Summary

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is seeking an energetic, mission-driven, highly organized candidate to fill the Full-Time position of Director of Development and Donor Relations.

Description

Director of Development and Donor Relations
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Hybrid (DC Metro Area)

About NAEYC

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association has a national presence with members of the early childhood community, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, we work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential. In February 2026, NAEYC celebrated its 100th anniversary—a testament to the staying power of a mission-driven organization in a sector where 30% of nonprofits cease to exist within 10 years and only 4% of small nonprofits last more than 75 years.

NAEYC has 49 affiliates across the country. The affiliates are separate 501(c)3 organizations but are connected to NAEYC through a charter agreement that governs our relationship. In this relationship, we have shared members and branding as well as an aligned vision and mission. NAEYC also has about two dozen Interest Forums where members build community, share knowledge, and deepen learning on a broad variety of shared-interest areas including program,
social, professional, and cultural forums.

NAEYC has a diverse eighteen-member national governing Board. Twelve members are elected by the membership including all of the executive officers except for the Treasurer. There are also five appointed members who bring backgrounds and expertise from a variety of industries. In addition, a number of commissions and advisory committees have some delegated authority and sit within NAEYC's governance structure.

With a more than $20 million annual operating budget, a sizable investment portfolio, and 90+ employees across the U.S., NAEYC is the largest professional membership association for early childhood educators. NAEYC has several sizable revenue-generating business lines, including early learning program accreditation, higher education program accreditation, professional learning—which encompasses conferences and online individualized learning (the annual conference typically attracts between 8,000 and 10,000 attendees)—and publishing (books and journals). At the same time, early childhood education is an undervalued and under-resourced field. We are committed to responsibly stewarding resources from members, earned revenue, and funders to maximize impact across the field.

Located in Washington, DC, NAEYC's work is increasingly supported by private grant philanthropy with a growth trajectory from $100K to an annual portfolio approaching $3 million.

In the policy and advocacy arena, NAEYC is considered the leading voice in the United States on behalf of high-quality early childhood education and the advancement of early childhood educators. NAEYC led a transformative initiative to develop the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession and is a sought-after voice in the public square including national broadcast and print outlets.

Vision Statement
Each and every child thrives and learns in a society dedicated to ensuring all children reach their full potential.

Mission Statement
NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for each and every child, from birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.

Core Values
NAEYC's core values reflect our belief that all children have the right to equitable learning opportunities and that all early childhood educators have a professional obligation to advance equity. Our values uphold NAEYC's approach as an employer, professional membership association, partner, and field leader. They are based on the principles of child development and learning and are further defined through NAEYC's core position statements: Code of Ethical Conduct; Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators; Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education; Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards. We are propelled by our commitment to upend our own structural and organizational inequities and to ensure our actions are grounded in our values.

We uphold these values and beliefs in all our interactions and initiatives:

Core Values

Excellence and Innovation—We take risks, imagine new ways of working, and challenge existing assumptions, while remaining fiscally responsible and accountable to our mission and members.
Transparency—We act with openness and clarity.
Reflection—We consider multiple sources of evidence and diverse perspectives to review past performance, note progress and successes, and engage in continuous quality improvement.
Equity and Opportunity—We advocate for and establish policies, practices, and systems that promote full and inclusive participation. We confront biases that create barriers and limit the potential of children, families, and early childhood professionals.
Collaborative Relationships—We share leadership and responsibility in our work with others. We commit time and effort to ensure diverse participation and more effective outcomes. We act with integrity, respect, and trust.
Care and Commitment—We are dedicated to the well-being, belonging, and connectedness of our staff, volunteers, and members.

Our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging is deep, long-standing, and dates back decades.

Learn more about NAEYC at www.naeyc.org

The Opportunity

The Director is responsible for developing and managing all aspects of fundraising to sustain and enhance NAEYC's services and impact on behalf of its members and the early childhood profession. To achieve that, the Director will foster and maintain strategic partnerships, cultivate a diverse donor pipeline, and execute fundraising strategies and initiatives that include major gifts, grant solicitation, planned giving, fundraising campaigns and special events to increase revenues of at least $3 Million annually.

Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the Director will collaborate closely with Executive and Leadership Team members, as well as key volunteers including the Governing Board to best position NAEYC's priorities to grow and expand philanthropic revenue from foundations, corporations, individuals, and other entities. The ideal candidate is goal-oriented and team-oriented, has experience closing five, six and seven-figure gifts and developing cultivation and stewardship strategies responsive to different donor type needs while aligning with the organization's mission and values. The vision for this role is to strengthen the fundraising capacity of the organization, capitalizing on NAEYC's centennial commemoration, and preparing NAEYC to take the next step in implementing a more sophisticated fundraising strategy.

The Director will be excited by working in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities, and identifying innovative ways of increasing loyal contributions. The successful candidate will consider big-picture questions as well as analytic data as we build a deeper culture of philanthropy. This is a new position at NAEYC and as such will develop and document new processes, procedures, and best practices for the development team, staff, and volunteers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Understand the strategic direction and vision of the organization to create and implement a comprehensive development plan that meets annual revenue goals and advances NAEYC's long-term priorities
Cultivate and steward existing and new relationships with foundations, corporations, and individual donors
Establish a process to identify and oversee grant opportunities, including preparation of proposals and reports
Direct the development of a sponsorship program that provides companies the opportunity to invest in NAEYC beyond exhibits and ads (managed elsewhere), and lead the sponsor pipeline development process, helping key NAEYC leaders conduct outreach
Develop and oversee fundraising appeals to individuals on a cadence throughout the year that fits NAEYC's audiences
Develop and oversee a planned giving program, helping donors realize their charitable goals in support of NAEYC's mission
Plan and execute stewardship process that ensures all NAEYC donor types feel a strong connection to the organization and want to renew their grant, gifts, or sponsorships; this includes generating donor communications, newsletters, and impact reports
Actively engage with staff, governing board and affiliate leadership to ensure an ongoing understanding of funding needs and to build capacity to meet those needs through philanthropic activities
Collaborate with Communications and Marketing staff on designing and developing campaign related materials and generating clear and consistent communications to promote development efforts
Monitor and analyze fundraising data to evaluate performance and adjust strategies as needed
Work closely with staff across the organization in support of development initiatives – providing guidance, mentorship and support as needed
Stay up to date on fundraising trends and the nonprofit community
Other duties as required to advance the organization's goals and objectives

Management

The Director of Development reports to the Chief Communications Officer and directly supervises the Grants and Development Specialist and external contractors.

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in business management, public administration, marketing, communications, or related field required
7+ years fundraising, development, and grant writing experience
Experience developing multi-year, multi-million funding grant proposals
Proven track record of meeting fundraising goals and securing major gifts
Knowledge of board governance and skill in cultivating volunteer engagement in fundraising efforts
Experience with fundraising and donor/funding opportunity research for individual, corporate and foundation giving
Proficiency with fundraising software such as Salesforce, as well as experience with donor databases and online fundraising platforms
Experience working in non-profit organizations and with non-profit fundraising techniques
Certified Fundraising Executive credential preferred
Membership in fundraising professional associations preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Demonstrated ability to influence and engage a wide range of people and to build long term relationships
Proven ability to develop cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that expand a donor base and increase revenue
Prior leadership or supervisory experience, with the ability to provide direction, coordinate work, and partner collaboratively with colleagues across departments and levels of the organization
Exhibits a "roll up their sleeves" mentality, with the ability to pivot easily between strategic and tactical
Proven history and ability to deliver results and play a leading role as a change agent in scaling the organization's grant and development programs
Exceptional communication skills (both verbal and written), including presentation skills
Demonstrated ability to manage multi-faceted projects and a capacity to perform well independently in a fluid, dynamic environment
Strong analytical, strategic planning, time management, and organizational skills
Excellent research skills
English and a second language preferred
Equity mindset
Donor and service mentality

Hybrid

Indicates that this role is based in the DC Metro Region and is required to physically be on-site in the DC office at least one day a week due to the needs of the organization. Employees are expected to be in the office on Wednesdays unless otherwise determined by immediate supervisor and department leadership.

Required Travel

Indicates that this role will be expected to travel as required by business needs. This role has a travel requirement of 15%.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $130,000-$160,000 with a generous benefits package.

Contact

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at NAEYC_DOD@dsgco.com. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya 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 NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – NAEYC is dedicated to providing equal opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, matriculation, genetic information, disability, or protected veterans status, or any other factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable laws and regulations.

About DSG | Koya

DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation's premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of "America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms" and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website.

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