Philanthropy Associate

ClimateWorks Foundation supports public policies that prevent dangerous climate change and catalyze sustainable global prosperity. Now entering its fourth year, ClimateWorks has built a vibrant and effective global network with over 300 employees, a $165 million annual budget for climate work, and a growing track record of policy wins and tons of carbon abated.

ClimateWorks Foundation is the core of the ClimateWorks Network, which comprises a dozen climate organizations. The Network philanthropy team consists of 5 staff at ClimateWorks Foundation in San Francisco who have over 50 years of combined development experience, 5 staff at Network organizations around the world, and a philanthropy researcher. The philanthropy team works with the senior staff of some of the world’s major philanthropic foundations and the ClimateWorks board to achieve excellent fundraising results.

In 2007, 6 foundations—Hewlett, Packard, Oak, Energy Foundation, Joyce, and Doris Duke—commissioned a research study to identify the most effective approaches, by sector and by country, to rapidly reduce global carbon emissions. The study, titled Design to Win, outlined several principal conclusions: 

• Efforts in a half dozen countries and regions—the U.S., E.U., China, India, and Latin America—combined with work to stem deforestation in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Congo, can deliver the reductions in carbon emissions necessary for averting a global climate catastrophe.
• The carbon battle cannot be won in the next decade, but it can be lost. Locking in bad decisions today will make the future challenge extremely difficult. In particular, building more conventional coal-fired power plants, developing inefficient cities in China, and continuing high rates of deforestation during the next 10 years would cause irreversible damage. 
• Policy is the key to transformation. The global energy economy is a $5 trillion sector, with individual energy infrastructure investments (capital investments in power plants, oil wells, etc.) reaching the billion dollar level. Sound policy is the most effective means of shifting capital flows from dirty to clean alternatives.
• Policy advocacy in the energy arena has been very successful when pursued with care and diligence, but current efforts are inadequate. 

Based on these conclusions, a new global philanthropic network, ClimateWorks Network, was organized to win the battle against climate change. The Network’s goal is to work with others to inspire the adoption of policies that limit annual greenhouse gas emissions to 35 billion metric tons by 2030—50% below projections. ClimateWorks Foundation works in the top-emitting nations to build low-carbon energy policies and to reduce the rate of deforestation in the world’s largest, most threatened tropical forests.

Position Overview:

ClimateWorks Foundation seeks a highly professional, self-directed, and motivated Philanthropy Associate to provide administrative and organizational support to the entire ClimateWorks philanthropy team, in particular to both the Director of Philanthropy and the Associate Director of Philanthropy. The Philanthropy Associate will play a key role in the philanthropy team by providing organizational support, managing calendars, arranging travel and meeting logistics, and interacting with donors and funders.

The Philanthropy Associate will represent the philanthropy team and ClimateWorks both internally and externally, and therefore, must be professional and poised, and have good judgment in dealing with a broad spectrum of activities and situations in order to manage shifting priorities across the team effectively. The ideal candidate will be comfortable acting independently and will possess strong organizational and interpersonal skills.  The Philanthropy Associate will report to the Director of Philanthropy.

Responsibilities:

The Philanthropy Associate will perform the following and other duties as assigned:

• Assist philanthropy team with scheduling and coordination of conference calls, internal and external meetings, workshops, and other development activities.
• Manage the Director of Philanthropy’s and Associate Director of Philanthropy’s calendars and time, doing complex scheduling of high-level colleagues and ensuring that issues are shared with colleagues, as appropriate, for resolution.
• Ensure that the Director and Associate Director of Philanthropy are fully briefed and prepared for meetings, events, and trips by providing or obtaining background information for these commitments.
• Research and/or prepare materials for meetings and presentations; compile reference material as needed.
• Correspond via phone, letters, and/or email with donors, foundations, and colleagues. 
• Review communications and documents for accuracy, completeness, format, and grammar.
• Ensure that files, both electronic and paper, are organized and current.
• Enter and review data, and gather information from Salesforce database for monthly reporting and other projects. 
• Complete monthly expense reports for philanthropy team members including the Director and Associate Director of Philanthropy.
• Assist with production and quality control of fundraising work products.
• Provide additional administrative support to philanthropy team members as needed. 

Qualifications:

The successful applicant will have the following minimum qualifications:

• 3 plus years of relevant experience
• BS or BA degree
• Previous experience maintaining complex calendars and coordinating meetings/events
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Sharepoint, and PowerPoint)
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision
• Ability to judge the relative importance of issues and act independently to address them, applying the appropriate level of urgency and drive to achieve results
• Ability to keep calm under pressure, prioritize and manage multiple and sometimes competing tasks, and multi-task
• Good interpersonal communications skills
• Ability to quickly and accurately analyze problems and identify appropriate solutions
• Ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion
• Experience developing and managing databases preferred
• Experience with Salesforce a plus
• Tact, poise, professionalism, diplomacy, and a good sense of humor; the ability to work with a team and to interact with people from all walks of life
• Commitment to the mission of ClimateWorks

Compensation: The position is located in San Francisco, California, and will remain open until filled. ClimateWorks Foundation offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

To be considered for this position, interested candidates must follow this link to submit a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. Inquiries received via phone call or direct email will not be eligible for review. 

ClimateWorks Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.