Erika’s Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression is a non-profit organization committed to raising awareness about mental health and teen depression in grades 4-12 at no cost to schools. Erika’s Lighthouse works to eliminate the stigma surrounding depression and empower young people to take ownership of their mental health. Visit erikaslighthouse.org for more information.

Erika’s Lighthouse has grown substantially over the past three years. The organization has more than quadrupled its annual revenue, with increases across every fundraising campaign, from $500k/year to over $2M. The organization’s strategic plan, Vision 2025, has been wildly successful. An early plan for a 2030 strategic plan calls for a continued approach with substantial increases in revenue. By 2030 Erika’s Lighthouse will be an $8M+/year organization. This position has the opportunity to significantly impact growth and drive Erika’s Lighthouse as an even more prominent national thought-leader.

The Director of Development is a dynamic, creative, and driven individual in a leadership position, with a direct reporting relationship to the Executive Director. The Director of Development will manage and enhance existing diversified development and engagement plans needed to strengthen the organization’s overall fundraising capacity and sustainability. They will provide strategic leadership to diversify, strengthen and grow Erika’s Lighthouse base of support with a focus on individual, corporate and foundation donors. The ideal candidate must be relationship-focused with experience securing corporate support. The position will oversee a development team of 2 FTEs, including a Donor Engagement Manager, Fundraising Manager and a newly-hired, contracted grant writer. This candidate should have a passion for the mission of raising awareness about adolescent depression. Benefits are provided with a salary range of $90,000-130,000, 3% of salary retirement match, health insurance, and competitive time off. A clear set of metrics is provided to earn annual raises up to 7.5% annually.

Core Competencies

• Fostering Teamwork: As a team member, the ability and desire to work cooperatively with others on a team; as a team leader, the ability to demonstrate interest, skill, and success in getting groups to learn to work together.
• Managing Performance: The ability to take responsibility for one’s own or one’s employees’ performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly. 
• Results Orientation: The ability to focus on the desired result of one’s own or one’s unit’s work, setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.
• Initiative: Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to analyze the organization’s competitive position by considering market and industry trends, existing and potential customers (internal and external), and strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors.

Responsibilities

Development Strategy (50%)

• Provide Erika’s Lighthouse with strong, creative, energetic, strategic leadership on all fundraising initiatives and set new, ambitious, but attainable goals in order to increase annual operating funds.
• Develop long-range strategic asset development and annual work plans, including goals for asset development in accordance with goals.
• Actively work with the ED and senior staff to develop and implement a comprehensive development strategy to include corporate, foundation, individuals, etc. 
• Oversee growth, maintenance, and enhancement of the organization’s development database; foster innovation on the internet and social networking tools to optimize the use of technology in garnering contributed revenue.
• Engage in community outreach and maintain positive relationships with individuals, foundations, community and business leaders.
• Step in to provide strategic direction and leadership across the agency, addressing challenges and driving innovation across all departments.
• Provide coaching and implement professional development for the team focusing on growing skills and providing learning opportunities that support development work. 
• Work with the development team to manage a portfolio of high-wealth donors, corporate partners and foundation funders, both national and specifically focused on the Chicago community; building relationships, identifying moves plans, and executing asks to increase organizational revenue.

Corporate Engagement (25%)

• Develop and manage personalized donor plans to qualify, cultivate, solicit, close gifts, and steward corporate donors.
• Work closely with the Executive Director for the cultivation and solicitation of multi-year and major gifts.
• Develop and maintain relevant corporate engagement materials.

Annual Fund (25%)

• Develop and manage personalized donor plans to qualify, cultivate, solicit, close gifts, and steward mid-level individual donors.
• Develop and maintain relevant donor engagement materials.
• Partner with the grant writer and ensure it aligns with the broader vision.
• Manage the Fundraising Manager to integrate P2P and events into the broader vision.
• Implement the successful EOY annual fund letter and continue to see revenue and donor growth.
• Leverage unique ideas and opportunities to grow memorials and tributes, general donations, and ensure major gifts maintain a sustained and successful pipeline of prospects.

Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, but experience will be more heavily considered.
• At least 5-10 years of experience in fundraising, particularly corporate development. If you have no fundraising or development experience do not apply. Sales and marketing experience will not be considered comparable.
• Erika’s Lighthouse offers a hybrid work environment with on-site work two-days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Candidates must be able to work on-site two days a week.
• Knowledge of technology including HubSpot and Google Workspace.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with volunteers, staff, community groups and other related agencies and stakeholders.
• Ability to work strategically within a team structure as well as independently.
• Dependability, good time management and organizational skills, and attentiveness to detail.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written, with an infectious enthusiasm for the mission and the ability to engage and inspire others.
• Experience and interest in internal and external communications, partnership development, and fundraising techniques.
• Must be able to pass a background check.

Please send resume to Brandon Combs at Please no calls.