JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Political Research Associates

Political Research Associates is a Somerville-based think tank that fuses journalistic reporting techniques with traditional research to produce reports on the American right-wing in support of movements for reproductive and GLBT rights, environmentalism, civil liberties, and religious freedom.

Founded 25 years ago, PRA has become one of the country's most respected progressive think tanks.  It is the publisher of The Public Eye magazine, a quarterly on the American right read by scholars, activists, and journalists.

PRA is an equal opportunity employer.

Development Officer Position Description

Political Research Associates (PRA) is an independent, non-profit research organization, established in 1981 in response to the emergence of the New Right.  Our mission is to advance a just, democratic, and pluralistic society.  PRA’s incisive research and analysis on the full spectrum of the U.S. Right’s movements, institutions, and ideologies that undermine human rights supply social change makers with the depth and breadth of information to challenge systemic oppression.  PRA holds a unique niche in the social justice community, as it is the only organization that studies all sectors of the Right – secular, religious, and xenophobic – and the tactics they use to negate, or attempt to negate, the progressive principles and policies that are the cornerstones of an open and egalitarian society.  Social justice advocates have hailed PRA as the critical resource for information and insights about the Right that enable them to develop and implement innovative, strategic campaigns to counter the Right and build a society where human rights for all is truly the norm.

Development Officer

The PRA Development Officer is a critical position whose responsibilities and interactions extend across the organization as s/he works with the ED, research team, Public Eye senior editor, database and web manager, office manager, and other support staff.   Externally, the Development Officer stays abreast of current trends in the nonprofit fundraising community, communicates with current and potential donors, identifies when ED and/or research staff should communicate directly with current or potential foundation donor, and communicates with individual/major donors and PRA Board members as appropriate.
  
Annual Fund Development Strategy
Create and track annual development plan that lists goals/objectives/activities to obtain foundation and individual/major donor support for PRA’s research/analysis, reports, convenings/trainings/workshops, publications (The Public Eye, a quarterly magazine; Right Web, a web-weekly; and educational materials), website, and library, targeted to social justice advocates, organizers, journalists, scholars, and many other stakeholders.
 
Foundation Proposals, Reports, Budgets

• Draft proposals, LOIs, budgets, narrative and financial reports for current and prospective foundation donors,
• Working closely with/obtaining input and comment from appropriate research staff, ED, finance staff, and others to produce and submit final products.
• Keep general support grant proposal up to date

Foundation Donor Stewardship and Cultivation

• Coordinate timely communications with donors, ensuring timely acknowledgement letters, etc.
• Arrange and participate in, as appropriate, meetings with donors and potential donors.
• Prepare and carry out stewardship plan for foundation donors, including appropriate communications by ED and research staff with donors.
• Prepare and carry out cultivation plan for prospective foundation donors.  
• Prepare bi-annual PRAcess newsletters to all foundation and individual/major donors, working with research team and ED to identify and write content, and with data manager and others on production/dissemination.

Foundation Prospecting

• Prospect for foundation donors likely to support PRA’s mission, values, goals, and objectives as defined in the PRA Strategic Plan, annual program plans, program/project concepts; and discussions with PRA ED and staff.
• Contact prospective foundation donors in advance, if possible, of submitting LOIs/proposals.
• Develop LOIs/proposals to prospective foundations donors, working with research team and ED.

Individual and Major Donors

• Coordinate production of a minimum of two (mid-year and year-end) appeal letters to individual donors (and adjust for major donors), working with direct mail writer-consultant, Public Eye senior editor, ED, research team, and others.
• Work with PRA ED and Major Donor Consultant to coordinate overall development plan, including creating annual and quarterly cash flow goals.
• Develop incentives/communications to increase individual donor giving.
• Work with ED and Major Donor Consultant to increase Board giving and their involvement in fundraising, including year-end donor calls and other appropriate communications.

Development Administration/Management

• Work with PRA database manager to develop interrelated foundation prospecting and current foundation donor tracking systems.
• Work with ED, research team, director of finance, major donor consultant to prepare PRA income projections/budgets. 
• Keep Foundation Deadlines Tracking Report and Foundation Income Flow Chart up to date.

 Qualifications:

• Excellent writing, oral communications, strategic, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent judgment 
• Demonstrated ability to set and meet deadlines, set priorities
• Strong attention to detail
• Team player with ability to lead and/or serve as member of a team
• Minimum two years’ experience working with a nonprofit organization, preferably in foundation fundraising
• Proficient in MS Word Excel, Outlook, Internet
• Commitment to PRA’s mission, values, and goals
• Sense of humor, creative thinking, curiosity

Please submit a cover letter, resume, three references, and one writing sample no longer than two pages online to a.lessler@publiceye.org or fax to 617-666-6622 by April 30, 2008.

Internships

Research and Editorial Internship
PRA seeks an intern with experience in journalism or research to assist staff in investigating a variety of right-wing movements and institutions, and producing The Public Eye magazine.  The internship is a minimum 10-hour work week commitment.  Research responsibilities include extensive web, library, or phone research, fact checking, meeting with researchers and analysts, and writing.  The Public Eye responsibilities include assisting the Senior Editor with reporting and research, and copy editing.

Development and Communications Internship
We are looking for an enthusiastic intern interested in working on projects related to development and communications at PRA. The intern will work with the Director of Development and Communications on tasks related to fundraising, public relations, and media communications. Depending on the interest and skills of the applicant, the intern may take on some of the following tasks:

• Researching new potential grant-giving sources;
• Updating and collating donor information;
• Assisting in the organizing and preparations for fundraising events;
• Assisting in the production of newsletters and other communications and marketing materials;
• Assisting in the organizing of promotional events related to PRA publications;
• Assisting in the drafting of press releases and other public relations communications materials;
• Updating internal media contact lists.

Qualifications/skills: Excellent written communications, editing and proofreading skills; proficient in MS Word, Excel, and graphic related applications; detailed oriented; able to work on short and long-term projects; must be able to work independently and part of a team.

To apply, send a resume, two writing samples and a cover letter detailing why you want to work at Political Research Associates via, fax, email, or traditional mail to:

Amy Lessler
Political Research Associates
1310 Broadway, Suite 201
Somerville, MA 02144-1837
617.666.6622 (fax)
a.lessler@publiceye.org

Winter Session:  Jan - May
Summer Session:  June - Aug
Fall Session:  Sept - Dec