Greenville, SC

Community Investments Officer, Hollingsworth Funds, Inc.

The Organization

An extraordinarily private individual, John D. Hollingsworth, Jr. established Hollingsworth Funds, a type-1 supporting organization, in 1976 as a means to provide support to the people of his adopted hometown. Upon his death in 2000, the bulk of his self-made textile and real estate fortune passed to Hollingsworth Funds. Under provisions of the trust documents, 45% of the annual distributions are designated to Furman University, 10% to the YMCA of Greenville and 45% to a class of organizations described as any 501(c)3 public charity benefitting Greenville County.

Since then, Hollingsworth Funds has evolved into a placed-based investor focused on the intersection of growth and opportunity in our community. Greenville’s exceptional quality of life is leading it to become one of the fastest-growing communities in the Southeast — and that growth is not slowing down anytime soon. While our growth puts us on “best” lists, our opportunity rates put us on a “worst” one. Greenville has one of the lowest rates of economic mobility in the country. We are in the bottom 1% of counties in the United States for economic mobility making it hard for some of our neighbors, particularly those who are Black and Hispanic/Latinx, to get ahead.

At Hollingsworth, we envision a vibrant, just, and inclusive Greenville where equitable opportunities exist for all to advance and thrive.  To achieve our vision, we aim to collectively remove the systemic barriers that hold people back based on race, place, and socioeconomic status, and strengthen the pathways that propel all people forward. This means finding ways for everyone to have career pathways that pay a living wage.  We are sharpening our focus on the barriers and pathways to the education to career pipeline so that students graduate high school prepared for college and career; attain a post-secondary credential; and access great jobs that keep them here.  We also want to see more people live in housing that they can afford and with access to reliable and efficient ways to get around – both of which make it easier for people to stay on track and make their best life here.

As a catalyst, convener, collaborator, advocate, and leader, Hollingsworth Funds’ role extends far beyond grantmaking. We are committed to working in partnership with others in Greenville to leverage our collective power to change the systems that hold people back by deploying all forms of our capital – social, moral, intellectual, reputational, and financial. At Hollingsworth Funds, we believe we can make the most of our community’s remarkable growth to benefit us all.

For more information, please visit www.HollingsworthFunds.org.

Whom We Seek

Hollingsworth Funds recently adopted a strategic focus to set the direction of our work moving forward. To strengthen our capacity to execute on that strategic focus we are seeking the addition of two (2) dynamic, adaptive, and community-minded leaders who are inspired by the values and commitment of Hollingsworth Funds to join the Community Investments team.  Our Community Investments team works to identify and build relationships with key stakeholders, convene critical players to discover potential solutions, and determine the best opportunities to deploy all forms of our philanthropic capital. The Community Investments Officers will be highly motivated, engaging, and able to excel in an evolving environment. They will help accelerate our learning, implement strategies, increase our ability to shift more quickly to changing conditions, and position us to be more proximate to the people and potential solutions that promote a vibrant, just, and inclusive community.  The Community Investments Officers are external facing, relationship-based positions who will engage with a diverse array of community partners in support of Hollingsworth Funds strategic focus. In support of that work, the Community Investments Officers will also participate in all aspects of the grantmaking process. They will work collaboratively with the Vice President of Community Investments and other philanthropic staff to develop and manage a portfolio of initiatives that collectively advance the vision and mission of Hollingsworth Funds.

Responsibilities

The Community Investments Officers report to the Vice President of Community Investments.  Responsibilities include:

  • Contributing to ongoing research, development, and refinement of strategic focus areas
  • Managing a diverse portfolio of existing community partners within strategic focus areas
  • Identifying and analyzing prospective community partners aligned with strategic focus areas
  • Engaging with existing and prospective community partners on all aspects of the grantmaking process including due diligence, proposal development, write-ups, monitoring and evaluation
  • Working with community partners to enhance organizational capacity and effectiveness
  • Developing relationships and fostering partnerships among and between key stakeholders including neighborhood leaders, nonprofits, public sector agencies, corporations and other funders
  • Convening key stakeholders to advance networking, learning opportunities, and collective action
  • Participating in leadership roles on key community initiatives
  • Contributing as a thought leader in the philanthropic field
  • Staying abreast of community issues, trends, practices, and policies that impact strategic focus areas
  • Representing Hollingsworth Funds at meetings, forums, and conferences, as appropriate

Ideal Skills and Experience

The Community Investments Officers will possess a mix of the following skills and experience:

  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse audiences
  • Strong strategic analytical skills and creative problem-solving ability
  • Demonstrated project management skills including the ability to effectively manage time, meet multiple competing deadlines, set realistic goals and objectives, and maintain a positive attitude under pressure
  • Strong written communication skills, along with highly effective oral communication and engaging presentation skills
  • Bachelor’s degree or at least two years of a college or university program is desirable
  • Knowledge or experience with strategic focus areas is desirable, but not required

Personal Characertistics

The Community Investments Officers will possess a mix of the following characteristics:

  • An individual who believes strongly in the vision, mission, and values of Hollingsworth Funds
  • Eager and able to learn, understand and work on a broad array of issues; reflective, with strong conceptual, critical, and creative thinking abilities
  • A good listener; one who is approachable, knowledgeable, and can develop meaningful relationships with diverse stakeholders
  • Comfortable receiving input from many sources and able to analyze and formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan
  • Professional with a demeanor demonstrating empathy, humility, respect, judgment, cultural sensitivity and flexibility to represent Funds in diverse forums and organizational relationships
  • A “doer” with a willingness to work hands-on in developing and executing a variety of philanthropic priorities; productive and results-oriented
  • Ability to travel locally in Greenville balancing time in the field with internal organizational needs

Compenstation

Hollingsworth Funds offers a competitive salary and benefits package including health insurance, retirement benefits, and paid vacation and holidays.  Further details on compensation will be provided to candidates selected for an initial phone interview

How To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter addressed to Tamela Spann, Vice President of Community Investments at hr@hollingsworthfunds.org. Resume and cover letter must be received by October 28, 2022. We will not consider any candidate without a cover letter. In your cover letter please address the following questions. 1) What appeals to you about working at Hollingsworth Funds? 2) Why are you a good fit for this position?

We anticipate conducting one initial phone interview with selected candidates followed by up to two in-person interviews before making an offer on or before January 13, 2022. Candidates will be notified via email of our acceptance or decline to schedule an initial phone interview on or before November 4, 2022.

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