Deputy Director of Development at Promise Venture

NOTE: WE ENCOURAGE APPLICANTS TO SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS BY July 1st. WHILE THIS IS AN OPEN ROLLING APPLICATION PROCESS, CANDIDATES WHO SUBMIT BEFORE THIS DATE ARE LIKELY TO BE IN THE FIRST ROUND OF REVIEWS BY THE SEARCH COMMITTEE. 

About the Opportunity

Promise Venture Studio (Promise) seeks a Deputy Director of Development to join its dynamic, mission-driven, and growing team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced development professional to support and implement strategic fundraising initiatives in partnership with senior leaders at an innovative, high-impact organization. The incoming Director of Development will join us at an exciting moment of inflection and growth, as Promise embarks on our next strategic plan, with ambitious fundraising targets that include doubling our budget (to $10M+/year) to meet our impact goals in the next three years.

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Partnerships, and in regular coordination with the Managing Partner, the Deputy Director of Development will play a key role in building upon and expanding the development function, helping secure resources to sustain and grow the organization’s impact, steward donor and funder relationships, and support the continued development of internal fundraising capacity. This individual will work cross-functionally to ensure Promise’s fundraising efforts are aligned with its mission of supporting innovators and accelerating innovations for equity in early childhood development. 

*Link to the full Job Description and additional notes on Promise’s Impact, here

Key Areas of Responsibility & Aligned Qualifications

Fundraising Strategy & Execution:

• Collaborate cross-functionally to co-create and implement a comprehensive development strategy with an emphasis on institutional and individual donors, aligned with Promise’s long-term financial sustainability, mission goals, and updated strategic plan.
• Manage and deepen relationships with core philanthropic partners, particularly our long term institutional donors, supporting stewardship and engagement efforts.
• Partner with the Director of Strategic Partnerships and the Managing Partner to support the expansion of high net worth donor cultivation, local and corporate philanthropy partnerships, and other revenue streams.
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit prospective donors.
• Leveraging prior experience, tap into funding and partnership networks that are new to Promise, and elevate the organization’s work to create new opportunities.
• Prepare proposals, reports, and stewardship materials to communicate the organization’s impact and funding needs.

Key Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success tenaciously seeking and securing significant funding from diverse sources (e.g., institutional foundation grants, family foundation grants, high net worth individual donors, corporate partnerships), with a track record of connecting donor values to organizational mission and impact.
• Experience managing or supporting fundraising campaigns, systems, and teams.
• Strong understanding of revenue diversification and strategic fundraising planning.
• Deep resonance with Promise’s JEDI commitments and a values-centered approach to leadership and fundraising, and demonstrable personal and professional alignment with Promise’s core values.
• Thoughtful and self-aware, with a demonstrated ability to align fundraising strategy with equity principles.

Donor Engagement & Relationship Management

• Serve as a key relationship manager for a portfolio of funders and donors, ensuring personalized and strategic communication.
• Ensure timely and tailored follow-up and communication with donors and prospects.
• Design and coordinate donor engagement opportunities such as events, briefings, and recognition touchpoints.
• Develop and maintain systems for donor outreach, stewardship, and reporting.

Key Qualifications:

• Outstanding relationship management skills with a record of building trust and securing support from donors and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to authentically build and steward long-term donor and partner relationships.
• Proficiency with CRM and donor management platforms (Salesforce preferred).
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to manage donor pipelines and engagement touch points.

Strategic Communications & Storytelling

• Coordinate with teammates to create compelling, asset-based storytelling content to communicate Promise’s mission, programs, and impact to funders and stakeholders.
• Draft high-quality written content including grant proposals, donor updates, presentations, and fundraising collateral.
• Prepare and compellingly represent Promise at funder meetings and external events, including presenting and facilitating, as needed.

Key Qualifications:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive proposals, meetings, and other donor communications.
• An adept storyteller who understands ethical fundraising and asset-based communication, and is skilled at crafting compelling, equity-centered fundraising narratives that resonate with funders.
• Experience producing compelling written and presentation materials that engage a range of audiences.
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills.

Team Collaboration & Internal Coordination

• Work closely and actively with colleagues across programs, operations, and communications to ensure alignment between fundraising efforts, programmatic elements, and organizational priorities.
• Coordinate cross-functionally to align programmatic elements that engage and support funders.
• Support and help evolve internal development systems and processes that improve fundraising efficiency and donor tracking.
• Participate in budgeting and revenue forecasting in collaboration with finance and leadership teams.

Key Qualifications:

• Experience managing or mentoring team members and collaborating across departments to align fundraising with programmatic offerings.
• Skilled at fostering cross-functional relationships to support shared goals.
• Ability to deftly build and manage relationships with philanthropic partners who are both participants and partners in Promise programs and also potential / current philanthropic funders of Promise.
• Demonstrated ability to build and use systems and processes to track progress, report on performance, and refine approach.
• Familiarity with nonprofit budgeting and forecasting processes, as well as internal fundraising operations, including CRM management.

Location

Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual. The location for this role is flexible, though the Deputy Director should possess the willingness and availability to travel approximately 1-2x/month for funder/partner cultivation opportunities, team retreats, conferences, and other critical in-person meetings.

The Benefits

$140,000-170,000 depending on relevant experience and geographic location. Promise also offers comprehensive health, vision, dental and parental leave benefits and a generous 401(K) automatic contribution (6% of salary) and matching (up to 3% of salary) program.