Director of Development, Southeast

The Obama Foundation’s mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. On the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a global center for change with coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more that invite visitors from across the globe to turn hope into action.

About the role

The Director of Development, Southeast, will lead and grow the Foundation’s fundraising program for the region in partnership with the Senior Director of Development, East. You will work closely with Foundation leadership, Alumni, and Team East colleagues to build relationships and cultivate/solicit six- and seven-figure gifts. This is an ideal opportunity for a proven, values-driven nonprofit fundraiser who is highly motivated to work collaboratively in pursuit of big goals and to grow as both a fundraiser and a leader.

Responsibilities

• Create and lead the strategy for a portfolio of major-gifts donors and prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of 100 six- and seven-figure prospects; develop customized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for each.
• Build and manage relationships with prospects and donors through visits, correspondence, regular communication, and events.
• Collaborate with the Development Operations team to identify new prospects and design donor-engagement opportunities.
• Design and execute events of varying tone and scale for diverse audiences in collaboration with the Events team.
• Develop strong partnerships with select alumni and other volunteers to support their fundraising efforts in the region.
• Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team on the management of select high-capacity donors, including meeting preparation and follow-up.
• Propose and plan development travel for key principals and surrogates.
• Establish supportive, cooperative working relationships with other regional fundraisers; share best practices and collaborate on donor cultivation.
• Represent the Development team at external conferences and gatherings; partner with other Foundation teams to advance a culture of philanthropy.
• Build a culture of Salesforce utilization to track and evaluate key metrics, using data to continually improve practices and inform decisions.
• Ensure timely creation and distribution of fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral, and highly personalized proposals with support from the Donor Relations sub-team.

Key Deliverables

• Meet fundraising targets and other key metrics.
• Develop and execute regional prospect-portfolio strategy and the annual cadence of fundraising activities.
• Expand the prospect pipeline.
• Execute prospect stewardship and engagement plans.
• Prepare fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral, and highly personalized proposals.
• Lead and execute regional development events.
• Propose, plan, and staff Foundation executive travel to the region.

Requirements

• 8–10 years of experience in fundraising, including a minimum of five years in a leadership position securing funds directly.
• Track record of building relationships with major donors, ideally closing gifts of at least $1M+.
• Deep understanding of fundraising programs and high-level gift strategies, including Planned Giving.
• Ability to develop and maintain long-term, productive relationships internally and externally.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $160,000 – $185,000.

Schedule

This is a remote role.