Director of Development and Communications

Organizational Overview:

CASA-NYC is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization that provides advocacy for children and youth involved in New York City child welfare proceedings. Our mission is to ensure that young people involved in the NYC child welfare system have their needs met and rights protected and that children in foster care are moved quickly into safe, stable, nurturing and permanent homes—with their families of origin whenever possible.

The children, youth and families we serve have been impacted by intergenerational trauma, structural racism and chronic poverty. We are actively working to fully integrate trauma-informed, anti-racist principles into our work. We partner with family members and their allies to support them in overcoming barriers to safety, stability and family reunification and achieving equitable outcomes.

We strongly encourage candidates fluent in multiple languages and candidates from groups that have historically experienced oppression to apply. We are committed to advancing racial justice and civil rights in our advocacy, and we value the dynamism and perspective that staff diversity, equity and inclusion bring to the work and culture of our organization. We strive to promote behaviors, attitudes and policies that enable us to work inclusively and effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers and community partners. We actively recruit and seek to grow and maintain a staff that is diverse along many axes, including but not limited to race, ethnicity and national origin; disability; socioeconomic background; and sexual orientation and gender identity; and to develop a pathway to leadership opportunities for people from historically oppressed populations.

Position Description:

The Director of Development & Communications plays a crucial role in the organization by providing strong and strategic leadership for all aspects of fundraising and communications. Their primary objective is to create significant awareness about the organization's work and garner active engagement and support from funders. They report directly to the Executive Director and work closely with the board of directors, senior staff members and consultants to manage all external communications and fundraising-related activities. With a current team of 3 members under their supervision, the Director of Development & Communications also manages outsourced development support with an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies for the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of current and prospective donors, with a focus on cultivating new major donors and corporate donors
• Develop cultivation and stewardship tools and plans that create a high-quality donor experience including: regular correspondence, thoughtful donor engagement and invitations, professional proposals, mailings, and acknowledgements
• Oversee prospect research to identify and qualify new individual and corporate prospects
• Provide effective supervision and professional development to a Manager, Communications and Institutional Giving; Development and Events Associate; and a Development and Communications Coordinator
• Plan and execute two major fundraising events annually, our spring benefit and fall luncheon, as well as several smaller donor engagement events, with the support of a board development committee
• Provide staff and board with comprehensive fundraising data to guide the implementation of our strategic plan
• Serve as staff liaison to the development committee of the board of directors
• Partner with board members to build skills in making direct asks, offering individual coaching and talking points
• Develop and maintain a moves management system to track donor relationships and transition supporters through a pipeline from mid-level or event support to major gifts
• Oversee a comprehensive corporate engagement strategy that extends beyond gifts to include sponsorships, cause-related marketing, employee giving programs, and volunteer opportunities
• Steward existing corporate partners with tailored engagement aligned with organizational mission
• Oversee the grant development process including identifying grant opportunities, overseeing grants calendar, writing, reviewing and editing grant proposals and reports as needed
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of the donor database
• Set and track revenue goals for events, with post-event analysis to provide year-over-year comparisons
• Oversee the development of creative and compelling digital and print communications strategies utilizing a range of tools; building and maintenance of a strong presence on social media; development of brochures, newsletters, press releases and appeals that educate the community and promote the organization
• Prepare and send written communications to members of the board of directors, associate board, donors, partners and stakeholders as needed
• Build relationships with key journalists and manage press and other external inquiries as needed
• Oversee the production of an annual report that communicates organizational impact to stakeholders
• Develop and maintain updated compelling case statements to facilitate cultivation of major gifts
• Work closely with board marketing committee to leverage board members’ expertise and experience in this area, gather input/recommendation and implement when appropriate, and keep board apprised of relevant metrics
• Partner with program staff to translate mission-based work into compelling donor communications with sensitivity to confidentiality and the dignity of youth and families served
• Partner with fiscal team to ensure accurate gift processing, reporting and reconciliation

Qualifications:

• Minimum 7-10 years of experience as a successful development professional with in-depth knowledge of all aspects of fundraising and communications
• A successful track record of cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gifts and corporate donors
• Extensive fundraising event-planning experience
• Knowledge of NYC and national fundraising landscape
• Exceptional written and oral communications skills
• Strong time management skills and ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines
• Ability to cultivate strong relationships with members of the board of directors, staff, donors and other stakeholders
• Highly organized, detail-oriented and reliable
• Familiarity with common donor database and fundraising software
• Ability to take initiative, execute as well as oversee tasks, work independently, and adapt to shifting priorities
• Ability to work flexible hours – some evenings required (up to several times/month) for board meetings, fundraising events and other functions
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and how DEI principles intersect with ethical and equitable storytelling

A competitive benefits package includes a 401(k) retirement plan with a 2:1 match; health, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; pre-tax transit costs; and a generous paid time off package including 20 vacation days. The Director of Development and Communications will have a hybrid work environment, working a minimum of 50% of time in person from CASA-NYC’s office at 48 Wall Street.