Development Director
Listed on 2026-07-25
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Non-Profit & Social Impact
Community Health -
Management
Friends of the Children – Chicago pairs kindergarteners facing the greatest obstacles with professional, salaried mentors who walk beside them for 12.5 years, no matter what. Each child receives an average of four hours of one-to-one mentoring every week, year-round, in communities most affected by poverty and gun violence. With its first graduating class four years away and a strategic plan calling for steady growth, Friends – Chicago is hiring a Development Director to build the fundraising capacity that growth requires.
Reporting to Executive Director Taal Hasak-Lowy and serving on the Chicago Leadership Team, you'll be the organization's lead frontline fundraiser, taking on direct cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual, corporate, and foundation donors. The portfolio carries real untapped potential, and you'll have the chance to build a major gifts program that matches the strength of the program model itself. You'll also lead a three-person development team that is ready for experienced leadership and partner with a Board that wants to deepen its role in fundraising.
This search is being conducted by TWB Fundraising.
This is a chance to raise money for something with evidence behind it. Across the national network, 92% of youth go on to post-secondary education, the military, or the workforce, and 93% stay free from involvement in the juvenile justice system.
What you'll do:- Lead all fundraising strategy, including major gifts, a multi-year pledge campaign, corporate and foundation prospects, events, and communications
- Carry a donor portfolio and support the Executive Director's portfolio
- Deepen the Board's role as a fundraising body and coach members on their personal fundraising plans
- Supervise, coach, and develop the three-person development team
- Partner with the Executive Director on fundraising strategy and joint donor meetings
- At least seven years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience in progressively responsible roles
- A strong track record in individual and major gifts, with direct solicitation experience
- Experience overseeing corporate, foundation, and government grant programs
- Proven ability to manage an effective team
- A commitment to equity and a belief in the potential of young people facing the greatest obstacles
- Bachelor's degree and a valid Illinois driver's license
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