Development Associate Director

“If we can get one child adopted into a loving family, all our work will be worth it.”
– Dave Thomas
 
Join us as we champion our mission to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. We’ve helped to find safe, permanent homes for more than 15,000 young people across the United States and Canada, but our mission is not complete. Invest your career in making a difference and join the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s team.  
 
We offer a supportive workplace where you can make an impact. We are dedicated to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable work environment for Foundation staff, while advocating for measurable change toward racial equity within the child welfare system.
 
We are seeking outstanding talent to support our mission. This position is based in Dublin, Ohio and reports to the director, development. The associate director, annual giving leads the execution of a high-volume, results-driven annual fund program focused on individual gifts up to $10,000 in support of the Foundation’s comprehensive philanthropic program. This role drives both digital and print campaigns, directs donor relations and stewardship initiatives and cultivates prospective annual giving leaders to grow and diversify funding in collaboration with external partners. If you excel at growing annual giving programs, leveraging digital strategies and bringing fresh ideas to stewardship, this role offers the chance to make a significant impact.

Key Deliverables:

1. Lead multi-channel mid-level giving program, ensuring donor strategies align with the Foundations long-term fundraising goals

•  Partner with director, development to cultivate mid-level donors, manage prospect strategies, and build relationships that drive engagement and support successful funding opportunities
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal stakeholders to implement strategies for funding opportunities that best deliver the mission with the desired outcomes for both the Foundation and funders; prepare and present proposals, as appropriate
• Develop and maintain internal progress and summary reports to monitor effectiveness of prospective gift pipeline from identification through stewardship; analyze results and make strategic adjustments, as appropriate

 
2. Manages digital fundraising and annual giving strategies    

• Manage and execute an integrated direct mail and digital fundraising strategy including appeals, acquisition, renewal campaigns to drive donor acquisition, retention and funding programs; manage external agency partners as needed and analyze results to make strategic adjustments
• Manage and execute the monthly giving and donor sustainer programs
• Coordinate and expand the payroll deduction and emerging giving platform initiatives, including crypto currency, partnering with internal and external stakeholder

3. Lead a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program

• Manage all donor stewardship activities including acknowledgements, recognition, and special initiatives aligned with organizational giving levels, ensuring a consistent and personalized donor experience

 
What You Bring:

• Undergraduate degree in a related field
• A minimum of 6 years’ experience in midlevel giving, with at least 3 years’ direct fundraising experience in a non-profit environment
• Annual fund, direct mail and digital fundraising experience required
• Demonstrated knowledge of fundraising strategies, specifically around annual giving, digital engagement and direct mail programs to grow long-term donor relationships
• Solution-oriented mindset, drives toward clarity and continuous improvement; demonstrates strong critical thinking, good judgment and complex problem-solving abilities with close attention to detail and the ability to synthesize information quickly

 
Our Benefits
 
At the Foundation, our team is committed to providing unwavering dedication to change the journey for children lingering in foster care. We value each member of our team and we are committed to taking care of you. Beyond joining our talented team and the opportunity to make a difference, we are proud to offer our employees a competitive compensation and benefits program, including:
 

• Flexible, hybrid schedule arrangement for most positions allowing employees to choose to work from home up to two days a week
• First day of hire medical, dental and vision insurance coverage for you and your family
• Employer-funded health reimbursement account (HRA). The HRA is a tax-advantaged account, funded solely by the employer to help you pay for medical expenses.  
• Employer-paid basic life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability
• Eligibility for a 403(b)-retirement match program up to 5% after the first year of employment
• Adoption-Friendly Workplace providing financial benefits and paid time off for adoptive parents
• Generous paid time off, including paid holidays, paid personal, vacation and sick days as well as parental leave, adoption leave and foster care leave
• A connected team environment that embraces a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Career advancement opportunities and continued education
• A comprehensive offering of additional voluntary benefits!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, religious beliefs, political affiliation, creed, HIV/AIDS status, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, familial status, veteran/military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, prior arrest or any other category protected by applicable law. Any employee who engages in such conduct is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.