Chief External Relations/Chief Community Relations/Chief Engagement Officer

Open Arms is seeking an exciting and unconventional Chief External Relations/Chief Community Relations/Chief Engagement Officer. We are in the process of an exciting organizational re-structure that will combine two externally facing departments to strengthen our work with individual and institutional partners, and community members, and will have an official job title soon. Open Arms is an operationally focused non-profit where organizational leaders are mostly in-person, active participants in daily activities. This is a great opportunity for someone who prioritizes, loves, and models authentic relationship building with volunteers, funders, clients, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Are you a people-connector who naturally builds trust and understands the connection between volunteerism and philanthropic relationships? Are you very comfortable with stewarding large, small, first-time, multiple, and major gifts from new and existing donors? Are you excited about an award-winning, one-of-a-kind volunteer community with intense mission engagement and investment? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, Open Arms may be for you.

For this critical new, relationship-focused role, we are seeking a strategic and experienced candidate who is mission-focused, extremely relational, and not afraid to roll up their sleeves and actively participate in day-to-day stakeholder engagement.

We are a medium-sized, client-focused, community-building nonprofit with a highly relational culture and high expectations of exceptional customer service from stakeholders. You can expect a fast-moving environment, a mix of deep tradition and a desire for new ideas, travel between two buildings (Minneapolis/St. Paul), and constant learning! We are looking for a non-profit development professional who puts the mission first, understands how to work in an agency with constant competing priorities, wants to spend the majority of their time on-site, is genuinely excited about our work, and leaves their ego at the door. If this sounds like you, we are excited to meet you! We will prioritize values alignment and broad, direct experience over career trajectory and your current or last job title.

Our ideal candidate is:

• An enthusiastic and authentic relationship builder who is genuinely interested in creating and nurturing relationships across the organization and community, who understands that Open Arms’ unique, relational culture is the key to our success and growth.
• An experienced development professional who enjoys and excels at personally, soliciting and landing donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and has experience overseeing large events with a proven history of success.
• A true community builder, committed to consistently providing a transformational – not transactional – experience for our volunteers and donors, who can cultivate and nurture a highly invested and unique volunteer community who make our work possible.
• An ambassador of philanthropy, who will thoughtfully build upon and strengthen our culture of philanthropy among staff, volunteers, and community partners who interact with Open Arms.
• A skilled storyteller who can tell the story of our clients and excels at communicating the impact of our programs.
• A warm, extroverted leader with excellent interpersonal and management skills, who is a hands-on team builder, values face-to-face communication, and models an all-hands-on-deck mentality.
• A strong supervisor who is an exceptional thought leader, open to new ideas and new perspectives. Ideal candidate will excel at providing professional development growth for team members and will also provide constructive learning opportunities.
• A collaborative, inclusive peer who will work as an equal partner with members of the Senior Leadership team, helping to achieve the best organizational outcomes.
• A flexible leader who excels in a rapidly changing, fast-paced environment with extremely diverse and distinct organizational departments with competing needs and priorities.
• A hands-on team player who is comfortable at the strategic level, but is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and actively participate in day-to-day engagement efforts.
• An experienced and adept manager and supervisor, skilled in managing diverse personalities both internally and externally.

Requirements – We will prioritize values alignment and broad, direct experience over career trajectory and your last job title.

• Significant non-profit fundraising experience, including a combination of development and communications work at a nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated success and evidence of authentic relationship-building desire and skills.
• Proven, demonstratable success in personally securing donations, media, and community partnerships.
• Robust experience working alongside or managing volunteers, with a rich understanding of volunteer programming.
• 10+ years of supervisory experience.
• Experience working in an operational or direct service non-profit preferred.
• Confident communication, writing, public speaking, and human relations skills, and a personal presence that garners respect from donors, volunteers, and the public at large.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal operational leaders, collaborating on joint projects and goals.
• Ability to initiate contact with prospective funders/partners/supporters.
• Ability to work at both a high, strategic level and as a “do-er”, in an all hands-on deck environment.
• Well-developed organizational skills and demonstrated ability to multi-task in a high-pressure setting.
• Ability to work successfully both independently and collaboratively as part of a team, creating and contributing to a positive team environment.
• Strong written and public speaking abilities, with demonstrated success at external and internal presentations.
• Experience in planning and working within budgets.
• Ability to think strategically, creatively, and proactively.
• Ability to work under pressure, deal with, and maintain a positive attitude in stressful situations and during busy periods.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work onsite at both Minneapolis and St. Paul offices
• Advanced ability in MS Office and Internet research applications.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Sensitive to diversity and ability to work respectfully with a wide array of coworkers and members of the community.
• A passion for the mission and values of Open Arms.

Reports To: CEO
Compensation Range: $130,000-$150,000 annually   
Locations: Minneapolis and St. Paul
Hours:40 hours per week

Go HERE to learn more about Open Arms. 

If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to join the amazing Open Arms team, please send resume and cover letter detailing pertinent experience to:

Open Arms of Minnesota Human Resources
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 612.872.0866
Mail: 2500 Bloomington Avenue S, Minneapolis MN 55404