Development Director

Child Care Answers; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Job summary

Child Care Answers is seeking its Development Director to build and lead a new development plan focused on sustainable, diversified funding for early care and education across central Indiana.

The role guides funder relationships, writes grants, and reports outcomes while collaborating with the executive director and staff to create a long-term financial strategy. This is a leadership position with hybrid work expectations.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, public administration, or related field; CFRE preferred.
• Experience: 5+ years in nonprofit fund development, grant writing, or institutional giving; leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a multi-year development plan diversifying funding across grants, contracts, corporate partnerships, individual giving and events.
• Serve as primary relationship manager for funders, coordinating reporting, deliverables, and renewals with staff.
• Lead grant writing and proposals, coordinating input, data, and budgets; maintain a grants calendar and pipeline.
• Develop annual fundraising strategy and align messaging with data storytelling to demonstrate impact.
• Collaborate with leadership, communications, and program staff to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Grant writing

Donor relations

Data analysis

Nonprofit management

Education

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit mgmt

CFRE credential preferred

Tools

CRM systems

PowerBI

Microsoft Office

Canva

Job description

Job Summary

The development director will be Child Care Answers' first dedicated fund development leader. This person will build our development plan from the ground up and guide us toward sustainable, diversified funding to support early care and education across central Indiana.

Today, team members carry pieces of our funding work alongside their other roles, managing funder relationships, writing grants, and reporting on outcomes. The development director will bring that work together into one clear, intentional strategy. They will listen first, learning from our current and potential funders, staff, and board, then lead the creation of a development plan that reflects what funders value and what our community needs.

This role stewards current funding partners and funding streams, cultivates new ones, and supports the board of directors in setting and reaching its fundraising goals. The development director tracks and analyzes funding data so leadership can weigh options with confidence and leads or supports grant writing and proposals. Working closely with the executive director, the communications and data manager, and program staff, they will create a path to long-term financial sustainability for Child Care Answers.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. Child Care Answers will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Build and lead Child Care Answers' development plan
  • Listen first: meet with current and potential funders, staff, and board members to understand priorities and opportunities
  • Assess our current funding landscape, including sources, gaps, and risks
  • Create and regularly update a multi-year development plan that diversifies funding across grants, contracts, corporate partnerships, individual giving, and events
• Steward and grow funding relationships
  • Serve as the primary relationship manager for current funders, coordinating reporting, deliverables, and renewals with program and finance staff
  • Identify and cultivate new funders aligned with our mission, including foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individual donors
  • Represent Child Care Answers to funders and stakeholders, and share funder feedback to inform decisions
• Lead grant writing and proposals
  • Write and submit compelling proposals, coordinating staff input, data, and budgets
  • Create and maintain a grants calendar, timeline, and proposal pipeline from research through reporting
• Lead fundraising strategy and donor engagement
  • Develop and lead the annual fundraising strategy, including but not limited to fundraising and cultivation events
  • Partner with the communications and data manager to align fundraising messaging across platforms and pair data with storytelling that shows the measurable impact of our work
  • Build stewardship practices that keep donors and partners involved and informed about the impact of their support
• Track and analyze funding data
  • Collaborate with staff to build systems to track funders, prospects, proposals, deadlines, and outcomes
  • Analyze funding options and report progress to leadership and the board, in collaboration with the communications and data manager
• Support the board and leadership
  • Partner with the executive director and board to set annual fundraising goals, and equip board members to support and engage in fundraising
  • Serve as a consulting member of the Leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, budgeting, culture, and organizational continuity
• Bring our team together around development
  • Work alongside staff who have been managing pieces of funding work to honor existing relationships and build shared processes
  • Clarify development roles and coach staff to share our story and impact with funders
• Ensure compliance with funder requirements and confidentiality standards, and contribute skills as requested to move Child Care Answers forward

Education, Experience, & Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the following:

Education: Bachelor's degree required in nonprofit management, business, communications, public administration, or a related field. Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential preferred

Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of experience in nonprofit fund development, grant writing, or institutional giving, including a proven record of securing and managing grants and funder relationships; preference for three (3) years of management or leadership experience and experience building a development program or plan

Competencies

• Experience working with foundations, corporate funders, and government grants and contracts; experience in early care and education or human services is a plus
• Experience working with a board of directors on fundraising goals and strategy
• Experience with donor/grants management systems and/or customer relationship management (CRM) tools to use data to guide funding decisions
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and a variety of software and cloud-based applications, including virtual meeting applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams
• Familiarity with Microsoft Teams/SharePoint, PowerBI, and Canva preferred
• Additional requirements:
  • Conversational skills in a language other than English a plus
  • Position is hybrid, with flexibility to work from home with some onsite office requirements
  • Time spent offsite meeting with funders, partners, and stakeholders; travel to offsite events required
  • Valid driver's license; must provide own transportation and proof of automobile insurance
  • Some weekends and nights as determined by funder events, board meetings, and other all-staff required events

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful employee will demonstrate individual competency in the following areas:

• Written and Verbal Communication Skills: The director must clearly and persuasively communicate our mission, impact, and funding needs. They write compelling proposals and reports; speaking with funders, board members, and community audiences is an area of comfort and confidence.
• Social Perceptiveness and Professionalism: The director must be socially aware of socio-economic, geographic, cultural, and intellectual differences as they work with different audiences, both internally and externally. They demonstrate professionalism in appearance and actions, handle difficult or stressful situations calmly and respectfully, treat others fairly, and support a positive work environment.
• Strategic and Innovative Thinking: The director must see the big picture, spot new funding opportunities, and turn ideas into practical plans. They ask good questions, seek out diverse perspectives, and build fresh connections and networks.
• Interpersonal and Influencing Skills: The director builds trust through compassion, patience, and active listening. They listen deeply to funders and partners, build lasting relationships, and inspire commitment from staff, board members, and community leaders.
• Problem Solving / Decision Making: The director uses data and sound judgment to weigh funding options and develop effective solutions when faced with obstacles. They are highly organized, manage competing deadlines, and take responsibility for results to keep the team on track with goals and objectives.

All offers of employment at Child Care Answers are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check and drug screen.