Since 2009, LET’S GO Boys & Girls (LET’S GO) has been engaging and supporting elementary and middle school students in high-quality STEM education programs in order to 1) break the cycle of poverty and 2) increase the number of STEM professionals from urban underserved communities. In partnership with schools and youth organizations, LET’S GO engages youth and families from low income/high-risk neighborhoods in hands-on, minds-on STEM programs.

LET’S GO seeks its first-ever Director of Development (DD) to join the leadership team. Reporting to our Executive Director, the DD will bring a passion for our issues paired with a high-level of expertise and strategic thinking to drive revenue and build long-term and exponential growth opportunities for LET’S GO over the next decade.

WHY YOU WANT THIS JOB:

Just like everyone at LET’S GO Boys & Girls, you believe if youth from low income/high risk communities participate and persist in high-quality STEM learning experiences in elementary and middle school, they will, in the long-term, graduate from high school on time and in high standing, complete post-secondary school, enter the workforce in professional STEM and STEM related jobs, and achieve economic prosperity for themselves and their families. You also believe in the adage: “What gets measured, gets managed” and are able to hold yourself accountable to partners, funders, and your team members as you lead the fundraising efforts and help LET’S GO deliver its mission.

HOW YOU WILL DO THE JOB:

Working 40 hours a week in the DC Metro area, you will be the lead strategist and project manager of LET’S GO’s roughly $620,000 philanthropic revenue portfolio. The Director of Development is both a strategic and tactical position and is responsible for developing, executing, and analyzing LET’S GO’s annual development plan, as well as representing LET’S GO to individual and institutional donors. In addition, the DD will manage, build, and execute LET’S GO’s grant writing and reporting process. Finally, the DD will be responsible for analyzing and fine-tuning communications, ensuring LET’S GO is optimizing its messaging at every opportunity.

This position will work out of their home in the DC or MD area as well as all LET’S GO’s locations which currently include:

• Donated Office Space (8225A Cloverleaf Drive, Millersville MD)
• Programming Locations in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County and SE & NW DC

The primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Leadership and Development Strategy:

• Collaborate with and support the organization’s overall leadership as a member of LET’S GO’ leadership team
• Serve as a staff leader and development liaison to the LET’S GO’s Board of Directors
• Manage and execute the organization’s annual development and stewardship plans to achieve annual revenue goals and to generate funding to support the programmatic operations of LET’S GO
• Update existing development and stewardship plans with new ideas, industry best practices, and data-driven analysis
• Ensure a robust gift pipeline big enough to hit annual revenue goals by actively managing prospective and current donors, foundations and other funders solicited via proposals, grant applications, multiple appeals, and other fundraising activities

Foundation and Corporation Relations

• Manage relationships with existing foundations/corporations
• Author compelling grant proposals and complete grant reporting processes in a timely and efficient manner
• Research and develop relationships with potential foundation/corporate funders
• Serve as primary contact and manage all groups and companies that are sponsoring and/or entering into a cause marketing relationship with LET’S GO

Individual Donor Stewardship and Management

• Partner with Executive Director/CEO to identify, cultivate and solicit individual donors for major gifts
• Manage and develop existing initiatives, appeals, and campaigns focused on targeting new donors and stewarding existing donors
• Coordinate and oversee moves and task management for individual giving
• Cultivate relationships with Board of Directors and support them in identifying and tailoring their best development contributions to LET’S GO
• Execute the donor stewardship process (i.e. acknowledgment letters) and other donor stewardship campaigns in order to connect donors to the mission of LET’S GO and foster a sense of community
• Help develop creative and mission-centric fundraising messaging that articulates the special role and impact of LET’S GO’s work

Fundraising Operations and Gift Entry

• Design and update a regular progress-to-goal report and development dashboard for the Executive Director/CEO and LET’S GO’s Board of Directors
• Execute high-quality gift entry and revenue tracking, to ensure accurate and thorough documentation of all development activities
• Ensure integrity and accuracy in all records and reports in Salesforce

HOW YOU KNOW IF YOU CAN DO THE JOB:

• A Bachelor’s Degree and 6-8 years of nonprofit development experience
• Demonstrable experience and success as a fundraising generalist, with hands-on practice at institutional giving/grant writing, major gifts, annual giving, corporate partnership building, special events, and online giving campaigns
• Experience managing and improving development operations, ranging from CRM management to budget monitoring to gift processing
• Experience working with volunteers of all levels, and liaising with contractors and consultants
• Working knowledge of Salesforce or other databases for donor and revenue management

HOW YOU KNOW LET’S GO IS THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU:

• You are excited for the opportunity to promote LET’S GO’s gold standard STEM education programming and the innovative ways LET’S GO’s partner organizations are addressing the unique needs of the children they serve

• You regularly demonstrate strong self-motivation, strategic thinking, and the ability to work independently

• You have awesome project management skills, with a knack for working backwards from deadlines and can deal with curve balls thrown at your work plan
• You have keen attention to detail, a love of adhering to organizational systems, and aren’t satisfied until you have produced a high-quality work-product
• You possess a high level of integrity and confidentiality and are able to manage sensitive information about donors, partners, and beneficiaries
• You are reliable and a friendly communicator who reaches out and follows-up with professional persistence

• You are a creative thinker and willing to test out new ideas

Hours of Work, Holidays, and Other Benefits

• Full-time 40 hours per week with a flexible work schedule
• Generous PTO
• 8 Paid Holidays
• Medical and Retirement plans currently under review

HOW TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB:

Candidates should send the following (with “LET’S GO Development Director application” as the subject) to [email protected]:  

• Current resume
• A cover letter with:
  • Salary range expectations and
  • Available start date
• A writing sample that is authored solely by the candidate and relevant to fundraising work, like a thank you letter or a follow-up email after a donor meeting
• An example of another strategic communication to a volunteer or board member authored by the candidate like an example of a program or campaign report that the candidate has constructed to answer a question, give strategic advice or solve a problem

Persons with mental or physical disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act are eligible for this position as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodations are made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible for this position. Persons of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.