Chief Development Officer

Literacy In Community (LINC) mobilizes resources in high-needs neighborhoods in NYC’s five boroughs to surround children with literacy-rich environments. Our community-based approach fosters early literacy development to nurture generations of lifelong learners and empowers parents to become literacy advocates. LINC's vision is to harness the power that exists in every community to make literacy a value and a right of all children.

Job Title: Chief Development Officer, Full-Time

Reports to: Executive Director

Location: Inwood, NYC – This role will require regular on-site presence, working in-person and virtually with team members located throughout NYC, as well as remote team members, to serve LINC’s eight neighborhoods around NYC.

Hybrid - Candidate must live in the NYC area.

 Work Schedule: 5 days/week, with travel to events, partners, funders, and work locations around NYC. LINC produces occasional weekend and evening events.

Salary Range: $150,000 - $175,000, depending on experience; benefits and robust paid time off offered

How to Apply: To submit an application, please email a cover letter and resume to katherinewdefoyd@gmail.com with “Chief Development Officer” in the subject line.

Position Summary:

Over the last several years, LINC has been growing substantially. We are looking for an experienced, creative, and strategic leader to join as the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to lead LINC’s efforts to secure funding from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government sources. The CDO will establish a strategic approach and vision for LINC’s relationship and development efforts to meet its annual budget of $6+ million and leverage its recent growth. The CDO will bring substantial experience with all levels of government fundraising (federal, state, and city), and with the NYC philanthropic landscape in order to increase opportunities for LINC. The CDO’s work will be vital to support LINC’s year-round programming and sustainability in advancing its mission to build "Literacy in Community" that empowers families, mobilizes the community, and champions equity through early education. A successful CDO will help build on LINC’s trajectory of growth to increase LINC’s impact throughout NYC and, via its expansion pilots, to new communities where our teams guide families and community partners to build bridges, foster connections, and nurture a shared love for reading.

Reporting to and working closely with LINC’s long-tenured Executive Director (ED), and supported by a very engaged Chief of Staff, the CDO will lead all areas of Development and Board Relations. The CDO also will partner with leaders from across the organization. The CDO will collaborate with the Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Impact and engage other staff in revenue-raising activities to support the work of LINC’s dedicated team of almost 50 employees on program delivery in eight neighborhoods around NYC and in pilots, early childhood learning, collective impact, evaluation, communications, operations, and finance. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the CDO will directly participate in decision-making affecting the management of the organization and staff.

The successful applicant will have demonstrated experience in effectively leading a nonprofit organization's fundraising and development efforts and several years of senior management experience. The CDO will oversee seven staff members, including a strong development team (five), each focused on one discipline: individuals, corporations, foundations, and government, and development coordination, and a dedicated communications team (2), as well as outside consultants. The CDO will provide the substantial expertise and established relationships required to build on LINC’s recent successes in obtaining commitments from an increasing spectrum of fundraising sources, with the vast majority from multiyear and renewed supporters, and to enhance LINC’s extended focus on major gifts and foundations, and a wider range of government funding. The CDO will design processes to engage LINC’s generous board and a dynamic ED committed to our fundraising efforts.

Responsibilities Summary:

• Driver of Development Strategy (20%)
  Build on LINC’s years of developing a prominent profile and growth to set annual goals and set a course for ensuring organizational sustainability and growth.
• Develop a long-term strategy, in partnership with the ED, that is targeted toward identifying and cultivating new opportunities while stewarding and retaining current high-potential individual donors, foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Engage the board and staff to build strong relationships, internally and externally.
• Increase LINC’s visibility and secure direct donations from high-net-worth individuals.

Leadership of Fundraising and Development Process (20%)

• Understand and advocate for LINC's mission.
• Drive the execution of the development strategy with the ED, board, and staff.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with current funders to ensure retention.
• Lead the strategy and process to solicit and tailor approaches to new donors.
• Oversee the development team’s traditional work in solicitation, grant writing, and reporting, requiring coordination with the ED and LINC staff to ensure timely submissions of proposals and reports.
• Debrief ED regarding all meetings with prospects, donors, or board members, and track these activities.
• Work with the finance team to develop and track budgets for existing and proposed grant projects.
• Work with the development team to coordinate special events, including the annual gala, and other cultivation or fundraising events.
• Participate in site visits or presentations involving current donors and potential supporters.
• Strengthen development processes to better manage recordkeeping, documentation, gift acknowledgments, applications, renewals, mailings, and calendars.

