Director of Development - I Support the Girls

LOCATION

I Support the Girls (ISTG) is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland; however, it is a remote workplace. The Director will be expected to make periodic visits to the headquarters throughout the year.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Through an international network of affiliates, I Support the Girls collects and distributes essential items ― including bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products ― that allow women and folx experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress to stand tall with dignity. Currently, ISTG fulfills its mission by focusing on advocacy efforts to raise awareness for menstrual equity while managing the logistics of collecting and distributing millions of bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products to people in need. You can find more about ISTG on their website at isupportthegirls.org.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Executive Director, the newly created Director of Development position will design, lead, and implement a fundraising strategy to both increase and diversify ISTG’s revenue portfolio. I Support the Girls has a $1.25M budget, which is primarily composed of funds from individual donors, foundations, grants, and corporate sponsorships. The Director will play a critical role as ISTG looks to grow its revenue to just under $2.5M over the next 3 years. The Director will partner closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to create and execute a major donor program and engagement opportunities, craft and implement strategies for qualified prospects, and solicit donations while stewarding donors. As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director will provide leadership on overall organizational strategy, including setting annual organizational priorities. The ideal candidate is a seasoned strategist and doer who enjoys building fundraising systems as much as they enjoy the front-line efforts to secure donations.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Director is responsible for the following in addition to any other projects as assigned by their manager, the Executive Director:

Strategy & Operations:

• Design and lead the long-term revenue generation strategy for ISTG to double its current revenue from individual donors, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and corporations over the next 3 years.
• Design and oversee development systems and structures including the fundraising database. Ensure ongoing database maintenance and use.
• Oversee the development, testing, and implementation of new fundraising or other revenue generating initiatives.

Revenue Management:

• Partner with the Executive Director on the overall revenue strategy for the organization and build systems and structures that bring a spirit of teamwork and collaboration
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and financial analyses for the Senior Management Team as well as presentations for the Board of Directors and committees on progress toward financial goals; provide guidance and direction to achieve objectives
• Ensure clear, accurate, and consistent reporting and communication between the Operations and Development departments, reviewing and tracking annual and long-term income and expenditure budgets

Fundraising & Development:

• Conceptualize, create, and manage a dynamic annual and long-term individual fundraising strategy, including digital fundraising, direct mail campaigns, and monthly giving program
• Develop the necessary systems, processes, and tools to better communicate the role of major gifts fundraising and ensure an integrated fundraising strategy
• Manage the full lifecycle of fundraising to include building and stewarding a pipeline of individual and major donors ― including identifying prospects, cultivating relationships, and making direct solicitation
• Coordinate the development of solicitation strategies for key prospects and donors and advance the internal planning needed to support those efforts, ensuring that each major donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Manage relationships with corporate partners with the goal of strengthening, expanding, and diversifying the organization's corporate giving base and pipeline
• Build robust corporate partnership strategy for unrestricted support, creating unique employee and corporate engagement opportunities
• Determine donor interests and match them with targeted giving and engagement opportunities Assist with crafting various communications materials, including newsletters and email updates to constituents
• Write and track all communications, including proposals for significant individual solicitations and contact reports following all meetings with donors and prospects
• Network both locally and nationally to further the organization’s footprint for support with availability to travel frequently for donor meetings (also both locally and nationally)

Impact Measurement:

• Develop and deliver donor analysis reports for all lines of giving; utilize data and metrics to benchmark efforts, inform strategic and tactical decision-making, and identify broad-based solicitation opportunities
• Manage and deploy tools that track and monitor content, mentions, and exposure across all media channels to assess impact related to donor recruitment and acquisition

Board Management:

• Partner with the Board of Directors to design and support fundraising activities
• Present Development and Communications updates to the Board of Directors and relevant Committees

HOW YOU WILL BE MEASURED 

In their first year, the Director of Development is charged with developing a three- to five-year fundraising strategy plan that will support ISTG in doubling its annual budget by 2026. As part of that strategy, the Director will also develop a framework to support a culture of donor retention. In addition to developing a giving strategy, the Director is charged with securing at least two six-figure gifts over the course of their first year, which includes the identification, cultivation and stewardship, and closing of the donors. Finally, the Director will continue to develop and build out the internal fundraising tools, systems, and processes needed for a strong development and fundraising function.

WHO YOU ARE

• You’re values-aligned. You care deeply about making a difference and work each day to make sure folx experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress are able to stand tall with dignity. You bring experience in operationalizing equity within the fundraising function and setting a strategy rooted in equity and justice for revenue generation and team management.
• You get stuff done. You understand what it means to be both thoughtful about developing a strategy and detail-oriented about getting work accomplished. Whether it’s working on your own or in collaboration with others, you bring experience, effective communication, and great organizational skills that allow you to get the nuts and bolts in place to make progress on your goals.
• You are highly adaptable and a problem solver. Whether it’s diving into the weeds or jumping back up to work through strategic priorities, you can do it all with ease. You can work on any project, with any member of the program team across the organization ― not because you know everything but because you love working on teams and because you are the one who always puts it on themselves to see their team succeed. You anticipate problems and find solutions with the support of your colleagues.
• You are a strong, intentional relationship builder and collaborative teammate. ​You thrive on bringing different stakeholders together around a common goal and foster a spirit of collaboration with staff during both routine and transformational periods. You seek to understand different contributors’ motivations and enjoy finding creative ways of meeting multiple objectives. You shape relationships with an ethos of reciprocity.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrated strong experience in the nonprofit field with a minimum of 10 years of experience as a professional frontline fundraiser with at least 3 years in a senior management role, ideally in a high-growth organization
• Proven track record of creating and executing effective fundraising strategies for diverse revenue streams
• Track record of success in creating, growing, and leading major donor programs and securing five- and six-figure gifts
• Expert knowledge of the corporate and major donor landscape
• Strong understanding of technology and information systems pertinent to the role (expertise in Customer Relation Management platforms, Content Management Systems, and Donation Management platforms is a plus)

WHY WORK WITH US

At ISTG, we make dignity the norm for those identifying as women across the globe. Working with us means that you will have:

• Flexibility in your working schedule. This includes things like working from home or wherever you are in the continental U.S. You will also enjoy unlimited PTO.
• Access to healthcare when you need it most.  Beginning in 2023, we are offering healthcare reimbursement stipends with the plan to offer benefits in-house in 2024.
• Opportunities to learn and grow. Learning is a way of life at ISTG, which means that you can take courses or join associations to help build your skills. Because we are a small team, it means that you can take on new projects that you might not be able to in a larger organization.

The base compensation range for this position is between $90,000-$120,000 commensurate with experience.