Sr. Director of Development, Unify Ohio
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Akron, OH, US
- Work setup
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 10+ years
- Category
- Not specified
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Experience: 7–10+ years of progressive professional fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing major individual gifts, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships ($100k+ level).
- Exceptional Writing & Communication: Masterful grant writing, storytelling, and proposal crafting skills, with an ability to communicate complex civic concepts simply and persuasively.
- Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical skills to evaluate institutional giving trends, align program goals with funder priorities, and build multi-year revenue projections.
- Relational Prowess & Systems: Meticulous attention to relationships and the details that steward them forward, including CRM management (HubSpot preferred).
- Mission Alignment: Passionate about civic bridge-building, reducing polarization, and strengthening American democracy.
Full description
We are seeking a bold, relationship-driven, and deeply organized Senior Director of Development, Unify Ohio, to lead an ambitious civic fundraising effort in Ohio. Working in close partnership with the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues, this role builds the statewide funding base, equips local leaders to raise money in their own communities, and supports the pipeline of Ohio cities ready to plant, launch, and sustain a local Democracy League.
About Unify America
We’re on a mission to replace political fighting with collaborative problem-solving. Yeah, we know it sounds audacious. It is. But we’re doing it—by creating civic experiences that reduce polarization, teaching essential civic skills, and inviting Americans to use their differences to better solve common problems together.
Where we work:
- Cities (Democracy Leagues): Democracy Leagues is Unify America’s nonpartisan model for helping communities build a lasting engine of local deliberative democracy, using coalition-building and Civic Assemblies of randomly selected residents who deliberate on local issues and make recommendations to local government. In our flagship city, Akron, OH, the community is now working in partnership with city government to implement nine housing recommendations that earned 93% support from Assembly Delegates.
- Higher Education (Civic Gym): Over 50,000 college students have engaged in meaningful cross-partisan conversations. Think of it as training for democracy—reps, sweat, and all.
- Thought Leadership: Our founder and CEO, Harry Nathan Gottlieb, is stirring the civic conversation with fresh talks, ideas on social media, and an upcoming book that points toward a hopeful new era of democracy.
About the Role
This role owns one big, hairy, audacious goal: $30 million raised by 2030. That money is what turns Akron’s proof of concept into a statewide movement, engages tens of thousands across the state, and lays the groundwork for a statewide Ohio Civic Assembly. This Ohio Expansion Fund is designed to build and steward a statewide pooled fund that gives new Leagues predictable launch and early-growth resources.
You will be the Chief of U.S. Democracy Leagues’ closest partner on Ohio growth. Together, you’ll decide where Leagues launch and how they’re funded. You’ll build a statewide portfolio of funders who believe in Ohio, and you’ll coach local leaders so each League can raise its own money and stand on its own.
You’ll spend a lot of time in Ohio communities—meeting civic leaders, foundations, executives, and elected officials—because Leagues grow through trusted local relationships, not cold outreach.