DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

About the role

Founded in 1997, Bottom Line is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to partnering with degree-aspiring students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds. We provide one-on-one support to help these students access and succeed in college. Today, we serve over 7,000 students through our three core programs—College Access, College Success, and Bluprint—in regional offices across Massachusetts, New York City, Chicago, Ohio, Detroit, and soon, Houston.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a fundraising and external affairs strategy that grows revenue, diversifies funding, and strengthens Bottom Line Ohio’s market position.
• Set annual fundraising and external affairs priorities, targets, and plans across revenue, community engagement, and market visibility.
• Maintain strong brand recognition and market visibility in support of local priorities.
• Manage the path and progress toward fundraising goals using provided data and reporting tools to inform strategy and drive continuous improvement.
• Conduct prospect research and identify new funding opportunities to build and expand the donor base.
• Build a local community of individual donors at the $5,000+ level through Bottom Line’s signature major gifts program DEAL-Makers.
• Cultivate prospective major donors (5,000+) to grow the region’s philanthropic support.
• Engage, solicit, and steward a portfolio of donors and prospects, including top-tier donors and key connectors like the Regional Advisory Board.
• Create and manage a donor experience calendar of events, communications, and engagement opportunities for the Ohio portfolio.
• Represent Bottom Line at relevant events and engage in public issues that help increase visibility around the organization's mission.
• Partner with the central grants team on strategy and execution of grants, including providing regional context, drafting assigned grants, and supporting review of submissions.
• Use Salesforce to manage the donor pipeline, track activity, and capture institutional knowledge.
• Support management and continued expansion of the Regional Advisory Board, including meeting preparation, strategy development, and follow-through on action plans.
• Serve as a member of the regional leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and regional decision-making.
• Align messaging, elevate student stories, and connect fundraising and external affairs efforts to program outcomes.
• Collaborate with the National Development Operations team to align strategy, support execution, and uphold organizational systems and processes.
• Contribute to the Bottom Line development community across regions and national teams by sharing learnings, aligning practices, and supporting collective growth.
• Model inclusive, equity-driven fundraising practices and contribute to a culture of belonging and shared ownership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent
• Minimum 5-8 years of development experience with a track record of growing a fundraising pipeline
• Demonstrated success managing all aspects of the donor lifecycle and strong familiarity with major gifts fundraising
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to engage, influence, and steward a wide range of stakeholders
• Entrepreneurial mindset and initiative, especially in identifying and cultivating new stakeholders and opportunities
• Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for donors, public audiences, and internal stakeholders
• Comfort representing the organization externally and translating strategy, impact, and priorities into clear, compelling communications
• Excellent organizational skills, with experience working in data-driven and process-driven organizations
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and leverage available resources and supports
• Demonstrated commitment to Bottom Line’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values

Preferred

• External relations, marketing or communications experience
• Experience working within a matrixed or multi-site organization
• Familiarity with regional educational and nonprofit landscape