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Number of Positions: 1
Director, Development is responsible for designing and executing the Development strategy that will allow City Year to leverage the resources, talents, and skills of the philanthropic sector to build the site and create change in communities across the city.
External Relations: Working closely with the Executive Director, plan the strategy of donor engagement across sectors: private, government, and education (state policy, district funding). Serve as a representative of City Year in the external community attending events on a frequent basis (may include travel, and evening and weekend events). Build meaningful relationships that result in securing both monetary and in-kind multi-year support for City Year.
Implement Growth Campaign: Work with the Executive Director to develop, plan, and implement a campaign to allow for City Year’s continued growth throughout Buffalo. Additionally, add development capacitates to execute against City Year’s Long Term Impact goals.
Individual Giving Program Development: Develop innovative strategies to promote individual giving to City Year. Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of current and future major donors. Refine City Year Giving Circles initiatives and increase participation with individual donor gifts of $10,000+. Work directly with the Executive Director to ensure annual Advisory Board giving is 100%.
Board Management and Engagement: Work with the Executive Director to manage the Board throughout the year and during quarterly Board meetings. Maintain engagement both financially and otherwise to ensure Board retention and satisfaction. Co-Chair the Advisory Board’s Development Committee ensuring board and staff alignment on all development related initiatives, including events and the annual gala.
Corporate and Foundation Management: Establish corporate and foundation strategy, and support the regional grant writer with the management of relationships and communication with City Year’s corporate foundation funders. Work to increase corporate and foundation multi-year gifts.
Fundraising Events: Work with the Development Consultant and the Executive Director in managing special events to raise the awareness of City Year; fundraise and engage individuals, foundations, and corporations as champions and donors. Events include but are not limited to: City Year Buffalo’s Annual Gala, Specialty Market Events, and Private Receptions.
City Year Culture: Represent, respect, and role model City Year organizational culture and values on a daily basis internally as a member of the site Senior Leadership Team and externally as a representative of the organization. Help share the mission of City Year locally to increase brand awareness in the community.
Organizational Management: Help shape organizational strategy and play a leadership role in implementing the site’s local operating and multi-year strategic plan as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Work collaboratively with other site departments on a frequent basis and with City Year’s national headquarters in Boston. Collaborate with local and national colleagues in ensuring accurate maintenance of records and donor information in the SalesForce database and in local network and paper files.
Salary expectations:
$70,000 - $78,000 commensurate with experience.
Full-time employees will be eligible for all benefits including vacation, sick days and organization holidays. You may participate in all benefit programs that City Year establishes and makes available to eligible employees, under (and subject to all provisions of) the plan documents that govern those programs. Currently, City Year offers medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment and disability coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and other benefits including 401(k) plan(s) pursuant to the terms and conditions of company policy and the 401(k) plan document. For more information, click here.
Employment at City Year is at-will.
City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas.

City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of leaders. City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.
A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa.