Development Director

Salary Range: 100k - 115k

The Organization - Raw Art Works

Raw Art Works (RAW), a creative community arts organization rooted in art therapy, believes that all young people should be seen heard, and that everyone has a story to tell.

Through art, RAW youth create in unexpected ways, and envision new possibilities for their future. Founded in 1988, RAW strives to ensure that youth and staff are welcomed into a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment the moment they step through the door. Through the arts, youth are given the tools to process what is going on in their lives, giving them the opportunity to create in unexpected ways and envision new possibilities for their future. The strong relationships youth form with RAW peers and staff, and RAW's culture and program model, contribute to a strong sense of safety, connection, and support. RAW's mission is to ignite the desire to create and confidence to succeed in underserved youth. Over 350 youth, ages 8-19, participate in after-school and summer visual and expressive arts groups, digital film school classes, leadership development opportunities, and college and career access programming. When youth attend RAW, they are seen and heard through a refined blend of art and therapy. Staff trained in trauma-informed care offer grounding for youth who have experienced serious adverse childhood experiences. RAW staff have helped lead the creative youth development movement since its inception, establishing RAW as an organization recognized and respected for its program impact at a national level.

About the Role:

The Development Director nurtures and grows a robust philanthropy program that looks beyond RAW's current status to envision and sustain an organization striving for ever greater community impact, while adhering to long-term capitalization and short-term operational goals. Directing all aspects of fundraising and adept at in-person solicitation (corporate, institutional, and individual), the Development Director is responsible for over $3 million in revenue with plans to grow revenue significantly. This individual develops and implements strategies and plans to deepen relationships in all segments of the philanthropic community while maintaining a strong knowledge of the local and national philanthropic landscape.

The successful Development Director takes a leadership role both within the organization and externally, interacting frequently with current and prospective supporters to establish beneficial relationships. Reporting to and partnering with the Executive Director, the Development Director is a member of RAW's Leadership Team, offering input and advice on organizational issues and advancing organizational goals. The Development Director manages the Development Team, which currently includes the Development Manager and two Grants Managers. The Development Director also works collaboratively with the program staff and Board of Directors. Demonstrating a high degree of versatility and resiliency, the Development Director focuses intensely on achieving fundraising goals and prioritizes relationship building while executing the hands-on work required to continue building the fundraising capacity of the team.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Fundraising Leadership and External Affairs

• Develop and guide the implementation of RAW's overall fundraising strategy that responds to recent development assessment, and that will support growth anticipated from the new Strategic Plan in FY26.

• Create an actionable written development plan that balances individual, foundation, government, corporate support, as well as alternative income-generating models. .

• As a member of the senior leadership team, actively participate in organizational strategic planning and management.

• Serve as both a thought leader, and a practitioner who tactically contributes to the team (e.g. writes grant proposals or leads meetings with donors).

• Foster interdepartmental collaboration to enhance institutional and individual fundraising strategies.

• Collaborate with the Leadership Team and program staff in matters of proposal development, budgeting, reporting, and site visits.

• Advocate for RAW's artistic and community impact and facilitate connections with donors and prospects by becoming a highly visible presence as an external spokesperson, serving on event committees, and attending board/donor events and external community and foundation events as needed.

• Stay current and advise on developments in the philanthropic, arts & culture, and economic development sectors and political environments that impact fundraising trends, goals, and strategies.

Donor Identification, Research, Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship

• Serve as thought leader for RAW's ED, advising and collaborating on philanthropic activities and providing strategic advice and preparation for all aspects of relationships with current and prospective donors.

• Oversee the development and implementation of ongoing stewardship of major donors, using a moves management framework to create specific, individualized action plans and goals.

• Map and leverage the philanthropic and strategic relationships of the Board.

• Build trust and relationships with a portfolio of key institutional and individual donors and high-level prospects, with the end goal of personally soliciting gifts.

• Craft and deliver written and verbal grant or gift requests from major donors and prospects.

• Ensure successful execution of fundraising and donor events and oversee segmented post-event follow-up with donors.

Departmental Operations, Administration and Oversight

• Supervise and mentor the development team by setting clear expectations, providing motivation, assisting in their professional development, and maintaining the highest levels of professionalism.

• Develop clear roles, responsibilities, and actionable goals for the development team while maintaining a culture of respect and collaboration.

• Create simple easy to use systems for foundation assessment, building objective criteria to help teams determine which philanthropic opportunities to go for, which to pass on, and which to defer until later. Ensure effective system implementation of "The Life of a Grant."

• Oversee development systems (fundraising calendar, CRM database, donor and prospect records etc.) to ensure clear process ownership, communication and collaboration.

• Serve as liaison with the Finance team to help with budget development and cost tracking.

• Establish and ensure standards of excellence (and RAW brand consistency) across all written and digital materials and external communications produced by the development team.

• Prepare and monitor development revenue and expense budgets, regularly reporting on development goals and progress to the Executive Director and board of directors.

• Serve as an advisor and liaison to board committees as designated by the Executive Director. Prepare timely reports for ED and Board as needed.

Traits and Characteristics:

The successful Development Director is a skilled fundraiser, proactive leader, and outstanding relationship builder with the ability to pursue RAW's ambitious goals with resilience and determination. This individual enjoys frequent interaction and collaboration with others, demonstrating leadership skills tempered by diplomacy. The Development Director is self-directed with the versatility to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, balancing tasks and projects with a sense of urgency. The Development Director possesses outstanding interpersonal and communication skills that inspire collaboration and the ability to articulate compelling verbal and written messages for support to diverse audiences. With a curious spirit and open attitude, this individual actively represents and models a culture of philanthropy and gratitude, explicitly and implicitly. Highly organized and goal-driven, the Development Director brings a passion to positively impact RAW's success, complemented by well-developed skills and an efficient best practices approach.

Additional competencies for the ideal Development Director include:

• Teamwork and Accountability - The ability to build diverse and meaningful relationships, create active participation to accomplish goals, and respond conscientiously to a variety of internal and external stakeholders.

• Donor Focus and Influencing Others - The capacity to demonstrate appreciation for the diverse views and needs of a multitude of constituents and build rapport with community, business, and philanthropic leaders.

• Planning, Organizing, and Prioritization - The dexterity to establish realistic timelines and ascertain top priorities for optimum productivity of development efforts.

Key Qualifications:

The following are the suggested qualifications for the Development Director role at RAW. RAW is most interested in finding the best candidate for the job - not just candidates who check all the boxes. All are encouraged to apply.

• Minimum of 5-7 years' experience in a fundraising management position at a comparable mid-to-large-sized non-profit organization (3M operating budget).

• Both qualitative and quantitative analytical skills, with the ability to clearly communicate information for a diverse group of stakeholders.

• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to take a project from assignment to completion, manage multiple simultaneous requests for information, and prioritize accordingly to meet deadlines.

• Demonstrated success and progressive leadership experience in fundraising and development, ideally with exposure to the nonprofit landscape.

• Expertise and interest in supporting the building and streamlining of internal systems and processes for the development department

• Experience growing individual giving programs and donor bases, with an interest and affinity for forging and cultivating new relationships

• Exposure to foundation and grant work, with ability to provide relationship and strategic support to grant staff

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and an ability to weave that commitment into the development department's practices

• Able to think strategically to engage across multiple platforms with various audiences simultaneously.

• Interest in analytics and in converting data into actionable strategy and/or improvements to fundraising programming and delivery.

• Excellent organizational skills and capacity to prioritize and manage time well, with strong attention to detail.

• Ability to work as a self-starter without oversight, and as a team player who productively engages with others within and outside the organization.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to hiring@rawartworks.org.