Development Director

Development Director

• Safe Routes Partnership
• August 13, 2024
• Remote or Faifax, VA

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About Safe Routes Partnership

The Safe Routes Partnership is a national nonprofit organization working to advance safe walking and rolling to and from schools and in everyday life, improving the health and well-being of people of all races, income levels, and abilities, and building healthy, thriving communities for everyone. Safe Routes Partnership, originally known as the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, spearheaded the early demonstration projects, advocacy, and eventual federal support for the creation of the Safe Routes to School program in the United States. What started with the passage of the first federal Safe Routes to School legislation in 2005 has grown into a vibrant national movement to advance walking and bicycling to school and to foster the creation of healthy communities for everyone.

Over the years, as the only national nonprofit focusing on Safe Routes to School, the organization has led the movement for Safe Routes to School at the federal, state, and local levels and has advanced social equity and active transportation. In recent years, Safe Routes Partnership has broadened its focus to advance safe routes for kids and communities to parks, healthy foods, libraries, and other essential community destinations.

Safe Routes Partnership is deeply committed to supporting the growth of the program as well as walking and rolling in everyday life, with a core emphasis on advancing equity. Since its founding, the Safe Routes Partnership has placed a high value on partnerships and continues to engage more than 800 partners who share our mission and work together to create healthier, thriving communities for people of all ages, races, income levels, and abilities.

Today, more than 17,000 schools benefit from the positive outcomes of the federal Safe Routes to School program. An estimated 6.8 million children now enjoy safer sidewalks and pathways for walking and bicycling to school, as well as bicycle and pedestrian safety education and encouragement programs.

The Safe Routes Partnership provides crucial support to these efforts by advancing policy change, catalyzing support for healthy communities, fostering a commitment to equity in active transportation, and sharing our deep expertise to improve support for walking and bicycling to school and beyond.

For more information on Safe Routes Partnership, please visit .

The Opportunity

Safe Routes Partnership seeks an ambitious and dynamic Development Director (Director) to lead national development efforts to further support mission and impact in the active transportation space. Reporting to Co-Managing Directors, the Director will be responsible for creating and executing a development strategy designed to take the organization to its next level. With broad fundraising experience, the Director will be responsible for creating a diversified revenue model including philanthropy, individual giving, major gifts, and corporate partnerships. Ideally, the Director will be responsible for creating a plan and raising $250,000 to start, with plans to increase revenue year over year. This is an exciting opportunity for a creative and strategic thinker to champion the mission of Safe Routes Partnership.

The ideal candidate will understand the power that small, daily, consistent actions have in creating trust and building lasting relationships and will excel at translating strategy into action. As a leader with a partnership orientation lens, the Director will continue to identify, establish, cultivate, and maintain strong working relationships with a variety of different audiences and groups to advance Safe Routes Partnership work.

Candidate Profile

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

Passion for Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice (DEIJ)

• Will cultivate a culture of philanthropy in support of the mission of Safe Routes
• Champion equity in all aspects of the organization, both internal and external
• Foster relationships and develop processes to ensure staff at all levels and from all backgrounds feel welcome, valued, and included
• Personal and/or professional experience in the active transportation space, mobility justice, health equity, and/or education preferred

Strategic Fundraising

• Serve as the strategic fundraiser for the organization, including the identification of new giving opportunities (philanthropic and government grants, individual giving, corporate sponsorships, etc.) and executing on the strategy charted by this person
• Bring demonstrated experience in creating and executing on a fundraising strategy and development plan to diversify revenue streams
• Can bring an entrepreneurial approach to revenue generation and an understanding of various revenue streams
• Implement short- and long-term work plans in advancement of the organization’s growth plan

External Ambassador and Partnership Orientation

• Serve as a thought leader and spokesperson in fundraising spaces and able to tell the compelling story of Safe Routes Partnership
• Will develop authentic, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships with staff, Board members, donors, foundations, and other potential partners
• Understands how to work with senior leaders, staff, & funders on fundraising initiatives with strategy and implementation

Development Operations

• Create and manage efficient processes and systems to support development and fundraising
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of systems that support the tracking, analysis, and reporting of development activities and outcomes
• Utilize data and metrics to assess return on investment and create reasonable KPIs to ensure development efforts are effective

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Passion for the mission of Safe Routes Partnership
• Experience with and passion for fundraising
• A creative, entrepreneurial mindset to set strategy and execute on a vision for fundraising
• Excellent communicator and writer, with an understanding of how to tailor messages to different audiences
• Strategic, systems thinker, and creative problem solver

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $90,000 - $100,000 with a robust benefit package.

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Alicia Salerno and Amanda Lauder of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit a compelling cover letter and resume by All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Safe Routes Partnership is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy— The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World —guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

At Koya, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our team, our clients, and the communities we serve.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit .