Director of Development and Communications

Position Description:

The Director of Development and Communication assures that the agency has a dynamic plan and sufficient fund-raising activities to secure financial resources to support and develop programs and sustain the administration and capital improvements necessary for the mission of IFA and that the work of IFA is communicated in a timely and compelling fashion to supporting congregations and individuals, community leaders and organizations, and other interested parties. The Director of Development and Communication has primary responsibility for establishing and implementing the structures needed to grow the budget through the solicitation of major gifts, government grants, special events, planned gifts and congregational, corporate, and foundation support.

This person reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. As a member of the senior management team, the CFO/COO will be involved in strategic planning, evaluation, and professional development initiatives, ensure accuracy in reporting of revenue, and build up long-term, financial sustainability as well as planning for IFA’s growth.

Responsibilities:

• Provide research on funding trends, new opportunities, fund-raising challenges, and best practices in fund-raising. 
• Oversee the development and implementation of an annual fund-raising strategy sufficient to meet the financial goals and generate the resources needed to implement the mission of IFA. This includes oversight of all grants, gifts, and direct communication to donors and the use and maintenance of data on donors and supporters. 
• Work with the Program Directors to ensure that grant proposals and reports to funders are completed in a timely manner and all information is conveyed clearly. 
• Oversee and direct the work of the development-communication team including the leadership of regular staff meetings, training of new staff and volunteers, and regular feedback on staff performance. Deal with the leadership development of the development-communication team members. 
• Plan and coordinate contacts and the cultivation of relationships to be developed by the Chief Executive Officer and the members of the Board to achieve overall financial goals and to increase the influence of IFA. 
• With the Chief Executive Officer and members of the IFA Foundation design and implement a strategy for planned giving in support of IFA’s work. 
• Oversee and direct an annual communication strategy to promote the work of IFA using print, web, and social media. This includes press releases and other public announcements. 
• Oversee the recruitment and orientation of volunteers needed to sustain special events, the Annual Meeting, and other gatherings of IFA. 
• Serve as staff liaison to the Development Committee. 
• As needed, serve as a representative of IFA at public events. 
• Setting goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with IFA’s mission 
• Managing the workflow of their employees and ensuring that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks 
• Monitoring employee productivity and providing constructive feedback and coaching 
• Assessing the work performance of their employees and identifying areas that need improvement 
• Training and onboarding new hires to make sure they understand their roles 
• Reporting performance records and evaluations to the CFO/COO 
• Assume responsibility for other tasks as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer for the well-being of IFA.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Applied understanding of basic fundraising principles and development practices. 
• Strong prospect identification and qualification skills. 
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading ability. 
• Strong interpersonal, verbal communication, and presentation skills. 
• Ability to manage and lead a team of fundraising professionals 
• 5+ years of experience in nonprofit fundraising.

Personal attributes needed in this position: Honesty, integrity, patience, credibility, judgement, initiative, and a commitment to IFA’s mission.