Development Director
Development Director
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Not Disclosed
Salary Not Disclosed
1 Vacancy
Job Description
Job Title: Development Director
The Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture
Location: Chicago IL
About The Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture:
The Athenaeum Center was built in 1911 on the St. Alphonsus campus and is home to Chicagos oldest continuouslyoperating offLoop theater. Our mission is to invite people into encounters with beauty and to revitalize the great Catholic tradition of the arts from our location in one of Chicagos most unique religious artistic and civic buildings. At the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture we believe that beauty has the capacity to build up culture transform society and change lives. We hope to help you contemplate encounter and delight in beauty.
Job Overview:
The Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture is seeking an experienced dynamic and strategic Development Director to lead all aspects of the organizations fundraising efforts. The Development Director will be responsible for securing major gifts corporate sponsorships grants and inkind donations. The Director will work closely with the Executive Director and Associate Director to ensure the longterm financial sustainability of the organization and cultivate strong lasting relationships with donors corporate partners and the broader community.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
- Develop and execute a comprehensive development strategy that aligns with the Athenaeums mission and longterm goals.
- Oversee all fundraising activities including major gifts individual and corporate sponsorships grants and inkind donations.
- Identify cultivate solicit and steward major donors ensuring the development of longterm relationships and significant contributions.
- Lead the creation of compelling donor communications including personalized appeals thankyou letters and impact reports.
- Collaborate with leadership to establish annual fundraising goals and track progress against those goals.
Corporate Sponsorships & InKind Donations
- Lead efforts to secure corporate sponsorships for Athenaeum events programs and initiatives.
- Develop and present sponsorship proposals that offer tangible benefits for corporate partners aligning with their business goals.
- Cultivate relationships with corporate sponsors to ensure their continued engagement and investment in the organization.
- Manage inkind donations coordinating the solicitation tracking and recognition of donated goods and services.
Fundraising Events & Campaigns
- Oversee the planning and evaluation of major fundraising events including ACTCs annual dinner quarterly Founders & Friends events and Suburban Soires.
- Collaborate with the marketing and events teams to create engaging and effective fundraising campaigns both digital and traditional.
- Ensure events are wellexecuted impactful and aligned with The Athenaeums mission while maximizing revenue generation.
- Lead the development of campaign strategies to increase donor participation and contributions.
Grant Writing & Foundation Relations
- Oversee the grant writing process ensuring the timely submission of highquality proposals to foundations government agencies and other funding sources.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with foundation partners and ensure compliance with reporting requirements.
- Research and identify new grant opportunities to diversify the organizations funding base.
Board & Leadership Engagement
- Work closely with the Executive Director Associate Director and Board of Directors to develop fundraising strategies and ensure their involvement in key fundraising initiatives.
- Prepare regular reports and updates for the Board regarding the progress of fundraising efforts and key donor relationships.
- Assist in organizing board and donor events to strengthen relationships and engage leadership in fundraising efforts.
Community Engagement & Advocacy
- Serve as a key representative of The Athenaeum to external stakeholders including potential donors sponsors and community leaders.
- Build and sustain relationships with community partners to enhance the Centers visibility and impact.
- Engage in public speaking networking and advocacy to increase awareness and support for the organizations mission.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience
- Bachelors degree required
- At least 57 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising with a proven track record of securing major gifts corporate sponsorships and grants.
- Experience working in or with faithbased nonprofits is a plus.
Skills & Abilities
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
- Strong leadership management and teambuilding skills.
- Proficiency in fundraising software and Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to think strategically while managing daytoday operations.
- Knowledge of grant writing and management processes with experience submitting successful grant proposals.
- A passion for The Athenaeums mission and the ability to translate that passion into compelling fundraising efforts.
Personal Attributes
- Resultsdriven with a strong focus on meeting and exceeding fundraising goals.
- Enthusiastic personable and able to build meaningful relationships with donors partners and staff.
Required Experience:
Senior Manager
Employment Type
Full-Time
