Assistant Director of Development

FORA is the only dedicated High Impact Tutoring program for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education in the United States. We operate a rigorous one to one volunteer to student ratio model for refugee learners who have endured war, exclusion, and the abrupt loss of schooling. Our team produces more than fifty thousand hours of individualized instruction each year. The Assistant Director of Development plays a central part in sustaining and strengthening this work. This role combines donor operations, visitor experience, data integrity, and front of house responsibility during key program hours.

A refugee empowerment center based in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, FORA provides over 50,000 hours each year of individually customized high dosage tutoring to refugee SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) children. Our vision is a world where refugees in need are welcomed and empowered, and our mission is to ensure that refugee families are provided access to an education sufficient to prepare them to become economically self-sufficient and robustly engaged in American civic life.

Front Desk and Visitor Experience

• Serves as the primary point of contact at the front desk, controlling access to the building and greeting all visitors with clarity and purpose.
• Directs visitors to the appropriate departments and staff members based on their needs, ensuring a smooth and helpful experience.
• Facilitates the check in process for guests, volunteers, and students by ensuring that all required data is collected and accurate and ensuring that all student phones are pouched.
• Obtains full visitor contact information, including full name, email, address, and phone number.
• Leads engaging and informative donor tours during tutoring hours when needed, highlighting core programs and organizational priorities.
• Supports a full range of donor stewardship activities that strengthen relationships and reinforce FORA's standards.

Administration

• Processes all new donations and enters all information into the donor database, Givebutter.
• Acknowledges gifts through timely thank you calls and personalized letters.
• Maintains the donor database through systematic and accurate data entry, consistent updating of donor records, and clear contact reports.
• Develops and maintains contact and address lists for year round mailings and supports the timely preparation and assembly of all mailed materials.
• Participates in the monthly financial close process by organizing and preparing required donor information and documentation.
• Creates and distributes tax receipts in full conformity with organizational and IRS requirements.
• Manages incoming mail and distributes it to the appropriate recipients.

Other Responsibilities

• Assists in donor relations and fundraising as directed by the Advancement Officer, including participation in donor events outside standard hours.
• Provides support to the development or outreach teams with special projects and programming as needed.
• Participates in staff meetings and professional development sessions.

Key Competencies

• Outstanding oral and written presentation skills.
• Clear, respectful, and effective verbal communication skills, including active listening and precise response.
• Capacity to work with a wide range of cultural perspectives and to welcome a diversity of opinions, needs, and backgrounds.
• Strong administrative, organizational, and data management abilities, including responsible record keeping and support for high functioning daily operations.
• Deep understanding of refugee communities and community support work and a strong commitment to social justice and community development.
• Consistent respect for the academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of FORA students and their parents.
• Clear understanding of professional boundaries with students, including recognizing that they are our protégées and not our friends, maintaining appropriate distance, and supporting their growth by empowering them rather than fostering dependence.

Organizational Requirements

The Assistant Director of Development must endorse, embrace, and enact FORA's mission, vision, and values as described at Employees are expected to support other departments as requested by supervisors to ensure the smooth implementation of programming and special events. This position is nonexempt.

No remote work is allowed.

Schedule, Compensation, Benefits, and Location

FORA is located at 6435 N. California Avenue in Chicago

This role is a forty hour per week position.

During the school year, hours are generally 1:15 pm to 9:15 pm.

During the summer, hours are generally 8:45 am to 4:45 pm.

Weekend hours may be required.

Compensation is twenty-three dollars and eight cents per hour, which equals forty eight thousand six dollars and forty cents per year based on a standard forty hour week.

Benefits

This position includes seven paid vacation days per year. Sick leave is accrued at the rate of one hour for every forty hours worked. FORA pays sixty percent of the premium for designated Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance packages. This information is provided in compliance with Illinois law requiring disclosure of pay and benefits in job postings.

Equal Opportunity Statement

FORA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Overtime

Overtime laws will be followed.

The position is located in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago.

$22.5 - $23.5 per hour