Former first lady Barbara Bush chose literacy as her life’s work based on a simple, but powerful belief: “If more people could read, write, and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems plaguing our society.” Since she established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in 1989, research has continually proven her right, linking literacy to some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Over the past three decades, the Barbara Bush Foundation has supported literacy programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, but there is still much work left to be done. Low literacy remains a silent and enduring issue of equity, preventing 130 million American adults from fully engaging in our society as parents, workers, and citizens—impacting our nation today and for generations to come.

Today, the Barbara Bush Foundation is laser-focused on bridging the equity gap and breaking the multigenerational cycle of low literacy by improving the skills of adults—parents and caregivers. The Foundation is a public charity committed to building a stronger, more equitable America through Literacy. Our Foundation is unique in the field because we are:

• Focused on Family Literacy – Implementing and supporting programs that reach parents and caregivers to break the multigenerational cycle of low literacy
• A National Organization – Providing guidance, research, support, and thought leadership to the larger literacy field
• An Operating Foundation – Creating or supporting promising programs that have the ability to scale or replicate across the country
• Relevant and Current – Highlighting literacy’s link to today’s most pressing issues

The Foundation is brimming with energy under the visionary leadership of President Andrew Roberts, who helped lead the Foundation’s transition from a grantmaker to an implementing organization in his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, and has worked to build a mission-forward profile for the organization since he stepped into his current leadership role in 2023.

The Director of Development will be an enthusiastic ambassador for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, developing and deepening critical relationships with major, corporate and foundation donors and prospects.

The Director of Development will be responsible for helping to execute our multi-year strategy and achieve a fundraising goal of a minimum of $1.5M – with expectations for significant growth over the next three years.

In 2025, the director will also help to drive fund raising around our Centennial campaign – including helping to secure new funds and sponsors to our suite of events and engagement opportunities. This will include working with key high-level volunteers.

To help you achieve that goal, you will work closely with the Chief Development Officer and the entire development team who bring extensive experience building fundraising events, cultivating high net worth donors, and volunteer relations, and building community for the Foundation across the country.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated success in relationship management and have the ability to develop long term strategies for donor growth – while helping to strengthen the culture of philanthropy throughout the Foundation.

The Director will support the strategic vision to harness the existing pipeline – while helping to chart a path for significant growth. There is tremendous potential to grow our fund development efforts which we have barely begun to tap.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead efforts to raise at minimum $1.5 million annually.
• Support the development of and manage key aspects of a robust fund development program that includes implementation of best practices around donor identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• In a fast-paced environment, develop and execute short-term and long-term fundraising targets for corporate, foundation and individual donors and prospects.
• Work closely with the Chief Development Officer to ensure an integrated plan is executed.
• Strategically prospect for new supporters and mine our current database to support the cultivation of both existing and potential donors with a goal to increase their donations and deepen the overall pipeline.
• Develop, inspire, engage, and motivate staff and work collaboratively with your colleagues across the Foundation to strengthen the culture of philanthropy.
• Leverage existing Foundation resources and best practices and effectively apply and share your own expertise to support attaining your specific goals and deliverables.
• Support and partner with members of the Executive Team and board members on fundraising activities.
• Develop the ability to speak passionately and enthusiastically about our work.
• Monitor all donor information and work with the team to ensure data integrity.
• Oversee management of our special/engagement events and optimize them as a successful cultivation vehicle.
• Develop communications to build and sustain donor relationships.
• Supervise and manage a small team of high performing development professionals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least ten years of high-level fundraising experience. The expectation is that this individual has consistently secured six figure (or more) gifts over their career.
• A keen understanding of best practices in fundraising, a strong track record of securing multi-year gifts and consistent success in increasing total dollars raised over multiple years.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to effectively manage a team and drive their success.
• Understanding the intersection of foundation, corporate and individual gifts and how to maximize the growth potential and management of those potential joint relationships and the ability to work across teams to maximize relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage your knowledge of an organization’s strategy and mission and its market differentiating assets to raise considerable funds.
• Demonstrated ability to support and engage organizational volunteer leaders.
• Excellent communications skills, both written and oral; ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships.
• Results oriented self-starter with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.  A professional and resourceful style.
• High energy and passion for our mission is essential.
• Ability to travel 10-15 percent of the time.
• Demonstrated experience managing a dynamic workload and evolving priorities under tight deadlines.
• Passion for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s mission and the ability to serve as an ambassador for the organization.
• Proficiency with using Microsoft Office Suite, cloud-based storage services, and fund-raising database software.
• Current authorization to work in the United States – a candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment.

The Barbara Bush Foundation is committed to honoring its three-decade history, while looking toward the future as an innovative thought leader in the field of adult and family literacy. We have a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Our organization values innovation, dedication, teamwork, and respectfulness.

We enjoy thinking big, but also working hard to deliver our best product. Our team is solutions-oriented, looking for someone who is always ready to deliver on ways to solve challenges, both internally and with external partners.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package offered

Please submit your resume to Jobs@Barbarabush.org