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Director of Development

Director of Development

ThinkeryAustin, TX
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POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Development supports Thinkery’s strategic, comprehensive fundraising / development efforts, assuming primary responsibility for a young and growing annual giving and sponsorship program. Reporting to and collaborating with the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director of Development designs, implements, evaluates, and refines all components of the program, while managing annual and recurring donor relationships and individual and corporate sponsorship / underwriting of programs and events.

Additionally, the Director of Development leads and coordinates the Development Team’s involvement and fundraising responsibilities in Thinkery’s annual signature fundraisers, Spark After Dark and Dream in Steam, and other donor-related events (i.e., Member & Donor Days), working with volunteer committees and other Thinkery staff to secure new and returning volunteer help, sponsorships, auction items, and other resources necessary to successfully execute these fundraising and stewardship events.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  • Serve as a member of the Advancement Department, contributing to the overall goals of storytelling, impact reporting, and fundraising.
  • Report to and collaborate with the Chief Advancement Officer to design, implement, evaluate, and refine all components of Thinkery’s annual giving and sponsorship program.
  • Devise and execute fundraising strategies and tools to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward annual and recurring individual donors and individual and corporate sponsors, inclusive of encouraging repeat donors to increase their contributions from year to year, reactivating lapsed donors, and increasing donor retention.
  • Utilize a variety of methods of solicitation including but not limited to personal appeals, e-solicitations, proposals, and social media campaigns, etc.
  • Meet or exceed established fundraising targets in annual and recurring / sustaining giving and corporate sponsorship / underwriting in FY24 and corresponding increases thereafter as part of a growing comprehensive fundraising program.
  • Manage a portfolio of 50-75 individual and corporate / business prospects and donors.
  • Build a pipeline of prospective donors by sharing the message and story of Thinkery’s impact to external groups and stakeholders, especially to current and former members, affinity groups (i.e., Little Thinkers Preschool parents / grandparents / caregivers etc.), community leaders, current and lapsed annual donors, and new and existing corporations / businesses to attract and / or sustain their interest and engagement with Thinkery and achieve fundraising goals.
  • Interact regularly with Advancement colleagues and other Thinkery Departments / Teams (i.e., Experience, including Membership and Little Thinkers Preschool, STEAM Learning Institute, and Systems) to gather information and develop messages and stories for donor appeals and stewardship activities.
  • Collaborate with Thinkery’s Experience Team and serve as the Development Team’s event lead for Spark After Dark, Dream in STEAM, and other individual and corporate donor engagement and stewardships events (i.e., Member & Donor Days), working with volunteer committees to secure new and returning volunteer help, sponsorships, auction items, and other resources necessary to successfully coordinate and execute these fundraising and stewardship events.
  • Ensure that donors experience high-quality interactions and recognition that fosters long-term engagement and investment.
  • Make effective use of Thinkery’s donor management database (Tessitura) to ensure appropriate management of prospects, donors, and partners in coordination with Thinkery’s fundraising objectives and goals.
  • Represent Thinkery’s key values of playfulness, belonging, innovation, and collaboration and supports a culture of cross-organization communication and information sharing.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Days and hours of work are largely Monday through Friday during normal business hours. Periodic duties outside of regular work week schedule during seasonal high-volume times.
  • Other duties as assigned.

    • COMPETENCIES

  • Collaborates :   Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
  • Community Focus : Building strong community relationships and delivering community-centric solutions.
  • Communicates Effectively : Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
  • Cultivates Innovation :   Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
  • Ensures Accountability :   Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
  • Instills Trust : Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
  • Nimble Learning :   Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
  • Plans and Aligns :   Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
  • Values Differences : Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

    • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

  • Demonstrated knowledge of donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship process.
  • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic communications, including impact and financial reporting.
  • Exercise good judgment, demonstrate an understanding of ethics related to development activities, and use discretion in interactions with donors, prospects, volunteers, and others.
  • Advanced computing skills including Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and donor database management. Tessitura experience a plus.
  • Conduct research, gather data, analyze information, and prepare effective, accurate, and timely reports and other documents to support development goals and objectives.

    • EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION :

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years’ progressively responsible experience in development and fundraising; annual giving and / or corporate relations / sponsorship experience preferred.
  • 2+ years’ event planning and execution experience.

    • PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

    The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

    This position is largely stationary. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to :

  • Observe and react to the needs of guests, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners
  • Move throughout the museum when on-site
  • Occasionally manipulate and move office supplies and equipment components weighing up to 15 pounds, including those that may be low to the ground or above eye level
  • Communicate and exchange accurate information with guests, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners in a variety of formats including in-person, electronically, and over the phone
  • Detect and respond to safety hazards
  • Operate standard office equipment efficiently and accurately.

    • BENEFITS

  • Thinkery offers competitive and affordable benefits for our full-time staff including options for 100% employer-sponsored medical coverage. Our benefits package includes :
  • Medical insurance options including HSA, PPO Gold, and PPO Platinum plans.
  • Affordable dental and vision
  • 100% employer-sponsored EAP, STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
  • 2 weeks of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 13 paid holidays each year
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Pet and child-friendly offices
  • Membership to the museum and discounted rates to Little Thinker’s Preschool and Camps
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    Director Of Development • Austin, TX