Director of Development

Position description

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is the world’s leading youth achievement award, operating in over 129 countries and territories. Since 1956, millions of young people worldwide have earned their Award by developing transferable skills, increasing fitness levels, cultivating a sense of adventure, and volunteering in their communities. The Award helps young people ages 14-24 discover their purpose, passion, and place in the world. Today, there are more than 1 million active participants globally using the proven learning framework to develop life skills and achieve great things. We provide opportunities for young people to explore their interests and talents and to step outside their comfort zone to become leaders and good global citizens. We believe in the potential of all young people to make a positive impact on their communities.

Award USA is entering a new phase of scaling and is seeking a dynamic philanthropy leader to help build support and secure resources for an ambitious business plan to build access to the Award across the country.  To do so, the Director of Development will build and execute a multiyear fundraising campaign, reinvigorate donor support post pandemic, seek new sources of support, and cover a wide range of development generalist duties.

The Director of Development plays a vital role in securing the financial resources needed to support Award USA’s mission and ensure the continued growth and impact of our programs. This dynamic leadership position requires a passionate and experienced fundraising professional to develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy, cultivate relationships with donors, foundations, and corporations as well as  support the Board of Directors in their fundraising efforts, and oversee all aspects of the development department. 

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Develop a comprehensive development plan aligned with Award USA’s strategic goals and Award USA’s 2023-2027 business plan.
• Oversee all aspects of the development plan, including budget and operations.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with major donors (individuals, corporations, and foundations).
• Secure new funding opportunities and maximize existing resources.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors (governing and honorary board) on securing and tracking their pledges and outreach to their networks.
• Collaborate with internationally based Foundation colleagues on any collaborative in country fundraising.

DONOR CULTIVATION AND STEWARDSHIP

• Develop and implement a strong donor stewardship program to build lasting relationships with supporters.
• Manage a robust prospect research program to identify and qualify potential donors.
• Secure meetings and cultivate relationships with major donors and foundation representatives.
• Lead solicitation efforts for gifts and grants.
• Ensure donors and grantor relationship information is recorded, analyzed, and leveraged using Salesforce.
• Continue strong practice of donor stewardship and relationship management.

FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES

• Develop and implement creative fundraising initiatives and events including with VVIP guests.
• Design and launch business plan campaign.
• Oversee the annual giving program and manage all aspects of donor communication managing in collaboration with communications resources content and design of solicitation pieces, annual impact reporting and annual appeal.
• Manage grant proposals and reports to secure funding from foundations and government agencies.
• Collaborate with the marketing and communications team to promote Award USA’s mission and impact.

PEFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track fundraising progress and effectiveness.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records and fundraising data. Manage tax receipting process.
• Analyze fundraising data and generate reports to assess success and identify areas for improvement.
• Regularly present fundraising reports to the CEO, Board of Directors, and Award USA staff.

Undertake any other duties as required for the successful delivery of national strategic and annual objectives.

Qualifications

Essential     

• Mission driven youth advocate with a genuine interest in The Duke
• Edinburgh’s International Award vision and mission
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, non-profit management, or related field.
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in fundraising, preferably within the non-profit sector.
• Proven track record of success in securing major gifts and grants.
• Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies.
• Proficiency in donor database management software and CRM systems

Qualifications – Desired

• Experience working with youth development organizations.
• Familiarity with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program.
• Strong understanding of major donor cultivation and stewardship practices.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 

Experience – Essential

• Working with high-net-worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and securing large gifts
• Experience with Salesforce
• Interpersonal skills with experience working with diverse constituents.
• Leading, promoting, and working in a diverse, inclusive, cross-cultural environment
• Experience fundraising analytics tools
• Developing metrics and reports

Experience – Desired

• Youth focused nonprofit     experience
• Previous experience in a leadership role within a non-profit organization, particularly one with a youth development focus
• Familiar with experiential/outside the classroom learning

Skills and Abilities – Essential

• A skilled, diplomatic, strategic, energetic development leader
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated and results-oriented
• Experience with grant writing and proposal development.
• Exemplary public speaking and written communication skills
• Large- and small-scale event management planning and execution
• Ability to build trusted relationships and be an effective ambassador among diverse stakeholders.
• Independently take initiative, manage time, prioritize workloads, work under competing pressures
• and deadlines
• Work collaboratively and cross functionally as a team member.
• A demonstrated bias for action and solution-oriented approach
• Passion for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program and its mission
• Experienced user of Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Skills and Abilities – Desired  

• Successful event planning with high profile individuals
• Personal commitment to continuous learning and improvement
• Ticketing and event software (such as onecause, givesmart, etc.)

CIRCUMSTANCES

The Director of Development must reside in one of our target market regions of Chicago, where our national office is located, or the metropolitan areas of New York City, Washington DC, Houston, or Austin. It is expected that the Director of Development will have frequent in person meetings with donors and will travel approximately 30% of the time. Work hours are predominantly 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, with some evening and weekend hours as needed. Some flexibility is required around the lead up to national events or Board meetings. Overtime is not payable, though hours worked over and above standard contract can be taken in lieu of payment in line with policy and local regulations. Must be eligible to work in the USA.

Benefits

• Paid Vacation: 25 days per annum plus National Holidays
• Health, dental and vision insurance are available, with costs shared and/or completely covered by Award USA, depending on your plan(s) of choice.
• Self-managed 401K plan with an employer match up to 5% (available after satisfactory passing of 90-day probation period) NOTE: This 90-day delay can be waived at our discretion.

Life insurance, short term disability, and long-term disability coverage are offered at no cost to you.

Application instructions

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