Senior Director, Development

About One Million Degrees:

One Million Degreesaccelerates community college students progress on career pathways to economic mobility.

Over 60% of students who start community college do not complete a degree or successfully transfer to a four-year institution. However 84% of jobs in the US require skills training beyond high school. OMDs holistic support model is designed to support community college students as they work toward degrees and careers. From tutors and coaches to financialassistanceand professional development OMD helps community college students succeed in school work and life transforming their futures and the futures of those around them for generations.

The OMD student support model is rooted in evaluation and evidence: Arandomized controlled trialconducted with the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab shows that OMD scholars are 70% more likely to enroll 94% more likely to persist 73% more likely to earn a degree.

Currently OMD serves scholars in all 7 of the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) and is scaling to reach over 3000 community college scholars by 2026. In addition to its unique partnership with CCC OMD partners with employers across industries to build on-ramps to in-demand jobs through internships and apprenticeships. Alongside this direct service work in Chicago OMD is also experiencing rapid growth working with higher education institutions andadditionalpartners across Illinois and nationwide supporting them to build holistic student support models.

Through this growing body of work OMD continues to have a profound impactinChicagoland while becoming a national model for sustainable scalable and systemic change.

OMD Values:

OMD is deeply committed to our core values asdemonstratedin the work we do our approach to change and growth and our commitment to our staff.

• Equity: We address historical and existing systemic inequities by takinga holistic approachto supporting students on their path to economic mobility.

• Excellence: We hold ourselves to a high bar and provide exceptional support so that students

• are empowered to achieve their ambitions.

• Community: We unite around putting students first collaborating with partners and celebrating our collective wins.

• Learning: We each adapt to a changing world and refine our approach to support students community members staff and stakeholders along the way.

• Amplify: We advocate for our students and share whatwevelearned as leaders in the field.

PositionSummary:

One Million Degrees seeks an experiencedentrepreneurialand mission-drivenSenior Development Directortoarchitect and execute fundraising strategies to fuel OMDs evolutiondesigning innovative approaches that blend traditional philanthropy with fee-for-service partnerships as we continue to shift our revenue model and scale our close partnership with the Chief Advancement Officer this leader will be at the forefront ofOMDs transformation buildingon strong revenue growth over the past five yearsto securenew pathways to sustainability whilemaintainingthe deep partnerships in Chicago with foundations individuals and employers that have been foundational to our success.

The ideal candidate brings sophisticated fundraisingexpertisepaired withan enthusiasm forbuilding and cultivating a strong collaborativeDevelopment play a key role on the Advancement leadership team partnering with MarCom Workforce and Partnerships teamstocreate career opportunities for scholarselevatecommunity college studentvoiceandevolve OMDs economic to lean on your experiencecultivatingmajor gifts from national foundations while simultaneouslystewarding OMDs long-time individual donor basethrough meaningful student-centered relationship architect who sees partnerships everywhere: in foundation program officers community college leadership workforce boards and corporate partners alike.

You believe fiercely in the power of community college to change lives and create economic mobility andyoureenergized by the challenge of building a revenue model as innovative as the students we serve. Grounded in OMDs commitment to social and racial justice you design fundraising strategies that center equity and open doors for systems builder and team leader who can manage the day-to-day while keeping your eye on the horizonensuring grant deadlines are met while sketching outfuture philanthropicpartnershipsthat areas yetdefined.

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officeryoullbe a key voice at theAdvancement leadershiptable during this pivotal moment helping shape the future of how OMD sustains and scales its mission. This is a rare opportunity to do revenue development work that mattersbuilding the financial foundation for an organization proving that investing in community college students changes everything.

Key Responsibilities:

Fundraising & External Relations (35% of time)

• Serve as OMDslead fundraiserleading the efforts to generate significant diversified and renewable funding streams.

• Identify cultivate andsolicitnew major gifts focusing onacquiringsix- and seven-figure gifts from nationally scoped foundations.

• Serve as a strategicrelationship-builderto keyfoundationand corporate stakeholders.

• Partner with Board members to engage their networks and expand organizational support.

• Utilize Salesforce and data-driven approaches toidentifyprospects and refine cultivation strategies.

Team Leadership & Systems Management (30% of time)

• Provide strategic direction coaching and accountability to development team members.

• Ensure Advancement team systems and protocols aremaintainedwith fidelity and continuously improved.

• Oversee quality and timeliness of grant proposals reports and donor stewardship activities.

