Careers and Volunteering Opportunities
Board Treasurer (Volunteer)
Front Step Community Land Trust is looking for its next Board Treasurer!
Help us build community power, thriving neighborhoods, and affordable homes by joining our dynamic and passionate Board of Directors.
About Front Step: Front Step is a community advocacy organization and developer of permanently affordable housing. Our staff and board are Missoulians dedicated to working alongside neighbors to build communities that are healthy, vibrant, and engaged. We demolish walls that restrict wealth to the few and use the community land trust model, housing co-ops, and deed restrictions to make permanently affordable homeownership attainable for all. We push for equitable city policies and zoning changes that mend the rifts created by gentrification and displacement. We open doors to each other, honoring the Missoulians who’ve built their lives here—and making room for the ones on their way.
About the role: The Board Treasurer chairs the Finance Committee, which has the following responsibilities:
Performing regular in-depth reviews of the organization’s financial activity;
Overseeing the development of the annual budget;
Reviewing staff compensation and benefits;
Ensuring all financial disclosures and tax filings are reported;
Determining the allocation of investment deposits; and
Providing prior approval of expenses over $10,000 by the Executive Director and acting as designated signer on Front Step's bank accounts.
About the commitment:
One 2-hour board meeting 1x/month
One 1-hour Finance committee meeting 1x/month
One 1-hour Executive committee meeting quarterly
Board members spend up to 4 hours per month on duties outside of regular meetings and to review reports and board materials in advance of meetings.
About the term: The Board Treasurer term will begin in March and is a three-year term ending in April 2029. If desired, the Treasurer can apply to serve another 3-year term upon completion of the first term.
Who we're looking for: The Board Treasurer must be based in Missoula, Montana, and should bring experience in business, finance, and/or accounting and a strong interest in volunteering their skills to support a community-based housing nonprofit.
How to express interest: Fill out the application. Applications will be reviewed by the Executive Director and Governance Committee board members on a rolling basis.
Want to get to know our organization and needs better before submitting your application? Reach out to our Executive Director: brittany@frontstepclt.org
Front Step Policy and Advocacy Manager
Front Step Policy and Advocacy Manager Job Description [PDF Version]
Position title: Policy and Advocacy Manager
Reports to: Front Step Executive Director
Position Status: Full time, 40 hours per week, non-exempt position. May require some nights and weekends. This role is based in Missoula, Montana, and works primarily out of our office, with hybrid flexibility.
Compensation: $65,000-$70,000 salary.
Benefits include:
health insurance plan
retirement plan after first year of employment with up to 3% employer match
three weeks paid time off in first year (four weeks after three years of employment; five weeks after five years of employment)
two weeks sick time at start of employment
11+ paid holidays per year
Additional non-cash benefits include a flexible work schedule, professional development and educational opportunities, and eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
About Front Step Community Land Trust:
Front Step CLT is a community-based nonprofit organization that builds community power, thriving neighborhoods, and affordable homes. We are Missoula’s community land trust and use this tool, housing co-ops, and deed restrictions to make permanently affordable homeownership attainable for all.
We believe that addressing the housing crisis requires both expanding the supply of homes and investing public resources in long-term affordability. Our work advances equitable city and statewide land use policies that support more homes in walkable, connected neighborhoods while also strengthening shared-equity homeownership models that keep housing affordable for generations and level the playing field. Through community organizing and coalition-based advocacy, we work to mend the harms caused by historic disinvestment, exclusionary zoning, and systemic barriers to housing, while supporting working class neighbors in getting their own needs met.
Through community-driven development, we prioritize the needs of low- and moderate-income residents, ensuring that land, homes, and other community assets remain a shared resource for future generations. Our work fosters long-term housing stability, prevents displacement, and strengthens the social fabric of Missoula by empowering residents to shape the future of their neighborhoods.
Position Summary:
The Policy and Advocacy Manager serves as Front Step Community Land Trust’s primary external policy representative and internal policy lead, advancing local, regional, and statewide pro-housing policy aligned with Front Step’s mission and values. This role builds power with aligned partners to address historic disinvestment, exclusionary zoning, and systemic barriers to stable, affordable homeownership, driving systems-level change and strengthening the collective influence of Missoula and Montana communities in shaping housing policy.
The Policy and Advocacy Manager leads Front Step’s engagement in key coalitions, including ProHousing Missoula and ProHousing Montana, and works across ideologically diverse partnerships to advance shared advocacy goals. They steward relationships with community-based organizations, housing practitioners, industry stakeholders, policymakers, and nonprofit staff, representing Front Step and the community land trust model with clarity, credibility, and strategic judgment.
