Director, Development

Teach For America; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 81,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

Teach For America in Baltimore seeks a Director of Development to lead a local donor portfolio and to drive growth for the region’s fundraising efforts.

This role requires frequent in-person donor engagement, collaboration with senior leadership, and the design of strategies for first-time gifts, giving circles, and donor stewardship across the lifecycle, with a target to raise 1–5 million annually.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of development and fundraising experience.
• Track record of meeting and exceeding goals with donor portfolios.
• Bachelor's degree required; Teach For America development experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate, steward, and grow a local donor portfolio.
• Design and execute strategies for first-time gifts, giving circles, and local campaigns.
• Raise $1-5 million or more annually.
• Collaborate with executive leadership and front-line fundraisers to engage donors at all lifecycle stages.

Skills

Relationship Building

Communication

Donor Stewardship

Team Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

ROLE TITLE:

Director, Development (Baltimore)

POSITION REPORTS TO:

Managing Director, Development (Baltimore)

LOCATION:

Baltimore-based role with significant in-person and external engagement required. This position requires frequent engagement with donors across the Baltimore region, with in-person commitments increasing during peak seasons, events, and key organizational priorities.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a member of the Field Fundraising team, the Director, Development is responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and growing a portfolio of local donors who share our commitment to ensuring that all children have access to an equitable and excellent education.

This role plays a critical part in driving new donor growth over the next 3-5 years by managing a diversified portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation donors, as well as designing and executing strategies for first-time gifts, giving circles, and locally led fundraising campaigns.

Reporting to the Managing Director, Development, you will be responsible for raising $1-5 million or more annually. You will partner closely with the Executive Director, regional advisory board members, Steward team partners, and other front-line fundraisers to ensure donors are meaningfully engaged across all stages of the donor lifecycle.

This role requires a strong collaborator who can both own donor relationships directly and support primary solicitors to maximize impact across the local fundraising landscape.

WHAT YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• 40% - Own new donor acquisition and early-stage pipeline growth. Design and execute strategies that convert prospects into first-time donors and repeat supporters through entry-level giving programs, time-bound campaigns, and giving circles. Qualify and cultivate donors with four-figure capacity, track conversion and performance metrics, and maintain clear next steps in Salesforce.
• 35% - Manage and grow a portfolio of donors giving under $25K through thoughtful stewardship, renewal, and upgrade strategies. Maintain consistent moves-management, conduct donor research, and document clear engagement plans for all assigned donors.
• 15% - Partner closely with the Executive Director, MD of Development, and key stakeholders to advance donor relationships. Prepare donor research and briefing materials, support ED-led meetings, and ensure timely follow-up and CRM documentation.
• 5% - Support donor cultivation events as a pipeline-building tool, including logistics, sponsorship outreach, and guest engagement. Own post-event follow-up, conversion, and integration into the donor pipeline.
• 5% - Contribute to Teach For America-wide organizational efforts, which may include selection, confirmation, and other enterprise or regional initiatives that support the broader mission and operating needs of the organization.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role (minimum qualifications):

Relationship Building and Management

• Build strong relationships with prospects and donors and/or support the primary relationship holder/solicitor through a comprehensive relationship management plan
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a variety of internal and external constituents
• Ability to manage up and laterally to influence development teammates in service of donor stewardship

Fundraising and Development

• Have a solid foundation in best practices of development and fundraising
• Experience stewarding a portfolio of donors/funders from various funding streams
• Contribute to complex fundraising and relationship management initiatives

Portfolio Management

• Leverage the market vision and overarching strategy to determine the specific approach to steward a portfolio of local donors and execute on that strategy in service of maximizing revenue to Teach For America as an enterprise
• Monitor progress against the portfolio to ensure continuous donor stewardship

Prior experience

• Required: At least 4+ years of related experience in development and fundraising context
• Required: Track record of meeting and exceeding ambitious goals managing and/or supporting the management of a portfolio of donors
• Required: Bachelor's Degree
• Preferred: Teach For America development experience

Work Demands

• Occasional weekend or evening work hours required.
• Some travel to engage with local donors may be required

YOUR FUTURE TEAM

The Revenue and Development team at Teach For America inspires donors and champions to contribute to shaping the future of our country by investing in Teach For America's work with students nationally and regionally. We aim to source investments that fuel our work and impact with a revenue growth trajectory to raise $300 million annually. This role will be an essential part of the Field Fundraising arm of the Revenue and Development team, maximizing the contributions of local donors across multiple regions of the country.

YOUR COMPENSATION

The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. The expected salary range for this role are set forth below. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• $81,000 - $106,300

You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here.