Associate Director, Development

Braven • Chicago, IL

88d • $76,000 - $94,900

About The Position

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Development, who will drive strategy for Braven’s national portfolio of funders and own the creation and standardization of the systems and processes that enable the development team to manage the full national donor pipeline with clarity. As a member of the External Affairs Development Team, you will be a key leader in helping the organization raise approximately $100M over the next three years by driving the project management of our grant writing process to ensure it is streamlined, repeatable, and efficient while setting the strategy and creating the collateral necessary to achieve fundraising goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree.
• 3 years of work experience.

Nice To Haves

• Thrives in ambiguity and collaborates deeply with diverse teams.
• Demonstrated experience in leading complex projects with stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to research and synthesize complex data.
• Expertise in Salesforce or other CRM platforms.
• Highly motivated, self-directed, results-oriented, data-driven, and curious.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly-developed attention to detail and a strong customer-service orientation.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission.

Responsibilities

• Drive and own the national foundation strategy, driving the fundraising approach for a portfolio with a goal of raising ~$20-25M annually.
• Develop and activate the annual revenue strategy for the national portfolio.
• Understand the national donor ecosystem and the funding landscape Braven operates in.
• Strategize on how to engage donors through the Moves Management stages.
• Project manage the execution of next steps for donor engagement.
• Partner with the Senior Director, Development, to identify, vet, and cultivate new national prospects.
• Track national revenue progress to goal and the overall weighted pipeline.
• Review grant applications and report drafts, providing critical feedback to the grant writing team.
• Lead the creation of strong, standardized systems for national donor stewardship.
• Collaborate with central teams (Data, Finance, Product, Systems) for timely inputs.
• Craft and standardize new, complex donor narratives for outsized grant opportunities.
• Develop high-quality, standardized collateral such as funder decks and national grant applications.
• Maintain efficient systems in Salesforce and other platforms.
• Implement stewardship strategies and processes to acknowledge donations.
• Own a portfolio of national foundation donors, including direct engagement.
• Provide excellent customer service by troubleshooting grant and donor needs.

Benefits

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns.
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary.
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees