Job Title: Director of National Development
Reports to: Vice President of Advancement
Salary Range: $110,000 – $140,000
Starting: January 2025
Status: Full Time (40 hours/week)
Deadline to Apply: November 29, 2024

About Generation Hope

Generation Hope is a nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility by engaging education and policy partners to drive systemic change and providing direct support to teen parents in college and their children through holistic, two-generation programming. To date, we have provided over $1.3 million in tuition assistance, supported almost 500 teen parents in college, celebrated nearly 200 degrees earned through our program, and built relationships with 30+ two and four-year institutions nationwide. For more information, please visit www.generationhope.org.

By joining our team, you will work for an organization recognized as ‘one of the best nonprofits’ by Spur Local. This is a testament to our commitment to living out and operationalizing our values and creating a culture that genuinely supports every staff member. The best part of our organization is the people, from the families we serve to the team we have deliberately cultivated. We strive for excellence while understanding our most valuable asset is our people. We celebrate and encourage diversity in all forms, including thought, professional and lived experiences, race, gender – even taste in music. If this sounds like a mission and work environment you want to contribute to and grow with, please consider joining our team.

Job Description

The Director of National Development will lead fundraising efforts across the organization as Generation Hope continues to grow our national footprint. The Director will develop and implement a comprehensive plan for identifying potential funders and securing commitments primarily from national foundations, corporations, and individuals of significant capacity to fund general operations, systems-change work, and priority policy initiatives to support a growing budget of $10 million.

The Director will be able to enhance the organization’s development systems and practices and lead a team of development professionals to reach departmental and organizational goals. Responsibilities will span the entire spectrum of grants, partnerships, and major gift management focused on the growth of our systems-change work, including multi-year partnerships with national funders and sponsorships for our annual national conference. The Director of National Development will guide and drive the identification of new funding and partnership opportunities, participate in developing project concepts and plans, submit proposals and impact reports, and build relationships with national funding partners throughout the year.

The Director must be able to think strategically and practically to implement a comprehensive and results-oriented multi-year development plan that includes traditional and innovative strategies to help raise an annual revenue of around $16 million by 2029. They will also sit on our Senior Leadership Team at Generation Hope.

This role is perfect for a stellar communicator, fantastic manager, strategic relationship builder, and donor engagement expert. If you love details, value relationship building, are passionate about family, education, and fundraising, come join our team!

Essential Responsibilities

Goal: Meeting Our Budget

• Creating and implementing a multi-year national development plan that tracks and monitors progress toward short- and long-term fundraising goals
• Maintaining oversight, tracking progress, and developing strategies across all national fundraising activities, including major giving, individual giving, foundation relations, grants, national conference support, corporate partnerships, and federal government funding
• Establishing, cultivating, and maintaining relationships with current and prospective funders and donors through various means (personal meetings, thank you calls, “insider” emails, virtual coffee chats, etc.) and providing support to the Vice President of Advancement and CEO to interact with funders and donors regularly (i.e., creating briefing documents, prepping emails, etc.).
• Refining and executing a strategy that supports a growing major gifts program, including identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major donors
• In collaboration with the Events Manager, refining and executing a strategy that drives fundraising and community building through virtual experiences, major fundraising events, and intimate cultivation events that occur throughout the year, and managing consultants to execute these events as needed
• In collaboration with our grant writing firm, refining and executing a strategy that sustains and grows a strong portfolio of foundation support for our direct and indirect services through researching grant opportunities, writing proposals, and drafting reports per funder requirements. Assist with writing and reviewing more extensive grant proposals as needed.
• Leading, supervising, and reviewing the performance and development of a growing National Development team to ensure the success of Generation Hope’s fundraising efforts, holding team members accountable for stellar performance and upholding Generation Hope’s values.
• With the support of the Vice President of Advancement, tracking all contributed income progress, including grant pipeline, donor cultivation and solicitation, and event income
• In partnership with the Vice President of Advancement, CEO, and COO, working with the Board of Directors, including the Development Committee, on development-related projects and ongoing fundraising efforts
• Working with other teams across the organization to identify opportunities for corporate partners to engage holistically in Generation Hope’s work
• Researching trends in the field to support team learning, coordinating stewardship of existing foundation donors, and identifying and strategizing around new funding sources to meet ambitious fundraising goals

Goal: Maintaining Our Budget

• Overseeing the work of our grant writing firm, including planning, writing, and reviewing all grant reports, including ensuring that all grant budgets are being properly tracked and reported on to funders
• Developing and monitoring the National Development Team’s budget and expenses
• In collaboration with the Operations team, working to ensure that funding records are populated and accurate in Little Green Light (CRM tool) to execute ongoing communication to donors, develop new prospects, and report progress to leadership
• In collaboration with the Vice President of Advancement, creating and executing systems to ensure development efforts reflect Generation Hope’s strategic and values-aligned brand to drive organizational growth, resource building, and national positioning of Generation Hope within relevant thought leadership circles.
• Ensuring that the annual National Development Plan is aligned with the annual Communications Plan and editorial calendar
• Participating in speaking engagements to share information about Generation Hope with external audiences

Goal: Developing Our Team

• Building positive, long-term relationships with direct reports and conducting weekly  individualized and meaningful one-on-one coaching sessions with each direct report, as well as regular team meetings to get to outcomes and to support their professional development
• Serving as a thought partner to direct reports and providing and soliciting feedback while also modeling transparency and oversight of individual and organization performance standards
• Maintaining professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies
• Other duties as assigned

Required Skills and Knowledge

• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to Generation Hope’s mission.
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Minimum five years experience in fundraising required (including donor cultivation, grant writing, and special events) with a proven track record of raising funds from diverse sources, including a combination of major gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.
• Knowledge of and relationships within the national funding community. Connection to funders in the DC, New Orleans, and / or Dallas areas is a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to accountability, measuring outcomes, and a results-oriented culture
• Demonstrated ability to deploy high-level judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Ability to think ahead and plan proactively in a dynamic, evolving, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to lead with curiosity to attain the information and perspectives required to produce deeply value-added work.
• A diplomatic and mature demeanor with the ability to interact with all levels of internal and external constituents, especially deploying excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Acute attention to detail and relentless commitment to follow through. Strong project management skills; self-starter; cooperative and flexible
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as with a team
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong interpersonal, supervision, administration, and management skills
• Possess the skills to work with and motivate staff, board members, and other volunteers
• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail
• Embrace getting out of the office and building external relationships
• Be a “self-starter” and goal-driven to initiate donor visits and fundraising calls
• Be organized and exhibit “follow through” on tasks and goals
• Display a positive attitude, sound judgment, and professionalism; show concern for people and community, demonstrate presence, self-confidence, and good listening ability
• Proficient computer skills and in-depth knowledge of relevant software such as Microsoft Suite, Google Workspace, CRMs, etc. required
• Proficient with task management software such as Monday.com and Asana required
• Familiarity with donor-tracking systems
• Ability to work with diverse groups of people
• Resourcefulness, creativity, and strong problem-solving skills
• Personal and professional commitment to understanding and dismantling systemic and institutional racism

Travel

• This position requires travel for activities such as meetings, classes, and workshops in and out of the DC Metro area. Must be able to travel (via plane, train, or car) to attend trainings, conferences, project sites, and related activities.
• Regular overnight travel is required approximately 10% of the time.

CANDIDATES MUST RESIDE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., VIRGINIA, OR MARYLAND BEFORE THE EMPLOYMENT START DATE. 

Generation Hope has a hybrid remote and in-office work model.

Generation Hope provides full benefits, including 403(b), health, dental, and paid time off. More information on benefits can be found at generationhope.org/careers. As a safeguard to the health of our employees, participants, and community, all new hires must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the employment start date. Our full vaccination policy is available here.

To apply, please complete the online application.

Generation Hope is an equal opportunity employer. Generation Hope will not discriminate on any basis prohibited by law, including marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, matriculation, political affiliation, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health decisions), age, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, and disability.