The Polk County Housing Trust Fund is seeking a new Director of Advancement & Community Investment.
Position location: Des Moines, Iowa
Position start date: Immediately (position is open until filled)
Competitive compensation: $75,000 - $85,000
The complete position description is available at PCHTF.org/join-our-team.
About PCHTF
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) has earned a reputation as the “go to” non-profit for all things related to housing affordability in Polk County. Located in downtown Des Moines, the organization provides strategic leadership, expertise, and resources to strengthen area communities through affordable housing. It does this through three areas of actionable focus —comprehensive planning, advocacy, and funding. Learn more at www.pchtf.org.
About the role of Director of Advancement and Community Investment
Essential team member doing the integral work of raising funds and then investing those funds in programs that meet the most critical housing needs in Polk County. This role must also have an eye for detail, a precision mindset and knowledge to secure funds and then invest funds in community programs that support affordable housing initiatives.
Be part of a dynamic team improving housing access/opportunity for people in Polk County. If you believe everyone should have access to affordable, safe housing and the opportunity to thrive, we welcome your application for this leadership position.
Key Priorities
Lead, expand, and optimize the PCHTF donor database and monetary contributions in support of affordable housing community investment.
Responsible for the preparation and creation of the online application for PCHTF program investments followed by the management of the receipt, distribution, and scoring of completed grant applications.
Write and submit all external grant funding requests.
Handle in-person or virtual donor visits with all community stakeholders involved in the PCHTF annual fundraising plan.
Essential Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 2 years’ nonprofit experience in fund development or project management. Master’s degree a plus
Grant writing experience
Strong interpersonal skills
How to apply
A full job description can be found at www.pchtf.org/join-our-team. Please send your resume, a brief cover letter (up to 500 words) that aligns your experience with key priorities of the role of Director of Advancement & Community Investment to Toby O’Berry at toberry@pchtf.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund is committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion, equity, and justice. We are able to grow and learn better together with a diverse team of employees. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents not only part of our culture, but our reputation as well. We are committed to housing justice in our community, and in recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs. We strongly encourage BIPOC individuals, women, and those with lived experience to apply for this position.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination of any kind. The PCHTF is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees with a work environment free of discrimination, harassment and intimidation. All employment decisions at PCHTF are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected class by federal, state or local laws. PCHTF encourages all applicants to apply.
The Polk County Housing Trust Fund today announced that it raised $710,815 for its Stable Steady Strong investment campaign, a new high for this annual fundraising effort that ends each June. The money raised funds services to help people find and keep stable housing in Polk County.
“We are inspired yet again about the community’s continued support of Stable Steady Strong which lets us work with a network of community organizations to help meet the need for stable housing. Contributions to this program provide needed flexibility to invest where the need is greatest and help fill gaps in local services,” said Toby O’Berry, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund’s executive director.
The Stable Steady Strong campaign is funded by individuals, businesses, and foundations. Principal® Foundation has been a leader in the campaign, with a $250,000 investment.
“We are proud to support the Polk County Housing Trust Fund and its mission to provide safe, stable, and affordable housing to those in need,” said Jo Christine Miles, director of Principal Foundation and Community Relations. “This investment will continue to give residents of Polk County the resources to access essential needs, such as affordable, stable housing. By helping to remove barriers, Polk County Housing Trust Fund is empowering people and the community so they can build better financial futures.”
Funds from Stable Steady Strong are granted to local nonprofits providing programs and supportive services that focus on housing stability, affordability, justice, and accessibility. Thanks to the support of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund’s operating expenses by the Polk County Board of Supervisors, 100% of funds raised through this program can be granted into the community.
This year’s grant recipients provide a variety of programs and services such as:
• Rental housing navigation – building relationships with landlords to support program participants, connecting landlords and prospective tenants, dispute resolution, or assistance with the process of searching and applying for housing,
• Homeownership preparedness - counseling and education to prepare homebuyers financially and help them navigate the buying process as well as take advantage of available financial assistance programs,
• Supportive housing or case management - wraparound services such as case management for people at risk of homelessness, including services to help with challenges like mental or physical disability, addiction, or other health concerns, and
• Culturally-appropriate housing services - including culturally-aware case management and services like translation.
Thanks to the success of this year’s campaign, PCHTF was able to award $689,528 in grants to organizations last month. Learn more about them here: https://www.pchtf.org/cms/funding/pss-funding
“We have been so uplifted by the community’s continued support since the pandemic, but the work of ensuring equitable housing access for all who need it in Polk County is far from finished. As we celebrate last year’s success, we look forward to beginning anew gathering the funds needed to continue to support people and families,” O’Berry said.
Learn how you can become an investor in this effort at https://pchtf.org/stablesteadystrong.
Toby O’Berry has been selected to lead the Polk County Housing Trust Fund as its new Executive Director. He will continue the Trust Fund’s work to increase collaboration, expand partnerships, and lead strategic planning that results in more affordable and accessible housing options in Polk County. O’Berry, who has worked in finance, real estate, and housing for 20+ years, currently serves as the Director of Iowa Homeless Youth Centers and Associate VP of Transition Services at YSS (Youth and Shelter Services). Prior to shifting his focus to the nonprofit sector, he developed skills critical for the PCHTF Executive Director role working as a real estate portfolio analyst for Principal Financial Group in Des Moines and in corporate real estate for Morgan Stanley in New York City.
O’Berry grew up in Ames, learning about property management from a very young age, as his family owned and managed residential real estate. He earned his degree in Management with a minor in Economics from Luther College and followed that with an MBA specializing in finance and real estate from the University of Denver in Colorado. O’Berry lives in Des Moines and serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Central Iowa and Orchard Place, as well as the Directors Council for Homeward Iowa.
O’Berry will join PCHTF June 5, 2023, and follows Eric Burmeister who has served as Executive Director for 12 years and will be retiring June 30th.