Category: Executive Level

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development and Partnerships (DDP) is responsible for cultivating, maintaining, and expanding strategic partnerships with external stakeholders to amplify Friends of the Rail Park’s (FRP) impact and reach.

The DDP must bring a high level of competency related to individual giving, foundation giving, event planning, and corporate giving, with a demonstrated track record of success developing relationships that generate revenue for mission-based organizations.

In addition to having direct involvement with a wide array of individual and institutional supporters, the DDP has substantial contact with the organization’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board. This position reports directly to the Executive Director and is an active member of the organization’s leadership team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Lead a coordinated and comprehensive resource development strategy that includes
  • Developing and executing comprehensive strategies for engaging donors across a dynamic $1M pipeline.
  • Emphasizes diversification among corporations and private funders aligning with Friends of the Rail Park’s fundraising goals and strategic priorities.
  • Prepares regular revenue projection reports, monthly dashboards, and develops an annual fund development budget.
  • Coordinates and works collaboratively with key staff members to meet with and cultivate donors.
  • Stewards and grows a robust membership based Friends program.
  • Developing effective cases for support for organizational priorities in support of the FRP’s strategic framework and initiatives.
  • Overseeing a broad-based annual giving program targeting existing and new members.

• Coordinate a robust annual calendar of development and engagement events including
  • Bi-annual meetings of the Board of Directors
  • High-quality donor experiences through face-to-face cultivation, solicitation and stewardship meetings, professional proposals, and timely acknowledgments
  • Tours and other special events at the Park
  • Virtual and hybrid programs to cultivate and identify new donors
  • Other events as determined by programmatic needs, such as donor-funded programs and campaign-specific events.

• Relationship Management
  • Create individual strategies and goals for each prospect in the portfolio, in line with FRP priorities, based on the donor’s history of giving and the organization’s knowledge of the prospect’s capacity
  • Cultivates and maintain relationships with corporate leaders, foundation executives, and program officers, drawing from existing networks and experiences, to identify funding opportunities and establish mutually beneficial partnerships
  • Work with Committee Chair and executive director to leverage Development Committee in service of partnerships and organizational goals

• Stewardship, Compliance, and Reporting
  • Ensure timely and accurate reporting to corporate and foundation donors on the impact of their contributions, drawing from expertise in stewardship practices to cultivate long-term partnerships and continued support
  • Develop and manage the budget for corporate and foundation relations activities to ensure resources are allocated effectively to support strategic priorities and fundraising goals.
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and ethical standards governing fundraising activities, applying knowledge of fundraising principles, ethics, and best practices to maintain transparency and integrity

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Reporting to the Executive Director, The Director of Community Development (DCD) supports the development and execution of Friends of the Rail Park’s (FRP) equitable development strategy. The DCD’s role is to manage the strategy, planning process, and implementation of the Rail Park Equitable Development Agenda, and where appropriate, at the discrete project and program level. The DCD will interface heavily with FRP staff, board and committees, various place-based and interest-based communities, funders, government agencies, anchor institutions, and other stakeholders.

The DCD reports directly to the Executive Director and will have supervisory responsibility for interns, project managers, and consultants, as well as administrative and project management functions related to planning activities. In partnership with the Executive Director, the DCD will lead and manage programming and community outreach to advance The Rail Park’s mission and achieve strategic goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Equitable Development Plan Project Management

• Manage RFP process and consultant contracting
• Mange consultant team, including setting milestones, coordinating and scheduling project team meetings, overall project plan management and associated tasks, and holding consultants and stakeholders accountable for completing them
• Capturing and organizing all incoming project communications and reporting them to FRP staff and board as needed; developing status reports for relevant stakeholder groups
• Performing quality control on the project throughout development to maintain the standards expected

Stakeholder Outreach & Partnership Development

• Working with FRP staff, committees and board, cultivate new partnerships with nonprofits, institutions, businesses, and government agencies to create and implement the Equitable Development Plan (EDP)
• Develop and manage Equitable Development Plan Advisory Board
• Manage on-going community outreach efforts for the EDP including regular public presentations to community groups, business owners, funders and government officials

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