Director of Private Philanthropy

Aug 14

Resolution Project and Enactus
Poughkeepsie, NY

Anticipated Start Date: September 15, 2025

Description

DAY ONE Early Learning Community is recruiting its first Director of Private Philanthropy to launch a new phase of influential progress in accelerating access to and quality of early childhood education. The Director of Private Philanthropy will be part of the small leadership team guiding the strategic scaling of DAY ONE’s innovative and powerful model of increasing the early childhood education workforce, as well as the deepened and expanded influence of DAY ONE locally, regionally and nationally.

While DAY ONE has implemented an impressive start to its organizational advancement, development and fundraising, a seasoned professional will bring these successes into a “build-to-last” model.

The Director of Private Philanthropy will focus on private investment from individuals, local and national foundations, and corporate partnerships. They will report to the Executive Director and, with the Director of Public Affairs and Communications, create a comprehensive annual and future-focused revenue strategy to integrate fundraising and development into DAY ONE’s program implementation and expansion; marketing; community-building; and leadership in the field. The Director of Private Philanthropy will be an essential part of DAY ONE’s strategic planning.

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

Build DAY ONE’s annual and long-term development strategies aligned with ambitious growth;
Forecast and implement DAY ONE’s fundraising program to meet annual expenses and cash-flow needs;
Steward the Chairman of the Board’s and all Board members’ identified roles to support fundraising and strategic planning;
Develop DAY ONE’s donor base from diverse sources including individual, foundation, corporate, among others;
Represent DAY ONE at fundraising, program and marketing events;
Be a persuasive Ambassador to prospective and existing external institutional funding and at convenings
Manage and generate DAY ONE fundraising and donor-focused marketing materials including proposals, reports, appeal letters, talking points for meetings, invitations and other formats as needed;
With executive team, generate and grow DAY ONE’s identity with the different communities it serves;
Manage sophisticated revenue tracking and donor acknowledgement systems;
Innovate new fundraising and development strategies that take advantage of DAY ONE’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Day to Day Responsibilities

Collaborate with executive team on annual development calendar, updates, and donor systems and acknowledgements to ensure high-level of fundraising activity and donor stewardship;
Ensure proper stewardship of donors through regular communications, opportunities for on-site visits and other DAY ONE engagement;
Support staff, Board and volunteers’ stewardship of donors and prospective donors;
Identify donors’ capacity for and grow long-term, sustained support;
Identify new prospects and conduct outreach;
Project manage, write, edit and submit all proposals for grants;
Project manage, write, and implement communications for individual donation campaigns;
Project manage and supervise the generation of reports as needed to grantors and donors;
Develop meetings and other opportunities to bring DAY ONE’s work to funding sources;
Project manage fundraising and cultivation events;
Manage and collaborate with external consultants;
Attend conferences and other opportunities to understand landscape of revenue opportunities for DAY ONE’s work;
Collaborate with the executive team on grant compliance.

General

Engage deeply with DAY ONE’s programs and people, learning and becoming fluent in the stories that represent DAY ONE’s work
Ensure colleagues’ awareness of their role in DAY ONE development’s success
Prepare and present weekly updates for executive team meeting;
Prepare an annual budget for expenses related to development and fundraising.

Requirements

Are you perfect for this job? The ideal candidate will have at least five years of fundraising experience in a non-profit organization. They will have a track record of success in the following areas:

generating and increasing unearned revenue;
managing a calendar of diverse approaches to development and fundraising that optimizes support from diverse sources;
recognition by peers and leaders in a community in which they have worked;
be able to articulate the impact of their work and organizations with which they have worked.

They will be expert relationship-builders and persuasive speakers. They will thrive in an environment of innovation and entrepreneurism. They will be keen developers of the assets of their colleagues to support the development goals of an organization. They will have a proven record of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

They will recognize that failure is part of a process of success, and have the flexibility and analytical skills to refine and approach problem-solving on a daily basis. They will articulate their passion and commitment for education, community and social justice areas related to the work of DAY ONE.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

$90,000-$100,000

How to Apply for this Job

To apply, submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your experience and commitment to DAY ONE’s mission to search@doelc.org. Join us in building a more just, inclusive, and transformative future for our youngest learners and their families.

About the Organization

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