Director of Development

About the Organization

Figure Skating in Harlem is a nonprofit organization entering its 30th anniversary of dedication to empowering girls and young women through education, leadership development, and access to opportunity through the sport of figure skating. As the organization enters a transformative period of growth—including a major capital initiative to build its own rink—we are seeking a strategic, highly organized, and proactive Director of Development to help lead and execute our fundraising efforts.

Position Summary

The Director of Development supports the Chief Growth Officer in executing the organization’s annual fundraising strategy across individual giving, institutional giving, corporate partnerships, donor stewardship, and special events. This role will serve as the operational lead for development activities and work closely with the Chief Growth Officer to support revenue growth, strengthen donor engagement, and build sustainable fundraising systems. The Director of Development will oversee all planning, coordination, and execution of the organization’s annual gala and other fundraising events, managing all pre-event logistics internally while partnering with external consultants and vendors for design support and day-of event execution. This position will also play a growing role in corporate sponsorship strategy and relationship management. Corporate partnerships will initially be a shared responsibility with senior leadership and transition more fully to this role over time. The Director of Development will work collaboratively with the organization’s Director of Communications & External Affairs to ensure alignment across fundraising, government relations, corporate engagement, communications, and institutional strategy. The role will also receive operational and administrative support from a shared Development & Operations Coordinator. The ideal candidate is strategic, highly organized, self-directed, and execution-oriented.

Key Responsibilities

Development Strategy & Revenue Execution

• Partner with the Chief Growth Officer to execute the organization’s annual fundraising plan and revenue strategy, especially major donor cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation efforts
• Manage timelines, deliverables, and execution across fundraising initiatives
• In coordination with Chief Growth Officer, maintain and strengthen donor pipelines and moves management systems; prepare donor materials, briefing documents, proposals, and stewardship reports
• Track fundraising performance and provide regular reporting and analysis
• Proactively identify opportunities, challenges, and operational needs across the development function

Institutional Giving & Grants

• Manage grant calendar, deadlines, reporting, and submissions for non-government funders
• Draft and coordinate foundation and institutional grant proposals and reports
• Maintain relationships and records for private and institutional funders
• Ensure compliance with grant requirements and reporting timelines

Gala & Special Event

• Serve as project lead for the organization’s annual gala and fundraising events
• Manage all pre-event planning, coordination, timelines, logistics, and internal execution
• Oversee sponsorship outreach and fulfillment, invitation management, auction coordination, seating, vendor coordination, and event communications
• Partner with external consultants and vendors on graphic design, production support, and day-of event execution
• Manage post-event stewardship and donor follow-up plans
• Collaborate with board members, host committees, and leadership to drive event fundraising success

Young Professionals Board Management

• Serve as primary staff lead for the organization’s Young Professionals Board
• Manage board communications, meetings, engagement strategies, and event coordination
• Support fundraising initiatives, membership cultivation, and volunteer leadership development

Corporate Partnerships

• Support development and stewardship of corporate sponsorship relationships
• Work collaboratively with senior leadership and the Director of Communications & External Affairs on sponsorship strategy and outreach
• Over time, assume increasing ownership of corporate partnership management and revenue generation

Development Operations & Stewardship

• Partner with the Development & Operations Coordinator to oversee donor acknowledgment and stewardship systems
• Ensure database accuracy, gift processing integrity, and strong donor record management
• Oversee gift reconciliation processes between development and finance
• Improve systems and workflows to increase efficiency and donor experience

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of progressively responsible, nonprofit development experience
• Proven experience independently managing fundraising events and complex projects
• Strong writing and communication skills, including experience in grant writing
• Experience managing multiple fundraising streams and deadlines simultaneously
• Ability to work independently and proactively in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated self-direction, initiative, and strong project ownership
• Highly organized with strong project management skills and attention to detail
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented, and adaptable

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in arts, education, youth development, or mission-driven organizations
• Experience supporting capital campaigns or major organizational growth initiatives
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge preferred
• Knowledge of the figure skating landscape, including familiarity with the skating community, competitive ecosystem, relationships within the sport and/or passion for sports-based youth development

Required to Apply

1) A cover letter detailing your interest in Figure Skating in Harlem’s mission, experience, and qualifications

2) Resume

3) A work sample or project for which you were the primary producer (annual report, grant, proposal, etc, redacted if needed)