Director of Development

About the Role

The Director of Development works closely with the Chief Development Officer to implement the strategy for sustainable fundraising for the organization and provides informal leadership to the development team. This individual will develop and manage a portfolio of philanthropic supporters and prospects who power Big Thought’s mission and vision.

About Big Thought

Big Thought equips youth in marginalized communities to imagine and create their best lives and world. The secret that makes our work uniquely effective is the powerful combination of our social and emotional focus, experiential learning, community-centered partnerships, inclusion/equity lens and future focus.

Throughout our 30+ year history of innovation, Big Thought has become a national model in arts education, out of school time systems, summer learning and juvenile justice intervention. Now, we’re one of six community partnerships in the U.S helping scale national best practices in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). We take direct-to-youth programs and resources to communities with the greatest needs and share our evidence-based best practices with other nonprofits and organizations through a suite of consultation services including professional development, curriculum design and technical assistance.

#Big Thought Way

Big Thought brings relentless optimism, innovation, and imagination to everything we do.  Our kids come first, and we use a collaborative, all hands-on deck approach to ensure that they are served well. 

About the Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is keen on establishing new and strengthening existing partnerships with donors and philanthropists in the North Texas region, with a specific emphasis on securing and stewarding five- and six-figure gifts from private/family foundations and institutional donors. This person is a powerful storyteller in both written and verbal communication to share the mission and impact of Big Thought in the community.

Qualifications

What the Role Entails:

• Develop and implement strategies for multi-faceted engagement of foundations and institutional donors in the mission of Big Thought
  • Manage and steward a portfolio of existing donors
  • Focus on maximizing donor giving to align with Big Thought’s growth needs and goals
  • Develop and cultivate a portfolio of prospective donors through research, outreach, and strategic communications
  • Conduct meetings and prepare materials and proposals
• Manage full fundraising cycle from cultivation through stewardship and renewal, including:
  • Producing compelling funding proposals
  • Collaborating cross-functionally with teams on outcomes, outputs, and data tracking in support of funding requests and reporting
  • Formulate, implement, and recommend short- and multi-year fundraising plans for stakeholders in collaboration with development team and appropriate staff with Big Thought priorities in mind.
  • Develop long-term relationships with grantors and potential grantors within assigned portfolio.
• Track and manage portfolio history and prospect pipeline in Salesforce, including donor communications, requests and report documents, and more
• Partner and collaborate effectively with peers and leaders across the organization, including programs/systems, Big Thought Institute, finance, and others
• Identify new, creative opportunities to add value for stakeholders and deepen engagement in our mission

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in related field
• Experience utilizing Salesforce or other Donor’s platforms (i.e. Raiser’s Edge, Donor Perfect, etc.)
• Infuse inclusion and equity both internally and externally
• Exercise a high level of EQ (Emotional Intelligence)
• Demonstrate and promote a climate of engagement, creativity, teamwork, and humility that is essential to working in a diverse, inclusive, youth and community serving organization.

Physical Expectations (not an exhaustive list):

Big Thought jobs are hands on and can be physically demanding.  To perform the duties of these roles successfully, you may regularly be required to: sit, stand, or stare at computer screen for long periods of time; participate in external activities; use various office equipment, some manual; work in environment with loud sounds, multiple distractions, and interruptions; be exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures on occasion; maintain emotional control during stressful situations.