Remote Development & Communications Director

Row New York; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Remote/hybrid work flexibility

Paid time off

Job summary

Row New York seeks a strategic, relationship-driven leader to serve as Director of Development & Communications. Reporting to the CEO, this role drives the organization's fundraising and partnership strategy, overseeing a team and managing major donors and institutional funders to grow annual contributed revenue beyond current levels.

The position is primarily remote with in-person NYC-area work and requires residency in the New York City metro-area.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive fundraising experience, including securing 6-figure+ major gifts and institutional funding.
• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors and institutional funders.
• At least 3 years’ experience managing multiple direct reports and developing high performance teams.
• Superior strategic planning, project management, and execution skills.
• Superior organizational skills, with experience managing multiple initiatives, and ability to be flexible with a lean staff.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities; comfort communicating with a range of stakeholders.
• Productive relationship-building skills with donors, board members, colleagues, and external stakeholders.
• Understanding of the role racial inequity plays in society and applies this understanding to their work and interactions.
• Experience developing fundraising systems, processes, forecasting tools, and performance assessment structures.
• Ability to analyze data and use insights to drive fundraising strategy and decision-making.
• Availability to work evenings and weekends for meetings and special events.
• Demonstrated passion and commitment to Row New York’s mission; some rowing background or experience is a plus!

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of Row New York's annual and multi-year fundraising strategy by establishing fundraising goals, priorities, and performance metrics across individual and institutional giving and identifying opportunities for sustainable revenue growth.
• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategies based on results, emerging opportunities, and organizational priorities.
• Personally manage a portfolio of Row New York’s highest-capacity individual donors, institutional funders, and high-potential prospects, with a particular focus on relationships requiring senior leadership, CEO, or board engagement.
• Develop and execute cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and engagement strategies for key relationships.
• Partner closely with the CEO on top donor relationships, major gift solicitations, and institutional funding opportunities.
• Develop compelling proposals, presentations, reports, and donor communications that inspire investment and deepen engagement.
• Ensure strong moves management practices and coordinated donor engagement across the fundraising team.
• Lead, coach, and cultivate the professional growth of the Development team by establishing clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations for team members.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Promote strong communication and collaboration across a distributed team environment and ensure team members have the support and clarity needed to be successful.
• Support staff professional development and help build organizational fundraising capacity over time.
• Shape Row New York’s external voice, thought leadership strategy, and messaging across priority stakeholder audiences.
• Serve as the steward of Row New York's fundraising narrative and external messaging by leading the ongoing refinement of the organization's case for support.
• Ensure all external communications efforts effectively support fundraising, donor engagement, and organizational goals.
• Partner with program staff to identify and share compelling stories, impact data, and constituent perspectives.
• Provide strategic direction for donor communications, stewardship efforts, campaign messaging, and fundraising materials.
• Supervise staff, consultants, and vendors responsible for communications execution.
• Partner with the CEO in supporting board and committee engagement related to fundraising and external affairs.
• Ensure leadership and board stakeholders have timely, accurate fundraising information and projections.
• Prepare fundraising updates, dashboards, and materials for board and committee meetings.
• Support board member engagement in donor cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising efforts.

Skills

Fundraising

Major gifts

Donor relations

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Operations management

Salesforce

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Row New York seeks a strategic, relationship-driven leader to serve as Director of Development & Communications. Reporting to the CEO, this role drives the organization's fundraising and partnership strategy, overseeing a team and managing major donors and institutional funders to grow annual contributed revenue beyond current levels.

The position is primarily remote with in-person NYC-area work and requires residency in the New York City metro-area.