Director of Development, Southeast

Obama Foundation; United States; On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

The Obama Foundation is seeking a Director of Development, Southeast, to lead and grow the Foundation’s fundraising program for the region, partnering with the Senior Director of Development, East. You will cultivate relationships with Alumni and Team East colleagues to solicit six- and seven-figure gifts.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development for the East, this role suits a proven fundraiser who is values-driven and ready to lead with collaboration.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years in fundraising, with at least 5 years in a leadership role securing funds.
• Track record of building relationships with major donors and closing gifts of at least $1M+.
• Deep understanding of fundraising programs and high-level gift strategies, including Planned Giving.
• Ability to develop long-term, productive relationships internally and externally.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy & Management: create and lead the strategy for a portfolio of major gifts donors and prospects at scale.
• Donor & Prospect Engagement: build and manage relationships through visits, correspondence, and events; collaborate with Operations to identify prospects.
• Volunteer Management: partner with alumni and volunteers to support regional fundraising efforts.
• Principal Engagement: support meeting prep and follow-up with senior principals; plan development travel.
• Region Collaboration: work with other regional fundraisers and share best practices.
• Philanthropy Stewardship: represent the Development team externally and promote a culture of philanthropy.
• Operating Effectiveness: drive Salesforce adoption and use data to inform decisions.
• Fundraising Collateral: ensure timely creation of proposals and materials with Donor Relations support.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Fundraising

Leadership

Strategic planning

Relationship building

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action.

Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role

The Director of Development, Southeast, will lead and grow the Foundation’s fundraising program for the region, in partnership with the Senior Director of Development, East. You will work closely with select Foundation leadership, Alumni, and Team East colleagues to build relationships and cultivate/solicit six and seven-figure gifts.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development for the East region, this is an ideal opportunity for a proven and values-driven nonprofit fundraiser who is highly motivated to work collaboratively in pursuit of big goals and to grow as both a fundraiser and a leader.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy & Management: Create and lead the strategy for a portfolio of major gifts donors and prospects. Manage a portfolio of 100 six and seven-figure prospects and develop customized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for each.
• Donor & Prospect Engagement: Build and manage relationships with prospects and donors through visits, correspondence, regular communication, and events. Collaborate with the Development Operations team to identify new prospects and design and execute donor engagement opportunities. Design and execute events of varying tone and scale, for diverse audiences, in collaboration with the Events team.
• Volunteer Management: Develop strong partnerships with select alumni and other volunteers to provide support for their fundraising efforts in the region.
• Principal Engagement: Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team on the management of select high-capacity donors, including support for meeting preparation and follow-up. Propose and plan development travel for other key principals and surrogates.
• Region Collaboration: Establish supportive and cooperative working relationships with other regional fundraisers, share best practices and new ideas, and collaborate on donor cultivation when needed.
• Philanthropy Stewardship: Represent the Development team in external settings (conferences and gatherings) and partner with other teams across the Foundation to help advance a culture of philanthropy.
• Operating Effectiveness: Build a culture of Salesforce utilization to track and evaluate the team’s key metrics, and use meaningful data to continually improve practices and inform decisions.
• Fundraising Collateral: Ensure the timely creation and distribution of fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral, and briefings, and highly personalized proposals with support from the Development department’s Donor Relations sub-team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Meet fundraising targets and other key metrics.
• Develop and execute regional prospect portfolio strategy and the annual cadence of fundraising activities.
• Expand the prospect pipeline.
• Execute prospect stewardship and engagement plans.
• Prepare fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral and briefings, and highly personalized proposals.
• Help lead and execute regional development events.
• Propose, plan, and staff Foundation executive travel to the region.

Required Qualifications

• 8 - 10 years of experience in fundraising, including a minimum of five years in a leadership position securing funds directly.
• Track record of building relationships with major donors, ideally closing gifts of at least $1M+.
• Deep understanding of fundraising programs and high-level gift strategies, including Planned Giving
• Ability to develop and maintain long-term, productive relationships internally and externally.

The salary range for this role is between $160,000 and $185,000.

This is a remote role.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at [e-mail] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.