ILAD’s work of promoting human flourishing, in the redressing of violations to human dignity and in the creation of opportunities to participate in and contribute to the prosperity of humanity, is in line with God’s desire to restore and renew all things. Recognizing that every human being bears the divine image, we acknowledge that poverty, suffering, injustice, and exploitation leave people vulnerable and deprive them of their inherent dignity and potential. Our organization is driven by the belief that all people, regardless of language and culture, should have the opportunity to flourish.
The Director of Development is responsible for establishing and attaining organizational fundraising objectives, including securing philanthropic backing through diverse channels such as fundraising events, grants, and cultivating enduring relationships with individuals and organizations.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
International Literacy and Development (ILAD) was established in 2011 to design and implement sustainable development projects among under-resourced language communities to bring about flourishing in mind, body, and spirit.
Located in Dallas, Texas, ILAD has been under the leadership of Brenda Holland since her appointment by the Board of Directors in 2014. The existing 7-member board operates primarily in an advisory and accountability capacity, distinct from an operating board. The board comprises independent members with diverse expertise, spanning legal, non-profit management, business start-ups, and energy consulting.
In the fiscal year 2022, the organization operated with a budget of $3.6 million. Deputized fundraisers, comprising teammates managing specific projects, successfully raised $2.6 million for their salaries. The head office secured the remaining $1 million to support targeted development projects across multiple locations. ILAD holds a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and has achieved a Platinum Transparency rating from GuideStar Candid. Presently, ILAD oversees 17 projects in 12 countries, managed by a team of 46 full-time staff and 13 part-time staff. Additionally, numerous national staff members contribute to projects. ILAD has also played a role in launching projects in collaboration with local partners in three different locations.
MISSION
International Literacy and Development (ILAD) is an international development agency that is focused on promoting human flourishing in mind, body, and spirit through educational, economic, and social development. We do this by partnering with communities to facilitate local solutions to local problems through our four core competencies; Agricultural Development, Educational Development, Business Development, and Human Language Technology.
PROMOTING HUMAN FLOURISHING
The prevalence of suffering worldwide is undeniable. We witness individuals grappling with spiritual, physical, social, and economic destitution, and we understand that these various forms of poverty are interconnected. Consequently, people endure injustice, powerlessness, and a lack of agency.
ILAD combines best practices from the development world with humble service to others. Our projects focus on the WHOLE person – mind, body, and spirit. We invest in relationships and partnerships with the local community. This takes time and requires attention to the context, but in seeking to understand the context, we gain better insight into the people we serve and the real issues they face. ILAD’s projects empower sustainability rather than providing a quick fix. Our investment in the assessment of our projects helps us to avoid doing harm to the communities in which we serve. These principles point to the hard, long work of emptying oneself for the benefit and blessing of others. Ultimately, those served will be fully mentored and equipped to serve their own community.
ILAD uses the academic research on human flourishing from Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program as the basis for our work. This research identified 4 critical pathways that have powerful, measurable impacts that lead to flourishing. When efforts are made to support, improve and promote participation in the 4 pathways of family, work, education, and religious community, then the result is improvement in the domains of flourishing. These domains include Happiness & Life Satisfaction, Physical & Mental Health, Meaning & Purpose, Character & Virtue, and Close Social Relationships. Finances are not included as a domain of flourishing, but rather are a support for the domains of flourishing. Financial stability allows for the flourishing to be sustainable.
ILAD works to overcome 2 of the greatest challenges that keep people economically, mentally, and spiritually poor: lack of access to vital information and lack of access to opportunity such as markets, capital, time, and availability of resources. These two barriers negatively impact flourishing in mind, body, and spirit. By providing access to vital information and opportunity, ILAD equips communities with the tools to overcome poverty in all its forms.
Values
We serve the Overlooked
We seek to live in and Partner with Communities and engage with their local language
We are people of Integrity and Responsibility
We use Innovation to solve problems
We plan and work for Excellent Results to bring the greatest benefits to communities
Strategies
Partnerships
We are a bridge that connects people locally and across cultures.
