Community Partnerships & Fundraising Officer – Houston

Sudanese American Physicians Association•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Community Partnerships & Fundraising Officer builds and manages SAPA’s community fundraising program in the Greater Houston area. The Officer develops relationships with mosques, Islamic schools, student associations, professional associations, Sudanese and East African organizations, cultural groups, local businesses, and other community partners. The role organizes in-person fundraising appeals and events, particularly during Ramadan, and ensures donor and partner information is recorded and followed up appropriately. The Officer also builds a local network of speakers and influencers who can represent SAPA and communicate its work, coordinates appearances by SAPA physicians, board members, and field staff, and works with SAPA’s Global Communications & Fundraising team to provide market-specific materials and feedback. The position is full-time and ongoing, based in the Greater Houston area, with flexible hours and local travel covered. Evening and weekend work is expected, especially during Ramadan.

Requirements

Established standing in the Muslim community of Greater Houston, including the ability to identify community contacts who would take the candidate’s call.
At least two years of fundraising, community organizing, or event experience, with results that can be described in numbers.
Ability to manage an event end to end, including budget, venue, volunteers, program, and follow-up.
Comfort asking for money in person and on stage.
Reliable record-keeping and willingness to learn and use SAPA’s Salesforce system weekly.
Residence in the Greater Houston area.
Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Arabic, Urdu, or another language widely used in Houston’s Muslim communities.
Experience raising money for humanitarian or medical causes and explaining unfamiliar crises to an audience.
Experience with Ramadan fundraising.
Public speaking experience in mosques or community settings.

Responsibilities

Map community institutions and potential partners across the Greater Houston market.
Build relationships with imams, boards, community leaders, and organizations, and secure agreements to host SAPA appeals, collections, and events.
Develop partnerships and community engagement beyond the mosque network, including sharing field updates between events.
Host one major SAPA iftar in the market each Ramadan, including a SAPA speaker, field footage, and a live appeal.
Organize Ramadan appeals and collections at institutions, including pledge nights, Taraweeh appeals, Laylat al-Qadr appeals, and Eid collections.
Book SAPA speakers at mosques during the last ten nights of Ramadan and coordinate on-site collections and follow-up.
Deliver three to five in-person events per year outside Ramadan.
Manage event budgets, venues, volunteers, programs, and run-of-show plans.
Coordinate the in-person presentation of SAPA in the market, ensuring event materials and visibility follow SAPA branding guidelines.
Build and prepare a network of local speakers, imams, and community figures to represent and fundraise for SAPA.
Arrange appearances by SAPA physicians, board members, and recently returned field staff at khutbahs, panels, and community gatherings, with a way for attendees to donate and stay in touch.
Identify and nominate local influencers to visit SAPA projects; SAPA organizes the visits.
Record donors, pledges, and partners in Salesforce after each event in coordination with Donor Relations.
Refer prospective higher-level donors to SAPA’s major gifts lead with a written introduction.
Report monthly to Finance on activity, funds raised, partners added, and upcoming plans.
Attend weekly team calls and coordinate with communications staff and the agency.
Brief the communications team on market-specific visibility materials, audiences, and language needs, and provide feedback on what resonates locally.
Advise the communications team on community trends and effective practices, and help develop a playbook for future markets.
Request speakers, field footage, project updates, and briefing packs for events and community figures.