For over 30 years, Saddle Up! has impacted the lives of children and young adults with disabilities in Middle Tennessee through the power of equine-assisted therapy, education, and recreation programs. We achieve our mission with a small team of full-time employees, part-time instructors and therapists, and the power of 300 active volunteers. Our values for growth are centered on acceptance and inclusion, accessibility, passion, safety, and teamwork. Saddle Up! seeks an enthusiastic, creative, and dynamic individual to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward our community of donors.

The Director of Development is responsible for the leadership, planning, implementation, and management of Saddle Up!’s fundraising program, which generates 87% of the revenue required to fund annual operations. This critical position oversees strategic donor engagement to include prospecting and cultivation of relationships that engage donors with a passion for our mission and a desire to create long-term commitments; collaborative partnerships, database management and utilization and application of innovation in fundraising tech and software solutions; creative campaign leadership that impacts transformative individual, major donor and corporate giving. This position also guides and supports our efforts in grant writing, major fundraising events, and stewardship, capital, and endowment campaigns as required.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a proven track record of success in non-profit fundraising, including achieving fundraising goals, and maximizing the success of fundraising efforts by creating a strong connection between the organization's mission and potential supporters through effectively telling the organization's story through creative messaging, visuals, and overall communication strategy, leveraging brand perception to inspire donations and build loyalty in the donor community. An individual with deep knowledge of the Middle Tennessee philanthropy community is STRONGLY preferred.

Working closely with the Executive Director, the Director of Development is responsible for all fundraising and special events designed to provide financial support to Saddle Up! on an annual operational and long-term basis.

Fundraising

Develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated annual fundraising plan from prospect identification through stewardship, identifying new partnerships to raise awareness and increase funding streams. Translate this plan into the organization's annual revenue budget.
Create and implement a major gifts strategy to maximize donor participation and long-term retention.
Focus on building relationships with supporters and potential supporters, including personal contacts and individualized communications strategies.
Develop innovative concepts and ideas that deliver value to community partners and lead to fundraising partnership activation through sponsorships, annual gifts, and relationship-building tools.
Provide support materials and information to fundraising and relationship development volunteers.
Create cultivation opportunities to build stronger donor relationships and to build the strength of these relationships over time

Special Events

Work closely with volunteer chairs, committees, and staff to develop and implement all fundraising-related special events.
Secure and manage corporate sponsorships.
Assist in creating, preparing, and mailing invitations and appeals related to all events and execution of all aspects of sponsorship benefits.
Work with committees and vendors to provide quality and value in all vendor relationships.
Work with the Development Assistant to manage setup and logistics for each event, both in advance and on the event day.
Ensure appropriate follow-up, gift acknowledgments, and tax-related documentation for all contributions.
With the assistance of the Database Administrator, maintain and expand solicitation and invitation lists.
Work with event volunteers and the Executive Director to secure community awareness and media relations to support events.

Special Campaigns

Develop campaign plans in collaboration with the Executive Director and Board leadership for any special campaign needed.
Provide leadership or assistance to the creation of special campaign resources to include:
Capital, special campaign, and endowment campaign plans and materials
Special campaign prospect lists, including prospect development programs involving volunteer feedback forms, focus groups, and research
Create campaign solicitation materials (brochures, pledge cards, internet, etc.).
Develop specialized solicitation materials, grant proposals, and events to further campaign goals.

Other Collaborative Oversight Responsibilities

Support newsletter coverage, annual reports, website, social media, and other communications supporting development and community relations efforts.
Donor recognition programs
Grant writing and foundation relationships; grant-seeking activities, including prospect research, proposal writing, and management of a robust grants calendar
Manage and maintain all donor data and correspondence and acknowledgment letters, including assurance of compliance with applicable IRS requirements.

The position of Director of Development requires exceptional interpersonal skills, strong organizational abilities, and a proven track record of fundraising success. Specific skills and qualifications include:

A passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to the mission of Saddle Up!
An enthusiastic personality with the desire to serve our riders, their families, our donor and volunteer communities, and your colleagues to build a culture of servant leadership
A minimum of 5 years of management-level nonprofit development experience, including demonstrated new donor/partnership development and development, management and implementation of an organizational fundraising plan, including budget, to meet or exceed fundraising goals; five years of experience directly related to essential development functions of the position
Deep knowledge of the local fundraising environment and relevant experience in Nashville and the surrounding counties strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience with major fundraising events, including sponsorships, auctions, and other engagement activities, vendor relationships, and partnerships with community volunteers
Bachelor’s degree in management or related field and ongoing professional development strongly preferred.
Proficiency in database management and CRM utilization (SalesForce, GiveSmart, Click and Pledge) and MS Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Prior experience in marketing and/or sales concepts and strong working knowledge of social media and professional networking platforms.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to motivate and inspire others to support Saddle Up!
Ability to collaborate with other staff members, Board members, and volunteers.
Exceptional attention to detail. Must be highly organized, able to work under pressure, and handle multiple tasks. Adept at maneuvering autonomously, juggling priorities, and flourishing in a high-velocity environment.
Flexibility and creativity to respond to new opportunities/needs paired with strong planning and time management skills, including the ability to prioritize and deliver multiple projects on time, on strategy and on or under budget.
Ability to represent Saddle Up! to multiple constituencies at meetings, events, speaking engagements, etc.
Ability to work independently and positively contribute to the staff team and overall environment.
Commitment to positive communications, teamwork, team building, and excellent customer service.

Benefits

Saddle Up! offers a competitive benefits package.

Saddle Up! grants holiday time off to all full-time employees on the holidays listed below:

• New Year’s Day

• Good Friday

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Friday after Thanksgiving

• Christmas Eve

• Christmas Day

PTO - 0 - 36 months accrued 17 days per year, 27 - 60 months accrued 22 days per year, 61+ months accrued 27 days per year.

Medical Insurance—From 0 to 4 years of service, Saddle Up pays 50% of employee medical insurance; for 4+ years of service, Saddle Up pays 75%. Dependents and spouses may be added to the insurance coverage at the full expense of the employee. Employees may obtain Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA, and life insurance at highly competitive rates during the annual benefits enrollment.

Workers Comp Insurance -- 100% paid by Saddle Up!

401K - Available to all employees from the first day of employment. The Saddle Up! board provides matching funds at the lesser of 5% of your salary or your contribution amount at the time of contribution.

Flexible work schedule and exceptional working environment at our 34-acre farm in the heart of Williamson County, Tennessee.

Employment decisions at Saddle Up will be based on merit, qualifications, cultural fit, and abilities to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Saddle Up! does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity, sexual orientation, military status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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