Executive Director (Work Remotely)

About the KGSA Foundation and Kibera Girls Soccer Academy:

Mission: The KGSA Foundation provides financial and technical assistance to support the Kibera Girls’ Soccer Academy (KGSA), a community center in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. KGSA offers free secondary education to over 130 girls annually, in addition to artistic and athletic programming to the students to help create a stronger, more resilient Kibera.

History: In 2002, Abdul Kassim started a soccer program to get girls from the slums off of the streets and into something productive. In time, he recognized that the girls needed more than soccer, they needed an education.  Abdul met a group of Americans studying abroad in Kenya and brought them to his school. Since that serendipitous meeting, the school has grown from a single classroom with 13 girls to a secondary school providing free education, lunch, and healthcare to 130 girls each year as well as an array of extracurricular activities.

Philosophy: We believe local problems need local solutions. We recognize the expertise of community leaders and invest in their ability to respond to problems on their own terms. When local leaders are given the chance to lead, they create innovative solutions to poverty that outsiders may miss, they earn community buy-in leading to meaningful relationships and support with surrounding stakeholders, and they illuminate the possibility that everyone is an agent of change, empowering others to help strengthen the community.

Awards/Achievements: In 2014, KGSA was honored as one of the first thirteen Ashoka Changemaker Schools in East Africa, the only one in Nairobi. These schools support children as changemakers – individuals with the skill set and connection to purpose that enable them to take initiative to solve problems and drive positive change in their communities. In 2017, Play Like a Girl, written by Ellie Roscher, was released. It shares the founding story of the school as well as the personal stories of its first students and staff. For the past two years, KGSA has beaten the national average on the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education, a tremendous accomplishment given the many challenges that our students face growing up in poverty in Kibera.

About the Executive Director Role

We are seeking a talented, enterprising and early or mid-career individual to continue the management duties of the KGSA Foundation and its trajectory of growth and professionalism: chiefly fundraising, cultivating and maintaining partnerships, increasing the organization’s profile in Kenya and in the United States, and administration of the organization. The Executive Director will lead, develop, and implement the KGSA Foundation’s fundraising strategy, guide us as we develop our programmatic mission, and serve as the main liaison between the KGSA Foundation, the school, and the Board of Directors.

We offer an exciting opportunity to directly and significantly impact the lives of young women and their community. KGSA has developed an exciting vision for growth and increasing our impact. Over the next five years, KGSA seeks to expand our model to provide our students and graduates with all the necessary support and scholarships to help them pursue careers that will enable them to be financially independent women who are able to provide for themselves and their families. KGSA is seeking a passionate leader excited about leading the organization into this next chapter.

The current Executive Director is based in Saint Paul, MN, but works remotely. The organization is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors comprised from different parts of the country including Boston, Denver, Portland, and Minneapolis. Strong preference given to candidates who live in the U.S., and who have easy access to a major international airport.

• Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Development (60%)
    • Fundraising Strategy: Work with the Board of Directors to develop an annual fundraising strategy to secure adequate funding for the operation of the organization.
    • Donor Prospecting and Cultivation: Seek out and manage relationships with high net-worth individuals, foundations, corporations, and maintain relationships with current donors and partners
    • Donor Stewardship: Oversee all donor stewardship and ensure donors receive timely acknowledgments and tax-receipts
    • Grant-writing: Research funding sources, oversee the development strategy, supervise the organization of fundraising campaigns and events, and write funding proposals to increase the funds of the organization
    • Events: Plan and implement fundraising events and trips as needed
    • Campaigns: Plan and oversee all fundraising campaigns including a Giving Tuesday campaign as well as other targeted fundraising opportunities

• Communications and Public Relations (25%)
  • Marketing and Communications Strategy: Develop and implement a marketing and communications strategy that will allow KGSA to cultivate relationships with donors, external audiences, school visitors and key media in the U.S. and in Kenya.
  • Online and Social Media: Manage and lead content creation for all social media, the KGSA Foundation and Kibera Girls’ Soccer Academy websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
  • Print Marketing: Write and coordinate the design, printing and distribution of marketing and communication materials for development efforts including an annual appeal newsletter, annual report, and holiday card each year
  • Email Marketing: Write and design all marketing emails including a monthly story campaign and regular newsletters
  • Brand Management: Maintain the organization’s image and identity

• Leadership and Management (15%)
  • Partnership: Develop and maintain a respectful relationship with the Kenyan leaders and staff and serve as the main liaison between the KGSA Foundation, the Kibera Girls’ Soccer Academy, and the Board of Directors
    • Travel annually to Kenya to meet with school leadership and partners
  • Board Relations: Collaborate with the Board of Directors to implement the KGSA Foundation’s vision while ensuring that the budget and priorities are aligned with our core mission; Play an active role in developing board leadership and providing direction to the board; run bi-monthly remote meetings and an annual in-person retreat.
  • Management:
    • Development Associate: Hire and manage a part-time development associate to increase the organization’s fundraising capacity
    • Social Media Manager: Work directly with a Kenya-based employee to manage KGSA’s social media
    • Friends of KGSA: Meet monthly with a close-knit group of supporters volunteering to support KGSA in fundraising and other aspects of the organization
  • Accounting/Financial Management: Maintain financial stewardship for the organization including ensuring positive cash flow, updating and maintaining all accounting records in Quickbooks, and developing and monitoring annual budgets
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: Assist the school in monitoring and evaluating its programs and impact through consistently tracking internal reporting, overseeing an annual alumni survey, and tracking national exam scores.

• Required Qualifications:
  • A. or B.S. degree
  • Minimum of 3 years of fundraising and grant writing experience in a non-profit
  • Self-starter, able to work independently, and skilled at creating and implementing new initiatives
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of current trends in social media and digital media
  • A passion for and knowledge of gender equality, poverty reduction and community empowerment/engagement
  • Ability to think strategically
  • Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively with all stakeholders in Kenya and the U.S.

• Preferred Qualifications:
  • MSW, MBA, MPH, MDP, or other related advanced degree
  • Professional experience in the non-profit sector with a focus on international development
  • Extended international field experience in East Africa and in urban slum environments

• Compensation and Benefits:
  • Salary: $47,000 commensurate with experience and subject to increase with the organization’s growth.
  • 3 weeks paid vacation each year
  • Great professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities

Application Process

To apply, please send the following:

• Current CV/resume
• A cover letter outlining personal desire for this position and unique qualifications
• A brief development-focused writing sample such as a funding proposal or letter of inquiry (LOI)
• 3 references – please include contact information and nature of relationship.

Send to Sean Rush, Board Member, srush2007@gmail.com with the subject line “Executive Director KGSA – [Last Name].”

Selection Process and Timeline:

• • The Board will review resumes in late July and early August with a preferred September start date for the position.
  • We will respond to viable applicants to request an interview.

Miscellaneous:

• This Request for Proposals does not constitute an offer of employment or engagement between KGSA Foundation and the candidate
• Any timeframes or deadlines included in this Request for Proposal are for planning purposes only, and shall not be considered binding deadlines
• The parties acknowledge and agree that KGSA Foundation reserves the right to change the application process, including changes to the timeline and selection criteria, at any time, with or without prior notice

The KGSA Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

www.KGSAfoundation.org