About Pursuit
Our mission is to create economic transformation. By training low-income adults to launch and advance careers as software engineers, we help our Fellows go from earning $18,000 to over $90,000 starting salary on average, adding an estimated $2M in lifetime earnings. Pursuit partners with leading companies like Blackstone, USV, Citi, Peloton, and Uber to employ Fellows in career-defining engineering roles and supports them with on-the-job training to ensure potential translates to performance. Since 2013, Pursuit has created ~$1B in total lifetime wage gains, creating lasting economic mobility that spans generations.
Pursuit’s proven solution is built on two interconnected components: training (which includes community development, Core pre-job training, and Commit on-the-job training) and a financial product (known as Bond). However, growing training alone will not meet the magnitude of need nor solve new societal challenges ahead. The typical expectation is to expand our training to other cities, but this will not come anywhere close to creating good jobs for millions of low-income Americans. Instead, our strategy for scaled impact is to evolve our financial product and create tools for other organizations, jobs, and places. We believe that this will not only create good jobs for millions of low-income Americans but will also generate a new trillion-dollar market directly tied to results in the long term.
We are One Big Team
The passionate and collaborative team at Pursuit gives its all to achieve our mission. And it’s not just staff. We work with employer partners that love hiring our Fellows because they are so well prepared, ranging from big financial firms to scrappy startups, and everything in between. We also activate and engage hundreds of volunteers that come from all areas of the tech industry.
As the Individual Giving Manager, you will oversee the strategy, communications, and ongoing engagement of Pursuit’s network of high net worth individuals and influential leaders in business and technology. Reporting to the VP of Development & Partnerships, you will create, own and drive a dynamic engagement strategy to retain and acquire net new gifts from Pursuit champions and other individuals. You will lead the planning and execution of events and develop exceptional experiences that promote, diversify, expand, and educate our funders and potential funders.
As the Individual Giving Manager you will:
- Establish new and deep relationships with philanthropists and other high networth individuals, with a goal of achieving $1-2M in funding.
- Leverage networking, relationship mapping, and relationship building to secure net new funds from individual stakeholders.
- Design and execute materials and storytelling strategies to attract new funders.
- Support planning and development of bespoke engagement activities such as intimate dinners, galas, etc.
- Uncover new pools of capital that will ultimately fit Pursuit's fundraising needs and simultaneously achieve our partners’ goals.
- Identify broader philanthropic opportunities with high networth individuals that are aligned with investing in innovation and big ideas and/or Pursuit’s mission to create economic opportunity and mobility.
- Partner with cross-functional team members and members of the wider Pursuit BD team to achieve an annual fundraising goal of $10M+
What you need to be considered for the Individual Giving Manager position:
- At least 6 - 8+ years of professional experience with demonstrated experience engaging high net worth individuals and networks in a fundraising capacity.
- Incredible relationship-builder with an ability to engage, connect, and maintain relationships with a wide diversity of high networth individuals.
- Expert understanding of and well-developed skills in navigating and holding networks accountable, building relationships, storytelling, relationship management, etc.
- Proven track record of building new & white glove business relationships.
- An analytical approach to defining an opportunity.
- Data-driven and results-focused.
- Creative, flexible, and solution-oriented.
- A team player working cross-functionally to provide additional opportunities for various Pursuit engagements.
- Extremely motivated and inspired by Pursuit’s mission.
Where you’ll work:
- On-site, 3-4 days per week in our Long Island City Office. Remote Fridays!
- We are working on updating our office policy, and some roles may require 4+ days on site per week.
Salary & Benefits:
The salary range for this role is $140-150k base, plus incentive compensation based on team and organizational goals.
The compensation range above is for the expectations as laid out in the job description, however, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.
Pursuit offers:
- Great culture where transparency, respect, teamwork, and kindness are valued
- Competitive compensation in base, plus bonus and a full benefits package
- 401k Match
- Unlimited PTO and an all-Pursuit summer break the last week of August and a week-long holiday the last week of December
- Flexible, hybrid work schedule with catered lunches once a week and delicious snacks
- An opportunity to work at the intersection of tech and social impact, and make a direct impact on the communities of those we serve.
Pursuit values diversity:
Our team has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and we value the richness that diversity brings to our organization. We welcome new perspectives and affirm that all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, familial or marital status, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuit is an equal opportunity employer.
What We Do
Pursuit is a social impact organization that creates transformation where it’s needed most. Through our intensive software developer training program, we teach high-need, high-potential adults the technical skills and industry smarts needed to get their first tech jobs, advance in their careers, and become the next generation of leaders in tech. In addition to training and career support, Pursuit’s innovative operating model combines partnerships with tech companies to retrain their blue-collar workers and social impact investments to re-envision funding for outcomes-based organizations.
Our graduates are hired by leading companies like Pinterest, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase, and increase their average annual salaries from $18,000 to over $85,000. By connecting talent with opportunity, Pursuit empowers graduates to transform their families, tech companies, and communities across the nation. Read about our work in the New York Times: Income Before: $18,000. After: $85,000. Does Tiny Nonprofit Hold a Key to the Middle Class?
Why Work With Us
Pursuit is a social enterprise with the energy of a startup. We take new and innovative approaches and channel impact investments to drive greater scale and impact. We are passionate, collaborative, adaptable, and inclusive. Work with us to help underserved communities access life-changing tech opportunities.