Senior Managing Director, Development

Teach For America • Nashville, TN

1d • $108,900 - $148,700 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Managing Director, Development is responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and managing a portfolio of high-potential donors within local communities. This role contributes to a collaborative, team-based effort to develop and execute a long-term vision and strategy for achieving private fundraising goals. The position partners closely with Executive Directors, advisory board members, and other fundraisers to maximize giving, playing a key role in donor strategy, cultivation, and acquisition over the next three to five years. The Senior Managing Director will be responsible for raising $5–10 million or more from a complex portfolio of high-potential donors, typically individuals or institutions capable of giving $100,000 or more annually. This role serves as the primary relationship manager, working directly with the Executive Director to cultivate, solicit, and steward these donors. Additionally, the Senior Managing Director will oversee a select portfolio of statewide donors whose partnerships advance broader regional and statewide impact. The ideal candidate is a seasoned, senior-level development professional who can independently design and implement long-term strategies to acquire, cultivate, retain, and diversify the local funding base. As a subject-matter expert, they may also mentor or manage other development staff, providing coaching, strategic guidance, and collaborative problem-solving.

Requirements

• At least 10+ years of related experience in a highly complex development and fundraising context
• Track record of meeting and exceeding ambitious goals as a donor portfolio manager
• Bachelor’s Degree
• Exceptional relationship builder, particularly with external stakeholders
• Orientation and desire to seek out and develop new relationships and partnerships
• Experience cultivating executive level donors and partners
• Influence others by uniquely tailoring approaches that appeal to the motivations and perspectives and executing sophisticated relationship management of a diverse group of donors
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, particularly when working with external audiences
• Subject matter expert in advanced development practices and the art and science of fundraising
• Comprehensive experience and success working with high-potential donors across a variety of streams (individual, corporate, foundation, public)
• Adept at building multi-year cultivation and stewardship plans that maintain exceptional donor retention and build pathways to diversifying pipelines and securing new donors
• Understands current trends in philanthropy at both a local and national level and leverages up-to-date information and/or best practices
• Ability to autonomously steward a complex portfolio of donors and prospects at various stages of the donor life cycle towards successful closing of gifts
• Monitor progress across the portfolio to ensure continuous donor stewardship
• When appropriate, serve as the primary relationship holder and/or primary solicitor for opportunities and donors
• Manage and or mentor fundraising staff by giving feedback, coaching, and fundraising-related resources and learning experiences

Nice To Haves

• Teach For America development experience
• Fundraising certification (i.e. CRFE/CRFM or the equivalent) and/or related Master’s Degree (e.g. MBA, M, Non-Profit Management)

Responsibilities

• Build a comprehensive, multi-year vision and plan for cultivating complex, high giving potential donors in local contexts with the goal of maximizing revenue to the organization as a whole (20%)
• Directly manage, cultivate, steward, and solicit a portfolio of high-potential donors across a variety of funding streams (40%)
• Work in close partnership with the Memphis and Nashville/Chattanooga Executive Directors to build the long-term strategy, develop and maintain a keen understanding of the political landscape and its relationship to public and private donors and funding opportunities, and build and maintain critical relationships in the public and private sphere necessary to advance fundraising efforts, including local advisory board members (20%)
• Depending on the size and scope of your portfolio, manage a team of 2+ development staff members, holding accountability for their individual fundraising in addition to the goals for the portfolio you manage (10%)
• Consistently maintain donor, prospect, and fundraising activity information in our customer relationship management system (currently SalesForce) and leverage this information in tracking progress, monitoring gaps, and adjusting strategy and approach (5%)
• Steward team and organizational initiatives, effectively manage cross-functional stakeholders, align diverse teams around shared objectives, and drive collaboration to achieve organizational outcomes (5%)

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.

What This Job Offers

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