Posted by: Youth in Focus (Seattle)
Seattle, WA, US
For 18 years, Youth in Focus (YIF) has provided a high-quality, nationally recognized arts empowerment experience to disadvantaged young people in the Seattle area. YIF’s mission is to empower urban teens, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and to make positive choices for their lives.
We accomplish this mission by building a community of support around high school-aged youth and providing these students with a sequential series of free photography classes—in both film and digital media—that are specifically designed to build a sense of self-worth, social skills, artistic sensibility and self-expression.
Over 80 percent of YIF’s students are young people of color, and many face significant life challenges. Through their photography training, YIF students find their own voices, build self-confidence, develop caring relationships with adults, and experience the joy of developing serious artistic skills in a challenging medium. For more information, please visit our website at www.youthinfocus.org.
The ideal Executive Director candidate would be prepared to build on YIF’s already strong program and lead the organization to new levels of financial security, community engagement and program effectiveness. The ED will be supported in this effort by staff members, teaching artists, dedicated volunteers and a committed Board of Directors.
Key Responsibilities
- Leadership: Oversee all parts of YIF’s financial, strategic and program goals. Recruit, motivate, supervise and support a small team of committed staff members. Manage the relationship and communication between the youth we serve, teaching artists, staff and Board of Directors.
- Fundraising: Write and implement a strategic annual fundraising plan. Build and expand relationships with donors, particularly major donors and funders. Develop compelling grant proposals and help create and implement innovative fund-generating campaigns. Identify local and national grant and partnership opportunities that will build YIF’s community and generate revenue to maintain and expand our programming. Use strong organizational skills to keep track of varying deadlines for grant application submission and reporting. Responsibly manage all budget, fiscal management and financial reporting details.
- Community Engagement and Development: Positively represent Youth in Focus publicly. Work enthusiastically with the community to share the message about YIF’s work, build relationships and encourage community involvement.
- Administrative: Actively participate in board meetings and executive committee meetings. Sign contracts, checks and other legal documents on behalf of YIF. Work with accountant to file annual Form 990. Oversee payroll and communicate with bookkeeper on relevant financial concerns.
Qualifications
- Strong commitment to creating a safe and positive environment for a diverse population of youth, staff and volunteers
- Demonstrated fundraising and grant-writing abilities
- Strong track record of managing budgets and financial reporting
- Excellent management skills. Ability to apply situational leadership in working appropriately with key constituents, including students, parents, staff, board members, volunteers, funders, and community leaders
- Ability to set organizational goals, achieve timely results and delegate tasks as needed
- Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills. Active and participatory listening skills and ability to resolve conflicts and issues quickly and compassionately, supporting a collaborative and respectful office culture
- Commitment to providing appropriate and sensitive services by responding to people’s needs regardless of their social status, race, class or gender
- Experience with the arts and/or photography preferred
- Familiarity with programs such as Word, Excel and Quickbooks. Experience with Salesforce preferred.
