Director of Development

Title: Director of Development

Location: Wappinger Falls, NY (Hudson Valley Region Office)

Classification: Full-time, Exempt

Reports to: Vice President of Development

Compensation: $62,000 – 75,000

Please submit a cover letter and resume to resumes@nyso.org. Please reference job code "HVDD" in the subject line.

Competitive athletes share certain qualities: drive; perseverance; confidence. For athletes with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics New York provides a training ground where those qualities are given room to grow. Special Olympics New York athletes compete on a level playing field and challenge themselves in fair and even competition. They develop character, make friends, and find unknown wells of determination within themselves

The transformative power of sports to instill confidence, improve health, and inspire a sense of competition is at the core of Special Olympics. Special Olympics New York provides inclusive opportunities for 51,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities to discover and unleash the champion within. Our athletes experience the thrill of competing in authentic sports, finding joy, confidence, and fulfillment on the playing field and in life.

Special Olympics New York is seeking strategic, mission-focused candidates for the Director of Development, position. Successful candidates are relationship builders who are skilled at developing strategies for effective donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and event management. The ideal candidate will meaningfully support fundraising’s full lifecycle with the skills, sensitivity, personality, and experience to contribute to Special Olympics New York's culture of inclusion and collaboration. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the lifeline that Special Olympics provides for athletes and their families, and to help light the fire within New York’s striving, thriving athletes.

Our mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them ongoing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

The Special Olympics mission remains as vital today as it did when the movement was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Special Olympics New York was incorporated in 1970 and today, Special Olympics New York is the largest program in the United States and one of the largest in the world.

The Position: As a frontline fundraiser, the Director of Development, Hudson Valley Region is responsible for several high-profile peer to peer fundraising events, developing corporate and community support for Special Olympics programs. This position focuses on strategically growing current fundraising events, developing key community partnerships and diversifying funding streams aimed at securing the resources needed to grow and support the mission of Special Olympics. Key responsibilities include identifying, cultivating, and stewarding top even-based fundraisers, corporate supporters; collaborating with internal teams, cultivation of relationships with donors and potential donors; creating corporate sponsorship proposals and opportunities; converting high-capacity volunteers to individual giving donors; and effectively tracking and measuring program success.

Director of Development: The Director of Development, will manage several high-profile fundraising events including the polar plunges, the Cycle-Abily Bike Tour, the Law Enforcement Torch Run initiatives, and steward a portfolio of existing corporate donor accounts and proactively identify potential new partners. With expertise in cultivating donor relationships and working with diverse stakeholders, the Director of Development will successfully recruit event participants and teams, volunteers, secure corporate sponsorships and partnerships for SONY events and programs.

Fundraising Events:

● Cultivation of event participants, teams and donors to ensure growth and increased opportunities for premier peer-to-peer fundraising events

● Manage all logistics and safety plans for events

● Work with local media outlets to promote and engage community in all events and program opportunities

● Engage Special Olympic athletes and families in campaigns and events

● Prioritize growth around school-based engagement in fundraising events

● Manage relationships and stewardship of all Law Enforcement Torch Run volunteers

● Manage several retail-based community driven events

Sponsorship:

● Assist in the development and implementation of a comprehensive corporate sponsorship strategy.

● Identify corporate sponsorship programs in the region whose giving priorities align with SONY and develop and implement strategies that steward corporate donors from engagement to ongoing support.

● Create a corporate donor pipeline and execute a plan for sponsorship of programs and events.

● Work with SONY program teams to prepare corporate sponsorship packages, secure corporate sponsorships for events, and develop sponsorship benefits/recognition.

● Ensure that sponsorships are fulfilled appropriately and that all sponsors and corporate partners are recognized and stewarded.

Collaboration and Relationship Building: The Director of Development will use their understanding of the mission and function of Special Olympics New York, including sports training and athletic competition programs, to raise $400,000-$500,000 through fundraising events, community engagement, and corporate contributions. Much of Special Olympics New York’s success is rooted in the strength of collaborative relationships, and so the Director of Development will engage the community to drive increased peer to peer fundraising, sponsorship participation and corporate foundation support.

● Strengthen relationships and regularly engage with existing corporate and individual donors throughout New York
State.

● Recruit, train, manage, and motivate volunteers for participation in specific events and projects.

● Collaborate with development and program staff to determine new relationship to ensure growth of fundraising events, and ensure effective relationship management of key stakeholders, donors and corporate partners.

● Conduct strategic donor outreach and communications, and maintain regular correspondence with all contacts

● Participate in meetings with staff members to cultivate and steward relationships as needed.

● Establish a rapport with volunteers, Special Olympic athletes and families, and colleagues across the organization.

● Seek networking and leadership opportunities in the community and be at ease sharing the mission of Special Olympics New York with others.

● Inclusion, Unified Sports, and the Unified Champion School programming are present and prioritized in the foundation of our core elemental movement, found embedded in our seasonal and annual calendar, and activity. All staff members hold responsibilities collaterally and fundamentally for inclusive mission and Unified programming.

Development Operations & Communications: The Director of Development, Corporate will create a structure to achieve fundraising goals, and take ownership of existing systems and re-engineer them into process-oriented systems. As a compelling communicator, the Director of Development will inspire existing funders and attract new donors.

● Guide and oversee the data collection process and manage the internal donor database.

● Create and maintain development and stewardship calendars for all key stakeholders

● Utilize Blackbaud products to manage online fundraising and communications

● Develop cause-related and sports marketing proposals for commercial enterprises.

● Engage prospects and donors through regular communication, leading and directing all fundraising efforts with compelling cases for support.

● Share new and emerging opportunities for engagement with prospective and current donors.

● Develop and execute a plan for submitting proposals and reports to current and prospective funding sources

● Manage the administration of grants by collecting information from appropriate staff and finance; writing, preparing, and submitting grant proposals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

● Bachelor Degree from an accredited college/university in a related field or equivalent, planning, marketing, or management experience

● Minimum of three years experience in raising income through events, corporate relations, cause-related marketing, and corporate sponsorships.

● Experience in a not-for-profit organization in a fundraising role is recommended.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

● Public presentation capabilities for both small and large groups.

● Operating knowledge of the budgeting process, fund-raising, and public relations operations.

● Strong knowledge of the philanthropy environment in Central NY and the Southern Tier.

● Manage multiple details and priorities while remaining oriented to the “big picture”.

● Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work with a variety of people.

● Strong writing and editing skills, including a thorough command of proper grammar.

● Ability to work independently and cooperatively with efficiency.

● General computer proficiency, competence with Microsoft Office Suite, and working knowledge of Luminate, and Raisers Edge NXT preferred.

● Flexible and patient with changing priorities and deadlines.

Special Olympics New York is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, neurodiversity, age, parental status, socio-economic background, military service, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law.