Company Description

The Dignity Restoration Project (DRP) is a racial justice initiative that seeks to compensate and restore the dignity of Detroiters who lost their homes due to unlawful property tax assessments. Black homeowners were paying 6x the property tax rate of white homeowners, due to unlawfully inflated property tax assessments. DRP seeks to mobilize resources to compensate the hardest hit households in Detroit – low income residents who lost their homes to property tax foreclosures despite being exempt from paying property taxes in the first place.

DRP has three goals: (1) Halt discriminatory property tax administration, by drawing attention to this local and national issue; (2) Compensate households who were foreclosed on, starting with the hardest hit; and (3) Change the narrative about the foreclosure crisis, acknowledging the trauma and restoring dignity.

The Global Development Incubator (GDI) initiated an exploratory phase in September 2022 to validate the viability of the concept. With that foundational work nearly complete, we are now recruiting for fundraising leadership. So far we have received support from the Ford Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, Compton Foundation, and a group of donors affiliated with GDI.

The Dignity Restoration Project was developed through the work of Prof. Bernadette Atuahene, a property law scholar focusing on land stolen from people in the African Diaspora. Prof. Atuahene initiated the Project and will continue to serve as a member of the DRP board. The DRP board also consists of a number of local Detroit community leaders and residents affected by the property foreclosure crisis. Sarida Scott serves as the local project lead, working in partnership with Chintan Maru, Managing Director at GDI. GDI will continue to serve as an incubator, thought partner, and organizational capacity provider. DRP is also partnering with SPARQ, a behavioral science “do tank” from Stanford, to develop a research approach and process for evaluating the impact of the project. This diverse set of accomplished partners brings additional expertise and depth to the project.

Job Description

The Fundraising Consultant will play a critical role in securing multi-million funding to support the compensation fund and operations of the Dignity Restoration Project. The Fundraising Consultant has responsibility for implementing the DRP fundraising strategy that aligns with our mission, vision, values, and centers on developing partnerships and relationships, as opposed to merely transactional donations. The Fundraising Consultant will have a solid understanding of different fundraising strategies for non-profit enterprises, including philanthropic grants, corporate and government funds, and individual giving. 

The Project is planned in phases. Phase I fundraising will include operations support and compensation funds for approximately 2000 beneficiaries, an amount approximated at $10 million dollars. We are planning subsequent fundraising rounds, building momentum in Detroit and establishing an exemplar for the country.

This is an independent contractor position. Must be able to work with a remote team across multiple time zones.

Specific responsibilities:

• Understand the DRP mission and establish fundraising criteria that supports the integrity of our mission and intent of the DRP project to repair dignity and compensate homeowners.
• With GDI team, creation, development and implementation of a fundraising plan to support the long-term financial goals, sustainability and future growth of DRP.
• With GDI team, build strategy for developing long-term marketing and communication plan with donors that includes long-term relationship-building goals, aligning goals and processes with fundraising goals and social media/marketing materials, and tracking current donor contributions and outcomes.
• Develop a list of well-aligned potential donors and grants, research potential donors and grants, and build the pipeline of potential donors and grants.
• Write funding and contract proposals and reports.
• Collaborate with other team members to gather and integrate stories, data, and research to develop a compelling and accurate narrative for fundraising. 
• Manage, report on, and ensure timely follow-up on donor and contract related tasks, deliverables, and timelines.
• Work with team members to manage impact data and report on key metrics related to donors and contracts and to provide data for DRP marketing materials.
• Maintain a database of fundraising and contract relationships and opportunities, including maintaining contacts and tracking relationship-building processes, funds received, pipeline, and deadlines.

Additional Information

Application Process
If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for the role, please attach your detailed CV and a cover letter, outlining their interest in this position and why they would be a good fit. Please note that the cover letter is considered an important aspect of the application and will be evaluated against the qualifications above. Applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.