Director of Development- Kansas City, MO

About Our Organization:

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the  youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924  today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 8,500 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

Position Summary: The Director of Development will serve as a compelling ambassador for Youth Guidance Kansas City. In close partnership with the Executive Director, the Director will lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy to sustain and scale the organization’s programs. This role will leverage Youth Guidance’s national reputation and local impact to build donor relationships and expand government contracts and philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Director will also work collaboratively with the Executive Director to strengthen the local Advisory Council’s engagement, generating increased resources, visibility, and partnerships that advance the organization’s work in Kansas City. The position is hybrid; working in the office and in the community. The position reports to the Director of New Site Development, with a dotted-line relationship to the Executive Director of Kansas City.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develop, oversee and direct the implementation of the Youth Guidance Kansas City annual development plan and annual fundraising goals and targets that achieve funding sustainability and growth; Monitor fundraising results and report progress to the Director of New Site Development and Executive Director on a monthly basis.
• Partners with the Executive Director to engage with key champions, including Youth Guidance Kansas City Advisory Council members, to leverage networks for connections that grow resources, visibility, and strategic partnerships.
• Manages the Kansas City Advisory Council by supporting the Executive Director and Advisory Council Chair in organizing quarterly meetings, developing meeting agendas, organizing member engagement opportunities and optimizing member fundraising activities.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation, corporate and individual prospects and donors, strategically moving each relationship to and through solicitation; Maintain and strengthen relationships with current and past donors.
• Oversee government relations efforts to mobilize public sector leaders as champions of Youth Guidance Kansas City and unlock public resources to support services.
• Oversee and manage the Kansas City grants calendar by enhancing processes and procedures to ensure a collaborative and timely approach for proposal and budget creation, prospecting, grant submission, ongoing engagement, and reporting.
• Completes ongoing prospect research to identify viable local funding opportunities.
• Lead Kansas City donor engagement and cultivation activities and support the Executive Director in strategic engagement with funders.
• Maintain current knowledge of the local operating and philanthropic context, including education and political landscapes, as well as trends in the field of youth development.
• Develop effective partnerships with the Senior Leadership Team and staff across programmatic and administrative departments to design and fulfill annual fundraising strategy and goals.
• Partner with the Marketing & Communications team on strategy and execution of an annual communications plan that tells our organizational story and elevates the impact of the organization’s Kansas City programming in a compelling way.
• Maximize use of Salesforce (Client Relationship Management) database with a focus on moves management and annual giving processes.
• Participate in team meetings, agency training, and staff development.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional fundraising experience with a superior record of achievement in complex, mission-driven organizations. Experience in youth development, human services, and/or K-12 education sectors preferred.
• Experience engaging and partnering with Kansas City area funders and community-based organizations preferred.
• Experience operating in a collaborative development environment and in planning and leading successful initiatives and projects from concept through planning and execution.
• Solid understanding of comprehensive fundraising programs, including individual, foundation, corporate, and special events.
• Experience working with volunteers to leverage fundraising efforts.
• Experience in leveraging a fundraising Client Relationship Management (CRM) system to drive moves management tactics and strategy. Salesforce experience is a plus.
• Superior writing skills with the ability to write effectively to produce written material, including grant proposals, organizational reports, briefs, fact sheets, and PowerPoint presentations.
• Proven experience in building relationships and effectively working internally and across teams in a hybrid office environment.

Skills/Abilities

Demonstrates Youth Guidance Core Competencies:

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity; consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if change is required; demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn
• Supervisory skills: Effectively manages and develops others, ensuring delivery of high-quality work
• Mission driven: Demonstrates commitment to the mission of the organization as a whole and alignment with organizational values

Demonstrates Youth Guidance Leadership Competencies:

• External representation and relationship building: An ability to form and maintain strong, trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Leads with vision: Has an inspiring vision for the future of the organization, beyond the status quo, and communicates it effectively; leads with courage and willingness to take risks in service of impact.
• Develops and motivates others: Motivates others and supports their development through strong coaching and mentoring. Effectively stewards self and others through both small- and large-scale change.
• Manages with data: Understands data; analyzes data and identifies insights and implications
• Strategic thinking and resource management: Considers the future of the organization proactively and responsively; weighs diverse inputs to inform strategies; identifies innovative opportunities when relevant; makes and communicates decisions that effectively balance tradeoffs.
• Team building: Builds strong relationships with teams and colleagues; fosters effective teams and collaborative efforts.

Physical Demands                                    

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• This is a hybrid position that requires regular local travel. The employee must be able to reliably transport themselves to internal and external meetings, community events, and engagements with external partners.
• Essential functions of this position are performed in a variety of settings and may involve tasks that require communication across multiple formats (in person, virtually, and in writing). The role may include periods of activity such as moving between locations or performing tasks at a desk. Typical responsibilities may involve using a computer, writing, or handling materials. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits:

Youth Guidance offers a competitive benefit package for eligible full-time employees including the option to participate in medical, dental, and vision plans as well as short-term disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, pet insurance, 401k, a wellness program and more. You may also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Compensation: 

$82,000 -$95,000

Pay is determined by your educational background and relevant professional experience. 

Our Values 

At Youth Guidance, we believe that creating a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected is fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We acknowledge that many systems and institutions intended to support youth do not provide fair treatment or access for everyone. We strive to celebrate the unique qualities of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences.  

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer. Youth Guidance does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.