Director of Development

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT JOB DESCRIPTION

Reports to:  Vice President of Development

Based in:  New York, NY or Boston, MA or commutable distance to either

 ABOUT CEE

The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K-12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.

We carry out our mission by providing resources and training to K-12 educators and have done so for over 70 years. Nearly two-thirds of the teachers we reach in-person are in low to moderate income schools. All resources and programs are developed by educators and delivered by our nearly 200 affiliates across the country in every state. We reach over 50,000 teachers a year through in-person professional development and those teachers, in turn, reach approximately 5 million students throughout the country. Our growing virtual educator programs will reach over 10,000 educators this year. EconEdLink, our free online educator gateway for economic and personal finance lessons and resources for educators, attracts more than 800,000 unique visitors per year. Our student facing programs, Invest in Girls, the National Personal Finance Challenge and the National Economics Challenge together reached over 30,000 high school students in 2019 (we went virtual in 2020, with great programs but fewer students). We also advocate for more and better education in personal finance and economics, primarily through the biennial Survey of the States.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director of Development position offers a unique opportunity to join a dynamic team as a frontline fundraiser with the primary responsibility of generating revenue growth and increasing the donor base for our Invest in Girls (IIG) program. IIG is the only financial program specifically designed for female high school students that builds financial capability and a pathway to careers in finance. Our goal is to increase the number of women, in particular women of color and from marginalized communities, in financial careers. It was founded in Boston in 2010 and became a program of CEE in 2019 with the goal of leveraging CEE’s reach to expand nationally.

The majority of the Director of Development’s time (at least 75%) will be spent growing the IIG revenue base, through multiple channels, for this program which has the potential to be a major revenue driver for CEE. We also expect that the Director, as they work through their portfolio and opportunities arise, will be able to cross sell CEE programs, particularly our student facing programs the National Personal Finance and Economic Challenges. Working collaboratively with the VP of Development and the Executive Director of IIG, the Director will set fundraising goals and develop cultivation and stewardship plans. The Director will devise and plan IIG fundraising and cultivation events along with the support of the Event Coordinator. These include signature IIG events, such as the annual Women’s Breakfast and Women for Girls speaker series. The Director will also take an active role in organization wide cultivation and fundraising events.

The ideal candidate will possess strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills and be extremely detail oriented. They should be driven to exceed fundraising goals and have a track record of securing major gifts.

Responsibilities will include:

• Grow philanthropic revenue and increase donor base for IIG across multiple fundraising streams including individuals, foundations, and corporations. In owning the process, the Director will:
  • Oversee IIG grant seeking activities, including guiding research, proposal writing and reporting requirements
  • Build a strong donor and prospect pipeline
  • Manage all aspects of outreach –prospecting, meetings, conversation, follow-up, appeal mailings
  • Steward IIG funder relationships
• In partnership with the VP of Development and Executive Director of IIG, set annual fundraising goals
• Coordinate with the VP of Development to ensure we are reaching all donor segments with appropriate messages across various fundraising channels –appeal, annual events, sponsorship
• Devise and plan cultivation and fundraising events for IIG, in coordination with overall development calendar, and leveraging the event coordinator and development team resources
• Work closely with IIG Executive Director to engage IIG’s Advisory Board and Development Committee

KEY REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree
• 4-7 years of experience in professional fundraising
• Knowledge of and experience with wide variety of fundraising techniques, particularly securing major gifts
• High level of proficiency in Raisers Edge, or similar fundraising database, and Microsoft Office applications
• Experience working with high level volunteer leaders
• Passion for CEE’s mission, serving girls through the IIG program and all students through our Challenges
• Exemplify CEE’s core values of Trust, Respect for the Individual, Integrity, Transparency and Teamwork
• A positive attitude, demonstrated presence, self-confidence, common sense
• Ability to work occasional evenings as related to special events

SALARY AND BENEFITS 

Salary commensurate with background and experience. CEE offers an excellent benefits package, including medical, vision and dental insurance, life/disability insurance, 401K plan, and generous vacation.

To apply: Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to DevDir@councilforeconed.org

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.