Student U is a community organization that uses the power of education to build a just and equitable Durham. As a result of structural racism, poverty and other systemic injustices, we acknowledge that first-generation college-bound students face significant personal and institutional obstacles to educational success. We want to change the odds for students in our community.

We empower and equip first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, their families, and educators to become the leaders that will transform our city. Our approach combines three main elements: Our whole-families approach to college access and success programming, our operation of the W.G. Pearson Center in east Durham, and our role in developing and sharing our education best practices to change systems. Our strategic partnerships help parents and students develop the skills they need to shape their futures—in school, at work, and in their communities. Our community shares their knowledge with their peers, advocates for themselves and their classmates, and celebrates our collective achievements as we learn and grow. 

Together, we are creating a Durham where all students succeed.

Employees at Student U believe all students can achieve greatness. Together, through intentional staff collaboration and community partnerships, we work tirelessly to make the fearless dreams of our community come true.

Position Purpose and Value:

The core function of this position is to oversee all development-related activities with the goal of raising $4-6 million in revenue each year while strategically expanding and deepening relationships with Student U investors and prospects. The Development Director will be responsible for developing the strategy and overseeing the daily operations of the development team, which includes an Advancement Writing Associate and consultants as applicable. The Development Director will report directly to the Senior Director of Advancement and will partner closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, the Communications Coordinator, and the Chief Program Officer. This position will also serve on the organization’s Leadership Team. The Development Director will coordinate and often lead meetings with investors and prospects, and will be a representative for the organization both internally and externally.

Student U has grown from operating a $93,000 budget in 2007 to an estimated $5M budget in 2024. This incredible growth has been made possible through generous foundations, corporations, three significant government grants, and individual donors. Now, Student U has completed a Strategic Growth Plan and is ready to launch a robust major gifts program to grow its individual giving while continuing to maintain fundraising levels in its other categories. 

Responsibilities:

Development Strategy and Administration (25%): 

• Design a comprehensive, diversified fundraising plan that aligns with Student U’s strategic growth plan, with clearly defined goals and strategies to meet or exceed annual operating budget and support reserve growth. This development plan will include annual giving, major gifts, special events, corporate sponsorship, foundation relationships, and campaigns when applicable.
• Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the annual development plan, giving strategies, campaign progress, development staff structure, and event outputs and make changes when necessary. 
• Direct Student U’s proposal creation process, ensuring grants and sponsorships are prepared timely, reviewed for accuracy and compellingness, and aligned with Student U’s work and funders’ priorities.
• Work closely with the Leadership Team on identifying areas of highest financial need for the organization.
• Coordinate with the Finance Director on budgets for revenue, cash flow projections/forecasting and ensuring proper grant tracking is in place. 
• Oversee the strategy and implementation of externally-facing site visits and donor-specific meetings. 
• Seek opportunities to represent Student U in the community, particularly at events and with individual donors and foundation representatives. 

Individual Giving Fundraising (50%)

• Maintain a portfolio of major donors and prospects, developing engagement strategies to secure one-time and multi-year commitments in support of organizational fundraising priorities.
• Work closely with the Executive Director, and other Leadership Team members to design the emerging Major Gifts initiative.
• Cultivate authentic relationships with donors using warm, intentional outreach to inspire committed partners to Student U.
• Supervise the administration and continued development of the donor database system, ensuring efficient and accurate recording and acknowledgment of donors.
• Develop and execute a giving plan to cultivate recurring individual giving on a tiered system to created sustainable individual giving with a goal to increase diversified funding for sustainability
• Cultivate a strong Corporate Sponsorship program 

Student U Leadership and Administration (25%)

• Provide visionary leadership and training to the Student U Board and staff to inspire engagement in fundraising activities.
• Serve as a member of the organization’s Leadership Team, providing content-area expertise that informs organization-wide strategy development and implementation.
• Advise the Executive Director on investor engagement strategies, including meeting priorities, preparation, and next steps.
• Present fundraising analysis for the Executive Director, Senior Director of Advancement, Student U staff, and Board of Directors to communicate progress toward annual goals.
• Oversee the daily operations of the exceptional development team (Advancement Writing Coordinator, and consultants and interns as applicable), ensuring all activities are planned and executed in a way that is high-quality, goal-oriented, values-aligned, timely, and effective.
• Support the development team in the annual goal-setting process and conduct quarterly evaluation meetings and annual review processes to ensure goals are in alignment with organizational priorities and team members are consistently receiving constructive feedback, opportunities to grow their skill sets as desired, and support to manage their responsibilities.
• Serve as a member of Student U’s Finance Committee and guide Board efforts as it relates to advancement and fundraising.
• Work with the program team to continuously maintain a clear and complete view of Student U programming and identify areas for greater collaboration 
• Coordinate with the Director of Finance to ensure that proper documentation and reporting are in place to meet all audit requirements for funders and the annual audit. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate demonstrates the following qualities. However, we recognize that talent comes from many backgrounds and experiences. We consider candidates on a case-by-case basis, and we encourage you to apply whether or not you meet all the qualifications:

• Strong people and team management skills.
• A genuine interest in and a passionate commitment to the mission and vision of Student U and the ability to articulate this to various groups of stakeholders
• BA/BS and 5+ years of experience planning, executing, and managing fundraising and development efforts
• A proven track record of identifying, cultivating, and personally soliciting and securing foundation, corporate, and individual gifts (particularly 5 and 6-figure gifts) to meet goals
• A strong knowledge of fundraising best practices
• Prior grant writing experience, preferably working with government grants and contracts
• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to establish strong rapport with donors, Board of Directors, and Student U team members
• Engaging public speaking and presentation skills with the ability to create and deliver clear, persuasive and compelling communications
• High level of integrity, excellent judgment, and the ability to demonstrate optimism, resilience, and adaptability
• High level of initiative, resourcefulness, and productivity with strong organizational and project management skills, exceptional attention to detail, and strong problem-solving skills 
• Proficiency using fundraising donor databases (Student U uses Salesforce), experience with data analytics and marketing, and strong knowledge of computer applications
• Experience effectively managing budgets and tracking and reporting on outcomes
• Willingness and ability to travel and work evenings and weekends as needed to support fundraising efforts
• Prior experience with volunteer leadership and committee leadership
• A sense of humor and willingness to build a relationship-centered culture around fundraising

Benefits and Salary: 

• • This is an in-person position with some flexibility to work from home that requires occasional travel within the Triangle to meet donors and attend events. In a typical week, approximately 75-80% of the work will take place at the W.G. Pearson Center at 600 E. Umstead Street in Durham, NC, and in the community with donors.
  • The salary for this position is $75,000. A comprehensive benefits package is included.
  • This position is eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  

Anti-Discrimination Policy and Commitment to Equity & Child Safeguarding Policy 

• • Student U is committed to fostering an inclusive culture within our organization where people from various backgrounds can participate fully and equitably, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to our mission. We strongly desire to meet candidates who have backgrounds similar to those of the students we serve.
  • Student U has a commitment to ensuring the safety of our students. All staff will participate in the Darkness to Light Training, which is a child safeguarding training to help them understand why it is necessary to safeguard and protect children and to be fully aware of the procedure for reporting concerns.