Teach For America – Detroit seeks a Director, Development to lead the fundraising efforts for the Detroit region. The Director, Development will collaborate with the Executive Director and the regional leadership team to build a foundation for our current and future work. The Director, Development is responsible for developing a diverse and sustainable investor base throughout greater Detroit, raising approximately $3M annually. The Director, Development will report directly to the Managing Director, External Affairs and Operations.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead a vibrant development team and innovative fundraising campaign. This individual must be able to build strong and sustainable relationships and have the capability to interact with within all levels of the organization and external constituents. To be successful, s/he must be strategic and able to operationalize complex plans, consistently learning and growing, compelling and inspiring in all communication, big-picture oriented but obsessive about the details, and laser-focused on achieving outcomes and moving the needle towards the regional vision.
Development and Fundraising Strategy and Execution (90%)
- Craft, execute and evaluate strategy to achieve the region’s funding goals annually, with a long-term view towards enduring regional sustainability and impact in collaboration with the regional leadership team.
- Oversee all aspects of cultivation and stewardship for a portfolio of current, lapsed, and new individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects.
- Significantly grow the base of corporate and foundation donors, identifying and securing at least $3 million in new support over the next 3 years.
- Identify prospective board members
- Manage direct report(s) towards achieving their goals, with an emphasis on strong coaching, development, and cultural leadership.
- Collaborate with broader regional team to maintain a fresh narrative of regional impact, which includes obtaining and maintaining timely data on regional initiatives.
- Oversee and execute multiple development related events of various scales.
- Regularly assess and report on team wide progress to goals, identify what is driving and impeding progress, and developing solutions to address gaps and adjust course as necessary.
- Ensure adherence to all grant and funding requirements as well as maintenance of regional fundraising collateral, including but not limited to producing proposals, reports, and marketing materials.
Ongoing Regional Responsibilities (10%)
- Participate in and support various regional efforts, including some nights and weekends, to support corps members and alumni development.
- Support efforts that impact corps members and alumni across the continuum including but not limited to corps member selection, newsletters, various alumni campaigns, ongoing AmeriCorps data collection and tracking, etc.
- Serve as an “all hands on deck” team member willing to support the region in various ways as needs and opportunities arise, which embodies the spirit of the TFA-Detroit regional team.
Prior Experience
- 5-7 years of relevant work experience.
- Experience managing donor relationships in a non-profit setting
Skills
- Deep love and commitment to Teach For America-Detroit and the larger education reform efforts happening throughout the community.
- Critical thinker who enjoys spending significant time solving problems and developing opportunities with an uncommon level of personal responsibility, exceptional goal orientation, and a proven track record of success.
- Exceptional relationship builder across diverse constituencies with keen understanding of the beliefs, contexts and motivations of others.
- Strong verbal and written communicator: can speak compellingly about our organization, mission, and goals and has a mature presence.
- Knowledge of Salesforce (preferred), Excel, and PowerPoint required.
Work Demands
- Some weekend and evening work required
- Ability to travel to in-person meetings.