Careers With Us: An Opportunity for Right Livelihood
“Teaching is not done by talking alone. It is done by how you live your life. My life is my teaching. My life is my message.”
Do you want to work in an organization that transforms lives and makes a difference in the world? Do you want to use your practice of mindfulness to create a more compassionate, peaceful, and mindful society? This is a call to serve, a chance to bring meaning into the world.
Open positions:
Fundraising Associate
Full-time, with benefits
Hybrid role: Can work remotely but must be able to travel to the Foundation’s office at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido California twice per week
The Associate will work within an international team and will be responsible for fundraising support activities including gift processing and acknowledgement, database maintenance, donor customer service, support for direct mail/online giving campaigns, generating reports, and assistance at practice center retreats. The work of the Fundraising Associate will be managed by the Foundation’s Giving Engagement Manager. The six-person fundraising team is led by the Global Giving Director.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Gift Processing, Fundraising Appeals, and Donor Stewardship
Process all types of donations and ensure accurate, consistent recording and acknowledgement of gifts within a set timeline and standards
Respond to donor questions and issues via phone and email; practice mindful communication and deep listening in response to phone calls and emails to the Foundation offices
Generate reports, mailing lists, and queries to support fundraising campaigns, financial management, and other projects
Maintain hardcopy records of all donations as applicable
Periodically support fundraising activities at practice center retreats
Generate and send end-of-year tax letters
Liaise with monastics on gift details
Database Maintenance
Maintain data entry standards and perform cleanup on an on-going basis
Maintain consistency of donor information and accuracy of database information
Assist with database cleanup projects as needed
Assist with other projects and activities as needed.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
An active practitioner in the Thich Nhat Hanh Plum Village tradition, including having received or will receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings.
Fundraising experience or relatable customer service experience with database experience
Knowledge in fundraising customer relationship management (CRM) applications, with a strong preference for Salesforce experience
Fully proficient with Microsoft Office, G/Google Suite, and comfortable regularly learning new applications
Rigorous attention to detail
Comfortable and proficient in analyzing data and creating reports, including using data visualization tools
Comfortable with heavy seasonal data entry
Good written and verbal communication skills
Ability to meet deadlines; strong task and time management skills
Must demonstrate the ability to be culturally competent in all respects; able to work in multi-lingual, international environment
Must live in the U.S. and within reasonable travel distance to Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA
Language Skills
Fluency in English is required.
LOCATION
The position is hybrid. The candidate must be able to travel to the Foundation’s office at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido California twice per week.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Flexibility in available working hours is required: 1) Must be available to work with colleagues across time zones: France, both US coasts, Australia, and 2) may need to call donors in the evenings or weekends
Able to occasionally work evenings or weekends at mindfulness retreats at Plum Village monasteries
COMPENSATION AND HOURS
Pay: Regular full-time salaried employee. Salary range: $45,000-$68,640 based on location and experience.
Benefits Package: Health, dental, vision care insurance, retirement plan, paid vacation and sick leave as outlined in our Personnel Policies.
We are an equal opportunity employer and actively work to ensure fair and equal treatment of our employees and constituents regardless of differences based on culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, or sexual orientation.
Target Start Date: January 1, 2025
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please send the following materials electronically to Bobbi Perez at work@tnhf.org by December 13, 2024:
Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and our organization, and how your experiences and skills, both professionally and spiritually, match this position. Please include your location in requested proximity to Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA.
Résumé and cover letter required
CULTURE
The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation family is a diverse team, deeply engaged in the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition and practice of mindfulness and compassion in our own lives, knowing this action will help improve the lives of others and our society. “Peace in oneself, peace in the world,” is a teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh we try to diligently practice. We are fortunate to be guided by monks and nuns on our volunteer working board, lay dharma teachers, and long-time mindfulness practitioners, making for a supportive, collaborative, inclusive, and mindful atmosphere. We see siblinghood as our most important asset and love and healing as our most valued profit.
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation (the “Foundation”) is the fundraising arm and a communications hub of the International Plum Village Community. The Foundation was established in 2011 by Thich Nhat Hanh, Sister Chan Khong, and other senior monastics to raise funds for the continuation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings. The Foundation, the three US monasteries, and Parallax Press, comprise one 501c3 charitable nonprofit in the US: the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism (PVCEB).
Headquartered in the US, the Foundation is led by an Executive Director, has a small international team of professional lay staff, and a volunteer advisory board of monastic and lay practitioners. The Foundation raises approximately $5 million annually and has a monthly donor program, annual, major, and legacy donors. It is also responsible for communications and Dharma sharing to the community. The Foundation also works with local lay committees to support the capital campaigns of monasteries in the Plum Village tradition.