Communities benefit most when people help people.
Holistic Approach
We endeavor to build local capacity. We intentionally establish programs
that offer change for the whole person- Mind, Body, & Spirit
Long-Term Engagement
Trust and relationships are critical to success.
We are committed to living among and engaging with minority language communities around the world.
Asset-Based Development
We help identify the local assets and resources available to people and help provide the tools and information to develop those resources into community-benefitting programs.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Agribusiness
Many minority language speakers live in rural areas and rely entirely on the land for survival. Through agricultural training, farmers are able to implement new strategies based on best practices for growing crops in their location. Training coupled with micro-finance services and access to markets gives subsistence farmers the ability to increase production, acquire land, and improve their livelihoods. This cycle strengthens the health of entire rural communities.
Local Language Literacy
All people, languages, and cultures are valuable. Everyone should have access to mother-tongue literacy, education, and the opportunity to leverage resources inherent in their cultures. Illiteracy is one of many compounding factors that contribute to a cycle of poverty, poor health, high unemployment, drug abuse, and crime. Mother-tongue literacy offers a strong foundation for cognitive development and academic achievement, while also validating and showing people in that language community their inherent value.
Business Development Centers
Business Development Centers (BDC’s) enable community development by teaching the language of business. Often marginalized from “the playing field”, minority language speakers are at a disadvantage when accessing a gateway to the commercial activities that can help them provide for their families and communities. By leveraging the business tools taught by the BDC’s, people are given an opportunity to learn how to startup and manage a business in their own language that benefits themselves and their community. This inclusivity into the economic mainstream of their community is particularly empowering for women, who are often at a cultural disadvantage. Combined with literacy training, business training is a powerful tool that lifts marginalized people from poverty and promotes a positive impact on the world around them.
Human Language Technology
Innovations in Human Language Technology (HLT) offer significant potential for helping under-resourced language communities find their voice. With its emphasis on local language empowerment, ILAD seeks to be a pioneer in this new field. HLT optimizes how computers interact with human language and expedites the documentation and description of languages in order to facilitate translation between languages. Whether text-to-text, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or speech-to-speech, machine translation can help overlooked communities finally be understood in the world. HLT has the potential to bring essential educational resources to communities in a way they can understand, and to offer new capabilities to the communities we work among. In collaboration with researchers and universities, ILAD is gathering and annotating data from the languages we work with so that these communities will be among the first to reap the benefits of these exciting new tools.
POSITION PROFILE
Title: Director of Development
Reports to: President and CEO
Serves on: Officers and Directors Leadership Team
Location: Dallas, Texas (preferred)
JOB PURPOSE
The Development Director will lead the fundraising efforts for International Literacy and Development, responsible for establishing and attaining organizational fundraising objectives. This involves securing philanthropic backing through diverse channels such as fundraising events, grants, and cultivating enduring relationships with individuals and organizations. As a key member of the core leadership team, this role holds the potential for advancement to the position of Chief Development Officer.
PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Plan fund development activities
Collaborate with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to create a fund development plan which increases revenues to support the strategic direction of the organization
Refine, continuously improve, and execute a short-, medium-, and long-term strategic fundraising plan and successfully achieve agreed upon goals for fundraising
Monitor trends in the community or region and adapt fundraising strategies as necessary
Organize fund development activities
Develop and manage timelines for various fundraising activities to ensure strategic plans and critical fundraising processes are carried out in a timely manner
Work with staff, board members, and selected individuals to plan the annual fundraisers and other events by soliciting sponsors and attendees; developing event materials; and soliciting auction items
Work with the Director of Communications to design, lead, and execute annual campaigns such as the year-end appeal and North Texas Giving Day appeal.