Internally, this role functions as Front Step’s policy clearinghouse, helping the organization determine when, where, and how to engage on policy issues; translating complex legislative and regulatory developments into actionable insights; and ensuring staff, board members, and partners are informed and aligned. The Policy and Advocacy Manager collaborates closely with the Executive Director to shape advocacy strategy, prioritize campaigns, and balance responsiveness with mission focus.
The position includes tracking housing policy and legislation at the local and state levels, coordinating with contract lobbyists, facilitating coalition meetings, organizing and supporting public testimony, and advancing public education and mobilization efforts. Over time, the Policy and Advocacy Manager may supervise part-time organizing staff working in targeted communities across Montana.
This position is currently grant-funded through 2026 and the Front Step is committed to securing additional funding to sustain the role beyond this period.
Responsibilities:
1. Policy Strategy, Analysis, and Legislative Engagement
○ Partner with the Executive Director to develop and implement advocacy strategies aligned with the Front Step’s mission and goals.
○ Analyze local and statewide housing policy and legislation, with emphasis on advancing land use reforms and shared equity housing models.
○ Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and identify strategic opportunities for action.
○ Coordinate with contract lobbyists to understand legislative dynamics and advance advocacy priorities.
○ Prepare policy briefs, summaries, talking points, and written public comments for staff and coalition partners.
○ Build and maintain relationships with policymakers and public officials to strengthen support for equitable housing solutions.
2. Coalition Building and Partner Coordination
○ Organize and steward strong relationships with local and statewide coalitions of partners, including leading ProHousing Missoula and ProHousing Montana, and participating in coalitions such as the Montana Housing Partnership, and a statewide network of community land trusts.
○ Collaborate with shared equity housing and community land trust partners to align policy priorities and strategy.
○ Facilitate regular coalition meetings, strategy sessions, and ad hoc convenings for ProHousing Missoula and ProHousing Montana and other potential strategic groups.
○ Coordinate agendas, notes, follow-up materials, and timelines to ensure clear communication and accountability.
○ Work with coalition members and lobbyist to coordinate hearing participation, identify key messengers, and prepare effective testimony.
3. Public Education, Messaging, and Mobilization
○ Support partners in mobilizing members, residents, and organizational leaders to engage in educational and advocacy efforts.
○ Develop clear, accessible tools—such as talking points, scripts, and action alerts.
○ Coordinate testimony and public participation in hearings, meetings, and media opportunities.
○ Help ensure diverse voices are represented and empowered in advocacy efforts.
○ Draft advocacy-focused content—including copy for newsletters, websites, and social media—that translates policy and campaign goals into clear, compelling messages, in coordination with the Communications Manager.
○ Lead the development of public education materials related to housing policy and shared equity models, including determining priority topics, appropriate formats, and target audiences, in coordination with program and communications staff.
Minimum Requirements: Our ideal candidate has access to reliable transportation, the ability to attend meetings outside of regular office hours, and a willingness to travel to meet with stakeholders, attend convenings, and or give testimony during legislative sessions.
In addition, the candidate should bring:
● A commitment to housing justice, affordability, and social, racial, and economic equity, with an understanding of systemic barriers to homeownership and a willingness to engage with diverse housing solutions, including zoning reform, tenant protections, shared-equity models, and affordability subsidies.
● Professional or educational training or equivalent lived experience that results in excellent policy analysis and strategic thinking skills.
● Demonstrated experience in policy advocacy and analysis, community organizing, and/or coalition leadership that resulted in meaningful policy outcomes or systems-level change.
● Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing advocacy materials, policy summaries, or testimony, or public-facing educational content.
● Proven ability to build and maintain relationships across diverse stakeholders in ways that mobilize action and collective power.
● Experience tracking legislation or policy processes and coordinating advocacy activities such as public testimony, hearings, lobby days, or campaigns.
● Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, follow through on commitments, and work collaboratively across teams.
● Excellent facilitation skills, including setting clear agendas, guiding productive meetings, tracking decisions, and coordinating follow-up.
● Comfort synthesizing information from public meetings, hearings, or legislative developments and communicating timely, tailored updates to different audiences – including to team members, customized in a way that gives each person the information they need to do their jobs well.
● Proficiency in using tools like Google Workspace and Zoom. Willingness to learn CRM tools like Donor Perfect and project management tools like Asana.
● Familiarity with Montana’s legislative process and the local housing policy landscape is highly preferred.
How to Apply:
Send a resume to Executive Director, Brittany Palmer, at brittany@frontstepclt.org alongside a cover letter that includes one of the following:
● An example of an email you sent where you had to explain a controversial issue in an accessible way; or
● A brief description of a legislative or policy campaign you worked on and the role you played, from strategy through outcome including what worked and what would you would do differently; or
● A description of a coalition you built or were a member of and what made it successful.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning February 23. Priority will be given to applicants who submit by that date.
