Director of Development and Communications

Care for Real (CfR) is committed to fostering a healthy and equitable community by helping neighbors and families overcome food insecurity with dignity. Through locations in Chicago’s Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods, CfR provides food, clothing, pet food, referral, and additional services with compassion to improve the health and well-being of low-income residents to foster a stronger, healthier, equitable, and more stable community.

Care for Real is hiring a Director of Development & Communications to be responsible for the creation, implementation, evaluation, and successful ongoing management of Care for Real’s fundraising and communication strategies. The Director will develop and manage strategies for identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of existing as well as prospective individual, foundation, and corporate donors. The Director will also manage and execute Care for Real’s communications efforts that are aligned with strategic fundraising goals. Ideal candidates will be experienced development professionals and passionate self-starters with the ability to work in a highly collegial manner with lay leaders, volunteers, and staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work in partnership with the Executive Director and Board to develop fundraising strategies
• Oversee all elements of Care for Real’s development efforts, including annual giving, donor relations, stewardship, grants, and development events
• Manage the public phase and completion of a $5M capital campaign
• Create and execute creative fundraising initiatives and assess success rate
• Strengthen organization’s fundraising procedures
• Develop and implement high-touch cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to engage and retain individual donors
• Identify prospective corporate and private foundation giving opportunities and establish relationships with partners who align with Care for Real’s mission
• Write compelling grant narratives to secure general operating and campaign funding and provide oversight on grant reporting requirements in partnership with the Development Associate
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, develop and execute a communications plan that advances the agency’s mission and strategic plan
• Develop communication concepts and content for annual appeal, annual reports, and social media
• Work in partnership with key team members to write and execute two monthly newsletters and other email communications
• Update the Care for Real website quarterly and as needed
• Create signage, flyers, event invitations, presentations, and other design materials as needed
• Develop relationships with existing press contacts and make pitches to secure regular press coverage
• Write executive communications for the Executive Director and other organizational leadership as needed
• Ensure that all communications support Care for Real’s overall brand identity

Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years’ fundraising experience; knowledge of community-based organizations preferred
• Supervisory experience highly preferred
• Project management and event planning experience preferred
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team
• Excellent donor relations and customer service skills
• Skilled in creating powerful & compelling written and oral communications
• Commitment to the mission, philosophy, and values of Care for Real
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Canva, Constant Contact, and WordPress; experience with DonorSnap or similar donor databases
• Working knowledge of social media and web content development tools
• Flexibility in working occasional nights and weekend hours