Lead Canvass Director, Fundraising - NYC

The Outreach Team•New York, NY

About The Position

The Lead Canvass Director manages fundraising canvass campaigns in NYC and Long Island, New York. This is a year-round, salaried full-time position requiring 50 hours per week and starting immediately. The role leads a team of 8–12 full-time and part-time staff, oversees donor acquisition and retention goals, and spends an average of four days per week canvassing independently and/or with staff. The director also manages campaign operations, scheduling, logistics, payroll, onboarding, and staff development while maintaining a professional, inclusive workplace.

Requirements

Goal-oriented.
Trainable and open to learning new skills.
Eager to lead from the front and work in the field to train, coach, and canvass.
Leadership experience, including the ability to motivate, develop, and manage a large team, support staff, encourage growth, and hold people accountable.
Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills.
Willingness to delegate responsibility and work as part of a team.
Organized and able to learn and manage operational systems such as payroll and staff schedules.
Attention to detail and a proven ability to instill that quality in others.
Track record of equity and inclusion.

Nice To Haves

1–3+ years of experience running paid canvasses or other canvassing operations.
Previous fundraising experience.

Responsibilities

Manage a team that meets or exceeds weekly and monthly donor acquisition, donor retention, and average gift amount goals.
Develop strategic plans to reach constituencies in assigned locations.
Lead by example by canvassing independently and/or with staff an average of four days per week to achieve individual and team acquisition goals.
Manage a team of 8–12 full-time and part-time staff who sign up an average of 40–60 donors per week.
Train, motivate, and develop staff through training opportunities, one-on-one and team meetings, and sharing information about campaigns and current events.
Identify, promote, and train leaders.
Maintain performance standards, provide consistent feedback and evaluations, hold staff accountable, and coach supervised managers to do the same with their teams.
Foster a fun and professional office culture where employees can show up as their full and authentic selves.
Respect and honor all people, and ensure supervised managers do the same.
Fundraise alongside staff, lead by example, and provide in-field training.
Create fundraiser schedules, develop turf plans, oversee daily logistics, track field and donor information, and process payroll.
Ensure canvassers have the tools and technology needed to work effectively in the field.
Anticipate workflow and manage employee schedules and work quality.
Ensure company policies and performance, integrity, health, safety, and professionalism standards are upheld.
Manage fundraiser onboarding, including occasionally interviewing candidates and making offers.