Director, Development - Institutional Partnerships

Teach For America • Detroit, MI

2d • $78,700 - $101,300 • Hybrid

About The Position

This role is responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and managing a portfolio of donors in Detroit and across Michigan who share a commitment to ensuring that all children have access to an equitable and excellent education. As a member of the Field Fundraising team, you will be a part of a team-based effort charged with developing and executing on a long-term vision and strategy to achieve development goals for both public and private funding. You will partner with Executive Directors, regional advisory board members, and other front-line fundraisers to maximize giving, playing a key role in new donor strategy and acquisition over the next 3-5 years. Reporting to the VP, Revenue & Operations, you will be charged with raising $1-5 million or more from a portfolio of donors which may include both public and private funding. You will work directly with the Executive Director and other field fundraisers to cultivate, solicit, and steward your portfolio of donors. As appropriate, you’ll also work to ensure the primary relationship holder (i.e., Executive Director) is well-positioned to engage with donors across fundraising streams and at all stages of the donor life cycle. This role requires a true team player who can make a significant contribution across a local fundraising landscape. In partnership with the local Executive Director, the VP, Field Fundraising and other fundraisers in local markets, you will be a key contributor in developing and executing the strategy to acquire, cultivate, retain, and diversify your portfolio of donors (including public and private donors).

Requirements

• At least 4+ years of related experience in development and fundraising context, with direct experience with grant/proposal writing and corporate fundraising.
• Track record of meeting and exceeding ambitious goals managing and managing a portfolio of donors.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Relationship Building and Management: Build strong relationships with prospects and donors and/or support the primary relationship holder/solicitor through a comprehensive relationship management plan.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a variety of internal and external constituents.
• Ability to manage up and laterally to influence development teammates, regional staff partners, and Board members in service of donor stewardship and solicitation.
• Fundraising and Development: Have a solid foundation in best practices of development and fundraising.
• Experience stewarding a portfolio of donors/funders from various funding streams.
• Contribute to complex fundraising and relationship management initiatives.
• Track record of meeting revenue goals.
• Portfolio Management: Leverage the market vision and overarching strategy to determine the specific approaches and strategies for your portfolio, stewarding a portfolio of local donors and executing on strategies in service of maximizing revenue to Teach For America as an enterprise.
• Monitor progress against the portfolio to ensure continuous donor movement through the donor life cycle.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, that allows you to represent TFA to a broad scope of external constituents.
• Thinks big, sets ambitious goals, sees the full system and the next move, and is a problem-solver.
• Carries themselves with humility, curiosity and generosity, and embraces the opportunity to learn along the way.
• Is a self-starter with strong project management skills and highly organized with impeccable attention to detail.
• Possess a track record of working across lines of difference to achieve results.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge and experience working in the Detroit/Michigan education and/or philanthropic landscape.

Responsibilities

• Translate regional fundraising priorities into a clear corporate and institutional strategy that drives revenue growth.
• Refine and execute an existing corporate strategy, identifying opportunities for deeper engagement and expansion.
• Identify gaps across corporate accounts, donor networks, and pipelines.
• Manage and grow a portfolio of corporate and foundation accounts with a focus on relationship ownership and revenue generation.
• Serve as a frontline fundraiser for donors with capacity to give $25K+, building and sustaining relationships with key decision-makers.
• Support senior leaders (ED/VP) on strategy and execution for five and six-figure gifts.
• Navigate shared ownership across accounts while strengthening core relationships.
• Develop tailored proposals and grant materials for corporate and institutional partners.
• Partner with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to advance high-value relationships.
• Collaborate with senior leaders on top corporate partnerships and prospects.
• Prepare and support leadership for key donor engagements.
• Align with regional staff and board members to unlock new opportunities.
• Design and execute engagement opportunities that move donors along the giving continuum.
• Lead mission-aligned, donor-facing experiences (e.g., events, site visits, corporate briefings) tied to cultivation and stewardship goals.
• Use data and systems to track performance and inform strategy.
• Maintain accurate records in donor database.
• Monitor portfolio health and adjust approach based on insights.
• Support regional execution and contribute to team effectiveness.
• Contribute to team priorities and organizational initiatives.

Benefits

• The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area.
• New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role.
• Teach For America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director