Summary
Description
ABOUT METRO CARING
Metro Caring offers innovative programming in Food Access, Nutrition, Community Connections, and Community Organizing. We know that Coloradans don’t go hungry because of a lack of food. Coloradans go hungry because they can’t afford to put food on the table. Unaffordable housing, low wages, an industrialized food system, and centuries of racism and oppression are some of the leading causes that force people to go hungry. We need bold new solutions to tackle these root causes. By investing in community wealth building, organizing our community leaders, and exploring innovative solutions to our food system, we know that, together, we can end hunger at its root.
Mission
As one of Colorado’s leading anti-hunger organizations, Metro Caring works with our community to meet people’s immediate need for nutritious, culturally relevant food while building a movement to end hunger at its root.
Our Values
We’re guided by shared values that reflect our vision and mission. These values shape our daily work, influence our decisions, and help us evaluate our impact as we strive to make a positive difference in our community. We guide ourselves by seven core values:
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Pursue Equity
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Champion the Mission
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Rise Together
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Find the Joy
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Own It
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Are Brave
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Think Outside the Box
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Development plays a key leadership role at Metro Caring, guiding the fundraising and communications functions to power our mission. As a member of the leadership team, you will oversee a team of fundraisers and storytellers, build strong donor relationships, and drive strategy across individual, foundation, corporate, and faith-based giving channels.
You’ll partner closely with the CEO-Integrator and Major Gifts Officer to foster a culture of philanthropy and community engagement across the organization. You’ll also manage cross-functional collaboration with communications, program, and finance teams to ensure consistent messaging and strategic alignment.
The ideal candidate brings a relationship-first mindset, proven success in fundraising strategy, and a passion for justice, equity, and community-led change. They are personable, organized, and lead teams toward results.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Fundraising and Donor Development
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Multi-stream strategy: Lead the design and execution of strategies across all revenue streams: individual giving, foundations, government, corporate sponsors, and faith-based partners.
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Portfolio Management: Manage a donor portfolio of 75+ individuals and key corporate funders, cultivating and stewarding relationships to increase engagement and giving.
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Donor Stewardship: Work with development staff to grow the prospect pipeline and deepen donor stewardship, with a focus on Roots to Rise Society members and new major gift prospects.
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Collaboration: Collaborate with program and finance staff to align funding needs, impact narratives, and budget forecasting.
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Communication: Support pitch development, proposal writing, and grant submissions that reflect the voice and values of Metro Caring.
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Board Communication: Prepare reports to the Board and periodically present these to the Board in meetings.
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Metro Caring Tours: Oversee Metro Caring tour implementation, including scripting, training tour hosts, and ensuring alignment with Metro Caring’s fundraising model.
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Grants Strategy: Design and oversee the execution of a comprehensive grants strategy focused on maintaining a diverse and balanced funder portfolio and calendar.
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Site Visit Lead: Serve as the primary contact for funder site visits, coordinating with the leadership team and involving the Development Director or CEO only as requested by the funder or at strategic moments.
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Grants Alignment: Design, lead, and guide overall grants strategy in partnership with the Foundations Relations Manager to ensure alignment with Metro Caring’s long-term organizational goals and funding priorities.
Leadership & Team Management
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Management: Lead and mentor a talented team, including directly supervising Development Manager (to be hired), Grants & Foundations Relations Manager, and Communications and Marketing Specialist. Indirectly manage the Grants Coordinator, Development Coordinator, and Donor Engagement Coordinator.
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Goal Setting: Hold regular 1:1s and team meetings, set clear goals, and support ongoing professional development and performance evaluation.
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Change Management: Guide and support the team through organizational transitions, ensuring alignment, communication, and staff adoption of new systems and processes.
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Culture: Foster a collaborative team culture rooted in equity, learning, and accountability.
Communications & Brand Strategy
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External Communications and Management: Oversee Metro Caring’s external communications and marketing strategy in partnership with the Communications & Marketing Specialist.
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Content: Co-create compelling content that drives audience engagement and advances the organization’s mission and visibility.