Front Step is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Front Step Senior Fundraising Manager
Front Step Senior Fundraising Manager Job Description [PDF]
Position title: Policy and Advocacy Manager
Reports to: Front Step Executive Director
Position Status: Full time, 40 hours per week, non-exempt position. May require some nights and weekends. This role is based in Missoula, Montana, and works primarily out of our office, with hybrid flexibility.
Compensation: $70,000-$76,120 salary.
Benefits include:
health insurance plan,
retirement plan after first year of employment with up to 3% employer match
three weeks paid time off in first year (four weeks after three years of employment; five weeks after five years of employment)
two weeks sick time at start of employment
11+ paid holidays per year
Additional non-cash benefits include a flexible work schedule, professional development and educational opportunities, and eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
About Front Step Community Land Trust:
Front Step CLT is a community-based nonprofit organization that builds community power, thriving neighborhoods, and affordable homes. We are Missoula’s community land trust and use this tool, housing co-ops, and deed restrictions to make permanently affordable homeownership attainable for all.
We believe that addressing the housing crisis requires both expanding the supply of homes and investing public resources in long-term affordability. Our work advances equitable city and statewide land use policies that support more homes in walkable, connected neighborhoods while also strengthening shared-equity homeownership models that keep housing affordable for generations and level the playing field. Through community organizing and coalition-based advocacy, we work to mend the harms caused by historic disinvestment, exclusionary zoning, and systemic barriers to housing, while supporting working class neighbors in getting their own needs met.
Through community-driven development, we prioritize the needs of low- and moderate-income residents, ensuring that land, homes, and other community assets remain a shared resource for future generations. Our work fosters long-term housing stability, prevents displacement, and strengthens the social fabric of Missoula by empowering residents to shape the future of their neighborhoods.
Position Summary:
The Senior Fundraising Manager leads Front Step Community Land Trust’s individual giving and donor engagement efforts, playing a central role in building the financial foundation required to advance Front Step’s mission and long-term impact. This position is responsible for growing a strong, values-aligned base of individual donors and increasing unrestricted revenue through strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with an increasing emphasis on major gifts.
Working closely with the Executive Director, the Senior Fundraising Manager designs and implements an individual giving strategy that supports Front Step’s organizational goals and reflects its commitment to housing justice, equity, and community-driven development. This role serves as the primary driver of donor relationships – conducting donor meetings, managing portfolios, guiding donor stewardship, and supporting board and leadership engagement in fundraising – while bringing structure, discipline, and momentum to Front Step’s development efforts.
The Senior Fundraising Manager translates organizational vision and impact into compelling donor-facing narratives, partnering with the Communications Manager to shape effective appeals, campaigns, and stewardship materials while retaining ownership of fundraising strategy and donor intent. They lead annual and special fundraising campaigns with support from the Community Engagement Specialist, track progress toward revenue goals, and adapt strategies based on performance and opportunity.
This role also serves as the organizational anchor for fundraising systems and planning, maintaining accurate donor data, producing clear reports for leadership and the board, and aligning fundraising activity with budgeting and financial planning. The ideal candidate is a relational, strategic fundraiser with strong judgment, comfort directly asking for financial support, and the ability to operate independently while collaborating closely across teams.
This position is currently grant-funded through 2026 and Front Step is committed to securing additional funding to sustain the role beyond this period.This position is expected to grow in scope and responsibility as Front Step’s fundraising capacity expands and is intended to evolve into a Director of Development role within approximately 18 months, contingent on performance and organizational growth.
Responsibilities:
1. Individual giving strategy, cultivation, and solicitation
○ Build, grow, and steward a strong individual donor base, with increasing emphasis on major gifts.
○ Design and implement an individual giving strategy that grows Front Step’s donor base and increases unrestricted revenue year over year.
○ Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, including major (5-6 figures) gift prospects.
○ Develop and manage donor portfolios, including personalized cultivation and stewardship plans.
○ Conduct donor meetings independently and in partnership with the Executive Director.
○ Lead donor stewardship efforts, including thank-you calls, personalized follow-up, and meaningful engagement opportunities.
○ Partner with the Executive Director to engage board members and supporters in donor identification, cultivation, and solicitation.
2. Development planning, campaigns, and donor communications
○ Turn strategy into a reliable annual and multi-year fundraising engine.
○ Develop and manage an annual development plan and fundraising calendar aligned with organizational goals and budget needs.
○ Lead individual giving campaigns, including annual appeals, end-of-year giving, Missoula Gives, and special campaigns.
