Managing Director of Development

Managing Director of Development (26-27)

New York, New York

Democracy Prep educates responsible citizen‑scholars for success in the college of their choice and for lives of active citizenship. In close partnership with families, we empower young people with the skills and values to flourish as community leaders who will strengthen our American democracy and change the world.

The Director of Development owns Democracy Prep’s philanthropic growth strategy and revenue engine. This leader sets the vision, builds the systems, and drives measurable results across individual, foundation, corporate, and institutional giving.

This position operates on our hybrid in‑person work model. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and serving the CEO and senior leadership team, the Director leads one of Democracy Prep’s key organizational functions, delivering high‑stakes, material impact for the organization.

This role shapes funding strategy in direct alignment with Democracy Prep’s strategic priorities, including academic excellence, operational sustainability, programmatic scaling, and regional growth.

• An education reformer and mission‑driven leader with an unwavering commitment to Democracy Prep’s vision of college success and authentic civic engagement for all scholars, particularly those facing significant challenges.
• A self‑aware and reflective leader committed to building and sustaining an equitable culture across all aspects of the organization.
• A strategic and entrepreneurial fundraiser with at least 5 years of experience securing major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations, ideally with prior experience in education or mission‑driven institutions.
• A skilled relationship builder who collaborates effectively across teams, develops long‑term internal and external partnerships, and inspires confidence among Board members, donors, and colleagues.
• A compelling communicator with excellent writing and presentation skills, able to synthesize complex information into clear, persuasive messages tailored to multiple audiences.
• A sophisticated development professional with deep knowledge of fundraising programs and strategies, adept at navigating complex institutions, identifying donor alignment, and adapting to rapidly evolving environments.
• A lifelong learner and results‑oriented leader who brings creativity, initiative, and rigor to building scalable development programs.
• Educational background:
  Bachelor’s degree required;
  Master’s degree or related advanced study preferred.

• Design and execute a multi‑year development strategy aligned to Democracy Prep’s Strategic Plan.
• Own and drive multi‑million dollar fundraising targets, including annual and multi‑year goals.
• Build a diversified funding model integrating individual giving, principal gifts, foundations, corporate partnerships, government opportunities, and advocacy initiatives to advance Democracy Prep’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Identify emerging funding opportunities and proactively build high‑capacity donor pipelines.

• Personally manage a focused portfolio of at least 25–40+ high‑capacity prospects.
• Secure six‑figure and select seven‑figure gifts in partnership with the CEO.
• Conduct at least 15–20 strategic cultivation and solicitation meetings annually.
• Build multi‑year stewardship and engagement plans for top‑tier donors.
• Partner with the CEO to source and cultivate Board‑aligned prospects with philanthropic capacity.

• Maintain retention of existing foundation partners.
• Secure at least 3–5 new institutional partnerships annually.
• Lead the preparation and submission of a high volume of grant and foundation applications, ensuring quality, timeliness, and alignment with organizational priorities to maximize funding opportunities.
• Increase foundation revenue year‑over‑year through proactive relationship management.
• Lead strategic grant positioning in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team to maximize network‑wide impact.

• Develop and execute a corporate engagement strategy…