About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. 

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. 

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. 

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Purpose of the Role

The Deputy Director of Development, Northeast will play a key role in raising resources to advance the mission of the Obama Foundation and help build, operate, and endow the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). The position will join the Obama Foundation following groundbreaking on the OPC, during a time of enormous momentum as the Foundation’s Development team continues to grow, and as it prepares to launch the public phase of its ongoing capital campaign. This is an exciting opportunity to build a robust fundraising program off of the incredible foundation that has already been laid in the Northeast. This position will manage a portfolio of prospects in the Northeast region, with the goal of building relationships and a pipeline in both New York City and Boston. The Deputy Director will be responsible for the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift prospects and donors at the six- to seven-figure level. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Development, East and supported by a Development Analyst, this position will work closely with Foundation leadership to build donor relationships in one of the Foundation’s highest potential regions.

Core Job Responsibilities

  • Portfolio Management and Support: Cultivate, solicit, and steward a large portfolio of major gift prospects (6-7 figures), while assisting and providing meeting support to the Senior Director of Development, East with leadership gift prospects (7-8 figures) as needed;
  • Prospect Research: Research and identify new prospects, analyzing their giving histories and developing cultivation strategies, in partnership with the Prospect Research team;
  • Prospect Management: Plan and execute multiple principal and senior staff prospecting visits to region per quarter;
  • Volunteer Management: Provide guidance and support for volunteer staff fundraising efforts and participate in the planning and execution of key fundraising events;
  • Event Planning & Implementation: Partner with Development Events team in the ideation and execution of regional cultivation and stewardship events;
  • Prospect Tracking: Maintain accurate and timely tracking of gift and prospect activity in Salesforce to ensure appropriate cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, and stewardship;
  • Development Communications: Lead preparation of development-related communication including correspondence, proposals, spreadsheets, reports, and briefing memos, in partnership with the Development Communications team;
  • Customized Donor Stewardship: Work in partnership with teams across the Foundation, including Program, OPC, Public Engagement, Creative & Communication, and Finance, to develop customized cultivation and stewardship strategies for donors.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

  • Prospect Research Reports
  • Prospect Tracking Analysis Reports
  • Prospect Contact Management Plan
  • Development Communication Deliverables
  • Fundraising Events
  • Cultivation and Stewardship Events
  • Donor Stewardship Strategies and Plans

Required Qualifications

  • A minimum of five years of experience in fundraising or donor relations, including a minimum of two years in a leadership position securing funds directly
  • Track record of building relationships with major and principal gift level donors, ideally closing gifts of at least $100K+
  • Deep understanding of fundraising programs and high-level gift strategies
  • Experience and comfort working in an entrepreneurial environment
  • The ideal candidate will be results-driven, collaborative, and have experience fundraising in either the New York City or Boston philanthropic networks 
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence, with an ability to develop and maintain long-term, productive relationships internally and externally.

The salary range for this role is between $87,020 and $130,530.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

In the interest of employee health and safety during the pendency of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Obama Foundation is requiring that all prospective employees present proof that they are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, or seek a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons, prior to their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

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