Director of Development

Location: New York City

Reports To: Executive Director

About FMDG

For over a century, FMDG Music School has been transforming lives through music education for people of all ages who are blind and visually impaired. We're the nation's leading community music school dedicated exclusively to this mission, and we're expanding our reach nationwide through online instruction, accessibility innovation, and national partnerships.

This is a pivotal moment for FMDG. The Grammys designated FMDG as a Recording Academy Accessibility + Disability Community Partner, we’ve launching state partnerships to serve students across the country, and we’re building a sustainable funding model that will support our mission for generations to come.

The Role

We're looking for a Director of Development who can amplify our work in building a comprehensive fundraising program that diversifies our revenue to further position FMDG as the national authority on accessible music education. You'll be the co-architect of FMDG's financial sustainability in partnership with the Executive Director, assist in developing strategies, and cultivate relationships that fuel our growth.

This role is about more than traditional fundraising. You'll leverage our partnership with the Recording Academy to access corporate sponsors in the music industry, cultivate major individual donors who connect with our mission, design fundraising events that showcase our exceptional students, and steward foundation relationships that have supported us for decades. You'll have the resources, support, and organizational commitment needed to succeed.

What You'll Do

Build and expand upon FMDG’s current fundraising infrastructure by designing and implementing systematic fundraising processes, cultivation pipelines, and reporting frameworks that scale with FMDG's growth.

Diversify revenue streams through increased individual giving, corporate partnerships, and event revenue.

Cultivate major gifts by working closely with the Executive Director and board members to leverage their networks, prepare compelling cases for support, and move donors through the giving journey.

Develop corporate partnerships. Our partnerships will provide access to music industry leaders and artists. You'll translate these opportunities into corporate sponsorships, matching gift programs, and employee giving campaigns. You'll also cultivate relationships with tech companies at the intersection of accessibility and innovation.

Design and execute fundraising events. You'll manage FMDG's signature events including our annual Metropolitan Museum of Art concert, develop new events leveraging our programming partners, and create virtual campaigns that engage remote supporters.

You'll oversee existing foundation grants while cultivating new prospects, ensuring proper reporting and stewardship, and strategically maintain foundation support.

Partner with the board’s development committee to set quarterly targets, leverage board connections for introductions, and equip board members to be effective fundraising ambassadors.

Tell FMDG's story powerfully by developing compelling cases for support backed by our exceptional outcomes. You’ll create donor and organization-wide communications that inspire engagement and position FMDG's transformation as an investment in proven excellence.

You'll track progress against specific targets like donor acquisition, retention rates, average gift growth, and corporate pipeline development, and provide monthly reports to the Executive Director and quarterly presentations to the board.

Who You Are

You have 7 to 10 years of fundraising experience with demonstrated success in revenue growth, diversification, and major gifts. You've built fundraising programs before, either launching new initiatives or substantially transforming existing ones. You have a track record of exceeding annual revenue goals.

You're a builder and a strategist. You can design systems from scratch (donor pipelines, cultivation programs, event frameworks), but balance ambition with pragmatism.

You're a relationship builder. You can cultivate relationships with foundation officers, corporate executives, individual major donors, and board members with equal effectiveness.

You're resourceful and entrepreneurial. Given our burgeoning partnerships, national expansion, and accessibility innovation work, you see opportunities others might miss. You don't wait to be handed donor lists. You prospect creatively, research strategically, and build relationships that create fundraising opportunities.

You communicate compellingly. You can write a grant proposal, draft a major gift solicitation letter, prepare board talking points, and create an event invitation - all with appropriate tone, messaging, and impact by translating program excellence into fundraising narrative.

You're driven by metrics. You track donor acquisition costs, retention rates, pipeline velocity, and return on investment. You use data to inform strategy, demonstrate impact to stakeholders, and identify areas needing adjustment. You're comfortable presenting financial projections and fundraising reports to board members.

You care about this mission. Accessible music education and disability rights resonate with you personally. You believe students with vision loss deserve the same opportunities as their sighted peers and you're energized by the chance to fund that work.

You're tech-savvy. Donor databases (Keela or similar), project management tools (Monday.com or similar), email marketing platforms, and virtual fundraising technologies are tools you leverage for efficiency and impact.

You have relevant expertise. Bachelor's degree required, with preference for degrees in nonprofit management, communications, or related fields. Knowledge of music education and disability services is a plus but not required as mission passion and fundraising excellence matter most.

What We Offer

• Anticipated salary: $90,000-$100,000, based on experience
• Comprehensive benefits package (health, vision, dental, 403b, generous PTO)
• Program management support for systems implementation and operational coordination
• Executive Director’s full partnership in building major gifts and strategy
• Active board fundraising committee
• High level partnerships providing unique access and event opportunities
• Organizational commitment to your success