• Ensure donor-facing events and stewardship activities are consistent and well run.

• Manage cross-departmental systems including Case for Support materials and organizational alignment processes.

• Build first-hand knowledge of the OMD model by engaging with scholars alumni and program activities.

• Foster a culture of excellence collaboration and continuous learning within the team.

Strategic Revenue Development (15% of time)

• Partner with Chief Advancement Officer to design OMDs general operating fundraising strategy andobjectives devising key performance indicators and detailed fundraising and communications plans.

• Support Chief Advancement Officer in developing strategic revenue plans that integrate both philanthropic and fee-for-service approaches for national expansion and workforce initiatives.

• Create compelling collateral and case materials to drive partnership formation with community colleges and workforce partners.

• Collaborate with CCC Foundation to envision and execute a sustainable role for philanthropy in OMDs Campuswide program beyond FY26 particularly for scholar stipends.

• Design data-driven fundraising strategies with clear KPIs and performance indicators.

Event Planning and Execution (approximately 20% of time)

• Collaborate with Board members and staff in all aspects of planning and executingspecial eventssuch as the Annual Degrees of ImpactGalacorporatepartner events and other donor cultivation events.

• Work closely with Board members tosolicitdonations andtable/ticket sales and to invite guests to events.

• Manage successful execution of Degrees of Impact and otherfundraisingevents by managing ticket sales;tracking all income with event and Salesforce databases; working with sponsors and ad space buyers to obtain logos copy and payment.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of progressive fundraising experience with a successfultrack recordmanaging strategic relationships to drive organizational growthdesigningand executingfundraising campaignsincluding developing comprehensive revenue strategies.

• At least 5 years of staff management experience including hiring and developing high-performing teams during periods of growth and change.

• Experience cultivating and closing major gifts ($100000) from foundations and corporations.

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills withtheabilityto articulate funding needs compellingly to diverse audiences.

• Proficiencywith CRM systemsanddata-driven decision making.

• Bachelors degreerequired;

Preferred Qualifications:

• Established relationships within Chicagos nonprofit education and philanthropic communities.

• Experience with fee-for-service or earned revenue models in nonprofit settings.

• Background in organizations focused on higher education access workforce development or economic mobility.

• Familiarity with workforce development funding streams and partnership structures.

• Experience with Salesforce

Competencies:

• Strategic thinker who can balance long-term vision with immediate execution needs.

• Agile leader comfortable navigating ambiguity and organizational transformation.

• Exceptional relationship-builder who can cultivate partnerships across sectors (philanthropic public corporate).

• Systems builder who creates efficient workflows andmaintainsoperational excellence.

• Collaborative leader whoinfluencesacross organizational levels and builds coalitions.

• Lives the art and science of fundraising: balancing data-informedanalytics with relationship intuition.

• Cultural humility and ability to work effectively with diverse staff students and community partners.

• Learning-oriented with openness to giving and receiving candid feedback.

• Relentless drive to close equity gaps in education and deep belief in the potential of all scholars to succeed.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary :$96700-$118400*

• Full Health Benefits Provided for all full-time employees including medical dental and vision. OMD pays 100% ofindividualsbasic monthly health premium and 80% dependent coverage.

• Employeeassistanceprogram which offers confidential emotional support work-life solutions legal guidance financial resources and more.

• Retirement Benefits For full-time employees OMD offers a 401(k) plan and matches retirement contributions up to 4% of total salary.

• Generous Paid Time Off Policy OMD has 12 paid holidays and offers up to15 daysPTO in year one; in addition to two weeks paid time off for winter break.

• Compensatory time for designated duties performed outside of normal work hours**

• Monthly cell phone and internet reimbursement up to $50/month.

• 12 weeksof paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthingparents.

• Professional Learning Opportunities OMD supports employee development in areas relevant to professional and organizational goals and will pay for training such as workshops and conferences as agreed upon by the employee and supervisor.

• Hybrid Work Schedule One in-office day required a week; other days can be remote (in-person day set by you and your manager).

* To allow OMD to set salaries based on market data and internal equity and to ensure fair and equal pay for every role we offer our best offer first.

**All employees are expected to work a set number of Saturdays and evening hours per year due to organizational-wide events.

Location

Chicago Illinois. Position is based at OMD headquarters with hybrid work flexibility. Occasional travel to conferences and partner sites may berequired.

One Million Degrees is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team that reflects the students we serve. We strongly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience in community college settings or from communities we serve.