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Number of Positions: 1Position Overview
Reporting to the Managing Director of Development as part of the team responsible for raising $3.5M annually, the Director of Individual Giving will lead efforts to secure financial support from individuals. Working closely with other members of the development team, senior leaders, volunteers, and board members, the Director of Individual Giving is responsible for meeting quarterly and annual goals by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a diverse base of donors. This position will play a critical role by assisting the Managing Director of Development in the creation and successful execution of a substantial and sustainable individual giving program while working in close partnership with other members of the Development team. The Director of Individual Giving will also work closely with City Year Chicago’s Marketing & Communications team to fully leverage the site’s outreach activities and events to meaningfully engage prospective and current donors and alumni.-Starting salary range for this role is $80,000 - $90,000.
-Anticipated start date for this role is fall 2026.
-This is a primarily in-person role with flexibility to periodically work remotely.
Job Description
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree preferred; five or more years of work experience including knowledge of fundraising for non-profit or educational organization preferred.
Strong knowledge base of all aspects of fundraising with a strong emphasis on individual giving programs.
Proven track record of funded gifts of $10,000+.
Experience using donor/relationship management software to track donors, establish goals, and generate reports (experience with Salesforce preferred).
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with an ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences.
Authorized documentation to work in the United States of America
Criminal background history clearance to work with school-age children, depending on the position
Responsibilities
The Director of Individual Giving (DIG) will perform the following roles and responsibilities as described below:
Individual Giving
Lead Individual Giving portfolio to raise approximately $900K in revenue towards the overall private revenue goal of $3.5M+
Build revenue plan to retain and scale individual giving fundraising strategy
Develop and implement an individual giving strategy to increase the funding for City Year Chicago and position the organization as a premier education leader in the community
Partner with department leadership to set and monitor annual budget and individual and foundation fundraising goals
Support all individual giving efforts including Red Jacket Society, mid-level giving, the Associate Board of Young Professionals, and appeals/campaigns such as #GivingTuesday
Manage Alumni Board to meet memberships and fundraising goals.
Collaborate with the Executive Director and Managing Director of Development to create strategies to identify and secure new supporters, fully leverage existing relationships, and increase multi-year commitments
Ensure that asset-based language is used in all communications and that stories center our students
Red Jacket Society
Oversee and lead strategy for Red Jacket Society portfolio to meet annual revenue goal of $700K for the program, with expectation to increase annually.
Build and secure Red Jacket Society membership of 45 donors, with expectation to increase annually.
Work closely with the Board, Development team, Headquarters prospect research, and site leadership, to identify, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of prospects that can make annual and multiyear investments at the $10,000+ level
Develop strategies to identify, cultivate, and solicit leadership-level support and multi-year commitments from new donors. Strengthen engagement and provide an experience for all members of the Red Jacket Society.
Manage all logistics of the RJS locally including planning for and running pipeline meetings, building out and executing on a stewardship plan, and working in partnership with HQ to move major gift work forward
Plan and execute Red Jacket Society membership events; including at minimum 2 school visits per year.
Development Operations
Work with the Senior Manager of Development Operations to ensure accurate tracking and reporting of institutional gifts and engagement using City Year’s Salesforce CRM.
Partner with the Senior Manager of Development Operations and other team members to hold regular prospecting, pipeline, revenue forecasting, and moves management meetings.
Work closely with fellow Development team members to understand priorities and business goals and develop strategies to meet the organization’s needs.
Work with the development team to leverage events to increase giving, such as City Year’s Ripples of Hope fundraiser, service days (school beautification projects), and school visits for potential donors.
Represent City Year at external and partner functions to establish and deepen potential and current donor relationships.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated active listening skills and ability to uncover key priorities with stakeholders.
Strong presentation, negotiation and liaison skills are required.
Demonstrated tact and diplomacy in difficult or sensitive situations.
Ability to adapt and excel in diverse, high energy, entrepreneurial, and rapidly changing environments
Growth mindset, passion for City Year’s mission of education equity, resilience, persistence, committed to teamwork, enthusiastic with sense of humor.
Passion, understanding and appreciation for national service and City Year’s mission, values, and culture.
Strong understanding of the corporate philanthropic landscape and education policy in Chicago.
Experience and working knowledge of Salesforce, a plus.
Competencies
In order to succeed in this role, an applicant must have the following competencies:
Collaboration: Connects with stakeholders to identify shared interests; partners with others to incorporate different perspectives toward a common goal.
Understanding & Building Connection: Considers perspectives of others and cultivates relationships to strengthen interpersonal bonds with colleagues and external stakeholders.
Managing Change: Leads and/or demonstrates support for innovation; helps others successfully manage organizational change; holds others accountable for adjusting to change (if people manager).
Problem-Solving: Identifies opportunities to make improvements; gathers information; connects related and unrelated concepts; integrates findings into actionable solutions.
Strategic Thinking: Identifies multiple pathways to address complex and nebulous problems; anticipates barriers and opportunities; develops plans to address them.
Working Conditions
Local travel required, including to local partner schools and events, and to other City Year sites and national conferences
Must have access to reliable transportation or the ability to navigate public transit
Occasional lifting or carrying of materials (e.g., event supplies, training materials) up to ~20 lbs.
Works a hybrid schedule, including typical 3-4 days in-person, with occasional periods of longer in-person commitments
Must have reliable internet access when participating in any required virtual meetings or trainings
Benefits
Full-time employees will be eligible for all benefits including vacation, sick days and organization holidays. You may participate in all benefit programs that City Year establishes and makes available to eligible employees, under (and subject to all provisions of) the plan documents that govern those programs. Currently, City Year offers medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment and disability coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and other benefits including 401(k) plan(s) pursuant to the terms and conditions of company policy and the 401(k) plan document. For more information, click here.
Employment at City Year is at-will.
City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree
- Five or more years of work experience, including nonprofit or educational fundraising
- Strong knowledge of fundraising, especially individual giving programs
- Proven track record of securing funded gifts of $10,000 or more
- Experience using donor or relationship management software to track donors, establish goals, and generate reports
- Salesforce experience
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
- Authorization to work in the United States
- Criminal background history clearance to work with school-age children, depending on position
- Active listening and stakeholder priority identification skills
- Presentation, negotiation, and liaison skills
- Tact and diplomacy in difficult or sensitive situations
- Ability to adapt and excel in diverse, high-energy, entrepreneurial, and rapidly changing environments
- Understanding of the corporate philanthropic landscape and education policy in Chicago
What We Do
City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on social, emotional and academic skills— skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa.
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