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Media Relations: Facilitate communication with the press, address media requests, and support consistent brand storytelling with the Communications team.
Events & Engagement
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Signature Events: Lead the planning and execution of signature fundraising events, including Cornucopia and Rooted in the Community.
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Logistics and Content: Oversee program content, budget development, vendor partnerships, and production logistics in collaboration with the Development and Program teams.
Organizational Leadership
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Collaboration: Participate actively in organizational planning, budget development, and cross-departmental collaboration.
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Strategy and Resourcing: Support the Board of Directors and Development Committees with training, tools, and engagement strategies.
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Budgeting: Partner with the Finance Team on income forecasting and budget planning to ensure sustainable financial growth.
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Data: Ensure the effective use of Salesforce for donor tracking and data integrity.
Job requirements
To be successful in this role:
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You have a passion for advancing food justice and equity in Colorado communities.
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You bring 7+ years of progressive fundraising experience across individual, corporate, and foundation giving and can showcase successful organizational fundraising for $3m and more. It is preferred that the Director of Development is familiar with the Benevon model, but if you are not you must be willing to learn and implement this model, persuading your donor base.
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You have a proven track record of building high-performing fundraising teams—hiring talent, setting both realistic and ambitious goals tailored to each team member’s role, and delivering clear, actionable feedback and performance management to support continuous improvement. You are able to lead this team while managing a robus portfolio.
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You are a strong communicator, storyteller, and public speaker who connects people to mission. You build relationships for the full potential, including but not limited to, their financial capacity.
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You are a strategic thinker with a collaborative spirit and data-driven mindset. You are highly organized and connect your work to the organization’s metrics, monitoring progress and success for your team.
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You’re energized by building relationships and developing others, both on your team and with external partners. You have a high EQ and are inspiring to those who you engage with.
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You are comfortable working with CRM systems and tools like Salesforce.
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You embody Metro Caring’s values and lead with empathy, creativity, and courage.
IMPORTANT DETAILS
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Location: Denver, CO
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Time: Full time, with a 4-day, 32-hour work week.
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Compensation: $90,000 to $120,000 full-time, exempt, annual salary.
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Benefits:
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Four-day workweek with 32 hours per week of work, allowing a 3-day weekend to recharge
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120 hours per year of paid time off, as well as paid sick leave, paid holidays, and paid family leave.
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We also offer participation after 3 months of employment in our 401K retirement plan with a 5% employer-paid match.
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Metro Caring supports flexible work schedules, and an organizational culture that centers on our mission and values, the pursuit of equity, continuous improvement, and community leadership in all we do.
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Reporting: This role will report to the CEO – Integrator
APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE
Our goal is to bring a new team member on board by August 2025.
Applications Open: This application should take about 20 minutes including submitting your resume and a few questions.
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Phone Interviews (30 minutes)
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Zoom Interviews with CEO (1 hour): The Zoom interview will dig into the details of your professional experience in relation to this role.
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Project (1 hour): If moving to the project phase, you will receive a project scope which will take about 1 hour to complete.
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In-Person Final Interviews (2.5-3 hours): These will be with members of the team, as well as potentially members of the Board that you can learn more about the organization and we can dig into any final questions to ensure mutual alignment. These will be in person in Denver.
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Reference Calls: Final candidates will share 3 professional references and we will reach out to them for 15-minute phone calls.
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Final Offer Made by July 31st.
Importance of Inclusion and Belonging
Please note: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job qualifications and/or requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
Metro Caring is an equal-opportunity employer. The organization is dedicated to the goal of building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive staff. We encourage applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BlPOC), veterans, first-generation Americans, and those who identify as LGBTQ and non-binary are strongly encouraged to apply.
Ready to apply?
If you share our values and our enthusiasm for building a movement to end hunger at its root causes and champion food as a basic human right in solidarity with the community, we’d love to review your application! Instead of a cover letter, we ask you to submit your resume and answer three questions to share a bit more about you.
Note: Applicants must have reliable transportation. Relocation costs are not covered by Metro Caring.
