The Director of Development and Partnership (DDP) will drive campaigns to fundraise local revenue from a portfolio of individuals, corporations, and foundations, enabling the Greater Cleveland region to move more efficiently and effectively toward reaching ambitious revenue goals while substantially growing local revenue through 2021. The DDP is responsible for managing, cultivating, and stewarding donor relationships through a portfolio of regional development programs, as well as a portfolio of donors.
The DDP will work closely with the Managing Director of Development and Partnerships and the Executive Director to inform and support the vision, goals, and strategy for increasing and diversifying the individual giving, corporation and foundation donor bases. The DDP will report to the Managing Director of Development and Partnerships. As a part of our Development Team, this individual must have a strong orientation to outcomes, build relationships quickly and have a passion for bringing people into our work and the impact that their personal investment could have on students and the trajectory of educational equity.
The DDP must be a goal-oriented, charismatic individual who enjoys meeting and rallying key stakeholders around Teach For America’s mission. He or she must be able to organize, prioritize and track a large volume of projects and tasks; possess exceptional attention to detail and a high bar for quality; must be able to work well across internal functional teams; and must be a critical thinker who displays sound judgment in prioritizing actions based on outcomes and data. The DDP must also demonstrate exceptional writing skills with strong ability to adapt and adjust key messages in response to donor motivations. The DDP must truly be passionate about Teach For America’s mission and must possess a commitment to excellence. He or she is the consummate professional and a strong networker.
Growing, Managing, Cultivating, and Stewarding Donor Relationships (75%)
- Create the long range regional individual giving vision and annual strategic and operating plans to ensure that TFA – Greater Cleveland maximizes opportunities, meets its goals, and significantly grows funding while building long-term sustainability
- Maintain excellent relationships with a portfolio of prospects and individual donors, foundations, and corporations who contribute up to $50,000 annually by:
- Regularly meeting with existing donors and actively networking to develop and maintain a portfolio of new donors who give up to the $10,000 level.
- Analyzing the interests of donors and prospect to develop compelling pitches (including verbal presentations, PowerPoint decks, and one-pagers), strategies and tactical plans to achieve goals for different donor segments
- Creating a tailored cultivation or stewardship plan for every prospect and donor that results in successful retention of current donors and that maximizes the giving potential of both prospects and current donors
- Creating compelling opportunities for current and prospective donors to experience our program and effectively communicate the region’s vision, priorities and goals
- Producing consistent, high quality donor communication materials (including written appeals, renewal notices, reports, proposals, and event invitations) in partnership with the Manager, Communications & ED Support
- Working with Board Members to deepen and grow individual relationships and networks
- Support the Managing Director, Development and Partnerships in managing annual giving campaigns and prioritizing key actions for the ED and/or MD,DP to take in cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors through external meetings, events and correspondence and preparing/supporting them to execute.
- Create high-quality meeting materials for the MD,DP and ED to conduct meetings and school visits
- Track and analyze progress to goal, in part by managing accurate and up-to-date records and data on donors; conducting analysis to identify what is driving and impeding progress; and working with the MD,DP and ED to develop and implement solutions to address gaps
Development Operations (15%)
- Ensure timely processing and prompt acknowledgement of donations once secured
- Utilize Salesforce database to manage, input data, and create tasks related to the individual giving portfolio, without exception
- Conduct prospect research to build out donor base
- Oversee the operational systems required to manage a high volume of donor cultivation, stewardship and research to ensure efficiency and effectiveness
- Maintain meticulous records of donor engagement
- Support all shared development team responsibilities, including board meetings, school visits, etc.
Regional Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Support, attend, and/or participate in all regional and development team activities, including corps member selection and matriculation, corps member professional development Saturdays (4-5 per year), staff meetings, functional team meetings and retreats, and regional pre-service
- Support all shared development team responsibilities, including board meetings, school visits, etc.
- Attend and actively engage in professional development conferences learning groups
- Participate in all-staff meetings, retreats, and step backs throughout the year in pursuit of a regional culture that lives out our core values for a strong, inclusive regional culture and cohesive regional team and vision
- Previous development or relevant work experience required, minimum of 2 years of experience strongly preferred
- Experience in supporting institutional giving (corporate, foundation, and/or government) strongly preferred
- Previous experience working in education or nonprofits strongly preferred
- Previous experience in project/grants management strongly preferred
- Previous experience in administrative support or events planning strongly preferred
Skills
- Exceptional writing, communication, and analytical skills
- Ability to manage time effectively, meet deadlines, and prioritize tasks
- Ability to think critically with a high level of organization and attention to detail
- Ability to work efficiently with a high degree of accuracy in a deadline-driven environment
- Demonstrated ability to anticipate the needs of others and identify opportunities for improving systems and processes
- Proficiency with CRM or donor databases such as SalesForce or The Raiser’s Edge a plus
- Knowledge of publishing and social media platforms in a professional setting
- Ability to communicate effectively with others while building relationships and networks
Approach to Work
- Deep commitment to Teach For America’s mission of achieving educational equity
- Spirit of flexibility, sense of possibility
- Utilizes courage, relationships, and high degree of trust to bring achieve outcomes
- Highest ethical standards and commitment to responsible stewardship
- Enthusiasm for working with diverse communities and stakeholders
Work Demands
- Willingness to work occasional early mornings, evenings or weekends (for donor engagement events, etc.)
- Able to travel across Greater Cleveland efficiently
- Able to travel outside of Greater Cleveland 1-3 times per year for conferences