Managing Director of Development

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging volunteer tutors in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one and small group tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy, and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that truly works. Join our stellar, committed team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about the mission and core tutoring work of Reading Partners.

The high level:

Reading Partners seeks a frontline fundraiser and collaborative leader to act as Managing Director of Development for the national development team. This role will play an integral part in increasing aligned revenue to support Reading Partners’ growth and long-term sustainability and meeting our organization-wide revenue goal of $31.5M, broken out by $8.7M nationally and $22.8M across our eight regions.

Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the Managing Director of Development will oversee a team of five fundraisers: three frontline Regional Directors of Development who serve six of our regions and a Director of Institutional Giving. The Managing Director of Development will ensure strong portfolio management, clear accountability, effective donor strategy, and seamless coordination between national priorities and regional fundraising efforts. 

The Managing Director of Development will be a “player-coach” and embody all of Reading Partners’ core values, particularly “Together We Are Better.” 

This position is remote, and hires (upon start date) should reside in California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington State, or Virginia.

What you’ll do:

Strategically align national and regional development efforts to meet org-wide revenue goals

• Ensure effective execution of regional fundraising plans through coaching, accountability, and support, with a focus on strong frontline fundraising, portfolio discipline and pipeline review, moves management, and forecasting by Regional Development Directors.
  • Support Regional Directors of Development in meeting or exceeding their annual revenue goals totaling $12.1M by building and managing their pipeline of new and existing foundation, individual, Regional Board, government, and corporate donors, ensuring throughout the year they meet fundraising benchmarks and adjust course as needed.
• Support and oversee Director of Institutional Giving, who also supervises a Grant Manager. Ensure Reading Partners effectively increases institutional revenue nationally and across our regions and meets our fundraising goal by:
  • Prioritizing the management of national and regional institutional opportunities based on likelihood, grant size, and deadlines 
  • Conducting prospect research to identify right-fit opportunities, ensure alignment, and inform appropriate pitch and preparation
  • Completing meeting preparation for institutional donors 
  • Making a compelling case for support for Reading Partners and our fundraising priorities, ensuring we have an up-to-date language bank to pull from and comprehensive assets to support the effectiveness and viability of our pitches, collaborating with the marketing and communications team 
  • Conceptualizing compelling grant proposals and grant reporting, following a grant calendar and managing responsibilities with data integrity in Salesforce
  • Ensure effective collaboration with the finance team for realistic project grant budgets and ensure alignment with donor intent 
• Integrate regional and national fundraising efforts, ensuring effective and equitable identification and stewardship of shared donors and opportunities.
  • Through regular pipeline review meetings with zonal Directors of Development, ensure alignment on collaborative pitches and shared donors (i.e., a donor that contributes to both national and a particular region), coordinate communications, and ensure donor requests include regional nuances, opportunities, and challenges. 
  • In working with funders with regional interests in more than one place, or with both regional and national interests, ensure those affected by proposals are included in the concept development, proposal, and reporting processes.  

Lead frontline fundraising for a portfolio of institutional donors 

• Act as a frontline fundraiser for national, managing a portfolio of existing and prospective institutional (i.e., foundation, corporate, or government) funders, including opportunities for collective impact regions (i.e., Seattle and Newark), directly owning a portfolio of donors raising $2-4M in revenue by effectively cultivating, closing, and stewarding donors

Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it:

Relationship Development:

• Externally, deliver convincing messaging and tailored experiences to donors and external stakeholders. Cultivate genuine and proactive connections with donors, showing enthusiasm and passion for their engagement in our mission.
• Internally, establish highly collaborative relationships with all team members, fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Demonstrate a hunger for learning, growth, and continuous improvement, seeking to understand all aspects of our model to convey our mission externally effectively.

Leadership & Management:

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive work environment that promotes teamwork, open communication, and knowledge sharing among team members. Collaborate closely with other departments to ensure alignment and coordination with fundraising activities and national and regional priorities and nuances. 
• Manage, coach, and support frontline fundraisers to meet or exceed fundraising goals, leverage Executive Directors effectively, and manage donor relationships. 

Strategic Planning:

• Collaborate with the national development, marketing, and communications team, regional operations and Executive Directors, and finance team to ensure high levels of performance, organizational learning and improvement, and sustainability. 
• Bring a highly organized and analytical approach to strategic planning, utilizing data to inform decision-making.

Revenue Generation:

• Demonstrate excellence in conducting thorough research and prospecting to identify new funding opportunities. Stay informed about industry trends, donor priorities, and funding landscapes to drive ongoing development efforts.
• Provide expert advice on stewarding relationships with donors, ensuring their continued engagement and support. Leverage relationships to meet or exceed target fundraising goals, identifying opportunities for increased donor contributions.
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit, actively seeking to deepen existing donor relationships and forge new ones.
• Explore innovative approaches and strategies to expand fundraising efforts and tap into new funding sources.

Donor Communications:

• Demonstrate the ability to write compelling, high-quality donor communications that showcase a deep understanding of our program and effectively promote our mission.
• Craft tailored messages that resonate with donors, highlighting the impact of their contributions.

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience with 3 years of people management experience
• Possess strong people management skills, including collaborating with executive, senior, and mid-level professionals
• Have expertise with institutional fundraising and another fundraising domain such as corporate, government, or Regional or National Board member fundraising and engagement 
• Demonstrate a commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment.
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience working for organizations with a national and regional structure and undergoing growth, innovation, and scaling

What we offer:

Reading Partners’ compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward. 

Compensation: This is a full-time, exempt, and salaried position. The pay range for this position is $135,703 - $159,650 per year and is contingent on geographic location.  After applying, candidates who move forward in the hiring process are provided with the salary for their geographic location. We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. We do our very best to ensure that we’re bringing our best offer; therefore, we do not engage in salary negotiations.

Our benefits:  We offer a comprehensive benefits program intentionally crafted to support employees and their families with physical, mental, and financial health:

• Health & Insurance Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance with substantial employer contributions toward both employee and family premiums; life and disability insurance at no cost to employees; and a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Pre-Tax Medical Support: Significant pre-tax employer funding to help offset employees’ out-of-pocket medical expenses, including providing first dollar coverage for some plan options.
• Mental Health Support: Spring Health for easy access to therapy, coaching, and wellness resources, including six sessions provided at no cost to employees.
• Inclusive Health Support: Carrot for guidance and support related to hormonal health, fertility, family-building, and gender-affirming services.
• Retirement Benefits: 403(b) retirement plan with immediate eligibility to participate and to receive employer matching contributions.
• Paid Time Off: Flexible Paid Time Off (Unlimited PTO) and Paid Parental Leave for up to 8 weeks for birth and non-birth parents.
• Holidays & Office Closures: 14 paid holidays annually, plus one week of office closure in early July and two weeks in late December.
• Culture & Growth: A dynamic, mission-driven culture with a strong commitment to employee development and career growth.

The other things you need to know:

• This role is remote. 
• Travel: This position will require travel approximately once per quarter to our regions for relationship building. This position may also involve occasional travel to Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA. 

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. 
• Resume

Reading Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer