Director of Development

UCAN (Chicago); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401k Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

UCAN seeks a Director of Development to lead fundraising, donor relations, and communications in Chicago. You will oversee annual fund, major gifts, and donor communications while coordinating with the VP of Development and CEO to meet UCAN’s fundraising goals.

The role includes managing a team, advocating for donors, shaping branding and events, and supporting board fundraising, with occasional travel to UCAN events and partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years fundraising experience.
• Supervisory experience required.
• Knowledge of nonprofit fundraising best practices.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements annual fundraising strategies; cultivates major gifts and donor stewardship.
• Manages Moves Management with UCAN leadership and staff.
• Budgeting, planning, forecasting, and soliciting philanthropic revenue from major gifts 25,000+.
• Oversees donor communications, email appeals, and matching gift campaigns.
• Plans and executes events including UCAN Leadership Awards gala; supports major development events.
• Coach and mentor staff; conduct annual performance reviews.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor relations

Strategic leadership

Communication skills

Event management

Team management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Blackbaud

Job description

Brief Description

Position Title:

Director of Development

Department:

Management & General (Development)

Reports to:

Vice President of Development

Direct Reports:

Development Manager, Development & Marketing Communications Manager

Position Objective And Summary

The Director of Development is a leadership role in the Development department, working closely with the Vice President Development and CEO to achieve the fundraising goals supporting the mission and vision of UCAN. The position is responsible for managing UCAN’s Annual fund and donor communications including direct mail appeals, email campaigns, branding strategy, and major events. In addition, this position serves as the liaison to UCAN’s Auxiliary Board of young professionals and the Resource Development Committee of the board of directors.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Major Giving

• Develops, implements, manages annual fundraising strategies, to: increase individual donor contributions and move constituents from prospects to active donors; cultivate and solicit strategies for qualified major and planned gift prospects, including identifying, recruiting, and training volunteer solicitors as appropriate; and cultivate a stewardship pipeline for all agency donors, prospects and volunteers.
• Works collaboratively with the Development department staff and UCAN Senior Leaders in the implementation of the Moves Management System.
• Responsible for budgeting, planning, forecasting and soliciting philanthropic revenue from major givers $5,000 and above.
• Management of solicitation and stewardship for of a portfolio of 25-40 major givers, with solicitation involving self as well as for key UCAN leadership staff.
• Responsible for building membership of Signature Leaders Society, which recognizes donors giving $1,000 or more annually to UCAN. Includes development and execution of related events and communications.
• Supports Vice President of Development, CEO and other UCAN Leadership as required for high level donor identification, qualification, cultivation and solicitation.
• Supports CEO in Board fundraising and relationship building with board members.
• Solicit and close major gifts of $25,000 and above.

Donor Relations

• Oversees gift administration/acknowledgements and revenue reconciliation, guiding direct reports.
• Manages all aspects of UCAN’s ongoing donor communications strategy including email blasts, fundraising appeals, matching gift campaigns, guiding direct reports.
• Oversees Raiser’s Edge and Blackbaud usage, including report creation, data tracking and analysis.
• Creates and implements a matching gift solicitation strategy.
• Provides a prompt response to all donor inquiries.
• In collaboration with Vice President of Development, manages UCAN’s Resource Development Committee.
• Introduce innovative strategies to improve donor retention and grow donor base.

Communications

• Creates and implements a comprehensive branding and communications strategy for UCAN that incorporates social media, website and digital marketing.
• Oversees strategy and writes compelling content for UCAN’s website, E-Newsletters, and other online communications tools.
• Manages the design and content for UCAN’s website to ensure it is accurate and up to date.
• Oversees the printed newsletter (1-2/year) and the annual report.
• Manages direct mail campaigns (1-2/year).
• Presents the UCAN brand guidelines and communications strategy at New Employee Orientation each month.
• Works with UCAN’s designer to write and create any other collateral representing the organization for events and programmatic needs.
• Handles internal communications as appropriate.

Event Management & Administration

• Plans and executes small and moderate-sized agency events (e.g., annual art show, Martin Luther King Celebration, Trunk Party for youth going off to college and/or any new fundraising events.
• Manages and executes all aspects of planning for UCAN’s flagship “UCAN Leadership Awards” gala including event fundraising and logistics.
• Manages and/or assists with planning, marketing and execution of other major development events.
• Attends events as needed to represent UCAN and the Development team.

Developing and Leading Employees

• Orients and trains new employees according to program and department guidelines to ensure all new employees are ready and able to perform as necessary.
• Sets and evaluates clear and collaborative individual performance goals for employees.
• Encourages employee development by supporting training, assigning challenging work, and delegating tasks when appropriate.
• Coaches and mentors employees around employee interests and career goals.
• Provides critical feedback to employees around areas of development for improved performance.
• Recognizes and rewards employee performance, initiative and decision-making (rapid rewards, employee of the month, etc.).
• Completes meaningful Annual Performance Reviews for all employees and submits on time.

Professionalism and Work Conduct

• Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of UCAN.
• Acts in a professional manner always and maintains appropriate boundaries with clients, staff and donors.
• Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitment to others.
• Reports to work, meetings, training, and job related activities prepared and as scheduled.
• Demonstrates openness and respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers.
• Understands and supports UCAN’s standard of cultural proficiency and strives to meet it.
• Accepts feedback and ideas from others and is constructive when giving feedback.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned.

Education/Job Experience/Certification

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of fundraising experience required.
• Supervisory experience required.
• Knowledge of non-profit best practices preferred.

Special Knowledge And Qualifications

• Has an understanding of trauma-informed practice and Positive Youth Development.
• Strong experience with fundraising software (Raiser’s Edge).
• Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines under pressure.
• Flexible approach to workload and scheduling, with ability to work outside of standard business hours and travel as needed.
• Strong customer service focus and attitude.
• Experience with website editing preferred.
• Genuine interest in social services.

Work Environment:

This position requires local travel to various UCAN worksites and community meetings and may have some direct contact with clients.

Work Conditions:

This position may require work on weekends and evenings.

Summary

At UCAN, we prioritize the health and well-being of our team, as it is essential to our mission of serving the community. Our competitive benefits package is designed to help you and your family thrive. Below, you'll find a comprehensive list of the benefits we offer.

Benefits You Can Choose From

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Voluntary Short-Term Disability
• Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance
• Voluntary Accident Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• Retirement Plan (401k) Match
• Tuition Reimbursement

Benefits Provided At No Cost To You

• Group Life and AD&D Insurance
• Group Long-Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

UCAN is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates with lived experience and diverse backgrounds to apply.