Director of Development

Job Details
Position: Director of Development
Reports to: Chief Development Officer
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and some night or weekend events
Travel: Up to 25%
Location: 125 S. Elm St., Suite 500, Greensboro, NC 27401. 

About shift_ed 
shift_ed is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to boldly accelerate student potential. Our continuum of educational programs spans from kindergarten to career, with initiatives that are evidence-based and equity-minded. We partner closely with Guilford County Schools to provide thousands of hours of tutoring, aptitude assessments, college prep workshops and career exploration programming to students. Thanks to generous community support, shift_ed has also awarded more than $6.1 million in scholarships since 2018. 

Description 
The Director of Development will play a crucial role in advancing the organization's mission by implementing effective philanthropic strategies. This position requires a dynamic individual with a proven track record in fundraising and donor relations. The successful candidate will lead the charge in securing financial support to drive shift_ed’s initiatives and contribute to the overall success of educational programs within the shift_ed footprint.

The Director of Development supports overall fund development and stewardship. This position is responsible for managing and growing the portfolio of individual, corporate, and philanthropic investors contributing to the overall mission and vision of shift_ed. The Chief Development Officer will work to develop high-quality donor stewardship products and communications, providing updates to institutional partners on shared funding opportunities, and the organization of meetings, calls, and events that advance vital donor relationships.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities  include but are not limited to the following:

Philanthropic Strategy Development

• Collaborate with the executive team to develop and execute a comprehensive philanthropic strategy aligned with shift_ed’s mission and goals.
• Identify funding opportunities, both traditional and innovative, to support initiatives and programs.

Fundraising Research and Development Support

• Identify and research all potential opportunities from corporations, foundations, federal grants, and private philanthropists/investors.
• Help create strategies to increase revenue through individual and institutional funding and/or state or federal contracts.
• Support shift_ed’s general operating fundraising goal and priority strategic initiative fundraising goals.
• Research prospective investors to make recommendations on their interests, alignment with shift_ed efforts/goals, capacity to give, giving history, solicitation guidelines and possible means for introductions.
• Maintain a system for generating and tracking prospective and current investors, staying ahead of national trends and news with the potential for impacting our fundraising.

Donor Engagement & Relations

• Provide high quality stewardship of shift_ed donors, including personalized outreach and invitations to relevant events and experiences, scheduling prospect meetings, coordinating sponsor recognition efforts with the Chief Development Officer in collaboration with Communications and Marketing staff and ensuring appropriate funder engagement with shift_ed leadership and staff.
• Oversee and execute all ongoing donor communications and funder-related programmatic briefings.
• Provide required shift_ed staff members with all needed information for donor events and meetings: meeting coordination, list pulls, database entry and donor informational packets/briefings.
• Successfully represent shift_ed in public settings which include events and meetings with current and potential funders and well-organized, impactful site visits.

Community Engagement

• Represent shift_ed at community events and functions to raise awareness and support for the organization's mission.
• Collaborate with local businesses, organizations, and stakeholders to foster strategic partnerships.
• Plan and execute fundraising events to generate financial support and increase community awareness.

Fundraising Database Management

• Maintain and update donor databases including data entry (including call notes and action items), tracking progress of fundraising activities, and reporting.
• Manage data and donation-entry processes, ensuring the timely processing of all investments received by shift_ed. Extract information from CRM to meet reporting and research needs of senior leaders and members of the Fundraising Advisory Committee of the shift_ed Board of Directors.
• Work with the Chief Development Officer to create stewardship strategies for high-level donors and groups of donors. Track and coordinate all aspects of the stewardship strategies.
• Work with the Chief Development Officer and Finance staff to ensure that all gifts and pledges in the donor database reconcile with accounting records monthly.

Qualifications:

Education and Skills Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university or equivalent combination of work experience, education, or training.
• A minimum of 3 years of fundraising experience with specific experience in prospect research, project management, donor database management, donor communications and stewardship.
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to develop productive working relationships with diverse coworkers and groups both by phone and in person.
• Strong communicator who has experience researching and synthesizing information for senior leadership in preparatory documents and other collateral.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities and interpersonal skills.
• Have the ability to engage, build, and maintain relationships with a variety of individuals and organizations.
• Have a positive, solutions-oriented attitude, a drive for excellence, and ability to be a team player.
• Knowledge of fundraising principles and practices.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Demonstrate superior organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines.