MISSION
APIAHiP is dedicated to protecting historic places and cultural resources significant to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans through historic preservation and heritage conservation by:
1) creating an information-sharing network that can provide support for established and emerging historic preservation programs;
2) establishing educational programs for raising public awareness and impacting historic preservation policy on local, state, and national levels;
3) increasing public and private resources that enable “historic preservation” and “heritage conservation” practices to meaningfully include educational and community development activities that preserve, conserve, and protect tangible and intangible historic and cultural resources.
HISTORY
APIAHiP was formed in 2007 when Asian and Pacific Islander American leaders practicing historic preservation and heritage conservation noticed a lack of representation at state and national convenings in those fields. With this gap, those founding members developed an API Caucus at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual conference the same year. In June 2010, the API Caucus developed and hosted the first Asian Pacific Islander American National Historic Preservation Forum in San Francisco, California. This Forum broughttogether for the first time Asian and Pacific Islander Americans across the United States and its territories to share various issues and approaches to recognizing, preserving, and celebrating the places that best tell the stories of not only our diaspora but also our shared heritage. In October 2018, APIAHiP obtained 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and officially registered as a nonprofit organization out of Los Angeles, California. By September 2023, with generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Foundation’s Humanities in Place program, APIAHiP was able to hire for first time full-time staff to carry on the mission and legacy set forth by its founders, board members, volunteers, supporters, and partners from around the world. Today, APIAHiP is a multi-generational, pan-ethnic, and interdisciplinary community of preservationists, urban planners, historians, educators, activists, and advocates who share the common goal of elevating Asian and Pacific Islander American history and heritage through a place-based ethic.
The Development Specialist is a part-time, remote position that works directly with the Executive Director and Development Committee to identify and implement fundraising strategies and annual goals within a Development Plan that aligns with the organization’s overall Strategic Plan. As a non management position, the Development Specialist helps prioritize and execute the most effective strategies to meet set goals, which can include but not require all the following:
• GRANT WRITING - Seeking grants and funding sources from local, state, and federal programs, and private businesses, corporations, and foundations. Applying for eligible grants and managing awarded grants will be led by the Executive Director with support from the Development Specialist.
• INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE GIVING - Identifying, qualifying, and soliciting prospects for individual, family, business, corporate donors capable of making significant gifts. The Development Coordinator is responsible for drafting appeals for the website, social media, emails, letters, campaigns, and events, and maintaining the donor management platform and financial transaction tracking (CRM software, etc.), while the Executive Director and Fundraising Committee will lead donor and partner relations.
• SPONSORSHIPS – Developing a Sponsorship Menu/Prospectus and soliciting sponsors for program areas and/or events (such as Advocacy, Education, and Forum) based on their respective revenue goals.
• PARTNERSHIPS – Seeking and fostering partnership opportunities with mission-aligned organizations that results in cash or in-kind donations administered through a Memorandum of Agreement or another legal contract.
• MEMBERSHIP – Developing and marketing a membership program and its benefits that incentives individual and organizational giving and involvement with APIAHiP.
• FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS - Planning and executing annual fundraising campaigns and appeals during related occasions including but not limited to: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and National Historic Preservation Month both in May, GiveBIG/Giving Tuesday in November, and/or Year-End Appeal in December.
• PAID SERVICES – Seeking and recommending to the Executive Director paid service opportunities for APIAHiP to perform mission-related services by responding to Request for Proposals (RFPs) or other project/contract mechanisms. With approval from the Board of Directors, the Executive Director with the Development Specialist submits proposals and manages the awarded contracts, whereas the Executive Director with Program Coordinator executes the contract obligations.
• SPECIAL EVENTS – Planning and executing social or special events as fundraising opportunities alongside the existing quarterly in-person workshops/events, biennial forum, and/or separate occasions (eg. historically, one evening of the biennial forum has featured a fundraising event).
• Other reasonable fundraising and development duties as assigned by the Executive Director, excluding advocacy and educational programs, board management, partner relations, organizational operations, bookkeeping/accounting beyond co-developing the annual fundraising goals, or administrative/secretarial tasks beyond their own remote office and personal time management.
If additional duties or higher-level/specialized execution of mission related activities appeals to the Development Specialist, then the Executive Director and Board of Directors will consider a promotion or reclassification to full-time employment during routine performance evaluation and with respect to the organization’s strategic plan and budget.
The ideal candidate for the Development Specialist position has a minimum two years of volunteer or professional experience and can demonstrate their ability to meet fundraising goals in both planning and executing development strategies, which can include but does not require all the following:
• FUNDRASING METHODS - Experience and willingness to execute traditional and innovative fundraising methods that diversifies, stabilizes, and grows APIAHiP’s revenue streams, including but not limited to:
o Grant writing
o Individual and Corporate Giving, Campaigns and Appeals
o Sponsorships, Partnerships, and Memberships
o Paid Services/Contracts
o Social/Special Events
• SCALING & MEETING FUNDRAISING GOALS - Track record of raising a meaningful amount in
contributions based on the size and constituency of the previous organizations, employers,
events, or campaigns.
• COMMUNICATIONS - Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal and public communication
skills related to drafting appeal messages and supporting the Executive Director and
Development Committee in fostering donor and partner relations.
• FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE – Best practices, confidentiality, and a high degree of accuracy in
donor records, including use of donor management platform and financial transaction
tracking (CRM software, etc.).
• COMMUNITY CENTRIC FUNDRAISING - Approaches fund development with an anti oppressive and Community Centric Fundraising (CCF) lens, which can includes experience in
or willingness to thoughtfully solicit donations within Asian & Pacific Islander Americans
communities, including immigrant, refugees, or underrepresented/marginalized communities.
• NON-PROFIT SECTOR- Working knowledge about nonprofit funding structures, public and
private sources, and best practices.
• RELATED SECTORS - Familiarity with the philanthropic landscape that elevate causes related
to Asian & Pacific Islander Americans, underrepresented communities, historic preservation,
heritage conservation, public history, arts and culture, and/or community development –
and/or at the local, state, and national levels.
How to Apply
Please submit the following to info@apiahip.org by 11:59pm PT Monday, November 13, 2023.
1. Cover Letter (.pdf)
2. Resume/CV (.pdf and/or LinkedIn url)
3. Two References (name, title, phone, email, and relation in the body of the email or .pdf)
Hiring Timeline
• Job applications will be accepted from October 23-November 13 (3 weeks)
• Maximum of two interview rounds will be conducted between November 15- 29 (2 weeks)
• Offer and negotiation will be made during the first week of December 2023 (1 week)
• Position to start on or before January 1, 2024 (up to 3 weeks from job offer/acceptance)
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion:
APIAHiP strives to promote and uplift not only the Asian American community but underserved populations and communities within the Asian American diaspora. To ensure APIAHiP continues our efforts in diversifying the historic preservation field, we are seeking candidates who understand the historical and contemporary barriers that prevent marginalized communities from accessing and understanding resources related to the historic preservation process, including but not limited to women, underrepresented communities, indigenous communities, biracial communities, individuals self-identifying as LGBTQIA+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, economically disadvantaged groups, first-generation immigrants, undocumented
individuals, or individuals with any intersections in between.