Manager of Individual Giving and Development Events

VOCEL•Chicago, IL

6d•$62,500•Hybrid

About The Position

VOCEL is a nonprofit early childhood education organization dedicated to equipping and supporting parents, teachers, and school leaders to strengthen early learning in homes and schools. With a core focus on brain-building playful learning, VOCEL designs innovative programs across Chicago communities facing economic hardship. Our mission is to ensure every child has the foundation to learn, grow, and lead — and every fundraising effort brings us one step closer to that goal. We’re seeking a driven, strategic, personable, and creative Manager of Individual Giving and Development Events to grow and strengthen VOCEL’s individual and corporate giving portfolios and our annual calendar of fundraising events. Reporting directly to the Director of Development, you’ll leverage quantitative and qualitative donor data to build strategic engagement plans, craft compelling donor and marketing communications, and orchestrate our marquee events — most notably our Annual Fall Benefit Dinner and Spring Associate Board fundraiser. In this capacity, you’ll help build our people-first, innovative development operation, enabling significant growth of VOCEL’s vision of early childhood excellence in Chicago and beyond. You’ll also play a critical role in executing VOCEL’s strategic plan – aiming to triple our program reach and grow our budget from $2.5 million to $5 million by 2029. It’s important you know VOCEL’s Development Team is collaborative, innovative, and building a dynamic, highly-effective, and anti-racist development operation, rooted in partnership, compassion, and joy. You won’t walk into an environment with all the kinks worked out and systems built — but you’ll have the opportunity to help build it with stellar, dedicated team members.

Requirements

At least 3 years of nonprofit fundraising experience
A passion for early childhood education and a deep alignment with VOCEL’s core values: Put People First, Welcome All, Embrace the Child Within, Innovate with Intention, Promote Equity, and Build a Better Tomorrow
Bachelor’s degree

Nice To Haves

Compelling, Donor-Centric Communication: You leverage excellent writing and interpersonal skills to create engaging, impact-driven appeals and communications, building relationships with donors and stakeholders that inspire confidence, openness, and shared vision
Event & Campaign Management: You have a proven track record in planning and executing successful high-profile events and donor campaigns — with an eye for detail, exceptional donor stewardship, and effective budgeting
Project Management: You’re highly organized, take ownership, and are able to manage multiple complex timelines and deliverables across teams
Technical Proficiency: You’re comfortable navigating CRMs, spreadsheets, and data analysis tools to track donor data, monitor fundraising performance, and inform strategic decisions
Data & Research Mastery: You have a sharp eye for trends and connections with experience in donor research, leveraging the ability to translate data into insights

Responsibilities

Manage VOCEL’s individual and corporate giving strategy, collaborating closely with the Director of Development and Executive Director to create and execute compelling donor journeys that inspire new supporters and strengthens our relationships with current supporters
Lead execution of the Development Team’s marketing and mass outreach, driving donor engagement through compelling newsletter emails and inspiring social media posts that resonate with our diverse audience of stakeholders
Craft new annual campaigns and seasonal giving opportunities to continuously help expand, refine, and strengthen our annual giving strategy
Collaborate with the Executive Director to refresh and execute a fulfilling, impactful experience for members of Parents for VOCEL and Grandparents for VOCEL, our first donor circles for parents and grandparents who give a minimum of $1,000 annually
Collaborate with the Development and Program teams to plan and execute individual and corporate volunteer opportunities that connect supporters with VOCEL’s mission, such as our annual Gift of Joy holiday drive
Work closely with the Director of Development to manage and inform VOCEL’s individual giving and corporate giving portfolios, tracking their engagement to inform solicitation strategy and requests for new, renewed, and increased giving
Collaborate with the Manager of Institutional Giving and Development Operations to document clear and accurate donor/prospect information, constituent communications and interactions, and all donation details in our CRM, including inputting notes following any staff members’ interactions with individual or corporate donors.
Work closely with the Manager of Institutional Giving and Development Operations to ensure timely sending of personalized notes of gratitude and tax acknowledgment letters to donors in your portfolios
Support the Director of Development in crafting compelling solicitation letters informed by detailed research and a responsive, relationship-driven approach to fundraising
Conduct ongoing, in-depth prospect research to propose new engagement and solicitation opportunities to grow VOCEL’s individual giving and corporate giving portfolios
Lead the planning and execution of the entire Development Events portfolio — most notably the Annual Fall Benefit Dinner and Associate Board Spring Fundraiser — managing every detail from vendor selection and collaboration, crafting an impactful event program, ticketing and registration, budgeting and revenue tracking, volunteer management, and all post-event communications and campaign reporting
Collaborate closely with the full Development Team to craft an exceptional Annual Fall Benefit Dinner vision and program that centers VOCEL’s joyful, people-first approach to fundraising events (this event historically raises 20% of VOCEL’s annual budget)
Develop, and implement new fundraising and stewardship events to engage and nurture VOCEL’s growing donor base across all giving portfolios (individual, corporate, and foundation)
Serve as the staff liaison for the Associate Board, managing a board of 10-20 smart, curious young professionals committed to deepening their support of VOCEL and understanding of the early education landscape in Chicago
Support the Associate Board to achieve their annual fundraising and recruitment goals, including the planning and execution of their annual spring fundraiser
Collaborate closely with the Associate Board Leadership to design and implement a strong board experience for all members that helps create lifelong champions of VOCEL
Participate in and serve as the primary note taker for quarterly Board of Directors meetings — providing support with meeting set-up, board member welcomes, and as needed, supporting meeting facilitation
Draft the meeting minutes for the Board of Directors, working with the Director of Development to ensure they’re finalized and signed in a timely manner
Provide hands-on support for Development and VOCEL Team meetings, events, and engagement opportunities as needed
Provide ad hoc project and administrative support to the Development Team
Support internal tracking tools, quarterly reporting, document management systems, and team calendars
Collaborate across departments – Development, Operations, and Program – as needed to support organization-wide processes that nurture a team-oriented workplace
Actively serve on a VOCEL Team Culture Committee, attend staff meetings, and participate in other organizational activities and duties as assigned
Other responsibilities as assigned

Benefits

Annual salary of approximately $62,500, commensurate with experience and qualifications
Health, dental, and vision insurance (50-60% covered by VOCEL)
IRA with employer matching
Technology reimbursement
Mileage reimbursement
Paid holidays with opportunity to swap holidays for personal/religious observance
20 days of elective paid time off per year
Up to 5 paid sick days
Up to 5 paid self, family, and community care days
Flexible “VOCEL Fridays” with most staff finishing their work day by 1:00 pm