Executive Director, South Fork Bakery for the Special Needs

South Fork Bakery, a.k.a. South Fork Bakery for the Special Needs, founded in 2016, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Sag Harbor, NY that utilizes on-the-job bakery training as a means of helping special needs adults who reside in communities on Long Island’s East End develop good work skills and appropriate work behaviors, attitudes, and values.  South Fork Bakery then employs these special needs adults in food production, as packagers/labelers, and in product sales.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will manage the organization’s administrative operations and, importantly, be responsible and accountable for the creation, management, and operation of a comprehensive and sophisticated development and fundraising program that will provide ongoing philanthropic support for the organization.

Responsibilities:

Manage the nonprofit’s ongoing operations, including personnel, payroll, accounting and other standard nonprofit tasks and functions.

Develop a strategic development and fundraising plan that organizes and evaluates various fundraising strategies and initiatives, in consultation with the Board of Directors.

Establish, build, cultivate, and maintain relationships with individual donors and prospects and potential foundation, government, and corporate supporters, with emphasis on major individual prospects and donors residing in affluent communities on the East End of Long Island.

Work individually, and in collaboration with the Board of Directors and the organization’s Founder/Director of Programs.

Identify foundation and government grantors who provide funding for adults with special needs/disabilities, the employment of adults with special needs/disabilities, the training and/or professional development of adults with special needs/disabilities, program development, and/or capacity building.

Manage funders through the grant lifecycle, including proposals, stewardship reports, and follow-up reports.

In collaboration with the Director of Programs and the Development/Fundraising and Budget and Finance Committees of the Board of Directors, make revenue and expense projections in advance of the new year.

Implement “moves management” for the cultivation and solicitation of major donors.

Prepare and maintain Moves Management documents for major prospects and make certain an adequate number of new prospects are identified on an ongoing basis so the organization can meet, or exceed, its annual fundraising goals.

Keep detailed fundraising reports that detail annual goals, actuals received and pledged, current projections, actuals and projections, and the projected surplus or deficit for the year, that can be shared and discussed at each meeting of the Board of Directors.

Provide detailed Development and Fundraising reports at Board meetings and to the Board’s Development/Fundraising Committee, which currently includes subcommittees for New Individual Major Prospect Development and Donor Retention.

Develop a planned giving program, with an initial focus on bequests.

Represent the organization in a variety of settings to enhance marketing and fundraising efforts.

Develop marketing materials, donor reports, and other communications materials.

Enhance the organization’s online and social media presence through various marketing and public relations vehicles and methods.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in business or another relevant area is preferred.

Proven success in the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major individual donors, and experience with foundation and corporate donors. Experience with government funders is desirable.  

Experience in a leadership position within a nonprofit organization is strongly preferred, ideally as the Executive Director or Chief Development Officer.

Exceptional organizational and record keeping skills are an imperative.

Strong oral and written communications and interpersonal skills are required, and the ability and desire to build and nurture relationships is essential.

Winning, positive, high-energy, can-do personality with the ability to work with and motivate Board members and staff, as well as external constituencies.

Empathy and a strong desire to improve the lives of adults with special needs.

Position may be part time/in person initially, with evolution into full time/in person and remote in the medium term.