Application Guide

How to Apply for Director of Advancement

at PowerCorpsPHL

🏢 About PowerCorpsPHL

PowerCorpsPHL uniquely addresses youth unemployment, youth violence, and environmental sustainability through paid work experiences that prepare young adults for careers in clean energy and green infrastructure. The organization stands out for its focus on authentic relationships, self-reflection, and hard work, creating both local impact in Philadelphia and national replication value. Someone might want to work here to drive meaningful social change while building a scalable model that connects workforce development with environmental solutions.

About This Role

As Director of Advancement, you'll lead fundraising and communications strategy to support PowerCorpsPHL's mission and growth goals, setting annual targets and tracking progress. This role involves building relationships with diverse stakeholders—from individual donors to government entities—while managing the organization's brand voice across digital platforms. Your work will directly enable the expansion of programs that transform young adults' lives through green career pathways.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve strategizing with the executive team on donor cultivation plans, drafting communications that highlight program impact for different audiences, and leading meetings with potential funders to secure support for green workforce initiatives. You could spend time analyzing fundraising metrics, coaching your team on donor engagement strategies, and collaborating with program staff to authentically represent their work across digital platforms.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who PowerCorpsPHL Is Looking For

  • Has 5+ years in nonprofit fundraising/communications with 2+ years supervising teams, ideally in youth development, environmental, or workforce organizations
  • Demonstrates proven success securing five-figure gifts through direct donor conversations and can build relationships from the ground up
  • Has experience engaging board members or volunteer leaders in fundraising roles, showing ability to mobilize leadership support
  • Possesses exceptional writing skills to communicate complex work to diverse audiences, balancing local Philadelphia impact with national replication value

📝 Tips for Applying to PowerCorpsPHL

1

Quantify your fundraising achievements specifically—mention dollar amounts raised, donor retention rates, or growth percentages from past roles

2

Highlight any experience with green infrastructure, clean energy, or environmental workforce development programs in your resume

3

Demonstrate understanding of both Philadelphia's community context and national replication strategies in your materials

4

Include examples of how you've built communications strategies that authentically represent an organization's mission and values

5

Showcase experience with diverse funding streams: individual donors, institutional funders, corporate partners, and government entities

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Explain how your fundraising experience aligns with PowerCorpsPHL's dual focus on youth development and environmental sustainability", 'Describe your approach to communicating complex social impact work to different audiences (donors, partners, community members)', 'Share a specific example of building a fundraising relationship from the ground up, highlighting your process and results', "Connect your leadership philosophy to PowerCorpsPHL's values of authentic relationships, self-reflection, and hard work"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Study PowerCorpsPHL's current programs, partners, and impact metrics to understand their specific approach to youth workforce development
  • → Research Philadelphia's youth unemployment rates, violence prevention initiatives, and green infrastructure projects to understand local context
  • → Review the organization's current digital presence (website, social media, newsletters) to assess their brand voice and communication style
  • → Investigate national replication models for youth workforce programs to understand scalability potential beyond Philadelphia

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you develop a fundraising strategy that balances immediate Philadelphia impact with national replication goals?
2 Describe your experience making direct funding requests for five-figure gifts—what approach do you take and what have you learned?
3 How would you engage board members or volunteer leaders in fundraising roles for a youth-focused environmental organization?
4 What metrics would you track to measure the success of both fundraising and communications efforts at PowerCorpsPHL?
5 How would you communicate the value of PowerCorpsPHL's work to different audiences (corporate partners vs. individual donors vs. government entities)?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using generic fundraising language without connecting it to PowerCorpsPHL's specific mission of youth development through green careers
  • Focusing only on communications OR fundraising rather than demonstrating integrated strategy experience for both functions
  • Failing to show understanding of how to build relationships with diverse stakeholders from individual donors to government entities

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to PowerCorpsPHL!

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