Development Director

Position Summary:

Music for Minors (MFM) seeks a dynamic, high-energy, experienced fundraising professional who is passionate about the education and music. Your enthusiasm and professionalism, paired with our strong programs, excellent community reputation, and engaged staff, board, and constituents will provide the key elements for impactful philanthropic engagement. You will join MFM at a unique time in its successful institutional history as it continues to professionalize and expand its fundraising efforts. In recent years, MFM has effectively created a seamless culture of philanthropy, resulting in a progressive achievement in contributions and donor loyalty from an impressive portfolio of supporters. The Development Director plays a key collaborative role to ensure the necessary resources that enable MFM to achieve its top priority of providing equitable access to music education through subsidized programs in marginalized communities.  

The Development Director reports to the Executive Director and has primary responsibility for planning, management and implementation of the Music for Minors fundraising efforts in the areas of individual (annual) giving, major gifts, institutional giving, corporate sponsorship, special events and projects associated with strategic initiatives. In addition, the position will manage partnerships with other community groups or organizations who are raising money on behalf of MFM.

The  Development Director will lead and manage fundraising efforts in conjunction with our strategic plan goals to build capacity; develop and implement both annual and long-range plans to broaden our funding base with emphasis on donor cultivation and stewardship; work collaboratively to research and identify potential funding resources; develop departmental policies, procedures, financial reports and projections; develop appropriate messaging and  communications materials; serve as a member of the senior management team. The annual budget for Music for Minors is $1.5M, of which $400,000 is contributed annually to the organization’s programs. The new Development Director will be expected to help raise approximately $500,000 in the first year from new and continuing supporters.

Music for Minors seeks an individual with at least 5-7 years of solid development experience. Your skill set includes:

• Being a long-range planner who is creative and adept at tactics
• Being a supportive, caring and kind leader with the ability to motivate others
• Being a great listener and a people person
• Being a strong strategist who is goal oriented
• Being self-disciplined, a self-starter
• Being articulate, persuasive, convincing with the ability to inspire action
• You honestly like people and love the work

Specific Responsibilities Include:

Development Administration – 30%

• Design and implement annual fundraising plan.
• With Executive Director and Board Development Committee, set, implement, monitor and meet contributed income goals of the annual budget. Advise and help guide annual fundraising training for Board and staff.
• Contribute to strategies around appropriate financial models to support organization goals to reach under-resourced communities.
• Prepare regular monthly reports for presentation to Board of Trustees.

• Manage and support the work of the Board's Development Committee.
• Supervise and evaluate the work of development staff and contracted development personnel. (a .5 FTE Development Specialist, a .5 Development Associate (to be hired), and .25 FTE Manager of Grants and Special Events).
• Evaluate development activities and donor benefits annually with Executive Director and chair of the Development Committee.
• Supervise production and distribution of written, printed, and virtual development materials.
• Responsible for data management, oversight and analysis; ability to interpret data to inform strategic decisions.
• Work closely with Communications Manager to provide timely information to engage donors that leverages the organization’s good work utilizing newsletters, calendars, press releases and other publicity and public relations efforts.

Individual Giving – 50%

• Develop, oversee and evaluate individual giving campaigns, including direct mail, personal solicitation, phone solicitation efforts, and special events to meet annual goals.
• Maintain a portfolio of at least 75 major gift prospects and assist in managing the Executive Director’s portfolio and Trustee Member solicitations.
• Establish and build personal relations with key institutional and individual major donors.
• Work with Board of Trustees to identify opportunities for them to cultivate, steward and solicit donors in their networks.
• Utilize scenario planning and predictive modeling to interpret the big picture.
• Interpret data from wealth screening to identify the best prospects.
• Supervise maintenance of giving records and assure timely gift acknowledgments.
• Ensure that all donor benefits promised in a given year are delivered.

Institutional Giving – 10%

• Supervise grant writing, research, preparation and reporting to corporate and foundation resources working with a staff grant writer.

Administration – 10%

• Participate as a member of MFM’s senior administrative management team.
• Meet regularly with Program and Communications staff to share ideas and opportunities for collaborative activities and projects.
• Communicate regularly and clearly with staff about development plans, news and future directions.
• Participate in organizational long-range planning.
• Attend staff meetings
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Director.

Minimum Requirements: B.A. or B.S. degree and 5-7 years progressive development experience, two years of  demonstrated success in a senior level development role; CFRE a plus; a passion for achievement; a focus on results; proven success in management of annual campaigns and major donor solicitation; planned giving experience desirable; supervisory and management experience related to development; excellent communication skills and proficient computer skills; Salesforce experience preferred; commitment to mission of Music for Minors; value working in a diverse workplace.

Salary $75k-$95K annually

Employer contributed health insurance plan

10 paid holidays, 10 days PTO, 3 sick days

Simple IRA contribution

About Music for Minors

Music for Minors (MFM) is a nonprofit with over 40 years of expertise in elementary school music education. Our mission is to nurture in children a lifelong love of music. Operating in the San Francisco Bay Area, our services provide 15,000-20,000 students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade with a program of diverse, high-quality musical experiences that is:

• Engaging and participatory
• Based on state music education standards
• A foundation for further choral and instrumental music education
• Cost-effective (regardless of district/school resources)

The MFM curriculum is sequential, standards based and culturally diverse and includes visual aids, props, and instruments. Lesson elements offer singing, listening, reading, theory, movement, dancing, and playing rhythm instruments and recorders.

To address the continual disparity in access to necessary programs in marginalized communities, MFM commits to an organizational priority of at least 50% of our reach in targeted regions of need. In addition, by nature of our program delivery, MFM provides training, professional development and jobs to a growing number of teaching artists around the Bay Area, contributing to the overall creative economy.

With three-fold service growth in the past decade, MFM boasts the reassurance that quality and affordable solutions for music education can be met. Our new strategic plan, slated to launch in late 2021, will focus on sustainable growth, outreach to a broader community, and further our innovation and thought leadership through key industry initiatives. 

All submissions MUST include a cover letter and current resume. All applications and inquiries will receive a response and be kept strictly confidential. Music for Minors is an Equal Opportunity Employer.