Director of Development

The NSTMF is seeking a Director of Development to expand its network of funders and partners and strengthen its long-term financial sustainability. Central to this role is identifying new funding opportunities and developing strategic partnerships. The Director will play an important role in fundraising and planning the NSTMF’s biennial inSTEM Summit, and will work closely with the Executive Director, Board, and staff to translate organizational priorities into compelling partnership opportunities. The ideal candidate is a proactive relationship builder and systems thinker who combines strong fundraising judgment with exceptional communication, creativity, financial acumen, and follow-through. This role reports to the Executive Director of the NSTMF and is remote with 15-20 days of work-related travel per year. 

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Identify, solicit, steward, renew, and expand relationships with foundations, corporations, major donors, sponsors, and other strategic partners to grow fundraising and partnership opportunities.

• Build and maintain a strong, data-informed fundraising pipeline and establish repeatable systems for relationship management, forecasting, and measuring success.

• Develop and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with the NSTMF’s priorities and annual revenue goals, with an emphasis on diversifying and growing the organization’s revenue.

• Develop and lead innovative fundraising campaigns, partnership models, sponsorship opportunities, and engagement strategies that support long-term financial sustainability.

• Lead the development of grant proposals, sponsorship requests, cases for support, partnership concepts, budgets, and other fundraising materials, ensuring strong alignment between funder priorities and organizational needs.

• Oversee grant and funder commitments, including reporting, renewals, stewardship, sponsorship fulfillment, and other requirements. 

• Leverage NSTMF events, including summits and networking opportunities, to cultivate and engage funders, prospects, sponsors, and strategic partners.

• Partner with the Executive Director, Board, staff, and other organizational champions to strategically cultivate relationships, open doors, solicit support, and prepare for high-level funder engagements.

• Clearly communicate the NSTMF’s mission, impact, and funding opportunities by translating program outcomes and stories into compelling proposals, presentations, and donor communications.

• Maintain and continuously improve development systems, processes, tools, and CRM infrastructure to strengthen institutional knowledge, streamline fundraising operations, and support scalable partnership development.

• Work fully remote from a home office, with some required work outside the home office to organize, support, and attend events - approximately 15–20 days of on-site travel for special events (including some weekends and/or evenings). 

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, advancement, partnership development, business development, or a related field; candidates with a different mix of experience may be considered based on demonstrated results.

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, communications, or a related field; CFRE or comparable fundraising training is a plus, but not required.

• Demonstrated success developing and stewarding relationships with foundation, corporate, individual, sponsorship, and institutional partners from initial outreach through commitment and renewal.

• Proficiency in building and managing fundraising or partnership pipelines and using CRM systems to track relationships, drive action, and forecast results.

• Demonstrated ability to create or improve fundraising, partnership, or business development processes, frameworks, tools, or systems.

• Experience effectively partnering with Executive Directors/CEOs and Board members to advance fundraising, donor engagement, and external relationship development efforts.

• Demonstrated ability to develop compelling proposals, cases for support, and program budgets, along with strong financial and budgeting skills.

• Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate organizational impact and human stories into compelling fundraising messages.

• Strategic and innovative thinking, with the ability to identify new funding opportunities and connect development activities to broader organizational goals and long-term sustainability.

• Ability to work effectively across programs, finance, communications, executive leadership, and the Board.

• Strong organizational, analytical, and project management skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Demonstrated initiative and accountability, including the ability to anticipate challenges, use data to inform decisions, and drive work forward.

• Familiarity with STEM, higher education, research, workforce development, or related mission areas is preferred, but not required.