Identify, research, engage and solicit new donors, including corporate and foundation funding partners, individuals, and major gift prospects; work with staff, board members, and selected individuals to ensure coordinated and effective solicitation; prepare written donor proposals
Develop and maintain long-term relationships with major philanthropies and high net-worth donors
Maintain correspondence with donors and appropriate financial personnel; ensure donors receive proper acknowledgement, recognition, and stewardship; manage progress reporting; maintain timely, accurate, and complete records in Virtuous, including calls, meetings, and donor notes
Oversee the administration of a donor mailing list and database which respects the privacy and confidentiality of donor information
Coordinate in-kind donations and make decisions regarding the issuing of receipts
Staff fund development activities
Lead internal staff on development-related efforts
Develop understanding of ILAD projects and the team members implementing those projects to effectively communicate projects to donors. This may include occasional travel to project locations.
Contribute content for donor newsletters
Engage volunteers for special fund development projects using established volunteer management practices
Manage fund development budget
Develop and gain approval for an annual income and expenditure budget for the fund development program
Prepare regular reports on progress, budgets, receipts and expenditure related to fundraising and the management of the fund development activities
Monitor expenses and analyze budget reports on fund development and recommend changes as necessary
Promote the organization
Foster an understanding of philanthropy within the organization
Develop a comprehensive communication plan to promote the organization to its donors and maximize public awareness of the fundraising activities of the organization
Collaborate with the Director of Communications to coordinate the design, printing and distribution of marketing and communication materials for development efforts
Build relationships with community stakeholders to advance the mission and fundraising goals of the organization
Collaborate with the Director of Communications on a social media strategy and implementation plan.
Annual Fundraising Goals
1st Year baseline goal would be $250,000 above ILAD’s normal annual fundraising.
Achievement of plan—10% bonus
10% above baseline—additional 15% bonus
Annual Fundraising Goals
2–4 times the baseline
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Bachelors’ degree in business, non-profit management, or related field.
A certificate in Fundraising Management is an asset
Professional designation
Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation is an asset
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of:
Fundraising management
Federal and provincial legislation affecting charities
Special events planning and management
The management of volunteer resources
Excellent skills in the use of computer for:
Fundraising software
Word processing
Databases
Spreadsheets
Email
Internet
Personal characteristics
The Director of Development should demonstrate competence in some or all of the following:
Creativity/Innovation: Develop new and unique ways to improve the finances of the organization and to create new opportunities
Behave Ethically: Understand ethical behavior and business practices and ensure own behavior and the behavior of others are consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization.
Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization.
Communicate Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques.
Focus on Donor Needs: Anticipate, understand, and respond to the needs of donors to meet or exceed their expectations within the organizational parameters.
Foster Teamwork: Works cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problem, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness.
Lead: Positively influence others to achieve results that are in the best interest of the organization.
Make Decisions: Assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks, and make clear decisions which are timely and in the best interests of the organization.
Organize: Set priorities, develop a work schedule, monitor progress towards goals, and track details, data, information and activities.
Plan: Determine strategies to move the organization forward, set goals, create and implement actions plans, and evaluate the process and results.
Solve Problems: Assess problem situations to identify causes, gather and process relevant information, generate possible solutions, and make recommendations and/or resolve the problem.
Experience
3-5 years of fundraising experience
Working Conditions
Office environment—could be hybrid, remote/office. Preferably Dallas-based
Travel locally and domestically for donor visits
Occasional international travel for knowledge of projects
May be required to work evenings and weekends according to donor requests and for events
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Salary Range: Base salary in the $120,000 range, based on experience, which includes a stipend for health insurance, plus potential 10-25% bonus structure
Flexible hybrid work schedule
Vacation: PTO, seventeen (17) days first year
Work related expenses reimbursed by ILAD
Professional Development fund for conferences and/or training
For additional information about International Literacy and Development, please visit their website at https://ilad.ngo/. You may view and download the organization’s last three audited financial statements here.
If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you sense this role and organization could be a good fit for you, please click on the APPLY NOW button below. If you know someone who may have an interest, please use the social media share and email buttons at the top.