Fractional Development Director

The Role

We're looking for a hands-on development leader who is equally comfortable setting and executing fundraising strategy. The ideal candidate has experience leading full-cycle fundraising, developing compelling proposals and funder materials, cultivating institutional and philanthropic relationships, and independently driving a development function forward.

Your responsibilities include:

• Strategy — develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy, grounded in research and analysis and that aligns with the mission, vision, and goals, and drive it forward
• Prospect research and pipeline building — identify and qualify foundation, corporate, and high-net-worth prospects to build a robust pipeline, including analyzing donor databases, reviewing philanthropic trends, and using various tools to discover new prospects.
• Cultivation and stewardship — build and deepen relationships with current and potential donors in collaboration and/or on behalf of leadership. Strategically communicating over time—before, between, and after meetings, including prompt follow up and gift acknowledgments.
• Meeting prep and follow-up — meticulously prepare for funder conversations and carry them through to next steps, including meticulously preparing detailed agendas, supporting materials, and donor profiles in advance and following up to address questions, provide additional information, and advance the relationship.
• Portfolio tracking and management — track and advance relationships, including keeping the pipeline organized, current, and moving, monitoring donor status and interactions, setting engagement goals, and implementing tailored strategies throughout cultivation cycles.
• Proposal writing and submission — develop compelling and personalized fundraising proposals that effectively communicate the mission, evidence and impact, and the specific needs we seek to address, and that are carefully crafted to resonate with the donor's interests and giving history. Research grant opportunities and manage timelines and deadlines.
• Thought partnership and support — serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner on how we grow and tell our story, how we structure offerings and programmatic elements, and how we develop our fundraising capabilities.

Who You Are

• A development leader who has raised funds across foundations, corporate, and high-net-worth prospects at the national level
• Experienced leading an organization's fundraising from the leadership team's perspective, with personal ownership of the revenue target
• A go-getter with vision who also gets the details right
• Able to tell our story compellingly while respecting the science behind our work
• Authentic relationship builder who values integrity and accuracy, and with demonstrated success and tenacity in closing transformational support
• Equally strong at strategy and execution, and comfortable working with donors who focus highly on evidence and ROI.

People familiar with the justice-reform space — including those with lived experience navigating the legal system and/or connected to our mission — are strongly encouraged to apply.

Logistics

• Time commitment: ~30 hours/month to start
• Structure: Fractional/contract, remote
• Timeline: We'll review applications on a rolling basis, begin introductory conversations the week of August 10th, and expect to make a final hiring decision by the end of August, with a target start date the week of September 21st.

Room to Grow

We expect this role to expand over time for the right person. As the engagement deepens, there's opportunity to take on a broader remit — growing our fundraising work, supporting communications, shaping external partnerships beyond funders, and/or leading special projects. Growth in scope and hours will track results, funding, and organizational needs.