Director of Development - Los Angeles, United States - Street Poets Inc.

Description

Director of Development

Full-time/Exempt

Annual salary: $85K-$100K

Benefits: Vacation, Health, dental, 401(k), employee wellness program, and free parking

Location: Hybrid (remote and co-working office space in downtown Los Angeles)

Reports to: Executive Director

ABOUT STREET POETS

From our humble beginnings in 1995 when our founder began volunteer-teaching a poetry workshop at a Los Angeles County probation camp for boys to now hosting workshops that attract up to 700 youth and events that attract up to 5,000 youth, Street Poets continues to harness the healing power of poetry and music to build community and inspire our next generation to write, rap, and dream a new world into being. Street Poets is a thriving 501(c)3 nonprofit providing impactful programs which include:

• Public weekly Seeking Peace healing circle
• In-school and probation camp poetry workshops
• Public open mics
• Monthly Street Poets Presents
• Poetry in Motion Van, a mobile performance venue and recording studio
• Beats & Rhymes music production workshops, and more
• Recording studio, audio post-production facility, communal meeting space, and Ancestors' Wall

Street Poets recently purchased and is in the process of renovating a building in Historic South Los Angeles that will transform into our exciting new home and enable us to increase our outreach, programming capacity, and visibility.

POSITION SUMMARY

Street Poets seeks its first Director of Development. The organization requires a strategic, results-oriented fundraising leader and storyteller with a passion for expanding its arts-based programs and activities that it provides to support youth.

The Director of Development has overall strategic and operational responsibility for goal-driven development activities to expand Street Poets' base of support to its next level. Building upon Street Poet's accomplishments to date, the incoming Director of Development will inspire action and facilitate growth among foundation, corporate, and individual donors and grow revenue partnerships with organizational and individual members. This position is critical to Street Poets' long-term financial integrity by fostering strong relationships with our community partners, members, and key stakeholders. This position will actively oversee the completion of the $5M Roots & Reach campaign to open its new headquarters. The Director of Development will build Street Poets' fund development plan and processes and secure and manage government, nonprofit, and business sponsorship opportunities. Reporting to the Executive Director, this position will engage closely with key staff and the Board of Directors.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Our ideal candidate is a creative, motivated achiever who is well-versed and brings a track record of success in innovating and executing dynamic fund strategies. They have a passion for the Los Angeles arts community and the positive impact it can make for community youth. They are gifted at both defining the strategy to accomplish goals and driving the initiatives to ensure success. They are skilled in forging strategic partnerships, negotiating contracts, managing people, and internal and external communications. They are persuasive, with excellent written and oral presentation skills. They are kind, humble, and humorous; they take their work seriously, but not themselves.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Engagement and Marketing Communications

• Lead major donor management, engagement, and revenue reporting
• Secure renewals of existing donors and recruit new donors
• Cultivate donor relationships through ongoing communication
• Develop campaigns for attracting donors and innovate new or optimized revenue models for giving programs
• Ensure regular updates are provided to donor communities
• Oversee strategy and implementation of multi-channel marketing campaigns to support the fundraising program
• Provide or oversee development, editing, and management of content that conveys Street Poets' mission to secure alignment and support, including but not limited to:
• Major donor assets, including emails, correspondence, acknowledgments, etc.
• Email campaigns to engage and cultivate donors, managing email lists, and importing data from external sources
• Broadcast fundraising events and projects, including digital campaigns, scripts, production, writing, and editing of fundraising content (internal and external)
• Special events, registrations, and surveys
• Fundraising assets listed on our website
• Other content as needed
• Create, implement, and oversee the development team's ongoing marketing/fundraising calendar
• Consistently review analytics to measure and improve performance
• Develop presentations to report key metrics

Fundraising Strategy/Execution

• Research, develop, and steward relationships to increase financial resources for Street Poets through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and supporting management of grants
• In collaboration with the Street Poets leadership and team, develop annual and long-term fundraising strategies and planning for major gifts, corporate donations, annual giving, capital campaigns, individual gifts, institutional giving, planned giving, special events, and in-kind resources
• Working with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and campaign counsel on the completion of the Roots & Reach campaign
• Lead efforts to develop and implement strategies to engage new and existing partners; collaborate with the Street Poets team to draft funding proposals, manage active grants, and provide reporting
• Manage funder relationships and assist in ensuring grant compliance
• Direct activities to secure corporate sponsorships to build new revenue streams
• Manage fundraising activities in collaboration with event-planning staff
• Operate as the main point of contact for Board giving and fundraising

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Oversee two (2) internal team members responsible for donor database management and marketing outreach to stakeholders as well as contractors and/or consultants required to achieve Street Poets' fundraising goals
• Devise plans, schedules, assign tasks, and oversee development-related administrative duties to ensure smooth and timely operations, projects, and deliverables
• Lead the hiring, onboarding, and training of new development staff members
• Foster an inclusive and positive work culture through effective communication, transparency, and empowerment
• Establish and regularly monitor goals to ensure team success and effectiveness
• Manage discipline and termination of employees as needed

Other

• Contribute to the day-to-day operations of the organization relative to the position responsibilities and be responsive to leadership and other staff members
• Be prepared for routine tasks and processes, scheduled events, and other activities or ad hoc projects as required
• Occasional travel may be required

REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

• 4-plus years of experience and ascending success in donor cultivation, stewardship, and securing major gifts of four figures and up
• Adept at expanding organizational awareness and revenue through multiple channels, including major annual giving, individual gifts, fundraising, corporate sponsorships, capital campaigns, special events, providing support of grant writing, etc.
• Skilled and effective in managing fund strategies and achieving revenue targets in collaboration with leadership and staff
• Polished, dynamic public speaking skills and presence with ability to engage diverse audiences
• Analytical skills and ability to distill complex issues into digestible information
• Strong writing and editing skills for marketing and other content development
• Excellent leadership, coordination, and management abilities
• Proactive communication and collaboration skills with proven experience in establishing positive and effective internal/external relationships
• Detail-oriented and highly organized with ability to prioritize, re-prioritize, and adjust to achieve targets and deadlines
• Experienced in engaging and providing progress updates and reporting to leadership and Board of Directors
• Proficiency with current software (Bloomerang, Microsoft Office, Google Suite, etc.), apps, and CRMs

Pluses

• Advanced degree in a related field and/or relevant professional certification (CFRE)
• Past experience in a PR, marketing, community engagement, or communications role
• Experienced or familiar with the Los Angeles arts community

DISCLAIMER

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives assigned to this role.