Remote Senior Director, Fundraising & Development

Building Excellent Schools; United States; On-site; USD 164,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Medical & dental coverage

401(k) match

Paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

Building Excellent Schools (BES) is seeking a fully remote Senior Director of Fundraising and Development to lead the organization’s fundraising strategy, donor pipeline, and revenue growth. You will work closely with the CEO and manage the Director of Partnerships & Regional Research to deepen BES’s impact.

The role requires about 10% travel for donor meetings and events, with a strong emphasis on building relationships with major gifts and foundations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in nonprofit development and fundraising.
• Proven history of securing major gifts, grants, and institutional support.
• Experience building and managing a donor pipeline.
• Ability to lead, coach, and develop staff.
• Commitment to educational equity and anti-racism.

Responsibilities

• Drive fundraising revenue across major gifts, grants, corporate and individual giving.
• Design, lead, and evaluate comprehensive campaigns from start to finish.
• Develop annual and multi-year fundraising plans with diversification and donor segmentation.
• Represent BES at conferences and donor events to raise visibility and credibility.
• Serve as primary development advisor to the CEO.
• Lead a donor pipeline from cultivation to stewardship across stages.
• Oversee grant proposals, reports, and donor communications.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor engagement

Strategic planning

Relationship building

Data-driven decisions

Team leadership

Educational equity

Tools

CRM tools

Job description

Senior Director of Fundraising and Development

BES seeks a full-time Senior Director of Fundraising and Development to join our team. This position can be based from a home office anywhere in the United States and requires approximately 10% travel, including donor meetings, conferences, team gatherings, and organizational events.

About BES

BES is a national nonprofit organization that identifies and prepares excellent leaders to transform education in their communities. Over the past two decades, BES has prepared leaders to found 200+ schools in 50 cities across 20 states and Washington DC, educating 72,000+ students – of whom 82 percent qualify for free/reduced lunch, and 94 percent identify as students of color. In all, BES has trained more than 2,700 leaders to found, lead, and grow schools through its leadership development offerings.

About the Position

As BES approaches its 25th anniversary and advances its five-year strategic plan, the Senior Director of Fundraising and Development role is pivotal to ensuring the organization has the resources it needs to sustain and deepen its impact. The person in this role will lead BES’s fundraising strategy, donor pipeline, and revenue growth efforts, ensuring the organization has the philanthropic resources needed to advance its mission and strategic priorities. This position reports to the CEO and directly manages the Director of Partnerships & Regional Research.

Key Responsibilities:

The Senior Director of Fundraising and Development will be a driving force in BES's next chapter — building the philanthropic relationships and revenue infrastructure that allow the organization to deepen its impact as it enters its 25th year. Success in this role means not just meeting fundraising goals, but growing a donor community that is deeply invested in BES's mission and the leaders it develops. The person in this role will be a trusted partner to the CEO, a strategic builder of systems and relationships, and a visible ambassador for BES in the broader philanthropic landscape.

Fundraising Strategy & Campaign Leadership

• Drive annual fundraising revenue goals across all streams, including major gifts, multi-year grants, corporate contributions, and individual giving.
• Design, lead, and evaluate comprehensive fundraising campaigns from inception through close.
• Develop and execute BES’s annual and multi-year fundraising plan, including diversification strategies, donor segment priorities, and cultivation timelines.
• Represent BES at conferences, donor convenings, and external events to strengthen the organization’s visibility, credibility, and relationships within the philanthropic community.
• Serve as the primary development advisor to the CEO.

Donor Pipeline, Relationships & Stewardship

• Manage and grow a strategic fundraising pipeline across all stages of donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Lead major gifts and foundation fundraising efforts through tailored donor engagement and relationship management strategies.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with individual donors, institutional funders, and philanthropic partners aligned to BES initiatives.
• Oversee grant proposals, reports, and donor communications to ensure timely, high-quality, and mission-aligned stewardship.
• Use fundraising data and donor insights to forecast revenue, identify opportunities, and strengthen long-term donor engagement and retention.

Team & Organizational Leadership

• Directly manage and develop the Director of Partnerships & Regional Research through clear goal-setting, coaching, feedback, and professional development support.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, Programs, Marketing & Communications, and Data teams to align fundraising efforts with organizational priorities and impact storytelling.
• Contribute organizational leadership capacity during high-priority periods, including Board engagement, strategic planning initiatives, anniversary campaigns, and major organizational events.

BES Values, Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion

• Demonstrate BES’ core values across all projects, processes, and in relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Commit to examining existing systems and making process improvements that support a greater focus on anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.

What You Bring

The ideal candidate brings the following skills and experiences:

• Proven fundraising track record. You have 7+ years of experience in nonprofit development and a demonstrated history of personally securing major gifts, foundation grants, and institutional contributions.
• Strategic builder. You have designed and executed multi-year fundraising strategies from the ground up and know how to build and manage a donor pipeline with a long view.
• Relationship depth. You build trust with high-capacity donors, institutional funders, and board members and sustain those relationships through consistent, meaningful engagement.
• Strong communicator. Your proposals, reports, and donor communications are compelling and clear. You know how to translate program impact into language that moves people to give.
• Data-informed. You use CRM tools and fundraising data to forecast revenue, track engagement, and drive decision-making.
• People developer. You have 2+ years of staff management experience and approach that work with seriousness, coaching and developing your team while holding them accountable with care.
• Mission-aligned. You bring genuine commitment to educational equity and are comfortable working in an organization where anti-racism shapes how we operate.

Compensation:

This role is fully remote. BES offers a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes medical and dental coverage, a 401(k) contribution match, paid time off, paid parental leave, and the ability to work remotely.

The salary range for this Senior Director position grade at BES is:

• Minimum: $164,114
• Maximum: $186,512

To Apply

Please submit your application online through Greenhouse. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.