Communications and Advocacy Strategy (20%)

• Drive strategy for, develop, and implement LINC’s overall communications plan and create messaging for current and broader audiences.
• Ensure that LINC’s communications plan is integrated with the fundraising annual plan and promotes partnerships with companies.
• Oversee and manage the communications team to produce compelling content, online promotional materials, and social media aimed at increasing donors.
• Drive awareness of the efficacy of LINC’s 2-gen approach to its mission of empowering parents, mobilizing communities, and championing equity through early childhood education that incorporates the science of reading.
• Lead the communications team to support programmatic communications geared to reach families.
• Implement all aspects of LINC’s newly launched branding.
• Develop LINC’s public relations strategy.

Engagement of the Board of Directors and Ancillary Boards (20%)

• Collaborate with the ED and Chief of Staff to manage board members towards higher levels of engagement.
• Prepare and present reports on LINC’s activities and achievements for board meetings.
• Maximize involvement and impact of ancillary boards, including a Professional Advisory Council and a National Advisory Council.
• Structure and implement the board development strategy in conjunction with ED.
• Develop board support materials in conjunction with SLT.

Champion of Data Integration (10%)

• Work with the Director of Evaluation to ensure LINC’s database is comprehensive and properly segments and documents donor information.
• Ensure a process and development team responsibilities for managing and updating donor records.
• Utilize existing data and external data sources to research and identify potential corporate, foundation, and individual prospects for cultivation.
• Develop and run reports to monitor and analyze giving at LINC.
• Use data insights to revise strategies for increased giving and improvement to LINC's development process.

Development Team Leadership (10%)

• Oversee and supervise the development team in all aspects of team management, including establishing hiring needs, tracking work progress, establishing team and individual goals, conducting performance assessments, identifying needs for training, providing regular feedback on work and progress, and working with human resources on performance management.
• Supervise and mentor staff, including recommendations for improvement or professional development.
• Work with the finance and administration team on general administrative matters and human resources management.

Mission and Values alignment: Support LINC’s vision to harness the power that exists in every community to make literacy a value and right of all children. Our children’s educational success is the path out of poverty and the key to achievement. LINC works at the intersection of early childhood education and community development. Our mission is to equip children with foundational literacy skills essential for academic achievement by empowering families and mobilizing the community.

Qualifications and Skills:

Minimum of 8-10 years' experience in fundraising and development.

Solid track record of closing high-level individual solicitations, overseeing large-scale and small cultivation events, managing a team, and leading a comprehensive fundraising program.

Track record of working successfully with boards.

Proficiency with donor management systems is required; a working knowledge of Salesforce is a plus.

Strong communication skills, in writing, presentations, and interpersonal communication.

Solid public speaker who is comfortable presenting in multiple settings.

Bachelor's degree required; higher degree preferred.

Demonstrated ability to take initiative and move projects forward.

Ability to work independently and as a member of a diverse team.

Comfortable and able to travel throughout NYC and generally.

Additional / Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

Experience with early literacy organizations.

Knowledge of and experience working with collective impact or similar projects.

Diplomatic relationship builder and strong collaborator with proven experience bringing stakeholders together toward a shared mission.

Highly organized, with an eye for detail.

Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities; able to balance vision and details simultaneously.

Maintain a growth mindset, learn from mistakes, and approach missteps as opportunities for growth.

Strong writing skills and ability to communicate in written form for many audiences.

Proficiency and comfort in working with mobile and digital technologies and in Google Suite (Drive, Sheets, Docs, Calendar, Gmail).

Proficiency in another language, particularly Spanish.

Learning orientation with a curiosity for new information.

Commitment to Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunities
Literacy Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

LINC values diversity and actively seeks to build an inclusive applicant pool and pursue a thoughtful hiring process, including a diverse hiring committee, carefully designed interview questions, and mindfulness about unconscious biases.

How to Apply: To submit an application, please email a cover letter and resume to katherinewdefoyd@gmail.com with “Chief Development Officer” in the subject line.