Director, Mission Advancement

Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Best Buddies is the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower people with IDD to form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also offering support for their families.

Job Title: Director, Mission Advancement

Department: State Operations and Programs

Reports to: State Director 

Salary Range: $65,000

Position Overview:  The Director, Mission Advancement is responsible for building the volunteer infrastructure within the incubation state, developing and implementing state events, securing foundation and/or grant opportunities and the managing of local advisory boards and associated committees.

 Job Requirements – Qualified applicants must have:

• Bachelor’s degree or at least 4 years’ relevant experience in addition to above experience

• 3-5 years of fundraising experience including special events planning and donor cultivation
• 3-5 years’ experience and knowledge of working with volunteers and boards

• Superior persuasive writing and presentation skills with the ability to exert influence, inspire others, and articulate the mission, goals, and activities of Best Buddies with passion and enthusiasm
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, and familiarity/comfort with database management systems (i.e. Summa, BBO, Raisers Edge)
• Superior project management skills - including planning, analysis, decision making, and problem solving - and willingness to multitask
• Superior initiative, drive for results, and self-assessment skills, and ability to lead individuals and teams in setting and achieving challenging goals
• Must be comfortable engaging with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
• Must travel, use personal cell phone, and work evenings and weekends as necessary in order to accomplish job responsibilities
• Access to an automobile with applicable insurance 

Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

Programs

• Works with expansion programs teams to support any local programmatic need and facilitates introduction of new chapter leads or employer partner leads to the appropriate expansion programs support

Development

• Develops and implements comprehensive statewide strategy for securing sustainable funding
• Assumes overall operational management responsibility for all fundraising activities statewide, including, but not limited to, foundation and corporate giving, individual giving, major gifts, special events, annual giving, and alumni/parent relations
• Manages local advisory board, including recruitment, training, and retention of committee and board members; builds structure into expansion board (leadership roles, committees, term limits, etc.) to bring in line with BBI Advisory Board guidelines 
• Identifies, cultivates, and develops volunteers capable of making personal commitments and becoming directly involved in the solicitation process on behalf of Best Buddies - develops and manages stewardship process of all donors, including processing gifts and thank you letters
• Develops and implements major fundraising events to meet revenue goals–must utilize local event committees and follow BBI event committee benchmarks/structure
• Research grant opportunities and cultivates relationships with local funders; works with Grants Manager to determine appropriate grant targets, assists with development of applications and reports, and works directly with the funder to build the local relationship

Marketing

• Develops a comprehensive statewide public awareness strategy, and works with volunteers on its implementation
• Creates a strong presence for Best Buddies in the local area through public speaking, community involvement, public service announcements, social media, special events, news releases, and other media initiatives  
• Develops relationships with local graphic artists, public relations professionals, and advertising agencies to support local need
• Contributes to the organization of content and images for updates on state website and utilizes Bene database appropriately to communicate with participants and the community
• Contributes to the creation and distribution of local newsletters/annual reports and Bene e-newsletters
• Manages state social media pages

Human Resources

• Recruits, trains and supervises program and development staff as budget grows and staffing needs increase

Operations

• Maintains communication with the Senior Director, Expansion with timely reports and other information as directed
• Oversees timely and accurate processing of all revenue and invoices, and maintains accurate records of all donations and excellent donor information through Raisers Edge

Best Buddies® is an affirmative action employer, in addition to an EOE and M/F/V/PWD/PV employer. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational to Best Buddies International’s core values and help the organization continue to achieve its mission. Here at Best Buddies, our goal is to lead and advocate for a more inclusive world.

Best Buddies offers a comprehensive and generous benefits program that include financial security, health and wellness and time off.