Democracy Prep Public Schools - Director of Development

About the job Democracy Prep Public Schools - Director of Development Director of Development New York City About Democracy Prep Democracy Prep educates responsible citizen-scholars for success in the college of their choice AND for lives of active citizenship. In close partnership with families, we empower young people with the skills and values to flourish as community leaders who will strengthen our American democracy and change the world. Our schools are grounded in rigorous academics, high expectations, and joyful, structured environments where scholars are challenged, affirmed, and known. Students benefit from extended learning time, access to strong college-preparatory curricula, and robust college access and persistence support to ensure they thrive in college and beyond. A defining feature of a Democracy Prep education is our deep commitment to civic engagement. We prepare students to be lifelong active citizens who uplift their communities and sustain our democracy. Across grade levels, scholars take informed stances on important issues, engage respectfully across lines of difference, serve their communities, study current events, organize voter registration drives, and complete "change the world" capstone projects that translate research and advocacy into meaningful action. To learn more about Democracy Prep, visit: About the Opportunity The Director of Development owns Democracy Prep's philanthropic growth strategy and revenue engine. This leader sets the vision, builds the systems, and drives measurable results across individual, foundation, corporate, and institutional giving. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and serving the CEO and senior leadership team, the Director leads one of Democracy Prep's key organizational functions and delivers material, mission-critical impact for the organization. This role shapes funding strategy in direct alignment with Democracy Prep's Strategic Plan, including priorities around academic excellence, operational sustainability, programmatic scaling, and responsible regional growth. This position operates on our hybrid in-person work model. Who You Are An education reformer and mission-driven leader with an unwavering commitment to Democracy Prep's vision of college success and authentic civic engagement for all scholars. A strategic and entrepreneurial fundraiser with a demonstrated record of securing major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. A results-oriented leader who understands how to build diversified funding models and drive multi-million dollar revenue growth. A skilled relationship builder who collaborates effectively across teams, develops long-term partnerships, and inspires confidence among Board members, donors, and colleagues. A compelling communicator with excellent writing and presentation skills, able to translate complex priorities into clear, persuasive messaging. A self-aware and reflective leader committed to building and sustaining an equitable culture across all aspects of the organization. A disciplined operator who brings creativity, initiative, rigor, and accountability to building scalable development programs. What You'll DoMulti-Year Development Strategy & Revenue Ownership Design and execute a multi-year development strategy aligned to Democracy Prep's Strategic Plan. Own and drive multi-million dollar fundraising targets, including annual and multi-year goals. Build a diversified funding model integrating individual giving, principal gifts, foundations, corporate partnerships, and institutional opportunities. Identify emerging funding opportunities and proactively build high-capacity donor pipelines. Major & Principal Gifts Leadership Personally manage a portfolio of approximately 25-40 high-capacity prospects. Secure six-figure and select seven-figure gifts in partnership with the CEO. Conduct strategic cultivation and solicitation meetings annually. Build multi-year stewardship and engagement plans for top-tier donors. Partner with the CEO to source and cultivate Board-aligned prospects. Foundation & Institutional Partnerships Maintain retention of existing foundation partners. Secure new institutional partnerships annually. Lead the preparation and submission of high-quality grant applications. Increase foundation revenue year-over-year through proactive relationship management. Lead strategic grant positioning in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team. Corporate & Strategic Partnerships Develop and execute a corporate engagement strategy aligned to organizational priorities. Secure new corporate partners annually. Elevate corporate partnerships toward sustained philanthropic investment. Board Engagement & Philanthropic Culture Drive a clear Board giving strategy in partnership with the CEO and Board Chair. Support progress toward 100% Board giving. Lead key giving campaigns and donor engagement initiatives, including Giving Tuesday and major galas. Activate Board members and development committees to leverage networks. Build a culture of philanthropy across the organization through leadership coaching and alignment. Infrastructure, Systems & Performance Management Implement and optimize a donor management system that provides visibility into pipeline health, revenue progress, and retention. Produce monthly and quarterly dashboards for senior leadership and Board review. Build scalable systems that enable long-term revenue growth. Collaborate with Senior Leadership and Marketing & Communications to develop supporting materials for fundraising strategy. Stay informed on emerging trends and best practices in education and the nonprofit sector. Qualifications 5+ years of progressive experience in development, major gifts, or nonprofit fundraising leadership. Demonstrated success securing six-figure gifts and managing high-capacity donor portfolios. Experience building and executing multi-channel fundraising strategies. Strong systems orientation and experience managing donor databases and performance dashboards. Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or related advanced study preferred. Compensation & Work Environment Salary range for this role is $140,000 to $155,000 and is commensurate with equivalent experience leading development in the education or another nonprofit space. Democracy Prep staff members are provided with comprehensive benefits and a working environment that includes the necessary technology and resources to succeed. Democracy Prep employees work on a hybrid schedule with three days based in our New York City office and two days at home each week. Some evenings and weekends will be required, including attendance at board meetings, fundraising events, or other network events. Application Process This search is supported by JoHo Talent Network. The application deadline is April 6, 2026, and applications should be submitted through the JoHo portal. Equal Opportunity Statement Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and areas of expertise, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

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