Title: Associate Director of Development, Western Region

Location: Williamsville, NY

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: Senior Director of Development

Compensation: $60,500 - $66,000

Please submit a cover letter, resume to Special Olympics New York, Inc. at Please reference “ADDWR ” in the subject line.

The Special Olympics New York mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing them with ongoing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

Competitive athletes share certain qualities: drive; perseverance; confidence. For athletes with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics New York provides a training ground where those qualities are given room to grow. Special Olympics New York athletes compete on a level playing field and challenge themselves in fair and even competition. They develop character, make friends, and find unknown wells of determination within themselves.

The transformative power of sports to instill confidence, improve health, and inspire a sense of competition is at the core of Special Olympics. Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country, serving more than 42,000 athletes across New York with year-round sports training, athletic competition, and health screenings. The organization also partners with about 250 schools statewide to offer Unified Sports, where students with and without disabilities compete as teammates. All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. The organization has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.com and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, making it one of the most trusted charities in the business nationally.

Special Olympics New York is seeking strategic, mission-focused candidates for the Associate Director of Development position. Successful candidates are relationship builders who are skilled at developing strategies for effective donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and event management. The ideal candidate will meaningfully support fundraising’s full lifecycle with the skills, sensitivity, personality, and experience to contribute to Special Olympics New York's culture of inclusion and collaboration. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the lifeline that Special Olympics provides for athletes and their families, and to help light the fire within New York’s striving, thriving athletes.

The Special Olympics mission remains as vital today as it did when the movement was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Special Olympics New York was incorporated in 1970 and today, Special Olympics New York is the largest program in the United States and one of the largest in the world.

Job Summary: Reporting to the Senior Director, the Associate Director is accountable for building relationships with fundraising volunteers while implementing innovative peer to peer products, such as Polar Plunge to exceed revenue goals. Creates public awareness of Special Olympics in conjunction with other staff and volunteers in the respective region. Seeks to enhance the mission and vision established by the Board of Directors of Special Olympics New York.

Mission Integration:

· Partner with corporations, community organizations, schools and families to effectively communicate Special Olympics New York’s mission, programs, resources and priorities

· Responsible for organizing mission centered, local donor cultivation events and prospecting high-impact donors for stewardship campaigns.

· Inclusion, Unified Sports and the Unified Champion School programming are present and prioritized in the foundation of our core elemental movement, found embedded in our seasonal and annual calendar, and activity. All staff members hold responsibilities collaterally and fundamentally for inclusive mission and the Unified programming.

Fundraising & Relationship Building

· Drive high impact peer to peer fundraising to achieve overall revenue goals

· Provide input into the development of a strategic plan for the peer to peer fundraising products, including revenue, budget, goals and timelines

· Execute innovative strategic plan developed annually and revisited periodically to ensure the team exceeds all revenue goals.

Volunteer Management

· Responsible for the recruitment and cultivation of high-level volunteer committees.

· Responsible for recruiting fundraising volunteers who participate in peer-to-peer fundraising products resulting in revenue growth and achievement of goals.

· Identify and network with constituents and key donors to engage their support of Special Olympics New York fundraising products.

· Develop recruitment plans and actively secure new partners through independent research, prospecting and volunteer relationship building.

· Inclusion, Unified Sports and the Unified Champion School programming are present and prioritized in the foundation of our core elemental movement, found embedded in our seasonal and annual calendar, and activity. All staff members hold responsibilities collaterally and fundamentally for inclusive mission and the Unified programming.

Qualifications:

· A self-starter with outstanding communication skills.

· Ability to successfully engage with a diverse staff and range of donors, volunteers and community members.

· Collaboration skills required to partner with leadership staff, volunteers, families and colleagues involved in the achievement of revenue goals.

· Commitment to equity and inclusion with an inherent drive to work and collaborate with diverse populations

· Ability to work with flexibility in a dynamic team environment and embrace organizational change.

· Proven track record of closing gifts and meeting goals

· Knowledge of the mission and function of Special Olympics New York, including sports training and athletic competition programs are required.

· Commitment to learn and utilize new technologies to improve efficiency and implement strategy.

· Ability to implement Social Media and digital marketing plan.

Education/Experience Requirements: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in a related field or equivalent, planning, marketing or management is preferred. Minimum of one to three years’ experience including knowledge of fundraising campaigns, corporate solicitations, and special events. Experience in a not-for-profit organization in a fundraising role is recommended.

In addition to the responsibilities identified above, may be requested or required to perform other duties and/or responsibilities, by management on a non-regular basis.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Office setting requiring minimal physical effort including standing, bending, walking, sitting for long periods and light lifting (5-30 pounds) for short distances as well as occasional travel.

FLEXIBLE HOURS: Occasional travel and weekend/evening duties are required.

Special Olympics New York is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, neurodiversity, age, parental status, socioeconomic background, military service, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law.