Job Opportunity - Director of Advancement
Position Summary
The Director of Advancement is responsible for leading and implementing Bellis’ fundraising, donor engagement, marketing, and communications strategies to advance the organization's mission and ensure long-term sustainability. This position will build meaningful relationships with donors, foundations, corporate partners, and community stakeholders while increasing awareness of Bellis' unique programs and impact.
The Director of Advancement serves as a key member of the leadership team and works closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and community partners to achieve annual revenue and engagement goals.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising & Development
Develop and implement a comprehensive annual fundraising plan.
Manage and grow individual giving programs, including annual appeals, major gifts, monthly giving, and donor stewardship.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and prospective supporters.
Develop relationships with corporate sponsors and community partners.
Oversee donor database management and fundraising reporting.
Track fundraising metrics and prepare regular reports for leadership and the Board.
Collaborate with grant-writing staff and consultants to support foundation and government funding opportunities.
Create donor recognition and stewardship strategies that foster long-term engagement.
Marketing & Communications
Develop and implement an integrated marketing and communications strategy.
Oversee content creation for email campaigns, social media, newsletters, annual reports, website updates, and donor communications.
Ensure consistent messaging, branding, and storytelling across all channels.
Identify opportunities to increase awareness of Bellis' programs, services, and training initiatives.
Support public relations efforts and community outreach opportunities.
Strategic Partnerships
Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, foundations, government agencies, and corporate partners.
Identify opportunities to expand Bellis' visibility and impact through collaborative partnerships.
Represent Bellis at community events and networking opportunities.
Leadership & Organizational Support
Serve as a member of the leadership team and contribute to organizational planning and strategy.
Partner with the Executive Director and Board of Directors on fundraising initiatives and donor engagement.
Support Board members in their role as ambassadors and fundraisers.
Assist with strategic planning, annual goal setting, and organizational growth initiatives.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
Minimum 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, advancement, development, or related roles.
Demonstrated success securing major gifts, sponsorships, and donor support.
Experience managing fundraising campaigns and donor stewardship programs.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Salesforce or comparable systems.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with staff, volunteers, and board members.
Preference for experience in behavioral health, family services, child welfare, adoption, recovery, or related nonprofit sectors.
Commitment to Bellis' mission and values.
Compensation & Benefits
Wage: Contract position dependent on the organization’s fundraising cycle and needs, $75/hour, commensurate with experience.
Bellis offers flexible work arrangements, the opportunity to advance to full-time with benefits package, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of people experiencing ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief because their children are parented by others.
Please submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to Bellis Executive Director Kelly Tronstad kellyt@mybellis.org.
Bellis is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees, participants, volunteers, and community partners. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.
Job Opportunity - Licensed Facilitator
Seeking
Licensed social worker, counselor, therapist, or parent educator to facilitate weekly peer-based support meetings serving grief and loss needs of people whose children are parented by others - through termination of parental rights, transfer of custody, adoption, parental alienation, and similar circumstances.
About the opportunity
Bellis will contract a facilitator for up to 1-2 hours a week at $55/hour, with the opportunity to increase hours as needed by the organization. Each meeting generally runs for 1 hour. Additional time allows for preparation and evaluation for each meeting. Participation in monthly facilitator meetings (1 hour) is required.
Online via Zoom and potentially on location at partnering organizations
One facilitator manages one or more weekly meetings, with the ability to have substitutes as needed
This position reports directly to Kelly Tronstad, Executive Director of Bellis, and will have collaborative relationships with other involved professionals.
The ideal candidate will have
Facilitation experience with a population of individuals managing ambiguous grief/loss related to family complexities
Expert understanding of termination of parental rights, adoption, and foster care
Drive for orchestrating healing conversations in a peer-based and trauma-informed environment
Unbiased views related to people whose parental rights have been involuntarily terminated and general agreement with Bellis mission and guiding values
Professional expertise to deliver a first-of-its-kind endeavor in support of women
About the program
The Stronger Together Peer Support Model™ by Bellis is an expert-led peer support program which addresses four common factors experienced by people who are separated from their children: shame, grief, isolation, and loss of control. Societal judgement and stigmatization compound these factors, often leading parents to spiral into addiction, mental illness, or criminal activity. The goal of the model is to help people whose children are parented by others address their trauma and grief so they can increase self-understanding, build resiliency, make positive social connections, and develop greater agency in their lives.
About Bellis
Established in 1983, Bellis served for many years as a trusted source for adoption education and support for birth mothers, adoptees, and adoptive families. In 2019, social workers approached Bellis leadership seeking support for mothers who had experienced a termination of parental rights or a transfer of legal custody. Research showed that no such support existed in the state of Minnesota or anywhere in the U.S. (Wilder Research, 2019).
In response, Bellis expanded its mission and created the Stronger Together Peer Support Model™ to support a broader population of people experiencing separation from their children. Today, Bellis provides compassionate support to people whose children are parented by others, no matter how that came to be.
The model, the only of its kind in the U.S., integrates culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, facilitated peer support to address ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief. Through structured group settings, participants process grief, build connection, and strengthen their sense of self.
Bellis offers free, low-barrier programming through weekly online groups, a monthly in-person group in Saint Paul, a daily support call/text line, a participant portal, and annual retreats. With participants in nearly every U.S. state, Bellis is addressing a critical gap in care while working to expand access to this specialized support nationwide.
Please submit a resume and cover letter to Bellis Executive Director Kelly Tronstad at kellyt@mybellis.org.
Bellis is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees, participants, volunteers, and community partners. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.