Senior Director of Development
Dream Big!
Empowering Girls & Young Women In Underserved Communities Through Sports
Job Description
ABOUT Dream Big!:
Dream Big! works to empower girls and young women from economically disadvantaged communities through sports and physical activities. Dream Big! provides girls and young women, and the programs that serve them, with the sports attire, equipment, athletic footwear, program fees, and college showcase scholarships needed that contribute to their health, education, and overall well-being. Since founded in 2010, Dream Big! programs have impacted over 108,000+ girls, young women, and elementary school children in underserved communities.
Position Overview:
Dream Big! seeks an exceptional fundraising leader who is passionate about our mission, women’s sports, has a strategic orientation, demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and track record of securing major gifts within Massachusetts and beyond. Reporting to the CEO, the Sr. Director of Development will be a member of the Senior Leadership Team and will be responsible for refining and delivering on the organization’s revenue plan, including leading fundraising efforts in close collaboration with the CEO and Board members.
The Sr. Director of Development will partner closely with the CEO and other leadership in creating a fundraising short- and long-range plan, expand corporate and foundation partnerships, and mobilize the Board’s Development Committee, with a focus on raising major gifts from individuals, families, and family foundations.
The successful Senior Director of Development will have strong frontline major gift fundraising experience, demonstrated success
leading a development team, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and strong relationship building and
management skills. In addition, they are comfortable making data driven decisions and serving as a spokesperson for the organization.
The successful Senior Director of Development will have strong frontline major gift fundraising experience, demonstrated success
leading a development team, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and strong relationship building and
management skills. In addition, they are comfortable making data driven decisions and serving as a spokesperson for the organization.
This is an in-person position in which the person would be required to currently reside in eastern Massachusetts and work 4 days per week in the Dream Big! office in Needham, MA with the option to work remote on Friday’s. The Senior Director should expect to be in the office the majority of the time, with some flexibility for occasional weekend and evening work to accommodate donor, family, and corporate engagement events.
Major Responsibilities:
- Work collaboratively with the CEO to improve pipeline development and prospect research, create aligned fundraising practices that support organizational growth and donor engagement.
- Develop and execute annual fundraising plans in support of $1.5m annual revenue goal, on a path to future growth with the upcoming strategic plan.
- Build and manage a portfolio of individual, corporate and foundation prospects and donors through active identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, leveraging the CEO to advance relationships.
- Oversee the planning and execution of signature fundraising events, including the annual gala & auction and others.
- Understanding of the Greater Massachusetts philanthropic community is a plus.
- Build and manage a portfolio of national individual, corporate and foundation prospects and donors through active identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, leveraging the CEO to advance relationships.
- Work closely with the Board of Directors to support fundraising and serve as liaison to the Board Development Committee.
- Work closely with corporate partners and community organizations to support and manage equipment and sports attire drives and third party fundraising events.
- Work closely with the finance department to ensure strong customer service and compliance on gift agreements, processing, and acknowledgement.
- Prepare regular reports for the Executive Director and Board of Directors, highlighting progress
toward revenue goals and major donor engagement metrics. - Maintain an up to date donor database
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
- Must embrace the mission of Dream Big!.
- A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree or equivalent experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, or a related field is preferred.
- Leadership experience managing teams and driving revenue growth, preferably in a mission-driven organization.
- 5-10 years minimum experience in professional fundraising, including experience raising major gifts, annual support, corporate and foundation gifts, event marketing, special event management, grant writing and managing campaigns. Experience must include a proven track record of cultivating and securing major gifts within Massachusetts.
- Demonstrated success working with board members, and other volunteer committees.
- Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to tailor messaging to different audiences.
- Experience with budget creation and management experience.
- Proficiency with donor management software (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge) and data-driven fundraising approaches.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
- Willingness to travel for donor visits
- Passionate about youth development, girls and women’s sports, and education.
- Must have a car and drivers license
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
The estimated salary for this position is $100,000-$125,000 annually. The compensation offered to the successful candidate may vary from the posted range based on work experience, education, and/or skill level, among other things.
This is a benefits-eligible position. Dream Big! offers a generous benefits package, which includes, but is not limited to:
· 100% employer-paid health & dental insurance
· Employer-sponsored short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance
· 401K plan with company match
· Generous paid time off to include fifteen vacation days, twelve paid holidays, and ½ day summer Fridays
· Paid one-week shutdown period (typically the week between Christmas and the New Year)
· Opportunity to make a significant impact on girls and young women through sports and physical activities.
· Connectivity to sports networks and a wide variety of community and corporate partners
To Apply: Submit a resume and cover letter to Linda Driscoll, President & CEO at ldriscoll@dream-big.org
Dream Big! is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.