Sr. Director of Development, Unify Ohio

Unify America; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

401k match

Internet and phone reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Unify America is seeking a bold, relationship-driven Senior Director of Development to lead a statewide fundraising effort in Ohio. You will build a durable funding base, empower local leaders to fundraise in their communities, and grow a statewide expansion fund to launch and sustain Democracy Leagues.

You will partner with the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues, shaping strategy, donor cultivation, and advisory growth while ensuring nonpartisan commitments and transparent stewardship across Ohio.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive philanthropic fundraising experience.
• Exceptional grant writing, storytelling, and proposals.
• Strategic thinking to forecast revenue and align with funder priorities.
• Relational skills and CRM management including HubSpot.
• Strong mission alignment with civic bridge-building and democracy.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a multi-year Ohio fundraising campaign with targets.
• Grow individual donor pipeline and manage moves management.
• Cultivate foundations and major corporate sponsors in Ohio.
• Recruit and lead statewide advisory growth team.
• Build local capacity, train leaders, and provide tools.
• Maintain systems, reports, and dashboards in HubSpot.

Skills

Fundraising

Grant writing

Strategic thinking

Relationship building

Communication

Tools

HubSpot

Job description

We are seeking a bold, relationship-driven, and deeply organized Senior Director of Development, Unify Ohio, to lead an ambitious civic fundraising effort in Ohio. Working in close partnership with the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues, this role builds the statewide funding base, equips local leaders to raise money in their own communities, and supports the pipeline of Ohio cities ready to plant, launch, and sustain a local Democracy League.

About Unify America

We’re on a mission to replace political fighting with collaborative problem-solving. Yeah, we know it sounds audacious. It is. But we’re doing it—by creating civic experiences that reduce polarization, teaching essential civic skills, and inviting Americans to use their differences to better solve common problems together.

Where we work:

• Cities (Democracy Leagues): Democracy Leagues is Unify America’s nonpartisan model for helping communities build a lasting engine of local deliberative democracy, using coalition-building and Civic Assemblies of randomly selected residents who deliberate on local issues and make recommendations to local government. In our flagship city, Akron, OH, the community is now working in partnership with city government to implement nine housing recommendations that earned 93% support from Assembly Delegates.

• Higher Education (Civic Gym): Over 50,000 college students have engaged in meaningful cross-partisan conversations. Think of it as training for democracy—reps, sweat, and all.

• Thought Leadership: Our founder and CEO, Harry Nathan Gottlieb, is stirring the civic conversation with fresh talks, ideas on social media, and an upcoming book that points toward a hopeful new era of democracy.

About the Role

This role owns one big, hairy, audacious goal: $30 million raised by 2030. That money is what turns Akron’s proof of concept into a statewide movement, engages tens of thousands across the state, and lays the groundwork for a statewide Ohio Civic Assembly. This Ohio Expansion Fund is designed to build and steward a statewide pooled fund that gives new Leagues predictable launch and early-growth resources.

You will be the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues’ closest partner on Ohio growth. Together, you’ll decide where Leagues launch and how they’re funded. You’ll build a statewide portfolio of funders who believe in Ohio, and you’ll coach local leaders so each League can raise its own money and stand on its own.

You’ll spend a lot of time in Ohio communities—meeting civic leaders, foundations, executives, and elected officials—because Leagues grow through trusted local relationships, not cold outreach.

Key Responsibilities

1) Statewide Campaign Strategy & Leadership:

• Ohio Campaign Goals: Design and lead a multi-year Ohio campaign plan with annual targets, a gift-range chart, and a clear mix of foundation, corporate, individual, and public-sector support.

• Campaign Case & Materials: Turn Akron’s results and the statewide vision into a compelling case for support, proposals, pitch decks, and impact reports, working with our Creative and Strategic Relations teams.

2) Giving & Advisory Growth Team:

• Individual Donor Pipeline: Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward Ohio individuals, building a clear path from first gift to major and principal gifts, with a managed portfolio and regular moves plans.

• Foundation and Corporate: Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward national, regional, or Ohio-based foundations and major corporations with a stake in Ohio.

• Build and Engage Advisors: Recruit and lead a statewide advisory growth team of business, philanthropic, and civic leaders—across the political spectrum and from every region of Ohio—who open doors, make introductions, give, and help raise.

3) Expansion & Local Capacity Building:

• Funding Before Launch: Work with the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues to ensure each new League has a realistic, locally anchored funding plan before launch and a path to multi-year sustainability afterward.

• Learn and Adapt: Track what fundraising efforts are working across cities and feed lessons back into the expansion playbook.

• Coach Local Leaders: Train and support local Executive Directors, boards, and steering committees to build their own donor bases, write grants, run campaigns, and steward funders.

• Fundraising Toolkit: Create repeatable tools—templates, prospect research guides, gift-range charts, pitch materials—that any Ohio League can pick up and use.

• Shared Wins: Coordinate statewide and local asks so Leagues aren’t competing for the same funders, and so statewide money unlocks local money rather than replacing it.

4) Partnership, Systems & Reporting:

• Funder Relationships: Serve as the primary relationship manager for Ohio funders, leading briefings, site visits, and Assembly observations.

• Cross-Team Collaboration: Coordinate closely with fellow development leaders to align national and Ohio strategy and avoid duplicate asks.

• Legitimacy Guardrails: Uphold Unify America’s nonpartisan commitments, including clear separation between funders and the independent recommendations of Civic Assemblies.

• Systems & Reporting: Keep the Ohio pipeline, campaign progress, gift agreements, and reporting deadlines accurate and up to date in HubSpot, with regular dashboards for leadership and the Board.

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience: 7–10+ years of progressive professional fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing major individual gifts, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships ($100k+ level).

• Exceptional Writing & Communication: Masterful grant writing, storytelling, and proposal crafting skills, with an ability to communicate complex civic concepts simply and persuasively.

• Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical skills to evaluate institutional giving trends, align program goals with funder priorities, and build multi-year revenue projections.

• Relational Prowess & Systems: Meticulous attention to relationships and the details that steward them forward, including CRM management (HubSpot preferred).

• Mission Alignment: Passionate about civic bridge-building, reducing polarization, and strengthening American democracy.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• 401k match up to 5%.

• Internet and phone reimbursement.

• A healthy, appreciative, feedback-driven workplace.

• Flexible, self-managed PTO.