Development Manager

I Challenge Myself (ICM) provides physical education programs to primarily Hispanic and Black high school students in underserved areas in the Bronx and Manhattan. ICM has four main programs. The first is 4 to FIT, which is a physical education class, the second is Cycling Smarts, which introduces students to endurance bicycling, the third is a Group Fitness Instructor Certification Program for older youth and finally, the College Bike Tour, which couples long distance cycling with college visits. ICM does not have a dedicated development staff member, which requires other senior staff to cover fundraising, bookkeeping, marketing, and other administrative duties, in addition to the day-to-day tasks required of senior roles. Being over-extended in this way leaves leadership with little time to diversify ICM’s funding streams, develop relationships with corporations, or support the Board in its goal to transition to a fundraising body. ICM’s proposed capacity-building plan is to hire a full-time development associate who will be responsible for administrative fundraising tasks, as well as grant writing and reporting. The addition of this staff member enables senior staff to focus more time and attention on high-level organizational needs and priorities while also providing valuable support to the Board of Directors as they seek to monitor and reach fundraising goals.