Associate Campaign Director
The Associate Director, Campaign supports the Carole Robertson Center’s $20 million, five-year fundraising Invest Today, Empower Tomorrow campaign to help the Center accomplish three goals: 1) make much-needed capital improvements to our three flagship sites; 2) build an innovation fund that enables the Center to invest in new ideas that benefit our organization and the field as a whole; and 3) establish a sustainability fund that helps ensure the Center will be able to serve Chicago’s children and families well into the future. (The campaign launched in September 2022, and as of May 2024, the Center is nearly halfway to the $20M fundraising goal.)
The Associate Director will partner with organizational leadership, as well as the Campaign Cabinet and members of the Center’s Board of Directors, to execute against a public-private campaign strategy to support the goal to raise the remaining funds to complete the campaign.
The Associate Director will develop and implement a fundraising and donor strategy that effectively moves existing and prospective individual donors from identification to solicitation and then stewardship. The Associate Director will be capable of helping to cultivate and manage relationships with high-net-worth donors, foundations, and corporations that lead to increased and consistent diverse revenue to support the campaign effort and the overall priorities of the organization.
The ideal candidate will have a full understanding of the trends impacting the fundraising industry. They will be a strategic thinker and able to leverage internal and external resources to maximize fiscal and relationship building outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to, expanding the individual giving program, developing a donor stewardship plan, and managing consultants, as well as overall project management and oversight of different aspects and stages of the campaign.
Major Responsibilities and Key Tasks
- Implement and manage a $20 million, 5-year campaign.
- Build the donor pipeline by conducting research on likely prospects, tracking prospect lists, and helping to develop and execute targeted prospect cultivation plans and solicitation strategies.
- Develop briefing documents, campaign dashboards, talking points, or other background materials to prepare CEO, campaign leadership/volunteers, and Senior Director of Development for solicitation or other campaign-related meetings.
- Schedule and support Campaign Cabinet meetings, including taking detailed notes and supporting cabinet members to complete their planned to-dos.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues on the Development team to cultivate identified prospects and prepare grant proposals for foundation, corporate, and public grants.
- Write, review, and edit funding applications, as necessary, and complete any related interim and final reports associated with grant funding.
- Drive the development of campaign print and digital collateral materials and coordinate their design and production.
- Oversee campaign communications calendar and ensure integration of campaign milestones into ongoing public relations outreach. Support the execution of any cultivation or recognition events related to the campaign, in partnership with colleagues on the Development team and/or consulting support. Work closely with members of the Office of the CEO and other relevant staff to ensure campaign-related events (e.g., open house tours, friend-raising events, etc.) are well planned and executed.
- Develop strategies for stewardship of campaign gifts already received, including creating an appropriate cadence for communications to current donors and sharing the impact of their gifts. As appropriate, conduct monthly check-in meetings with key campaign donors or other partners (e.g. One Lawndale Initiative_
- Work closely with the Associate Director of Capital Projects to stay abreast of and support progress with the capital work that is part of the campaign, including maintaining relationships with the Center’s owner’s representative for construction project management.
- Manage the campaign budget to ensure expenses are captured and campaign dollars/pledges are reconciled with the Fiscal Services Department on a regular basis.
- Ensure that data related to prospects and donors are recorded and tracked in the Center’s donor database; manage campaign recordkeeping; prepare periodic reports on fundraising and present to the Board and senior staff; recommend revisions to the campaign fundraising plan, as needed, to meet goals.
- Attend board-related meetings or other organizational meetings as needed or appropriate.
- Ensure documentation and execution of donor acknowledgment, stewardship, and public recognition of all campaign donors, as appropriate.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Evidence of advanced education and/or ongoing professional development in the field of development/philanthropy is preferred.
- Five to seven years professional experience in grant writing, fundraising, donor relations, and/or community relations.
- Experience in and up-to-date knowledge of development best practices, program design, campaign efforts, and grant writing.
- Experience with human service NPOs is preferred.
- Ability to effectively lead, problem solve, take initiative, and collaborate.
- Passion for effective communication at all levels and ability to relate to diverse internal and external stakeholders.
- Impeccable oral and written communication skills, ability to “meet people where they are” by engaging in thoughtful listening and responding with compassion and professionalism.
- Strong interpersonal skills and judgement.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain confidential and privileged information with discretion.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Demonstrated ability to move projects forward according to timeline.
- Ability to work with and steward volunteers.
Ability to accurately and fully utilize donor management systems/databases - - computer fluency in MS Office, Raisers Edge or other donor database software, web applications.
Note that the Associate Director, Campaign is a limited-term position. The end date is anticipated to be June 2027, with the possibility to extend the role or move into a similar capacity within the development team.
Covid Requirements
Fostering a safe environment for the children, families, and communities we serve and our employees is of the utmost importance. In the spirit, please note that upon accepting an offer of employment, you will be required to share proof of full Covid-19 vaccination status. To be considered fully vaccinated it must be at least two weeks since you received the second does of Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine or the only dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid - 19 vaccine. Accommodation requests will be considered in compliance with applicable laws.
Carole Robertson Center for Learning is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Carole Robertson Center for Learning evaluates qualified applicants without regards to race, color, religion, sex national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally protected characteristics.