellent listening and communication skills, with sensitivity to cultural communication differences
- Ability to manage conflict and reach solutions when working with organizations that have different priorities, agendas and working styles
- Understanding of power in the philanthropic context, and ability to navigate and mitigate power dynamics between the foundation and funded and non-funded partners
- Excellent computer skills; proficiency in Microsoft applications and other software tools (e.g., Basecamp, Zoom, Intacct, FLUXX, database software, CRM software) for managing a range of business processes
- A high level of self-motivation and ability to work individually and on multiple teams
- Ability to adapt quickly to change
- Poise and ability to work well under pressure, as well as a tolerance for ambiguity
- Instinct for innovation and opportunities to streamline, improve and develop effective processes and systems
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to manage competing priorities, troubleshoot, prioritize projects, meet deadlines and manage workflow and workload
- Ability to work effectively with persons from diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds
- Experience building strong and honest team cultures
- Awareness of and respect for cultural differences across populations, communities and geographic areas
- Experience facilitating large group meetings, virtually and in-person
- Knowledge of or familiarity with the Colorado health, social justice and equity landscape
- Familiarity with, or willingness to learn, about cutting-edge philanthropic approaches such as trust-based philanthropy.
Personal Attributes
- Passion for The Trust’s health equity vision and its mission of advancing the health and well-being of the people of Colorado
- Personal and professional commitment to issues of community, diversity, racial justice, equity, integrity and fairness
- Empathy and responsiveness to emotions and changing circumstances
- Curiosity and a willingness to experiment, reflect and learn
- Comfort with collaborative decision-making processes
- Knowing when you need help, and feeling comfortable asking for help
- Patience and flexibility
- Commitment to honesty and transparency
- Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty
- Demonstrated work style that is humble, flexible, respectful, responsive and collaborative
- Ongoing commitment to improving skills and knowledge acquisition.
Salary Range
$85,000 – $112,000 annually. The Trust offers its employees a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, retirement plan, group life insurance and paid time off.
How To Apply
Please apply via The Trust’s online application system. Registration is not necessary to use this system. Document uploads maybe required. The application system is currently only available in English; applicants who prefer to apply in Spanish may apply via email if needed. All other applications must be received via the online application system. Please contact us with any questions you may have.
The deadline to apply for this position is 5 p.m. MST on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
The Trust seeks talented, team-oriented individuals, dedicated to our goal of advancing the health and well-being of the people of Colorado. Additionally, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome a diversity of perspectives and experiences among our staff. For more information, please visit www.coloradotrust.org.