Senior Director of Development, BELL

Organization Link
BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life)
Position Description


 

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Organizational Overview:   Based on the belief that all children can excel, Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) dramatically increases the academic achievements, self-esteem and life opportunities of children living in low-income, urban communities.   Recognizing that the pathway to opportunity for children lies in education, BELL transforms children into scholars and leaders through the delivery of nationally recognized, high-impact after school and summer educational programs.  With sites in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York and Springfield, MA, BELL currently employs over 1,000 teachers and tutors to educate more than 12,000 scholars in 75 public schools.  Since it’s inception in 1993, BELL has had remarkable success, with more than 80% of BELL scholars achieving proficient or advanced levels in core skills, compared to 30% of their peers.

BELL has been recognized by the United States Senate, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Youth Policy Forum, Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer Learning and Fast Company Magazine as one of the premier providers of educational out-of-school time programs.

Position Summary:  BELL is seeking an experienced and highly entrepreneurial Senior Director of Development who will lead all national fundraising efforts while also building the structures to support a growing department meeting aggressive goals.  As a key member of the senior management team, the Senior Director of Development will develop and execute against a strategic and diversified development plan including individual, corporate, foundation, and government sources, cultivating and developing important funder relationships and managing senior leaders around fundraising activities.  In addition, the Senior Director of Development will have primary responsibility for establishing processes and structures to manage significant fundraising efforts, including implementing processes to track and monitor all fundraising efforts, identifying areas for operational improvements and efficiencies, leading a department with five full-time staff members, and establishing best practices throughout the department.  This position provides excellent opportunities for growth within a quickly-growing and highly-effective national organization.

Responsibilities:  Specific responsibilities for the Senior Director of Development include:

* Provide strategic leadership to the department to ensure high performance
* Work with the Chief Executive Officer to create a strategic and diversified fundraising plan that will guide the organization to meet ambitious fundraising goals, maximizing opportunities around corporate, foundation, individual, government, and event fundraising
* Build and maintain strong, positive relationships with existing and prospective funding sources
* Manage and grow own portfolio of donor relationships and leverage the time spent by the Chief Executive Officer and other senior leaders on high-impact fundraising activities
* Develop and manage annual fundraising budget and ensure successful implementation of the fundraising plan
* Oversee the preparation of the high-quality proposals, grants, reports, mailings, and acknowledgements required to support ongoing fundraising activities
* Oversee the planning, implementation and coordination of strategic and high-impact special events
* Create and implement all appropriate systems and metrics to increase operational efficiencies, enhance evaluation procedures and surpass fundraising goals

Qualifications:  Strong candidates for this position will have:

* 10+ years of work experience; direct experience building and managing a development function in an entrepreneurial nonprofit environment preferred
* Seasoned fundraiser with knowledge of all aspects of fundraising including foundation and corporate relations, government grants, special events and individual giving programs
* Commitment to helping a highly successful organization implement systems and structures to support significant growth
* Successful leadership and team-building experience with demonstrated ability to mentor, coach and supervise development professionals
* A track record as an effective communicator who is articulate and persuasive in written and verbal communications, adept at crafting proposals, donor correspondence and other kinds of materials and making presentations to a variety of audiences
* Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to inspire both donors and staff
* Strong organizational and time management skills with a highly developed attention to detail
* Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required

To Apply:  Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, stating how your background and qualifications meet the requirements of this position and stating how you heard about the position, both in Word format and addressed to Anthony Battaglia at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1278.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

BELL is an equal opportunity employer.
Salary is commensurate with experience and includes an attractive benefits package.

About Commongood Careers:  BELL has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for a Senior Director of Development.  Commongood Careers is a nonprofit search service that connects talented individuals to organizations that are dedicated to creating positive social change. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers. 

Compensation
Commensurate with experience
Deadline