September 2nd, 2025
Read Ahead
Senior Director, Development and Communications
( New York | Hybrid )
About the Organization
Read Ahead is dedicated to helping New York City youth strengthen the literacy and social-emotional skills they need to thrive in school and beyond. Read Ahead’s vision is that students have the opportunity to unlock their full potential through mentoring relationships based on a love of reading.
Job Description
Senior Director, Development and Communications
Read Ahead
New York, NY (Hybrid Employment)
www.readahead.org
Read Ahead seeks an experienced and results-driven Senior Director, Development and Communications (Senior Director). The successful candidate will further build and lead a comprehensive fundraising program, including major gifts, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, foundation giving, special events, and communications. The Senior Director will build and carry a portfolio of major gifts prospects, with a focus on discovery work to identify new prospects and create constituency in an environment where the prospective donor constituency is not immediately obvious. The candidate will create processes and systems for development with a goal of securing $2 million annually and a focus on diversifying philanthropic income sources to deliver annual growth.
The Senior Director will play a critical role in strategically engaging and preparing the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders in public outreach and fundraising activities, providing meaningful engagement opportunities and effective support. The candidate will preserve long-term alliances and relationships with existing donors, while systematically identifying and targeting new prospects. The ideal Senior Director will have a proven track record in achieving year-over-year new and renewal revenue growth, managing a pipeline of active prospects and current partners. This role will require external stewardship, Board engagement, and internal cross-departmental collaboration. The Senior Director will manage two Senior Managers of Development and will report to the Executive Director and serve on Read Ahead’s leadership team.
Additional information Read Ahead has retained Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to assist with this crucial recruitment. Please send confidential inquiries and applications directly to Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC via e-mail at ReadAhead@glfreeman.com.