Overview:    

Explora seeks a Director of Development and External Relations for a wide variety of duties related to fundraising, donor cultivation and solicitation, grant writing, capital campaign management, membership, and internal/external communications. This Director will provide leadership and supervision for a team of 3-5 staff responsible for effort in these areas, working closely with the co-executive director to develop goals and strategy and with other departments to ensure proper coordination with varying clients and needs. The Director will share responsibility for meeting the organization’s annual fundraising and membership goals and will coordinate and facilitate fundraising programs from inception to participant appreciation; lead special event planning and execution; network and create relationships with members, donors, and prospective donors; oversee scheduling and submission of grants; identify new grant opportunities for the organization and determine their priority; conduct meetings with donors; cultivate major gifts; steer the organization’s capital campaign; oversee publications and advertising; and more. The Director will work closely with Explora’s senior leadership team, Board of Directors, and other development staff to carry out a broad-based fundraising plan targeting individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies to support Explora’s annual goals.

Qualifications:    

Must have three to five years of fundraising experience relevant to the responsibilities above, including proven experience in securing major gift support and exceptional written language skills, as well as:

● Demonstrated success managing a donor/client portfolio

● Demonstrated success at hosting fundraising events

● Demonstrated success with large grants, including state and federal grants

● Solid personnel management experience and the ability to contribute to a team 

● Strong working knowledge of the Google office suite, Excel, and database management software 

● Proven command of editorial, grammatical, writing skills, and techniques

● Experience managing competing priorities and multiple deadlines

● Experience with external communication pieces and collateral

● Ability to work both independently and with a team

● Initiative to establish and maintain effective interpersonal relationships with Explora employees, volunteers, visitors, donors, and community partners

● Well-developed organizational skills, time management skills, and attention to detail 

● Expressed interest in scientific and artistic phenomena and in education

● Exceptional verbal and written communication skills

Job Responsibilities:    

1. Manages and organizes all aspects of the organization’s fundraising/development plan, including pipelines, prospect tracking, strategy, task assignment, maintenance of timelines, and gift processing and technical aspects of the function;

2. Researches, identifies, and evaluates potential contributors (businesses, corporations, individuals, foundations) through examination of past records, individual and corporate contacts, and knowledge of community;

3. Develops and carries out all necessary strategies to solicit funds and maintain ongoing relationships with donors;

4. Works with the development team on identification, direction, and explanation of fundraising priorities; 5. Develops forecasts and analysis, and reviews, interprets, and implements budget projections; 6. Handles mid-level, moderately complex gift prospects, with the intent of cultivating, sustaining, and increasing donor relationships;

7. Works daily to ensure timely, accurate completion of proposals, pledges, and fund agreements; 8. Documents prospect strategies and contact reports;

9. Works with staff to organize, plan, and coordinate annual and seasonal appeals and fundraising events to support ongoing programming;

10. Plans and implements programs that include measurable targets for each fiscal year (e.g., personal visits, stewardship activities, solicitations);

11. Works with development and finance teams to ensure that data related to giving is recorded and tracked and prepares monthly fundraising dashboards for presentation to the board and senior staff;

12. Participates in solicitations, along with co-executive directors;

13. Oversees membership program to meet organization’s goals for membership revenue, attendance, renewal and utilizations rates, and more;

14. Oversees the organization’s publications, marketing, and internal/external relations efforts to craft a coherent story about Explora’s impact and to help meet annual attendance and revenue goals; 15. Works independently and as a member of a team;

16. Travels to partner organizations, vendors, networking events, and meetings;

17. Provides excellent customer service both internally and externally;

18. The duties and responsibilities outlined above do not comprise a comprehensive list but are intended to provide a representation of the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this capacity. Explora maintains the right to augment or delete duties and responsibilities as business dictates.