Dwa Fanm - Executive Director
Bridgestar (New York City, New York)

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Dwa Fanm (meaning "Women's Rights" in Haitian) started as a volunteer-run community-based organization in 1999 when a group of eight Haitian and American women met to discuss the state of women's rights in Haitian immigrant communities in the United States and in Haiti. Over the last nine years Dwa Fanm has evolved into a mature human rights organization whose mission is to empower all women and girls with the freedom to define and control their own lives. Through service, education, advocacy and grassroots programs, Dwa Fanm works to end discrimination, violence, and other forms of injustice in New York City and abroad.

Today, Dwa Fanm is a thriving nonprofit located in New York City with a budget of $1M, a full-time staff of 13 and numerous volunteers and interns. Dwa Fanm strives to improve the lives of women and girls by providing programs and services that have been designed to give them the tools they need to lead safe, healthy, and self-sufficient lives. Programs include:

· Jistis Pou Fanm (Justice for Women): Advocacy and civil legal service program that provides comprehensive legal assistance for Haitian immigrant women and their children.

· Tonel Lavi (Life's Roof): Comprehensive domestic violence prevention program that provides safety planning, crisis intervention, counseling and administers an eight-bed safe dwelling, transitional housing, and emergency funds.

· Kay Timoun (Children’s House): Children’s rights program that works to prevent child abuse and children’s placement into foster care. Girls Empowerment Project educates girls about their rights.

· Fanm Vanyan (Brave Women): Economic empowerment program that helps women pursue their educational and career goals.

· Dwa Fanm Sou Radio Soleil: Bi-weekly live national radio show and one of the most prominent in the Haitian community.

· Violence Documentary: Documentary films that allow women to tell their stories.

· Human Rights Organizing: Projects to position the rights of women and girls.

· The Survivor Advocacy Board (SAB): Women and girls who have survived violence and provide input and support to Dwa Fanm’s programs.

This is an exciting opportunity for a new Executive Director to have tremendous impact as Dwa Fanm focuses on the following initiatives: 1) Defining and implementing its next stage of strategic goals,

2) Sustaining, growing and diversifying its funding support, and 3) Strengthening its overall internal infrastructure and Board development. For more information, please visit http://www.dwafanm.org/

Position

The Executive Director (ED) will be instrumental in providing inspirational leadership and vision to a highly dedicated staff, board and community of volunteers. Reporting to a board of nine members, the successful candidate will currently supervise three direct reports, including the Director of Programs, Fiscal Manager and the Office Manager. The ED will be responsible for assessing Dwa Fanm’s current infrastructure needs which may also include a Director of Operations and a Director of Development. In addition, s/he will be managing and developing the current board of directors, refining objectives and budgets, supervising the delivery of high quality services to the community, and evaluating and reporting on program results. This is an outstanding opportunity for someone with exceptional interpersonal and coalition-building skills and a true passion for advocacy and human rights issues.

Responsibilities

Vision and Leadership

· As the chief spokesperson, raise the public profile and visibility of the organization so that its mission, values and programs are clearly and broadly understood in the Haitian-American community and beyond.

· Lead and motivate staff by communicating a clear sense of mission and goals; serve as a mentor to staff at all levels in order to increase professionalism and effectiveness throughout the organization.

· Establish collaborative partnerships with local and international women’s rights groups, Haitian human rights groups, politicians and local government agencies; communicate with stakeholders to keep them informed of Dwa Fanm’s impact in the community and abroad.

Strategic Planning

· Lead the ongoing strategic planning process; guide development of programs and strategies locally and abroad; develop measurable and focused goals for the short, mid, and long-term future of the organization.

· Carefully assess, evaluate and organize departmental activities; set realistic programmatic, staffing, and budget priorities; create processes to build more efficient workflow systems and stronger internal communications.

· Monitor financial status of organization and provide accurate and timely reports on financial analysis and projections to the Board; oversee long-term budgetary planning and ensure that revenue and expenses are in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan.

Fundraising/Resource Development

· Expand organization’s visibility in the private philanthropic community and with the general public through communications and public relations initiatives.

· Formulate and implement a comprehensive development strategy that will enhance revenue and include major donors, direct mail, government and foundation giving and planned giving.

· Cultivate and maintain key relationships with key funders, politicians, policy makers, press and opinion leaders.

· In collaboration with the Director of Development, oversee grant research, grant solicitation and proposal writing, development of proposal budgets and budget modifications, grant renewal applications, and collaborative projects.

Board Development

· Assure effective and consistent involvement of board of directors and work with Board to review, approve and provide input on important decisions such as key policy and strategic planning, annual goals and priorities, proposed budget and other organizational decisions.

· Prepare executive reports to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and attend all necessary committee meetings.

· Ensure the integrity and strength of Board leadership and enhance clarity around roles and responsibilities, governance, bylaws/policies, corporate structure and membership.

· Assist in the identification, selection and evaluation of Board members; support Board during orientation and evaluation of new Board members.

· Partner with the Board of Directors on the development and announcement of women’s human rights policy positions on issues impacting gender in the U.S. and in Haiti.

· Assists Board with annual or bi-annual fundraising events.

Professional Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree required; MA in Social Work, MBA, MPA, or related degree ideal.

· At least 5 or more years of general management experience in a socially responsible, service oriented or advocacy/human rights related organization.

· Bilingual in French or Creole.

· In-depth knowledge and passion for women and children’s rights, domestic violence and related human rights policy issues.

· A genuine understanding of and a demonstrated commitment to delivering high quality programs that empower the Haitian and larger Caribbean immigrant community.

· Knowledge of the principles necessary to successfully lead a non-profit organization including: employment standards, human resources, health and safety, taxation, health coverage, etc.

· Strong financial acumen with the ability to understand and translate complex financial concepts to individuals at all levels including finance and non-finance managers.

· Exceptional people management skills and a strong commitment to developing, recruiting and retaining a diverse team in a multi-cultural environment.

· Knowledge about fundraising strategies including grant writing, orchestrating events, reaching out to legislators and individual donors, government contracts, etc.

· Previous experience engaging, developing and reporting to a Board of Directors.

· Experience in grassroots community organizing or working with community-based organizations.

Personal Attributes

· An inspiring, consultative and team-building approach that puts others at ease and engenders trust; a proactive listener and consummate learner.

· Highly organized and able to multi-task and prioritize the many competing needs in a constantly evolving, resource-constrained environment.

· Excellent coalition building skills with an ability to communicate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders; the ability to achieve consensus amongst differing opinions.

· Outstanding presentation and communication skills, and the confidence and gravitas to be an outgoing spokesperson, relationship builder and fundraiser.

· The foresight, charisma and creativity to identify and implement strategies that diversify funding streams and maximize fundraising opportunities.

Dwa Fanm is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. Bridgestar, a nonprofit organization attracting, connecting, and supporting leadership for the nonprofit sector, serves diverse organizations and is committed to building high-performing teams that mirror the communities we serve. Please register (free of charge) at www.bridgestar.org and apply online through this listing on the Bridgestar job board.