Fundraising/Business Development Director
Pittsburgh
Fundraising/Business Development Director
Full Time • Pittsburgh
Benefits:
- Opportunity for advancement
- Paid time off
- Training & development
Organization: STEM Coding Lab
Location: Pittsburgh PA
Reports to: CEO
Job Type: Full-Time
About us:
STEM Coding Lab is a mission driven nonprofit organization who is dedicated to expanding economic mobility for K–8 children in underserved communities by providing access to learning experiences that build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in a digital economy. Our vision is a world where every child, regardless of their socioeconomic status, has an opportunity to succeed.
We accomplish this through an experiential learning model that develops critical reasoning, problem
solving, and computational thinking skills through computer science, AI, STEM, and robotics instruction. We combine this with a turnkey delivery model that provides schools with all the resources - including educators, curriculum, technology, and equipment - needed to deliver year-round instruction.
Position Overview:
This position blends strategy and storytelling: you will lead efforts to grow and diversify our funding base through thoughtful cultivation of corporate, individual, government and foundation relationships; manage key fundraising campaigns and events; and craft compelling narratives that connect donors to the tangible impact of our work in under-resourced communities.
You will partner closely with the CEO to design and implement a comprehensive development strategy that sustains and scales STEM Coding Lab’s programs. This includes identifying and pursuing new funding opportunities, stewarding existing supporters through authentic relationship-building, and using data-driven insights to strengthen organizational growth. The Fundraising/Business Development Director will also collaborate with program and operations teams to align fundraising initiatives with program impact, ensuring that every proposal, report, and donor conversation reflects both rigor and heart.
This is an ideal role for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy and purpose, someone who can move seamlessly from analyzing trends to crafting stories that inspire action. The Fundraising/Business Development Director will bring creativity, curiosity, and commitment to equity, helping to shape the future of computer science education access in the Pittsburgh region and across the country.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy & Planning
-
Develops and implements an annual development plan in alignment with organizational goals, priorities, and budget targets. - Monitor fundraising performance metrics (e.g. pipeline health, conversion rates, donor retention, average gift size) and adjust tactics accordingly.
- Works closely with our grant writing contractor to review (government, individual, foundation, corporate) opportunities to map strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Maintain and manage a pipeline and coordinate donor touchpoints.
- Support the CEO and board in fundraising strategy, planning, and execution (e.g. briefing materials, campaign targets, campaign structure).
Donor Cultivation, Solicitation & Stewardship
- Manage a portfolio of donors and prospects (e.g. mid-level and emerging major donors), cultivating relationships, making requests, and stewarding post-gift engagement.
- Request and review solicitation materials, proposals, briefs, one-pagers, and donor presentations from the marketing and development coordinator
- Request and review donor recognition, reporting, and impact communication (annual reports, newsletters, donor updates) in partnership with the Marketing and development coordinator.
- Facilitate donor visits, meetings, and events, working with internal teams to craft compelling narratives, site visits, and impact storytelling.
- Oversee stewardship plans to ensure donors feel seen, informed, and valued over the long term in partnership with the marketing and development coordinator.
Grant Management & Institutional Funding
- Manage the grant writing firm to review the full grant life cycle: prospecting, LOIs, proposal drafting, budgeting, submission, compliance, reporting, and evaluation.
- Ensure that the grant writing firm is meeting all grant deadlines, deliverables, and reporting schedules, and ensure alignment between program impact and grant requirements.
Events, Campaigns, and Sponsorships
- Research, attend and advocate at community events and campaigns.
- Lead from start to finish end of year giving campaigns and solicit other times of the year for individual contributions to fundraise for our organization.
- Oversee campaign logistics (sponsorships, marketing, follow-up).
- Work cross-functionally (Education, finance, and operations) to integrate mission messaging, branding, and impact stories into event and campaign content.
Development Operations & Data Management
- Maintain integrity, accuracy, and segmentation of the donor database (CRM).
- Generate regular donor performance and pipeline reports; support data-driven decision making.
