Development Director

Ready for School, Ready for Life

Guilford County

Full-time

$95,000-$112,500/year

DESCRIPTION:

The Development Director leads Ready Ready’s fundraising strategy to support its mission of ensuring every child in Guilford County enters school developmentally on track. This role oversees the design and implementation of a comprehensive development program that includes individual giving, major gifts, grants, corporate and foundation partnerships, and special campaigns. The Development Director works closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior staff to cultivate relationships and secure resources that advance organizational priorities. The position also supervises the Grants Lead to ensure a cohesive and effective approach to grant development and management.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan aligned with Ready Ready’s strategic priorities.

• Establish annual revenue goals and monitor progress toward meeting them.

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, foundations, corporations, and other funding partners.

• Engage the CEO and Board members in donor cultivation and stewardship activities.

• Donor Engagement & Stewardship

• Build and sustain strong relationships with donors and prospects through personalized engagement strategies.

• Develop compelling cases for support, donor communications, and stewardship reports in partnership with communications staff.

• Ensure a high-quality donor experience that reflects Ready Ready’s mission and values.

Grants & Institutional Giving

• Provide leadership and direction to the Grants Lead, including prospecting, proposal development, and grant reporting.

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with foundation and corporate funders.

• Align grant development with organizational goals, data, and program needs.

• Organizational Support

• Partner with leadership and implementation staff to align fundraising strategies with programmatic priorities.

• Prepare reports, updates, and presentations on fundraising progress for the CEO, Board, and funders.

• Support the Board of Directors in fulfilling their fundraising responsibilities through training, resources, and engagement opportunities.

Team Leadership

• Supervise, coach, and support the Grants Lead to ensure strong performance and professional growth.

• Foster collaboration across teams to support a culture of philanthropy within the organization.

General

• Document, synthetize, and analyze job-related data to use for learning and improvement, to track progress, and to report to funders and other stakeholders.

• Provide regular reports on progress to Ready Ready leadership team and liaise across other partners/consultants.

• Perform other duties as assigned by the CEO and/or supervisor.

Qualifications

This is an outstanding opportunity to play a critical role in building a system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families. Therefore, first and foremost, the Development Director must be committed to the mission of Ready Ready. Additionally, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit fundraising, including individual giving, major gifts, and institutional giving.

• Proven track record of securing significant philanthropic investments from diverse funding sources.

• Strong leadership and management skills, with experience supervising staff.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and engage donors, staff, and community stakeholders.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Flexibility and the ability to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed.

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.

• Knowledge of the early childhood, education, and/or healthcare systems.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and comfort with digital collaboration tools (e.g., Teams, Zoom, shared drives).

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and Ready Ready’s mission of improving outcomes for children and families.

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Desired

• CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) credential or equivalent professional certification.

• Familiarity with Guilford County’s philanthropic landscape and/or early childhood sector.

• Experience working with Boards of Directors to advance fundraising goals.

For more information and to apply, click this link: https://getreadyguilford.org/careers-at-ready-ready/