Development Director

Since 2009, LET’S GO Boys & Girls (LET’S GO) has been engaging and supporting elementary and middle school students in high-quality STEM education programs in order to 1) break the cycle of poverty and 2) increase the number of STEM professionals from urban underserved communities. In partnership with schools and youth organizations, LET’S GO engages youth and families from low income/high-risk neighborhoods in hands-on, minds-on STEM programs.

LET’S GO seeks its first-ever Director of Development (DD) to join the leadership team. Reporting to our Executive Director, the DD will bring a passion for our issues paired with a high-level of expertise and strategic thinking to drive revenue and build long-term and exponential growth opportunities for LET’S GO over the next decade.

WHY YOU WANT THIS JOB:

Just like everyone at LET’S GO Boys & Girls, you believe if youth from low income/high risk communities participate and persist in high-quality STEM learning experiences in elementary and middle school, they will, in the long-term, graduate from high school on time and in high standing, complete post-secondary school, enter the workforce in professional STEM and STEM related jobs, and achieve economic prosperity for themselves and their families. You also believe in the adage: “What gets measured, gets managed” and are able to hold yourself accountable to partners, funders, and your team members as you lead the fundraising efforts and help LET’S GO deliver its mission.

HOW YOU WILL DO THE JOB:

Working 40 hours a week in the DC Metro area, you will be the lead strategist and project manager of LET’S GO’s roughly $620,000 philanthropic revenue portfolio. The Director of Development is both a strategic and tactical position and is responsible for developing, executing, and analyzing LET’S GO’s annual development plan, as well as representing LET’S GO to individual and institutional donors. In addition, the DD will manage, build, and execute LET’S GO’s grant writing and reporting process. Finally, the DD will be responsible for analyzing and fine-tuning communications, ensuring LET’S GO is optimizing its messaging at every opportunity. 

This position will work out of their home in the DC or MD area as well as all LET’S GO’s locations which currently include:

• Donated Office Space (8225A Cloverleaf Drive, Millersville MD)
• Programming Locations in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County and SE & NW DC

The primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Leadership and Development Strategy:

• Collaborate with and support the organization’s overall leadership as a member of LET’S GO’ leadership team
• Serve as a staff leader and development liaison to the LET’S GO’s Board of Directors
• Manage and execute the organization’s annual development and stewardship plans to achieve annual revenue goals and to generate funding to support the programmatic operations of LET’S GO
• Update existing development and stewardship plans with new ideas, industry best practices, and data-driven analysis
• Ensure a robust gift pipeline big enough to hit annual revenue goals by actively managing prospective and current donors, foundations and other funders solicited via proposals, grant applications, multiple appeals, and other fundraising activities

Foundation and Corporation Relations:

• Manage relationships with existing foundations/corporations
• Author compelling grant proposals and complete grant reporting processes in a timely and efficient manner
• Research and develop relationships with potential foundation/corporate funders
• Serve as primary contact and manage all groups and companies that are sponsoring and/or entering into a cause marketing relationship with LET’S GO

Individual Donor Stewardship and Management:

• Partner with Executive Director/CEO to identify, cultivate and solicit individual donors for major gifts
• Manage and develop existing initiatives, appeals, and campaigns focused on targeting new donors and stewarding existing donors
• Coordinate and oversee moves and task management for individual giving
• Cultivate relationships with Board of Directors and support them in identifying and tailoring their best development contributions to LET’S GO
• Execute the donor stewardship process (i.e. acknowledgment letters) and other donor stewardship campaigns in order to connect donors to the mission of LET’S GO and foster a sense of community
• Help develop creative and mission-centric fundraising messaging that articulates the special role and impact of LET’S GO’s work

Fundraising Operations and Gift Entry:

• Design and update a regular progress-to-goal report and development dashboard for the Executive Director/CEO and LET’S GO’s Board of Directors
• Execute high-quality gift entry and revenue tracking, to ensure accurate and thorough documentation of all development activities
• Ensure integrity and accuracy in all records and reports in Salesforce