Primary Role:

The Director of Development leads Son of a Saint’s fundraising and strategic growth efforts, including setting overarching goals and annual plans for fundraising, managing the development team, overseeing the implementation of all major fundraising activities, cultivating and soliciting major gifts, and ensuring that monthly and annual fundraising goals are met. The Director of Development is responsible for overseeing a team of fundraising professionals to raise funds for Son of a Saint’s annual operating budget and for special projects and campaigns, as needed. The Director of Development provides input and guidance on projects related to the strategic growth and development of Son of a Saint, including strategic planning, national awareness building, growth planning, and other activities related to the growth of Son of a Saint.

Specific responsibilities include:

Fundraising

• Crafts an annual fundraising plan; sets annual fundraising goals, expectations, and benchmarks; and oversees projects and activities related to execution of the fundraising plan
• Works hand-in-hand with Son of a Saint Founder & CEO to manage his relationships with current and potential major donors
• Drafts and sends written outreach, including emails and formal letters, to current and prospective major donors
• Manages a portfolio of major individual, corporate, and foundation donors; maintains a front-facing relationships with all major supporters
• Crafts and implements solicitation plans for new prospective major donors, including leading donor meetings, sending timely correspondence/follow up, and crafting proposals
• Sets vision and provides edits for major written donor communication, including strategic updates, case statements and brochures, etc.

Board of Directors and Volunteer Leadership

• Maintains working relationships with all Board members, and manages the Development Committee of the Board of Directors
• Works with Board members to identify, contact, cultivate, and solicit new potential donors within their networks
• Communicates timely fundraising updates to the Board of Directors
• Serves as primary point-of-contact for Board members in relation to all fundraising-related matters
• Plans and implements annual solicitation of Board members, in alignment with give/get requirement

Event Oversight

• Oversees planning, execution of timeline, and fundraising goals for Annual Gala and other major fundraising events
• Serves as primary point-of-contact for Annual Gala Chair and Gala Host Committee

Strategy & Growth

• Identifies and develops relationships with funders outside of New Orleans
• Ensures that restricted funding supports the overarching vision of the program

Development Operations

• Oversees appropriate tracking of donor relationships and maintenance of records via Salesforce
• Ensures timely reports are generated by Development Assistant
• Ensures clear portfolio division and routine review of fundraising pipeline and assignments for Development Team

Public Relations

• Locally, must be active in community and building networks among centers of influence
• Attend networking events and other events to represent SOAS

Qualifications and Skills:

• BA or BS degree, Masters is a Plus
• 10 years experience in nonprofit fundraising is desired; 3-5 years of experience managing and leading a team
• Proven track record of managing a multi-million revenue goal
• Proven track record of soliciting and securing six- and seven-figure gifts
• Experience with federal and state grants a plus
• Proven ability to manage projects independently
• Proactive and consistent work ethic
• Professional demeanor and conduct
• Advanced understanding of fundraising operations, strategy, communication, and landscape
• Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to analyze written materials, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and within a diverse Development team and across various functional areas.
• Commitment to Son of a Saint’s mission and vision

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Operating Financial Officer (COO/CFO)