Director of Development

We are seeking an experienced, self-driven Director of Development to lead and execute its development strategy and significantly grow grant and sponsorship revenue from private foundations as well as corporations and their foundations. 

Location: Remote - Eastern Time Zone (Greater Boston, DC Metro, NY Metro preferred).

Salary: $90,000 - $102,000

Benefits: A flexible work environment, 90%-100% employer-paid medical and dental premiums for FT employees, and a 401K match for qualifying employees. Full-time employees receive an average of 18 paid holidays and 12 days of PTO a year.

About the Role: If you are a purpose-driven, self-starting, relationship guru, you may be the right person to lead our development efforts. 

The Director of Development will cultivate, solicit, and secure support from foundations, corporations, and government sources, and build a pipeline of opportunities that position iThrive Games for long-term success. They will collaborate with contracted grant writers, and work in trusted partnership with the team to ensure the success of the fundraising program. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, they will be accountable for fundraising goals to grow our current $1.5M to $2M annually, and to $5M+ over the next 3 years.

The right candidate:

• Has 5-7 years of experience
• has an existing network and a knack for connecting people
• has a demonstrated track record working with Executive Directors on high-level operations
• prioritizes and develops relationships
• finds excitement and satisfaction in finding and closing foundation and corporate funding opportunities
• is motivated by reaching goals
• is passionate about positive youth development and mental health
• authentically promotes iThrive's design services and products
• maintains and adapts clear systems for tracking partner outreach and participation
• is driven to create strategy as well as execute it
• has a desire to be part of a small but mighty team
• wants to contribute to an amazing workplace culture

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Through research, prospecting, networking, and relationship building, build a robust portfolio of funders including foundations, corporations and government sources
• Work closely with the executive director and leadership team to cultivate, solicit, and steward contributions and grants to iThrive Games 
• Develop and implement systems and strategies to grow funder pipeline to meet organization performance metrics 
• Respond to opportunities for financial support 
• Systematically track deadlines and foundation expectations to ensure reports, applications, proposals, and letters of intent are submitted in a timely manner to ensure ongoing funding 
• Identify and respond to funding opportunities (through grant proposals, RFPs, foundation guidelines, etc.) and prepare compelling grant proposals and reports to achieve revenue goals of > $700K+ in grants and $2M annual budget 
• Recruit and manage contract grant writers as needed
• Collaborate with the Director of Marketing and Communications to help create funder communications, reports, and other outreach collateral  
• Identify and attend appropriate networking and fundraising conferences and meetings as needed 
• Actively participate in finance meetings to monitor budget and provide regular reporting on fundraising progress toward goals  
• Work with the Director of Finance and leadership team to develop program budgets for grant proposals and track grant expenditures to facilitate accurate reporting   
• Maintain accurate, up‐to‐date application and funder records on our internal drives and donor management CRM
• Research and remain knowledgeable of funding sources and trends

Requirements and Qualifications

• A deep commitment to iThrive Games' mission  
• 5+ years of professional experience in nonprofit product and services fundraising or grant writing, with demonstrated success in meeting solicitation goals and grant outcomes
• Proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward charitable contributions and other funding at the six- and seven-figure level   
• Ability to develop and implement strategic plans without close oversight 
• Experience matching programs, products, and organizational priorities with funding opportunities
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a high level of cultural competence and ability to work with diverse stakeholders 
• Excellent verbal, written communication, and presentation skills with an ability to effectively influence others
• Strong management skills, both strategic and operational
• Experience using ELEO and/or other fundraising CRMs
• A plus: CFRE-certified, and understanding of social and emotional learning (SEL), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), or mental health