Working Washington seeks a strategic, collaborative, and values-driven Development Director to power the next chapter of worker organizing and movement building across Washington State. This is a rare opportunity for an experienced fundraising leader who is energized by building organizations through growth, and motivated by the opportunity to fuel a growing multiracial workers movement where everyone shares in the prosperity we create together.
The Development Director will be a key member of the senior leadership team during a pivotal moment of organizational evolution. You will leverage this opportunity for growth, developing fundraising strategy across the organization's integrated 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations. Partnering closely with a visionary Executive Director and overseeing experienced development and operations staff, you'll lead strategy to diversify revenue, grow individual and major giving, and build the systems and organizational capacity to realize greater impact.
This is an exceptional moment to join the organization. After more than a decade of transformative organizing victories, Working Washington is intentionally evolving as a leader in building sustained worker power. Now the organization is investing in the fundraising leadership needed to match its ambitions. For a leader who enjoys cultivating meaningful relationships, building sustainable fundraising programs, and helping shape an organization's next chapter of growth and impact, this is an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to the future of worker power in Washington State.
Organizational Overview
Worker power changes everything.
Working Washington is building worker power and winning the fight against wealthy corporations. We are the statewide organizing home for the multiracial workers movement growing across all sectors. We are clear-eyed about the need to build the collective leadership of workers to shift power imbalances. We organize workers to transform working conditions, challenge corporate influence, and change the local and national conversation about wealth, inequality, and what workers deserve.
- Our work is guided by a clear theory of change: We organize a multiracial base of workers across Washington so we can win bold campaigns that build worker power and challenge corporate influence, because workers taking collective action is necessary to transform working conditions, the public narrative about the value of work, and our political and economic systems.
- We are committed to building and defending a thriving multiracial democracy where we have the power to govern, advance our agenda, and win at the scale workers deserve.
- Our integrated power-building model weaves together organizing, issue advocacy, legal strategies, and strategic narrative to challenge entrenched power imbalances.
Working Washington was founded in 2011 and helped spark a national movement by winning the Fight for $15 in Seattle and SeaTac. Since then, workers organizing through Working Washington have won groundbreaking campaigns that have best-in-the-nation labor protections for historically excluded workers. As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we are setting our sights on winning the next set of transformational victories with workers leading the fight.
We advance our mission through integrated power-building entities. Together, Working Washington, our 501(c)(4) organization, and Fair Work Center, our 501(c)(3), drive our organizing, narrative, and enforcement programs forward. With a combined budget of $3.3 million and a talented team of 16 staff, the organizations operate as one integrated movement building worker power across Washington State.
The Development Director Position
As Development Director, you will serve as a strategic partner to the Executive Director and the senior leadership team, leading the evolution of a development program that supports both impressive wins and the long-term investments required to build lasting worker power statewide.
Leading Fundraising Strategy & Planning: You'll lead the organization's overall development strategy, shaping fundraising priorities and building out long-term plans to diversify revenue and support greater impact. You’ll partner with a compelling and visionary Executive Director to develop new aligned funding opportunities, position the organization strategically, and elevate the organization.
Expanding Individual & Major Giving: One of the organization's greatest opportunities is growing a broader community of individual supporters who see investing in Working Washington as an act of solidarity with the multiracial workers movement. You'll help rebuild and expand individual giving, cultivate major donors, strengthen donor stewardship, and create meaningful opportunities for supporters to engage with the organization's vision, victories, and long-term movement-building work.
Building Operational Capacity & Excellence: You’ll foster a culture in which fundraising is understood as mission-critical, and the strengths of the staff and board are fully developed and activated. You’ll manage two experienced development and operations staff to provide strategic oversight of organizational finance, database, and development systems. Across monthly giving, prospect research, grant management, financial reporting, organizational budgeting, revenue forecasting, and database management, you'll lead a team to ensure the organization's development function is both highly effective today and well positioned for future growth.
The Leader We Seek
We recognize that no candidate will bring every qualification listed below - we're looking for a leader whose experience and values align with the opportunities and priorities of this role. This is an opportunity for a strategic, collaborative builder — someone who is energized by helping organizations evolve, comfortable navigating ambiguity, and excited to strengthen the strategy, relationships, and systems that will power Working Washington's next chapter.
Strategic Fundraising Leadership: We seek candidates with development leadership experience who have built and executed values-aligned fundraising strategies across multiple revenue streams, including individual giving and major gifts. Our ideal candidate can think strategically and proactively adapt in a highly dynamic landscape, while also translating vision into clear priorities, actionable plans, measurable goals, and sustainable growth for an organization.
Collaborative Leadership & Team Development: This role requires a collaborative, emotionally mature leader who builds trust easily, communicates with transparency, thrives in ambiguity, and works effectively across teams. Our ideal candidate enjoys being a strategic thought partner and co-conspirator to the Executive Director, managing and mentoring staff, and fostering a culture in which fundraising is understood as mission-critical work. We seek a leader who knows how to manage people for impact in the midst of organizational evolution — bringing clarity to roles, and cultivating shared ownership.
Movement-Aligned Leadership & Commitment to Worker Power: We seek a leader who is energized by building worker power and advancing economic and racial justice. Our ideal candidate understands that fundraising is an extension of movement building, and is excited to help resource bold systems change. Experience working within political fundraising, movement organizations, labor, or community organizing environments is valued, along with familiarity with multi-entity fundraising in 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.
Development & Operations Infrastructure: We seek candidates who are able to provide strategic oversight to the operational systems and infrastructure of a sustainable organization, including budgeting, reporting, revenue forecasting, and database management. Our ideal candidate enjoys managing the foundational systems of a successful development program that position organizations for long-term success.
Strategic Communications: This role requires candidates who can translate complex organizing, policy, and legal work into compelling stories that inspire investment and partnership. They will bring strong writing skills to make a compelling case for support to diverse audiences and communicate clear impact.
Relational Fundraising: Our ideal candidate is a highly relational fundraiser who enjoys making direct asks for support and building authentic, long-term partnerships with institutional funders, major donors, and philanthropic partners. They excel at staffing a visionary Executive Director to engage donors effectively and strategically position an organization for new opportunities.
How to Apply
APPLY HERE: https://www.workingwa.org/jobs
Online applications only, please no email or paper submissions. You will be asked to upload a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please describe as specifically as you can how your experience and values are a fit with Working Washington’s priorities for this position as described in this announcement.
Position is open until filled; applications will be reviewed as they are received and interviewing will take place on a rolling basis; early applications are very strongly encouraged! All applications will be acknowledged via an email receipt.
Questions regarding this opportunity or requests for accommodations are welcomed and can be directed to:
Sarah Cody Roth
Search Consultant, Clover Search Works
Sarah(at)cloversearchworks.com
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