The Director of Development will provide essential support for Teach For America Charlotte-Piedmont Triad’s regional development team, collaborating with a dynamic duo of fundraising professionals to enable the region to move efficiently and effectively toward an ambitious revenue goal of over $5 million this fiscal year. You will support our short and long-term fundraising goals and will be responsible for developing a diverse and sustainable investor base through grant writing and foundation, corporation and individual engagement. You will execute portfolio management, including setting donor strategy, conducting data analysis, researching current and prospective supporters and implementing a comprehensive relationship plan. You will also be in charge of writing all regional grant proposals and reports and assist with event planning and the creation of fundraising collateral. You will report directly to the Managing Director of Development and collaborate closely with the Development Associate.
To achieve all of this, you are strategic and able to operationalize complex plans, committed to consistently learning and growing, and compelling and inspiring in all communication. You are big-picture oriented but obsessive about the details and laser-focused on achieving outcomes. You have a strong commitment to being a conscious leader by taking responsibility for your own experience on staff, thoughtfully engaging with co-workers and partners, and being passionate about your contribution to educational equity in Charlotte.
Portfolio Management, Strategy & Execution (40%)
- Set vision and direction, define opportunities, and develop and execute strategies for a portfolio of individuals (capacity up to $10,000) and corporations and foundations (capacity up to $100,000) with a goal of growing our base of support
- Conduct ongoing research on new donor prospects and current supporters
- Regularly track progress to goal by maintaining accurate partner records in our Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) System (Salesforce) to identify what is driving and impeding progress and develop solutions and adjust course as necessary, and communicate progress to the team
- Work closely with the team to ensure strategies are implemented, actions are taken, and portfolio progress is made
- Create tailored written and verbal pitches that communicate our local impact and fit with donor motivations based on a deep understanding of our donors
- Collaborate with the Associate, Development to create high-quality meeting materials for the MDD and ED; occasionally conduct or support these meetings
- Efficiently track and monitor all communications, actions, events, and commitments for each partner in the portfolio in Salesforce to ensure a positive and consistent donor experience
Grant-writing and Reporting (25%)
- Write high-quality grants, proposals, progress reports, and final reports for all corporate and foundation partners
- Set the vision and direction for each written piece, incorporate knowledge of partner motivations and barriers into writing, solicit support and information from other functional teams when writing about our work or when others hold information critical to ensuring the composition of a high-impact piece
- Weave compelling, accurate data into inspiring stories that reflect our unique mission and work
- Respond quickly and comprehensively to requests for follow-up, clarification, and additional information with the aim of demonstrating the appreciation and value we place on our donors’ support
- Manage the operational systems required to backwards plan for researching, writing and gaining approval for all regional proposals and ensure alignment with all grant guidelines and deadlines
Manage and Build Partner Communication, Stewardship and Cultivation Experiences (15%)
- Draft compelling content for donor communications based on a deep understanding of Teach For America’s vision, priorities and local impact
- Work with our Network Strategy and Public Affairs team to design and maintain regional fundraising collateral, including but not limited to pitch decks, one-pagers, invitations, emails and marketing materials
- Support the planning and execution of multiple development-related events at various scales
- Collaborate with the team to execute an effective program(s) for recognition, involvement and stewardship of donors; including:
- Supporting the Sponsor A Leader program by managing corps members and alumni or fellow staff to provide the team with stories from classrooms or key information needed to tell the story of our impact to donors and find ways to effectively and efficiently share these stories
- Helping coordinate Community Dinners for teachers hosted by donors
- Supporting with all major mailings
- Collaborate with the MD, Development to refine and enhance corporate engagement opportunities and build additional strategies for partner retention and upgrades, including regional sponsorship opportunities
- Partner with the Associate, Development to manage the strategy and execution for donor engagements, meetings, and school visits
Operational Support & Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Use Salesforce to track all portfolio deadlines
- Prepare for and lead check ins with your manager around progress towards goals and your ongoing development
- Leverage national resources provided to staff including weekly newsletters, daily gift reports, the development hub and the daily brief
- Partner with the Associate, Development to ensure we have a comprehensive database that includes accurate partner information and acknowledge all partners in assigned portfolio and process gifts when needed
- Support team initiatives including event support, team meetings, and retreats
- Collaborate with and support development colleagues’ work and development
Regional Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Fulfill foundational responsibilities that allow our region to do our work, make decisions, grow as professionals, and strengthen our team culture by attending regional meetings; completing our performance development program; upholding our data management, office operations, and fiscal responsibilities; and operating with our Core Values and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
- Make a direct impact on the organizational mission of enlisting, developing and mobilizing leaders to strengthen the movement for educational equity by interviewing applicants to Teach For America; communicating regularly with incoming corps members; and assisting with member facing events, our alumni giving campaign, alumni survey, and other initiatives that impact our members and partners
- Experience writing in a professional setting, especially writing grants, strongly preferred
- Previous development or relevant work experience required, minimum of 2 years relevant experience strongly preferred
- Experience supporting institutional giving (corporate, foundation, and/or government) strongly preferred
- Experience in an entrepreneurial environment, developing new ways of approaching problems in a logical and disciplined manner, and achieving outcomes through layers
Work Demands
- Ability to work an average of 50 hours per week, majority during business hours
- Frequent independent travel to meetings throughout Charlotte and occasionally to the Piedmont Triad
- Occasional evening and weekend work required
- Some travel to in-person meetings in various US cities required (once per quarter)
Skills
- Passionate about Teach For America’s mission and the role we play in helping to eliminate educational inequity; believes deeply in the importance of inspiring/investing others in our mission/work and operates with a partner and mission-service mindset
- Ability to understand the unique perspectives of others and influence them through stellar written materials and strategies aligned to those perspectives
- Exceptional ability to build and execute a project plan, manage and plan around deadlines, and adjust/evolve plans as new information becomes available
- Ability to conduct strong analysis leading to clear prioritization and understanding of opportunities/problems
- Respond to challenges from a solutions-oriented mindset, and think expansively about what is within one’s locus of control
- Able to build strong relationships with others
- Interest in front-line fundraising
- Driven by goals and outcomes, and driven to manage up and laterally to invest others in achieving those goals and outcomes