Development Director

ABOUT UNBOUNDED 

We are a team of former classroom teachers, district and school leaders, curriculum writers, and education experts unified by our desire to see every student thrive in school.

Our commitment to every learner unites us. UnboundEd works side-by-side with teachers, coaches, principals, and district leaders to ensure every student has access to grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful — GLEAM™ — instruction. By cultivating the mindsets, knowledge, and skills at the heart of truly transformative teaching and learning, we can break the predictability of historic achievement patterns so all kids thrive. 

In 2023, UnboundEd joined forces with Pivot Learning and CORE Learning to expand our offerings and drive long-needed changes in instruction, especially in the highest-need schools. 

ROLE SUMMARY 

The Development Director is the primary driver of the planning and execution of UnboundEd's fundraising efforts, securing philanthropic support to enhance financial sustainability and drive programmatic growth. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Development, this role is responsible for stewarding donor relationships, developing high-quality grant proposals, managing post-grant award activities, and aligning development strategies with UnboundEd's mission to deliver field-leading professional learning opportunities. The Development Director works collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, integrating fundraising initiatives with broader organizational goals to achieve annual revenue targets and foster long-term organizational sustainability. 

UnboundEd is a virtual organization, and this employee can be based anywhere in the United States. UnboundEd has core business hours, during which we expect all staff to be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, and 10% travel is required. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

Fundraising Strategy and Research 

• Collaborate with SVP, CEO, and President to develop and sustain a fundraising strategy that will support the achievement of UnboundEd’s mission and vision and organizational goals, and aligns with funder priorities. 

• Stay abreast of trends and emerging priorities in the education and philanthropy sectors to inform donor prospecting, cultivation strategies, and development planning. 

• Research and evaluate funder priorities and grant opportunities that align with UnboundEd’s mission/vision, strategic priorities, and programmatic goals.

Grant Prospecting and Proposal Development 

• Prepare briefs, memos, presentations, and supporting materials to enable senior leaders to cultivate donor relationships effectively. 

• Collaborate with the SVP, CEO, President, and other leaders in funder meetings for new/existing grants, including developing agendas, presentation decks, providing data, documenting and developing next steps/project plans during the meeting, etc. 

• Drive next steps during the prospecting process. This includes crafting and submitting high-quality, compelling concept memos, letters of intent, grant proposals, etc. that clearly communicate UnboundEd’s impact, innovation, and alignment with funder priorities while adhering to requirements and deadlines. 

Grant Reporting and Management 

• Collaborate with colleagues to develop and oversee detailed cross-functional project plans and workflows to ensure timely delivery of key outcomes and deliverables. 

• Monitor grant timelines, and collaborate with grant careholders to track progress toward grant objectives. Meet ongoing with the finance team, research team, marketing and communications team   to gather information needed for grant proposals and reports.  

• Prepare timely, accurate grant reports that demonstrate outcomes and accountability. Strengthen relationships with existing donors through consistent, meaningful engagement, tailored updates, and impact reporting. 

• Collaborate with SVP, CEO, and President and other leaders to continue to align fundraising initiatives with organizational goals, ensuring seamless integration with programmatic and operational priorities. 

Project and Data Management 

• Collaborate with the internal Salesforce team to develop and iterate on rollout of Salesforce. Maintain and manage fundraising data in CRM systems, ensuring accuracy and accessibility for strategic use, transparency, and accountability. 

• Leveraging Asana, collaborate to develop comprehensive, data-driven fundraising plans. Monitor and analyze fundraising progress against goals, adjusting strategies based on performance data to achieve desired outcomes. Manage a calendar of all grant deliverables and related work.

• Create comprehensive reports on fundraising progress, donor engagement, and revenue forecasts to regularly inform leadership and enhance planning. 

Other related duties and projects as assigned. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field (e.g., education, public administration, nonprofit management) required. 

• At least 5 years of demonstrated expertise in nonprofit fundraising with a proven track record of securing major gifts and meeting revenue targets. Includes preparing grant proposals, developing strong grant reports, and executing successful fundraising strategies to meet revenue goals. 

• Strong understanding of fundraising principles, cultivation, proposal development, and grant management. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences of funders.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience managing donor data and leveraging CRM systems to inform strategic decisions. 

• Demonstrated proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), project management systems (Asana), and collaboration tools such as Google Workspace.Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize deadlines and deliver high-quality outputs.

• Commitment to UnboundEd’s organizational values and a deep learning orientation toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

• Collaborative and team-oriented, with a history of working effectively across functions and contributing to organizational goals.

UnboundEd offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and education and a generous benefits package that includes take-as-you-need vacation time, group medical, dental, and vision plans, disability and life insurance plans, and an employer-sponsored 401K retirement plan with a 5% employer contribution and no vesting period. The annual salary hiring range for this position is $105,900 to $125,000.  UnboundEd bases compensation offers on relevant years of experience, internal equity, and company budgets. Because of our strong commitment to equity and growth, UnboundEd does not negotiate compensation offers.