- Work with finance and operations teams to coordinate gift processing, reconcile donations, and align on financial reporting.
- Develop and document internal processes, workflows, and systems to scale fundraising operations (e.g. move-management protocols, templates, standard operating procedures).
Internal Collaboration, Leadership & Capacity Building
- Partner closely with education, operations, and finance teams to align fundraising goals with programmatic impact, storytelling, and operational capacity.
- Train, mentor, and engage volunteers, board members, and staff in fundraising best practices (e.g. role in solicitation, donor engagement, event support).
- Provide support and input for organizational planning, participating in strategic meetings, cross-functional initiatives, and annual planning.
- Train and support the Marketing and Development Coordinator.
- Oversee the contractual partners for both social media and grant writing and ensure KPI’s are met.
- Identify and implement efficiencies within the fundraising department.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, marketing, public administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- 4-8 years of experience in fundraising, development, donor relations, or related nonprofit roles, with a demonstrated record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft persuasive donor materials and translate complex program outcomes into compelling narratives.
- Proven success in managing grants or corporate sponsorships, including prospect research, proposal writing, and reporting.
- Strong relationship management skills, with experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors, partners, and sponsors.
- Strong organizational and project management abilities, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Experience using donor databases for tracking gifts, moves management, and pipeline reporting.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, with an understanding of how access to computer science education impacts economic mobility and opportunity.
Skills and Competencies:
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google suite, Canva, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
- Strong communication skills (verbal and written)
- Strong attention to details
- Ability to self-start on projects.
- High level of empathy
- Comfortable with Public Speaking
- Strong organizational skills.
Salary- $70,000 +based on experience
Benefits: Health care stipend of $3,500 per year in addition to your salary, 10 PTO days, and 9 Paid holidays, Option to work 1 day remotely per week.
Equal Opportunity Statement: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Interested candidates should send their resume & a letter of introduction to Melissa Fuller and melissa@stemcodingpa.org.
Compensation: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
WHAT WE DO
STEM Coding Lab is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2017, with the mission of providing K-8 children living in underserved communities with CS/AI/STEM skills needed to succeed in a digital economy. SCL delivers 180+ classes every week across more than 30 schools and institutions to more than 4,300 K-8 children. Programming is primarily delivered during the school day (70%) and after school (15%), with the remainder through summer camps and special events. SCL’s educators deliver an experiential, hands-on learning model grounded in robotics and game design. More than 80% of participating students are eligible for Title I federal free lunch, and SCL has maintained a 100% retention rate among its school partners. For more information, please visit our website www.stemcodinglab.org , or email info@stemcodinglab.org
MISSION
TO PROVIDE YOUTH GRADES K-8 WITH THE CS/AI/STEM SKILLS NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN A DIGITIAL ECONOMY.
VISION
A WORLD WHERE ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED, REGARDLESS OF INCOME LEVEL.
STEM CODING LAB HISTORY & FOUNDERS
STEM Coding Lab was started by the Penninti family in 2017. Viv Penninti came to Pittsburgh from India in 1980 to get his master’s in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He subsequently got his MBA from CMU and landed his first job at MSA, a local (Pittsburgh) data analytics firm. Thus was born his love for the city of Pittsburgh and his adopted country which welcomed him with open arms and provided opportunities to succeed based on merit and hard work. Viv went on to become the Chief Executive Officer at MSA, iGate, and other companies, and started several companies himself, mostly in the fields of information technology and data analytics.
Viv believes that digital literacy is key to the success of our children. His local experience, though, indicated a major “digital divide” in society where a large number of the less fortunate children simply did not have access to the resources needed to succeed. Thus was born STEM Coding Lab – an organization focused on providing computer education to underserved children. This has been Viv’s way to contribute and payback to the community that welcomed him and nurtured him for the past 30+ years. A devoted husband & father and beloved by his employees, family, and friends, STEM Coding Lab is thankful for his generosity and leadership.
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