Senior Director of Development

Role Overview

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and its partner organizations, Education Reform Now (ERN) and Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), are seeking a dynamic, mission-driven Senior Director of Development to lead the organization's fundraising strategy and revenue growth.

Who We Are

We are a national political organization that supports elected Democrats and candidates for office who seek to expand policies and practices that work well for America's students and confront those that do not. We prioritize historically disadvantaged students and families. Our partner organizations do work that involves policy research, analysis and awareness-raising that helps policy makers at all levels understand complex education issues and make informed decisions. We inform the education debate, target interventions and rapid response, and engage directly with candidates and elected officials to empower them to advocate for education policies that focus foremost on serving students.

Key Responsibilities

• Fundraising Strategy and Execution
• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual and multi-year fundraising plan targeting revenue growth from diverse sources, including 501(c)(3) foundations and individual donors, 501(c)(4) contributors, Federal PAC contributions, and political bundling
• Collaborate with the President and senior leadership to ensure fundraising strategies align with DFER's organizational priorities and multi-year growth targets
• Build and steward a robust portfolio of major donors, foundations, political stakeholders, and institutional partners to secure long-term financial support for DFER's work
• Identify and cultivate new donor prospects, expanding DFER's network across both the philanthropic and political funding ecosystems
• Team Leadership and Management
• Manage, mentor, and develop a development team of one full-time director and two part-time staff, setting clear goals and supporting professional growth
• Create a culture of accountability and high performance within the development function, ensuring the team meets aggressive revenue targets
• Establish and maintain strong systems, workflows, and use of CRM tools to maximize team efficiency and donor relationship tracking
• Donor Stewardship and Relationship Management
• Lead stewardship of high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and political stakeholders, ensuring donors are engaged, informed, and invested in DFER's mission
• Ensure timely, compelling donor communications including impact reports, grant reports, acknowledgments, and updates
• Oversee the planning and execution of high-profile fundraising events, including donor cultivation events, galas, and candidate fundraisers
• Cross-functional Collaboration and Financial Oversight
• Partner with the Director of Finance & Operations to ensure strong cash flow management, timely financial reporting to donors, and compliance with grant and donor restrictions
• Collaborate with the communications team to align messaging across fundraising materials, ensuring consistency with DFER's national brand and mission narrative
• Track and report on fundraising metrics, pipeline health, and outcomes to the President and Board on a regular basis
• Board and Senior Leadership Engagement
• Partner with the President to engage the Board of Directors in fundraising, including board member cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship support
• Prepare and present development reports for Board meetings, providing clear updates on revenue performance, pipeline, and strategy
• Contribute to senior leadership discussions on organizational strategy, resource allocation, and long-term growth planning
• External Representation
• Represent DFER at external conferences, donor convenings, and public forums to advance the organization's mission and expand its philanthropic network

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We welcome applications from all, and strongly encourage women, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees & LGBTQ people to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization and recruiting a team that reflects the diversity of the students we serve.

Requirements

• Experience: 5 to 9 years of progressive experience in nonprofit development, with a demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding ambitious fundraising goals
• Experience managing fundraising across multiple entity types (C3, C4, and/or PAC contexts) strongly preferred
• Proven success in individual major gifts, foundation relations, and/or political fundraising
• Experience managing and developing development staff in a fast-paced, matrixed organization
• Background in education, political, or advocacy-focused nonprofit environments strongly preferred

Skills and Competencies

• Strategic Vision: Ability to develop and implement long-term fundraising strategies while balancing the immediate needs of a growing organization
• Relationship Management: Expertise in cultivating and managing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, foundations, political stakeholders, and institutional partners
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and hold accountable a development team to achieve shared revenue goals
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling donor-facing materials and make persuasive asks
• Analytical Thinking: Strong skills in pipeline management, fundraising analytics, and CRM utilization to drive decision-making
• Execution and Planning: Highly organized, results-driven, and skilled at managing multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously

Personal Attributes

• High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion in managing sensitive donor and organizational information
• A passion for educational equity and a genuine commitment to advancing policies that expand opportunity for underserved students
• A collaborative, positive, and adaptive team player who thrives in a mission-driven environment
• Flexibility to travel as needed and adapt to shifting organizational priorities

Benefits

The base salary range for this position is $150,000 - $170,000. DFER is proud to offer excellent benefits: health, vision, and dental coverage; flexible spending plan; life insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; 401K plan with a match plan; flexible spending/benefits plan; paid family leave; paid time off (vacation, sick time, floating holidays, and all National holidays).