Development Director

About DCTV

Founded in 1972, Downtown Community Television Center, Inc. (DCTV) has grown into one of the leading documentary production and film education centers in the country. A community of and for documentary filmmakers, DCTV is a unique space where screenings, discussions, youth media, continuing education programs, and filmmaking resources exist side by side with award-winning productions and Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film.

DCTV has been recognized with 18 Emmy Awards, 4 duPont-Columbia Awards, 2 Academy Award Nominations, a Peabody Award, 6 New York Emmy Awards and accolades at film festivals around the world. In 2023, DCTV’s Co-Founders, Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno, were awarded lifetime achievement awards with the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, and inducted into the NATAS Gold Circle.

DCTV’s programs serve 17,000 people annually, offering a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage in the entire documentary process—from education and production to exhibition—empowering individuals to immerse themselves in every stage of the documentary journey.

Summary of the Position

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Development Director to join our team and play a key role in securing diverse contributed income to support our mission. The Development Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the nonprofit organization’s fundraising strategy, with a focus on securing financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations. This role involves managing a dynamic development team to achieve revenue goals, expand donor engagement, and ensure the financial sustainability of the organization. The Development Director will also work closely with the executive team, Board of Directors, and key stakeholders to align fundraising efforts with the organization’s mission and goals.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy and Leadership:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy, with a focus on major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grants, and special events.
• Lead efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a diverse group of donors and funders.
• Set fundraising targets and work with the Executive team and Board to ensure that goals are met or exceeded.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align fundraising strategies with programmatic goals and organizational priorities.
• Oversee the development team in researching and writing grant proposals, identifying new funding opportunities, and managing existing relationships with foundation and government partners.

Donor Relations and Stewardship:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with major donors, corporate partners, and foundation representatives.
• Develop and implement effective stewardship strategies to ensure donor retention and satisfaction.
• Plan and execute donor recognition programs, including events and personalized communications.

Grant Management and Oversight:

• Oversee the full grant lifecycle, from identification of opportunities to submission, reporting, and renewal.
• Ensure the timely and accurate submission of all grant proposals and reports.
• Ensure compliance with grant requirements, including tracking deliverables, financial reports, and timelines.

Data Management and Reporting:

• Maintain accurate donor and prospect records, tracking progress toward fundraising goals.
• Monitor fundraising metrics.
• Provide regular reports to the executive team and Board on fundraising performance, challenges, and opportunities.
• Utilize CRM tools to analyze donor trends, inform future fundraising strategies, and assess the effectiveness of fundraising campaigns.

Special Projects and Events:

• Plan and execute fundraising events, campaigns, and initiatives that engage the community and generate revenue.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, or a similar role, with at least 2 years in a supervisory role.
• Demonstrated success in meeting or exceeding annual fundraising goals by securing major gifts and expanding the donor base.

Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes

• Leadership: Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate staff.
• Budgeting & Grants Management: Knowledge of nonprofit financials, budgeting, and reporting. A comprehensive understanding of grant seeking and reporting policies and procedures, with expertise in compliance and reporting requirements for government, foundation, and corporate grants.
• Results-Oriented and Goal-Driven: A proven track record of successful fundraising, particularly in securing major gifts and managing grants.
• Relationship Building: A strong commitment to teamwork. A natural relationship builder who can collaborate well with numerous stakeholders on grant proposals and engage thoughtfully with DCTV’s member-base.
• Communication - Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, along with strong writing, editing, and proofreading abilities. Committed to providing outstanding, responsive service to both internal and external stakeholders, with a talent for crafting compelling messages tailored to diverse audiences. Experience with media relations is a plus.
• Strong Organizational Skills– Excellent organizational and time-management skills. Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Ethics and Integrity - Ability to practice a high level of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality.
• Tech-Saavy: Proficiency with grant databases, reporting tools, and project management software including but not limited to Foundation Directory, Grants.gov, Asana, MS Office, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Zoom video conferencing. Experience with fundraising software Click & Pledge, Agile Ticketing Service, and MailChimp is a plus.
• Flexibility: Ability to work on an occasional evening or weekend, particularly during fundraising events and grant deadlines. Occasional travel may be required for donor meetings and events.