Development Director

Miami, FL | Full-Time

Salary: $80,000 to $95,000

About The Lucy Project

The Lucy Project levels the playing field by advancing the Science of Reading and delivering evidence-based support to the community, ensuring all children, including those with dyslexia, exercise their right to read. We offer comprehensive direct services to children within schools, after school, and during the summer. We also support schools in building capacity by providing professional development, mentoring, and ongoing coaching for teachers. Our team works side by side with educators in classrooms to support differentiation and effective instruction. In addition, we provide training and support for school leaders, including principals and administrators, to help create the conditions for high-quality literacy instruction to take root and grow.

We are a growing Miami-based nonprofit with a strong and expanding annual fundraising program, anchored by the Lucy Leadership Circle, our annual giving society of donors who provide unrestricted support to power our programs, people, and special initiatives. We are now building a dedicated development function to deepen our impact and expand our reach.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced, strategic, and relationship-driven development professional to lead a culture of philanthropy at The Lucy Project. The CEO has been the primary driver of fundraising to date, and this person will step in as a true partner, taking ownership of the full development function while working in close collaboration with leadership, including the COO, the Director of Finance, and the board. Just as important, this person will help build and champion a culture of philanthropy across The Lucy Project, to ensure that fundraising is understood and embraced as a shared responsibility across the entire team rather than the work of a single department.

This is a role for someone who knows how to open doors, build systems, and grow something meaningful. There is real room to grow here, and we are building something worth being part of.

What You'll Own

Grant Writing and Compliance

  • Lead the research, writing, and submission of grant proposals to foundations, government agencies, and corporate funders

  • Maintain compliance with all grant requirements and ensure on-time delivery and reporting

  • Manage the full grant calendar and all funder relationships

Individual, Corporate, and Foundation Donor Cultivation

  • Build and inspire a portfolio of donors through year-round mission-driven opportunities

  • Grow and steward the Lucy Leadership Circle, The Lucy Project’s annual giving society, recruiting new members and deepening engagement across its giving levels, from Story Starters through Literary Luminaries

  • Develop and execute a donor communications strategy including appeals, acknowledgment letters, and impact reports

  • Build and manage a major gifts pipeline, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship

  • Plan and execute Give Miami efforts, including a peer-to-peer model fundraising model to increase donations

Building a Culture of Philanthropy

  • Foster a culture of philanthropy across The Lucy Project, helping every team member understand the role they play in donor relationships and mission storytelling

  • Equip and support staff, leadership, and volunteers to participate confidently in donor cultivation, stewardship, and gratitude by coordinating mission-driven opportunities throughout the year

  • Champion donor-centered practices and ensure that appreciation and demonstrated impact are woven into how the organization operates day to day

Board Stewardship

  • Partner with the CEO to engage, steward, and activate board members in the organization's fundraising efforts

  • Coordinate board-related development activities and help cultivate a culture of philanthropy at the board level

Culture of Philanthropy Events

  • Lead the development strategy for The Lucy Project's signature events, including the Literacy Key Awards and Unlocking Literacy Conference

  • Drive sponsorship revenue and ensure donors, including Lucy Leadership Circle members, are meaningfully engaged throughout the event cycle

  • Pitch compelling sponsorship opportunities and manage sponsor relationships from pitch through renewal by utilizing the Lucy Leadership Circle.

CRM and Development Operations

  • Own and manage The Lucy Project's Bloomerang database with a high standard of accuracy and integrity

  • Develop and manage the annual development budget and provide regular projections to the CEO and board

  • Build systems and processes that make the development function scalable

What We're Looking For

  • 4 or more years of nonprofit development experience, ideally as a generalist with hands-on experience across multiple fundraising channels

  • Demonstrated track record of closing grants, cultivating major donors, or securing corporate sponsorships

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; you can write a compelling narrative and make a confident ask in person

  • Strategic thinker who can build a plan, manage a pipeline, and deliver results

  • Experience working with a board of directors and engaging volunteers in fundraising

  • Proficiency with Bloomerang or a comparable donor CRM

  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or CFRE a plus

  • Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus

  • Experience fostering a culture of philanthropy and engaging colleagues across an organization in the shared work of fundraising

  • Deep commitment to literacy, educational equity, and children

You'll Thrive Here If You...

  • Are a seasoned fundraiser who still loves the work and wants to make a real impact

  • Want to be a true partner to a CEO who has built this organization from the ground up

  • Are energized by building systems, opening doors, and growing something meaningful

  • Believe fundraising is a team sport and want to help build a culture of philanthropy that reaches well beyond the Development Director

  • Thrive in a lean, mission-driven environment where your work is visible and your contributions matter

  • Believe every child deserves to learn to read

What We Offer

  • Salary: $80,000 to $95,000

  • Health insurance

  • A leadership role with direct access to the CEO and board

  • Real ownership and genuine room to grow within the organization

  • A collaborative, mission-driven team

  • PTO and organizational holidays

How to Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and one writing sample to:

jobs@lucyproject.org

Subject line: Development Director Application

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.