National Director of Development

NALEO Educational Fund; Maryland; Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NALEO Educational Fund in Washington, DC, seeks a National Director of Development to lead fundraising strategy and rebuild critical programs. This senior role reports to the Chief Development Officer and manages a growing team, focusing on corporate sponsorship, major donors, and institutional giving.

Regular travel to donor events is required. The ideal candidate will have 12–15 years nonprofit fundraising experience, strong writing and relationship-building skills, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, public administration, public policy, communications, business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 12–15 years of progressively responsible nonprofit fundraising experience, including at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Experience with foundation and corporate fundraising, including proposal writing, grant reporting, and donor stewardship.
• Experience with individual giving and major donor cultivation; sponsorships and events experience preferred.
• Experience developing or scaling major donor programs with moves management.
• Experience developing, restructuring, or managing corporate sponsorship programs.
• Strong writing, editing, research, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the Chief Development Officer in implementing the organization's comprehensive development strategy.
• Lead the Development Department, supervising staff and managing performance.
• Develop annual fundraising plans and revenue goals to meet the $10 million target.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation, corporate, individual, and event donors.
• Prepare materials for leadership and boards; ensure timely donor communications and reporting.
• Oversee grant management and development operations, including donor records and reporting.

Skills

Strong writing

Project management

Leadership

Donor relations

Strategic mindset

Grant writing

Verbal communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Donor databases

Grant calendars

Development systems

Job description

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund was established in 1981 to promote the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. NALEO Educational Fund achieves its mission through integrated strategies that include increasing the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, mobilizing the Latino community to engage in civic life, and promoting policies that advance Latino political engagement.

NALEO Educational Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan organization governed by a 15-member Board of Directors and a 36-member Board of Advisors. Headquartered in Monterey Park, CA, NALEO Educational Fund maintains offices in Houston, New York City, and Washington, D.C., with staff and program presence in other areas of the United States. It employs about 40 full-time staff with an annual budget of $8 million, and offers a competitive benefits package that includes generous vacation, sick leave, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and retirement coverage.

POSITION SUMMARY

For five decades, NALEO has been the nation’s cornerstone institution serving Latino policymakers — and NALEO Educational Fund is carrying that legacy into its next chapter. As NALEO marks its 50th anniversary, NALEO Educational Fund is seizing the moment to build toward a new era of expanded impact, and the National Director of Development will play a central role in making that possible.

This is a rare opportunity for a fundraiser who thrives on rolling up their sleeves: redesigning what isn’t working, strengthening what has potential, and building new infrastructure from the ground up. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and based in Washington, D.C. (this is a home-based position requiring residency in the Washington, D.C. metro area, with regular in-person collaboration at NALEO Educational Fund's D.C. office), the National Director of Development will help lead two high-priority initiatives: a comprehensive overhaul of the organization’s corporate sponsor program and the formalization and growth of a nascent major donor program, alongside continued growth of the organization's foundation and institutional giving portfolio. Both represent meaningful opportunities to leave a lasting mark on a storied institution.

Beyond these signature priorities, the National Director of Development manages day-to-day development operations in support of the organization’s $10 million total annual revenue goal — coordinating institutional giving, individual donor stewardship, grant management, and fundraising efforts connected to the Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, annual conference, and special events.

The ideal candidate brings not just fundraising experience, but a builder’s mindset — someone energized by creating systems, thinking strategically, and turning potential into results for a mission that matters. This position requires excellent writing, project management, relationship-building, and organizational skills, as well as a strong commitment to NALEO Educational Fund’s mission and values. Regular travel — including to attend donor, funder, and partner events — is required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Development Strategy and Department Support

• Support the Chief Development Officer in implementing the organization's comprehensive development strategy.
• Provides overall leadership and direction to the Development Department and directly supervises Development staff, providing guidance, coaching, workload management, and performance development.
• Support the Chief Development Officer in developing and implementing annual fundraising strategies to meet or exceed the organization's $10 million total annual revenue goal. Lead the development of annual fundraising plans, revenue goals, timelines, and performance tracking systems.
• Help identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation, corporate, individual, and event-related donors.
• Maintain a strong understanding of NALEO Educational Fund's programs, priorities, and funding needs.
• Coordinate with program, finance, communications, and executive staff to support integrated fundraising efforts.
• Prepare development updates, briefing materials, donor profiles, and other materials for the Chief Development Officer, CEO, senior leadership, Board of Directors, and Board of Advisors.
• Support the Development Department's internal systems, calendars, workflows, and accountability structures. Institutional Giving and Grant Management.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation and corporate grant opportunities as assigned by the Chief Development Officer.
• Establish new foundation, corporate, and institutional funding relationships aligned with NALEO Educational Fund's mission and priorities.
• In partnership with the Deputy Director, Foundations, develop and coordinate grant proposals, renewal requests, reports, budgets, and related materials across the full grants lifecycle.
• In partnership with the Deputy Director, Foundations, track grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, and award terms; maintain accurate records and ensure timely internal communication on funding commitments and restrictions.
• Work closely with program and finance teams to gather information needed for proposals, reports, budgets, and revenue projections.
• Donor Relations and Stewardship
• Support cultivation and stewardship strategies for individual donors, major investors, corporate partners, and foundation contacts.
• Prepare donor correspondence, acknowledgments, stewardship reports, meeting notes, and follow-up materials.
• Help develop strategies to deepen donor engagement and increase donor retention. Support online fundraising and donor engagement campaigns in coordination with communications and development staff.
• Maintain accurate donor records, contact information, giving histories, and relationship notes in the organization's donor database.
• Help ensure that donor communications are timely, accurate, professional, and aligned with organizational messaging.

QUALIFICATIONS - KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The National Director of Development is a senior member of NALEO Educational Fund’s development leadership team, working in close partnership with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and Board of Directors. The ideal candidate brings not only the technical skills listed below, but a strategic mindset, strong executive presence, and the drive to build and grow programs from the ground up.

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, public administration, public policy, communications, business, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of twelve to fifteen years of progressively responsible nonprofit fundraising experience, including at least three years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience with foundation and corporate fundraising, including proposal writing, grant reporting, and donor stewardship.
• Demonstrated experience with individual giving and major donor cultivation required; experience with sponsorships and special events preferred.
• Experience developing or scaling major donor programs, including moves management and individualized donor stewardship, strongly preferred.
• Experience developing, restructuring, or managing corporate sponsorship programs strongly preferred.
• Strong writing, editing, research, and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent project management skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines, relationships, and deliverables simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Experience working with donor databases, grant calendars, fundraising reports, and development operations systems.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with senior leadership, Board members, donors, volunteers, and community partners.
• Ability to translate program priorities and organizational impact into compelling fundraising materials. Knowledge of fundraising strategies and donor relations related to civic engagement, advocacy, public policy, or community-based nonprofit work preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build trust, exercise diplomacy, and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to work respectfully with people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, political, and geographic backgrounds.
• High level of initiative, professionalism, judgment, and follow-through.
• Supportive of the mission and philosophy of NALEO Educational Fund.
• Ability to travel locally and nationally as required.
• Humility and a low-ego orientation, with a genuine willingness to roll up your sleeves and do the work, not just direct it.
• Ability to seek out and provide support for other team members in a collaborative, lean environment.
• Proactive, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving.
• Experience managing and developing direct reports.

SALARY RANGE

$130,000 - $150,000, commensurate with experience