Development Manager

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Position Description, Summer 2020
Full Time, 40 Hours per Week

ABOUT 826CHI

Mission
826CHI is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. More information can be found at www.826chi.org.

Impact
During the 2018-19 school year, 826CHI served 3,600 students in 1st through 12th grades attending 111 Chicago Public Schools. Program reached youth in 52 of Chicago’s 57 zip codes. Through five writing programs occuring on-and off-site, 826CHi published 150 books of student writing. 826CHI is committed to equitable access to high quality writing and literary arts education for Chicago youth. Our programs support students from families who identify as low-income or who attend under-resourced Chicago schools.

Culture & Environment
826CHI is a creative organization that highly values collaboration, creative, and innovative thinking. Our work is grounded in goals set by our strategic plan and put into motion through collaboration. At 826CHI, we take both pride and joy in our work and operate with a high degree of professionalism. We encourage a culture of learning and highly value personal development; each staff member has a professional development plan and is encouraged to pursue relevant learning opportunities both within our national network and beyond. Staff members work both independently and as part of a team. At our base office in Wicker Park, we work in an open office space. 826CHI is willing to consider accommodations for different working styles. We encourage the use of flex time and prioritize work/life balance.

Commitment to Inclusion
As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826CHI recognizes the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps of learning occur, we commit to inclusion: We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service or disability. We strive to put our values into action through planning, decision making, and community building.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Role
The Development Manager supports all aspects of fundraising as established in our annual development plan, playing a key role in achieving goals set in 826CHI’s annual budget. 826CHI is looking for an result-focused, committed individual who is excited to join a hard-working, mission-driven team that has a passion for expanding access to creative youth development in Chicago. The Development Manager will make a significant impact on Chicago youth by raising funds to support 826CHI’s mission. For candidates interested in becoming a nonprofit leader at the Director level, the Development Manager position is an excellent career-enriching pathway.

The Development Manager reports to the Director of Development, and is a member of the Development Team.

Key Responsibilities
This is a position of significant importance to the success of our mission, please review 826CHI’s website, www.826chi.org, carefully before applying.

Corporate and Foundation Relationship Management
- Identify and qualify new grant prospects.
- Update and verify corporate and foundation related data in Salesforce, so 826CHI can accurately track grant prospects, giving history and projections, and relationships.
- Maintain 826CHI’s grant calendar, ensuring that all listed deadlines and guidelines are up to date in Salesforce and Google calendar.
- Collect and save materials, data, and narrative throughout the grant cycle.
- Prioritize, and write LOIs, solicit proposals, and submit reports in concert with DoD, keeping staff on schedule to meet all grants-related deadlines.
- Prepare corporate and foundation site visits, ensuring the Executive Director and appropriate staff is briefed on funder priorities and key talking points.
- Manage communications with corporate and foundations leading up to, during and after site visits and submissions.
- Cultivate corporate and foundation contact through strategic touch points throughout the year to develop strong relationships with existing and prospective partners.
- Provide corporate and foundation grant budget forecasts during annual budget planning conversations, based on likelihood of recurring and new grants.
- Facilitate monthly meetings on grant progress for development team.
- In concert with ED/DoD, report to the Board fundraising committee about key foundation relationships, engage Board members in relationship building with their networks.
- Update grant metrics in organization dashboards and data systems like Salesforce.

Annual Report
- Manage report production timeline.
- Manage design cohort members.
- Compile and collect data and generate all written content, consulting the Executive Director and Director of Development for thematic focus and edits.
- Manage printing and distribution to key stakeholders, including personalized outreach.
- Give direction to Communications team on promoting and sharing highlights from Annual report in comms and website
- Maintain Annual Report archive from previous years for reference.

Individual Donor Management
- Assist in the management of planning donor appeals.
- Co-create donor language for end of year appeal, spring appeal, and 8/26 Day appeal.
- Segment donor lists for outreach in line with department strategy.
- Facilitate donor mailings and outreach during appeals.
- Facilitate solicitation at community program events.

General
- Plan events and support event planning as requested
- Managing staff, such as Americorps VISTAS, paid and unpaid intern, and high-level volunteers
- Schedule annual revision of the 826CHI’s Case for Support, vetting revised language through departments across the organization.
- Ensure thoughtful integration between Development and program departments, ensuring fundraising team is best representing the work and vision of the program teams
- Regularly collect and manage stakeholder testimonials, share with appropriate team members across the organization for communication and relationship building purposes.
- Compile data, narrative for Case for Support, so 826CHI can better advocate its mission and needs to various funders.
- Support organizational efforts on an as-needed basis, including corporate relations, government, and other external partners.

Reporting and Compensation
This is an exempt, full-time position that reports to the Director of Development.
Salary offer begins at $45,000 and is commensurate with experience.
We offer a compensation package that includes 99% employer paid health premiums and 75% employer paid vision and dental premiums, employer-matched 401(k) retirement account, and generous paid time off, staff-wide professional development opportunities, and supportive staff culture.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Strong persuasive writing skills
• Knowledge of donor databases or similar CRMs to Salesforce
• Analytical and critical thinker who can consider systems-wide impact
• Highly organized and able to coordinate multiple short and long-term projects
• Result focused and proactive
• Knowledgeable of 826CHI programs and Chicago public education