○ Partner with the Communications Manager to shape donor-facing messaging and content (appeals, emails, web copy, reports), while retaining ownership of fundraising strategy and donor intent.
○ Oversee donor segmentation and targeted communications based on giving history and engagement.
○ Track progress toward fundraising goals and adapt strategies as needed.
3. Development operations, systems, and organizational integration
○ Ensure fundraising is organized, data-informed, and integrated across the organization.
○ Own and maintain Front Step’s donor database (e.g., DonorPerfect), ensuring accurate data entry, reporting, and donor records.
○ Produce regular fundraising reports for the Executive Director and board, including pipeline tracking and revenue projections.
○ Coordinate closely with Executive Director and fractional CFO to align fundraising activity with budgeting and financial planning.
○ Support grant-related reporting without serving as the primary grant writer.
○ Establish and refine systems, templates, and workflows that support sustainable fundraising growth.
Minimum Requirements: Our ideal candidate has access to reliable transportation, the ability to periodically attend events or meetings outside of regular office hours, and a willingness to travel as needed for professional development and donor meetings, not likely to exceed 10% of your time.
In addition, the candidate should bring:
● Experience leading individual giving efforts, including donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with a track record of securing and stewarding meaningful individual gifts (including multi-year and/or major gifts). This role requires comfort directly asking for financial support.
● Proven ability to build and manage donor relationships, including conducting donor meetings independently and in partnership with senior leadership or board members.
● Demonstrated experience developing and implementing an individual giving or development strategy, including setting goals, managing timelines, and adjusting tactics to meet revenue targets.
● Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience crafting or providing copy for donor-facing materials such as appeals, solicitation emails, stewardship communications, proposals, or reports that clearly articulate impact and purpose.
● Ability to think strategically about donor engagement and growth, including segmentation, moves management, and aligning donor interests with organizational priorities.
● Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple fundraising streams, deadlines, and relationships simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and follow-through.
● Demonstrated ability to collaborate across teams (e.g., executive leadership, communications, finance, and program staff) to advance shared fundraising goals while maintaining clear ownership of development strategy.
● Professional experience or equivalent lived experience that reflects sound judgment, discretion, and readiness for a senior-level role with potential to grow into a Director of Development position.
● Experience using donor databases or CRMs to track donor activity, manage pipelines, and generate reports; comfort learning or deepening proficiency in systems such as DonorPerfect is highly preferred.
How to Apply:
Send a resume to Executive Director, Brittany Palmer, at brittany@frontstepclt.org alongside a cover letter that includes one of the following:
● An donor email you wrote that you were proud of and what resulted from it;
● A sample of a project plan for a giving campaign that you led and launched; or
● A paragraph or two describing a time you cultivated a new donor prospect and how you did it.
Please redact sensitive material as necessary in any example work products.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning February 23. Priority will be given to applicants who submit by that date.
Front Step is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Board Member (Community Land Trust homeowner or co-op shareholder)
Front Step Community Land Trust is looking for a Board Member!
Help us build community power, thriving neighborhoods, and affordable homes by joining our dynamic and passionate Board of Directors.
One-third of our board is reserved for community land trust homeowners and co-op shareholders. This seat must be filled by someone who meets these requirements.
About Front Step: Front Step is a community advocacy organization and developer of permanently affordable housing. Our staff and board are Missoulians dedicated to working alongside neighbors to build communities that are healthy, vibrant, and engaged. We demolish walls that restrict wealth to the few and use the community land trust model, housing co-ops, and deed restrictions to make permanently affordable homeownership attainable for all. We push for equitable city policies and zoning changes that mend the rifts created by gentrification and displacement. We open doors to each other, honoring the Missoulians who’ve built their lives here—and making room for the ones on their way.
About the role: The Front Step Board of Directors work with staff to set and guide strategic direction and ensure good organizational governance.
About the commitment:
Three-year term: April 2026-April 2029, with option to renew
One 2-hour board meeting once per month
One 1-hour committee meeting once per month
Board members spend up to 4 hours per month on duties outside of regular meetings and to review reports and board materials in advance of meetings.
About the term: The Board Member term will begin in April and is a three-year term ending in April 2029. If desired, the Board Member can apply to serve another 3-year term upon completion of the first term.
Who we're looking for: The Board Member must be based in Missoula, Montana, and should bring experience or interest in housing development, nonprofit governance, and/or strategic visioning and a strong desire to volunteer their skills to support a community-based housing nonprofit.
How to express interest: Fill out the application. Applications will be reviewed by the Executive Director and Governance Committee board members on a rolling basis.
Want to get to know our organization and needs better before submitting your application? Reach out to our Executive Director: brittany@frontstepclt.org
