RAISING A READER DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Mountain View, California

Other Listings

ABOUT RAISING A READER ®

Raising A Reader ® (RAR) is a 501 (c)(3) supporting organization of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The organization’s mission is to foster healthy brain development, parent-child bonding, and early literacy skills by engaging parents in a routine of daily “book cuddling” with their children aged birth-five.

Raising A Reader designs, evaluates and trains licensed affiliate organizations to implement a parent involvement “read aloud” program anchored to research about human behavior and understanding of social sector change. The organization works with a number of publishers and vendors to produce training materials and book bag kits tailored to a variety of age, cultural and language demographics.

Currently based in San Mateo, RAR will be moving its main office to Mountain View in the latter half of 2009.

For more information on RAR, visit www.raisingareader.org.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Report to the Executive Director. Oversee a nationwide team of fundraising affiliates. Share the support of administrative staff.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Plan, direct, and coordinate all development activities, including major fundraising activities and special projects for the national headquarters. Strategically lead and implement a sustainable national network of funding support.  Achieve national fundraising goals, assist affiliates in local fundraising efforts and engage sponsors in ongoing activities. Work with the Executive Director, Board members and Affiliates to leverage key relationships and contacts within and outside of the Raising A Reader Network to ensure achievement of goals.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

* Provide the strategic vision and collaborative leadership needed to help plan and execute an effective and comprehensive fundraising program for a nation-wide organization.
* Personally cultivate and solicit high level gifts, create sustainable and reliable development income that supports the entire organization.
* Provide dynamic and innovative leadership, direction and coordination of fundraising strategy and activities, aligned with RAR’s strategic plan, development priorities, nationally operating model, and market-based programs.
* Help craft and implement a multi-year strategic plan for development, including quantifiable success benchmarks designed to:
- deepen and diversify the funding base, 
- increase restricted and unrestricted funds from all constituencies, and 
- ensure that internal resources are appropriately utilized.
* Build RAR’s funding capacity and culture. Help establish and engage in best practices. Bring together senior staff, development staff and volunteer leadership as a cohesive and cooperative unit to support fundraising efforts.
* Assess existing systems to track fundraising prospects, solicitations and ongoing relationships, and recommend refinements to ensure the development infrastructure supports RAR’s short-term and long-term goals.
* Systematically identify, cultivate, solicit and steward new individual and institutional donors.
* Produce major donor, board, and special category solicitation and support materials.
* Develop planned giving program, tracking progress of legacy and bequest gifts.
* Supervise and coordinate the activities of workers engaged in maintaining records of contributors and grants.
* Assist the Executive Director in the marketing and public relations matters, particularly the creation of an annual report, key messaging, executive correspondence and general content for website.
* Hire, supervise and mentor staff.
* Plan and carefully manage the development budget and resources.
* Participate in board meetings.
* Travel Up to 30% of time.
* Perform other duties as assigned

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

* Manage a prospect pipeline of between 150-300 prospects.
* Visit at least 90 prospect visits annually.
* Maintain a system of development priorities. Ensure that affiliate development staff follow best practices and are deployed to maximize gift opportunities associated with these priorities.
* Participate in the budget development and review process. Supply up-to-date information about development receipts.
* Create RAR’s development plan by synthesizing national and affiliate plans. 
* Raise $1,500,000 or more annually.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

* 7-10 years of demonstrated success in fundraising
* Strong track record of deepening relationships with funders or clients and personally cultivating and closing new relationships
* Expertise in the methodologies of giving, including the ability to market planned gifts
* Maturity to work with highly visible civic, philanthropic, and business leaders
* Strong team orientation, ability to manage staff, to provide and accept feedback, and to work effectively with diverse groups of people
* Highly developed interpersonal skills and excellent oral presentation and written skills 
* Ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors, and build long-term relationships
* Ability to lead both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives
* Passion for RAR's mission
* Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and donor database software such as Raiser's Edge.
* Bachelor's degree or equivalent

TO APPLY

E-mail cover letter along with a current resume to Pamela Cook, Search Consultant at rar@pamelacook.com. We will respond to all applications.

Raising A Reader considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.