Senior Director, Development

Application Instructions

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Number of Positions: 1

Position Overview

City Year Chicago is seeking a dynamic Senior Director of Development who will lead efforts to secure financial support from individuals and foundations in the metro Chicago area. Reporting to the Managing Director of Development and working closely with other members of the development team, senior leaders, volunteers, and board members, the Senior Director of Development is responsible for meeting quarterly and annual goals by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a diverse base of individual donors and foundations.

This position will play a critical role by assisting the Managing Director of Development in the successful execution of a substantial and sustainable individual giving program, the Red Jacket Society, and the management of our partners at HQ in creating and submitting successful grant applications, renewals and reports. This individual will work in close partnership with other members of the Development team. The Senior Director of Development will also work closely with City Year Chicago’s Marketing & Communications team to fully leverage the site’s outreach activities and events to meaningfully engage prospective and current donors and alumni. The Development Department is responsible for securing more than $3.5M in annual support from individual, corporate, and foundation sources.

Job Description

Salary Range: $90,000 - $100,000

Responsibilities

Fundraising and Donor Acquisition Strategy

• Develop and implement an individual giving strategy to increase the funding for City Year Chicago and position the organization as a premier education leader in the community ultimately meeting a fundraising goal of $2 million
• Develop and manage new creative solicitation campaigns and initiatives to engage a diverse group of individuals within the Chicago community
• Partner with national team Grant Writers to deliver grant proposals and reports for family and foundation funders 
• Ensure the successful stewardship of current foundation and individual donor relationships by managing appropriate frequency of outreach, communication, appreciation and involvement
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Managing Director of Development and Director, Corporate Partnerships to create strategies to identify and secure new supporters, fully leverage existing relationships, and increase multi-year commitments
• Collaborate with the Communications team to create and implement donor communications and acknowledgements related to cultivation and stewardship of donors and prospects using asset-based language in all communications.
• Work with the Development staff and volunteers to develop, execute and evaluate strategies to engage a diverse group of individual donors through outreach, education, invitations to special events, and personal contacts. 
• Ensure that asset-based language is used in all communications and stories being told center our students 
• Work to broaden donor base by prospecting, identifying, and cultivating new donors; ensuring diversity and sustainability of site donor base.
• Build a Red Jacket Society Ambassador team that reflects the diversity of our students and ACMs 

General Management and Outreach

• Manage a portfolio of 150 foundations, leadership donors, and prospects for whom they will be directly responsible to cultivate, solicit, and steward, with hopes to have these donors increase their giving level
• Engage through emails, calls, and visits to homes, offices, and events in the Chicago area
• Work closely with the Development team and Site Board to build a prospect portfolio and ensure the flow of prospects into the giving pipeline, from identification through stewardship. 
• Support the efforts of volunteer committees to identify and solicit prospects, with a specific focus on the annual gala and specialty market events. 
• Document and maintain clear and timely records and call reports to track contacts, donor giving, notes, and assist in the maintenance of an accurate database.
• Lead overall efforts to build a robust Red Jacket Society, inviting donors to personally invest $10,000+ in City Year Chicago.
• Work closely with the Board, Development team, HQ prospect research, and site leadership, to identify, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of prospects that can make annual and multiyear investments at the $10,000+ level.
• Develop strategies to identify, cultivate, and solicit leadership-level support and multi-year commitments from new donors. Strengthen engagement and provide an equitable experience for all members of the Red Jacket Society.

Qualifications

• Communication: clearly articulates information and ideas verbally and in writing; inspires diverse audiences through compelling, tailored messaging; communicates with confidence and credibility; listens carefully and is responsive to feedback
• Relationship Development: Establishes and builds diverse, mutually beneficial, and sustainable partnerships within City Year Chicago.
• Team Collaboration & Leadership: Leverages diverse strengths of team members to achieve desired results; coaches and empowers others to lead; addresses and resolves team conflicts swiftly and effectively

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; seven or more years of relevant work experience including knowledge of fundraising for non-profit or educational organization preferred.
• Strong knowledge base of all aspects of fundraising with a strong emphasis on individual giving programs.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate a diverse team of volunteers to meet fundraising goals.
• Experience using donor/relationship management software to track donors, establish goals, and generate reports (experience with Salesforce preferred).
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with an ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences.
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to handle multiple tasks and think critically.
• Passion for and understanding of City Year’s work within the national service movement and education sphere.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office platforms required.
• City Year and AmeriCorps alumni are encouraged to apply.

Benefits

Full-time employees will be eligible for all benefits including vacation, sick days and organization holidays. You may participate in all benefit programs that City Year establishes and makes available to eligible employees, under (and subject to all provisions of) the plan documents that govern those programs. Currently, City Year offers medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment and disability coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and other benefits including 401(k) plan(s) pursuant to the terms and conditions of company policy and the 401(k) plan document. For more information, click here .

Employment at City Year is at-will. 

City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas.