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Location

San Rafael, CA | United States

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Job description

Are you ready to join a team dedicated to making a profound impact on the lives of children living with autism in the Bay Area? At The Helix School, we're on a mission to transform young lives while advancing the state of the art in neurodiversity whole child development. Our method is the difference. We create a fabric of services that tightly integrates therapy and academics. If this sounds like something you are ready to be a part of, read on.

Our Values:

• Quality of life is our bottom line.
• Children with neurodiversity, primarily with an autism diagnosis, deserve to grow to their full potential.
• Being small and focused enables us all to develop and learn more.
• Being tightly integrated and highly coordinated is at our core.
• Meeting our children at their level builds trust.
• Our student’s and parent’s voices matter.

Our Purpose:

How do you change the trajectory of a child? At Helix, we're not here to simply educate; we're here to unlock and nurture a child’s boundless potential. Our vision and mission are built upon the foundation of providing a transformative education experience. We craft a tailored, evidence-based, and integrated curriculum that caters to each child's developmental stage, sensory processing differences, and emotional-regulatory needs.

Our Team:

Join our extraordinary team of passionate educators, occupational and speech therapists, behavioral experts, and mental health professionals who are committed to creating a brighter future for our students. We believe in the power of collaboration and support, ensuring every child's journey is unique and celebrated.

Summary:

As the Development Director, you will be critical in advancing Helix’s mission by designing, implementing, and managing comprehensive fundraising strategies. We are looking for someone who someone who can effectively raise funds, engage various donor communities, and ideate on new ways to grow support. The ideal candidate will have 5-7 years of proven experience in nonprofit fundraising, a deep understanding of donor cultivation and stewardship, and a track record of successfully securing significant financial support. You will work closely with the Executive Director to develop and execute fundraising initiatives that align with Helix’s objectives. This position is part of the Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fundraising Strategy: Develop and execute a strategic fundraising plan that includes individual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, grants, events, and focusing on sustainable revenue growth.
• Donor Cultivation: Identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with current and prospective donors, including individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Grant Writing and Management: Oversee the grant-seeking process, including researching funding opportunities, writing grant proposals, and ensuring compliance with grant requirements.
• Major Gifts: Create and manage a major gifts initiative, including identifying and cultivating major donors, developing customized solicitation strategies, and securing major gifts.
• Board Engagement: Collaborate with the Board of Directors to engage them in fundraising efforts, providing support and guidance to board members in their roles as ambassadors and fundraisers.
• Fundraising Events: Plan and execute fundraising events, including galas, donor receptions, and community outreach events, to raise awareness and financial support for the organization.
• Marketing and Communications: Work closely with the Social Media Consultant and Marketing Consultant to develop fundraising materials, donor communications, and marketing strategies that align with fundraising goals.
• Budget Management: Develop and manage the annual fundraising budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and tracking of expenses.
• Data Management: Oversee the maintenance and accuracy of donor databases and fundraising software to track donor interactions and contributions.
• Reporting and Analysis: Provide regular reports and analysis on fundraising activities, donor engagement, and revenue projections to the Executive Director and Board of Directors.

• Other duties as assigned; some travel, as well as evening and weekend work required.

Required Qualifications:

• 5-7 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising and development, including demonstrable results in major gift solicitation.
• Strong knowledge of fundraising best practices, donor cultivation, and stewardship.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including grant writing and proposal development. Writing samples upon request.
• Proficiency in donor management software and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Commitment to the mission and values of The Helix School.

Other Requirements:

• High level of attention to detail.
• Strong analytical abilities.
• High degree of integrity and confidentiality.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to do whatever it takes.
• Team player who believes that working hard and having fun go hand-in-hand.
• Unrelenting desire to learn and improve your practice.
• Strong skills in a Mac environment and with Google-based applications, including Gmail, Google Drive, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Will have to go through Livescan process and TB clearance.

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Director of Development

Application Process:

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest, qualifications, and fundraising achievements.
• A current resume
• A list of 3-5 professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission).
• Email to Deanna Mayer at [email protected]. Please include "Development Director Application" in the subject line of your email.

The Helix School does not and shall not discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.  These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring, and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.  We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

About The Helix School

The Helix School is a non public school that nurtures the capabilities of children ages 5-22 with autism spectrum disorder in an interdisciplinary, relationship-based educational setting. Our integrated curriculum is tailored to our student’s developmental level, sensory processing differences, and emotional-regulatory needs. At The Helix School, we emphasize motivation, kinesthetic, and sensory-based learning styles. Marjorie McMorris Founder and Board Chair Marjorie provides the foundation, cohesive vision, and oversight for The Helix School. Her passion for helping children with ASD has truly been represented in the one-of-a-kind school that she has created. When founding The Helix School, Marjorie brought together a wide variety of well-respected, highly sought-after individuals who specialize in different areas, but all of whom share the same vision: to change the educational system for kids with learning differences. She has gone above and beyond to provide an environment that looks at best practices, and surpasses the expectations tenfold. As a parent of a child with ASD, Marjorie truly understands the challenges that both children and parents face. Parents want ... to give everything they possibly can to their children to allow them to have the most successful lives possible. Marjorie continuously devotes her time pursuing cutting-edge research, but does not stop there; she then does everything she can to implement these strategies. In addition, she knows that all children, especially children with ASD, do not learn the same way. Therefore, Marjorie knew an individualized curriculum and one-on-one attention would utilize every moment of a child’s day. She saw how important this was early on with her child. The Helix School is designed to give her son the best education possible, which is what she does for every child that attends The Helix School. Marjorie has a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from Spelman College. She is trained in TEACCH Autism Program and Kimochis: Social and Emotional Learning. She is also level 1 certified in Pivotal Response Training. Prior to founding The Helix School, Marjorie was Vice President of Human Resources at Goldman Sachs in New York.

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Job tags

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Salary

$100k - $120k