Democrats for Education Reform

Director

• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual and multi-year fundraising plan targeting revenue growth from diverse sources, including 501(c)(3) foundations and individual donors, 501(c)(4) contributors, Federal PAC contributions, and political bundling.
• Collaborate with the President and senior leadership to ensure fundraising strategies align with DFER's organizational priorities and multi-year growth targets.
• Build and steward a robust portfolio of major donors, foundations, political stakeholders, and institutional partners to secure long-term financial support for DFER's work.
• Identify and cultivate new donor prospects, expanding DFER's network across both the philanthropic and political funding ecosystems.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a development team of one full-time director and two part-time staff, setting clear goals and supporting professional growth.
• Create a culture of accountability and high performance within the development function, ensuring the team meets aggressive revenue targets.
• Establish and maintain strong systems, workflows, and use of CRM tools to maximize team efficiency and donor relationship tracking.
• Lead stewardship of high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and political stakeholders, ensuring donors are engaged, informed, and invested in DFER's mission.
• Ensure timely, compelling donor communications including impact reports, grant reports, acknowledgments, and updates.
• Oversee the planning and execution of high-profile fundraising events, including donor cultivation events, galas, and candidate fundraisers.
• Partner with the Director of Finance & Operations to ensure strong cash flow management, timely financial reporting to donors, and compliance with grant and donor restrictions.
• Collaborate with the communications team to align messaging across fundraising materials, ensuring consistency with DFER's national brand and mission narrative.
• Track and report on fundraising metrics, pipeline health, and outcomes to the President and Board on a regular basis.
• Partner with the President to engage the Board of Directors in fundraising, including board member cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship support.
• Prepare and present development reports for Board meetings, providing clear updates on revenue performance, pipeline, and strategy.
• Contribute to senior leadership discussions on organizational strategy, resource allocation, and long-term growth planning.
• Represent DFER at external conferences, donor convenings, and public forums to advance the organization's mission and expand its philanthropic network.

Senior Director of Development

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Lead efforts to manage the organization's financial resources, supporting its commitment to advancing its mission through strategic fiscal planning, strong financial reporting and analysis.
• Sustain robust financial systems and internal controls to safeguard assets, ensure compliance, and provide accurate and timely financial data to support strategic decision-making.
• Provide strategic financial guidance and support to the executive leadership team, department heads, and program staff on budgeting, forecasting, and fiscal management.
• Lead the annual audit and 990 preparation process, serving as the primary liaison with external auditors.
• Sustain organizational operations, including IT hardware and technology tools, along with contract management.
• Lead all aspects of human resources, including benefits, compensation strategy, recruitment, hiring, onboarding, offboarding, investigations, maintaining and implementing policies.
• Manage a team of staff and consultants: FT staff accountant (1), PT HR Director (1), PT HR Manager (1), along with various consultants (example: external auditors, IT consultant).

Senior Director of Development

Director of Finance and Operations