Summary
This senior leadership role oversees all fundraising activities, builds and coaches the development team, and partners with executive leadership to achieve ambitious revenue goals. The ideal candidate is a high autonomy, fast-paced, strategic and collaborative leader with a proven track record in generating major gifts, campaigns, and donor engagement.
Description
Key Responsibilities
1. Team Leadership – The Development Director is responsible for directly managing the fundraising team (currently 9 people) and is also responsible for developing talent and fostering a culture of growth. Responsibilities include:
- People Management: Provide clear direction, set goals, and conduct performance reviews for a team of Event Managers, Donor Managers, Corporate Sponsor Managers, and Grant Writers.
- Coaching & Mentorship: Actively coach team members on donor engagement strategies, portfolio management, and best practices in fundraising.
- Professional Development: Identify skill gaps and create opportunities for training and advancement within the team.
- Culture Building: Promote collaboration, accountability, and innovation to ensure the team thrives and meets organizational goals.
- Strategic Alignment: Ensure individual and team efforts align with the organization’s comprehensive fundraising plan and long-term objectives
2. Fundraising Strategy & Execution – The Development Director will co-design, implement, and oversee a comprehensive fundraising strategy that drives sustainable growth and aligns with organizational goals. Responsibilities include:
- Comprehensive Fundraising Plan: Develop and execute a multi-channel fundraising strategy encompassing major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, and special campaigns.
- Campaign Leadership: Assist in planning and implementing a long-term Comprehensive Campaign to stabilize and grow the foundation’s revenue base.
- Revenue Growth: Drive toward strategic goals to increase annual grant distribution from $1M–$3M, with a long-term target of $10M annually.
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Partner with senior leadership to create and manage annual fundraising budgets, monitor performance, and adjust strategies as needed.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Establish and track team and individual metrics, analyze performance data, and use insights to optimize fundraising efforts.
- Donor Engagement Strategy: Oversee donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans to deepen relationships and maximize lifetime value.
- Innovation & Best Practices: Identify emerging trends and implement best practices in philanthropy, donor engagement, and fundraising technology.
- Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with the Executive Director, Director of Operations, and Director of Finance to align fundraising initiatives with organizational priorities and strategic plan objectives.
3. Collaboration & Organizational Growth – The Development Director will play a key role in strengthening internal partnerships and driving organizational expansion to support long-term sustainability. Responsibilities include:
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with the Executive Director, Director of Finance and Administration to align fundraising initiatives with organizational priorities and financial planning.
- Budget Partnership: Collaborate with senior leadership to build and manage the annual fundraising budget, ensuring accuracy and accountability.
- Strategic Expansion: Lead efforts to broaden the organization’s reach by identifying and cultivating new fundraising partnerships and regional opportunities.
- Campaign Integration: Support the implementation of a long-term Comprehensive Campaign designed to stabilize and grow the foundation’s revenue base.
- Strategic Plan Advancement: Partner with leadership to enhance and execute the 2021 Strategic Plan, driving toward ambitious grant distribution goals.
- Organizational Development: Contribute to planning for future staffing needs and infrastructure to support growth and sustainability.
- Innovation & Best Practices: Bring forward ideas and solutions that strengthen collaboration and improve operational efficiency across departments.
4. Portfolio Management – As part of this role, the Development Director will actively manage a personal portfolio of donors and prospects while leading the overall fundraising strategy. Responsibilities include:
- Direct Donor Engagement: Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors to meet individual and organizational revenue goals.
- Pipeline Development: Identify and qualify new prospects, ensuring a healthy pipeline for future growth.
- Relationship Building: Maintain strong, personalized relationships with donors through regular communication, impact reporting, and engagement opportunities.
- Goal Setting & Tracking: Establish clear revenue targets for the portfolio and monitor progress using CRM tools and performance metrics.
- Strategic Alignment: Integrate portfolio activities into the broader fundraising plan, ensuring consistency with organizational priorities and campaigns.
- Collaboration: Work closely with the Executive Director and senior leadership to align donor strategies with organizational objectives and comprehensive campaign goals.
Qualifications
- Minimum 7–10 years of progressive non-profit fundraising experience, including major gifts and campaign management.
- Proven success in building and leading high-performing teams.
- Strong knowledge of portfolio management, donor cultivation, and stewardship strategies.
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning.
- Familiarity with planned giving and event fundraising.
- Experience managing special events managers and supporting signature/third-party events.
- Excellent communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.
