Senior Development Manager
February 2023
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York (ROR GNY) shares the power of reading with over 250,000 children every year by incorporating books into pediatric care and empowering and advising caregivers to read aloud to their children at home. We train doctors and nurse practitioners to provide children with developmentally and linguistically appropriate books to take home during every well-child visit. For most of the families we serve, the books we provide are the first books in the children’s home libraries.
The first five years of life are a crucial time for cognitive growth, with approximately 90% of brain development occurring during that period. Children who start kindergarten cognitively behind rarely catch up, and disparities in early childhood tend to persist throughout school and life. Fighting these trends means responding with bold action, and studies show that caregiver-led guided reading is the single most efficacious way to help young children develop critical thinking skills.
Reach Out and Read is the only literacy organization in the country that engages pediatricians as stewards of childhood literacy and development. We leverage the existing infrastructure to deliver a full dose of literacy support when children need it most.
The Senior Development Manager of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York plays a critical role in fundraising to support our critical programs. They will ensure the professional functioning of all fundraising operations including our annual Benefit, annual appeal, grant calendar, marketing materials, social media, prospect pipeline, donor stewardship, and database reporting and fidelity. The Senior Development Manager manages all areas of fundraising and communications, is a key member of the team, and reports to the
Executive Director.
Specific Responsibilities:
• Continuously refine the ROR GNY fundraising program according to best practices in the field
• Manage and implement the department’s stewardship process, including acknowledgment letters, and donor engagement activities.
• Oversee Salesforce fundraising data and pull reports upon request for funders, board, and Executive Director. Manage Salesforce campaigns to track revenue streams.
• Work directly with Board Members on fundraising initiatives and the Development Committee.
• Manage the grants calendar and oversee grant writer. Prepare and update all grant proposals and attachments and ensure that all proposals, reports and supplemental materials are submitted early. Conduct monthly prospect research and manage an individual, corporate, and foundation pipeline.
• Lead, write, and create engaging content and marketing materials including annual report, annual appeal, emails, newsletters, social media posts, website, toolkits, and more.
• Lead planning for all fundraising events and opportunities including annual conference, donor cultivation events, and holiday/spring appeals.
• Manage an individual donor portfolio as designated by the Executive Director
• Represent the organization in relationship building efforts and with key partnerships, including publishers and book distributors, and NYC City Council
• Support the Board and Advisory Board in fundraising and recruitment
• Monitor progress to goals on a monthly basis and prepare compelling and accurate reports for the Executive Director and Board.
• Represent the organization externally, including finding marketing opportunities to raise organizational profile.
Who You Are:
• Excellent oral and written communicator with an engaging and professional demeanor.
• Highly organized and excellent attention to detail, highly skilled at managing multiple, simultaneous priorities
• High energy, creative, self-starter and continuous learning approach to fundraising
• A goal-oriented, entrepreneurial spirit and systems thinker passionate about building development infrastructure with finite resources.
• Clear dedication to early literacy, low-income families, and community engagement.
Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Increasing responsibility over years of full-time experience in fundraising, marketing, or communications.
• Experience working in the non-profit sector, particularly with low income families, early literacy programs and/or in a medical setting.
What You Can Expect:
Reach out and Read has a high-performing, fast-paced, supportive and entrepreneurial culture defined by our commitment to supporting early literacy across Greater New York. We believe in providing our team members with the support, resources, and energy they need to be successful in our organization and in the non-profit field in general. If you take on this position, you can expect to be offered a compensation package, including salary and benefits that would be commensurate with your experience. Some of the benefits we offer to our team include, but are not limited to:
• Medical insurance covered at 80% for employee and family.
• 20 vacation days and 10 paid holidays, plus one week, year-end office closure, and half day
summer Fridays.
• Retirement Plan: ROR GNY matches contributions up to 5% on a vested schedule
• Professional development trainings funded by the organization
• A supportive, caring, hard-working team dedicated to early literacy
• An opportunity to meaningfully impact the lives of 250,000 children
● Location: Remote, with regular travel, at least 25% of time within Greater New York (often day
trips).
Salary: Commensurate with experience between $80,000 – $100,000.
How to Apply:
Applications containing a cover letter, resume, and fundraising sample (redacted for confidentiality) will be evaluated on a rolling basis. In addition to connecting your skills and experience to the role, we encourage you to use the cover letter to express your personality and passion for early literacy. Please put “Senior Development Manager” in the subject line. They should be directed to emarchese@reachoutandreadnyc.org
No phone calls please.
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York is an equal opportunity employer
Check back on this page for future opportunities to work with us.