Summary
Description
Our Mission & Values
At We Don’t Waste, we believe food is a human right. Every person deserves access to nutritious food, and we are committed to making that belief a reality across our community.
At We Don’t Waste, our core values are not aspirational statements — they are embedded in how we operate every day. From decision-making and problem-solving to communication and community engagement, our values shape our work practices across the organization.
All employees are expected to uphold and embody our values of Adaptability, Belonging, Collaboration, Dedication, and Sustainability (The ABCD’s) in the workplace. This includes remaining flexible and accountable, valuing and listening to diverse perspectives, working together toward shared goals, staying committed during challenging moments, and stewarding resources responsibly. These expectations are foundational to how we live our mission and how we show up for one another and the communities we serve.
The Organization
We Don’t Waste believes nutritious food should be fed to people, not landfills. We reduce food insecurity and food waste by rescuing surplus food from venues, caterers, distributors, and restaurants, then delivering it free of charge to hunger-fighting local agencies across the Denver Metro area. We Don’t Waste is a fast-growing, high-impact nonprofit organization addressing hunger and food waste through an innovative food recovery model.
The Opportunity
We Don’t Waste seeks a dedicated Head of Development to join our team in a full-time, exempt position reporting directly to the CEO. This role is crucial to ensuring that the organization has the financial support and partnerships to grow and provide more food to people, not landfills. The title will be commensurate with experience, and could include titles such as Vice President of Development, Director of Development, or other variations.
As a key leader within We Don’t Waste, the Head of Development creates and oversees all fundraising, development, communications, and marketing strategies and is a key member of the organization’s leadership team. Working with a dedicated and talented team made up of a Sr. Manager of Development and Events, a Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing, a Development Operations Manager, a Communications and Marketing Intern, and a contract Grant Writer, the Head of Development will craft a comprehensive short- and long-term development strategy, build relationships and personally solicit major gifts and partnerships, expand and diversify our donor base, establish fundraising best practices, and foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization. The Head of Development will help also design and implement a comprehensive short- and long-term strategy with the communications and marketing team. This strategy will align messaging, brand positioning, audience engagement, and fundraising initiatives to support the organization’s overall growth and impact objectives.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Head of Development is a vital leadership role with We Don’t Waste, with a focus on Strategy, Relationships, and Team Leadership. At a high level, the position will be responsible for the following:
● Overall fundraising strategy and revenue architecture
● High-level donor, corporate, and foundation relationships
● Coaching, managing, and developing the development and communications teams
● Cross-functional alignment with programs, administration, and executive Leadership
Development and Organizational Strategy
● Create and execute a comprehensive strategic development plan and budget for individual giving, major donor cultivation, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, special events, and government support, in partnership with development team members.
● Oversee all fundraising initiatives, such as corporate and workplace giving, grants, major gifts, individual giving, events, and new fundraising opportunities.
● Spearhead revenue forecasting projections and goal setting for fundraising on an annual and ongoing basis, with an eye toward setting the organization up for future growth.
● Work collaboratively across the team to ensure seamless execution of major gifts and campaign initiatives (including stewardship, cultivation, and cultivation events) that build the donor pipeline.
● Develop a comprehensive communications, marketing, and public relations strategy to broadly communicate We Don’t Waste’s story and impact.
● Assess the viability and planning needed for new opportunities, such as an AssociateBoard, a Board Development Committee, an endowment campaign, etc.
● Serve on the leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, decision-making, and priorities.
● Collaborate with the organizational leadership, the Board of Directors, and program staffto integrate fundraising efforts with organizational priorities; communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to convey the organization’s impact and funding needs.
● Help board members, leadership team, other fundraising volunteers, and staffidentify, cultivate, and solicit charitable gifts.
Donor and Partner Relationships
● Create and implement a major gifts and partnerships strategy for the organization.
● Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts from foundations, corporations and individuals for annual, program, and capital campaign support.
● Develop and enhance strong relationships to build long-term commitment and support.
● Manage and personally solicit a portfolio of individual major gift donors, foundation contacts and corporate partners, and coordinate the cultivation of new prospects.
● Ensure cohesion on strategy with all major gifts for the successful launch and completion of future capital/comprehensive campaigns.
● Work strategically across the organization to ensure that programmatic and operational goals are represented in donor proposals and solicitations.
● Represent the organization at public-speaking engagements and external events, as needed.
Team and Organizational Leadership
● Provide constructive coaching and guidance to a high-achieving team of professionals to ensure personal and organizational success.
● Lead development team in an inclusive and collaborative manner to create a culture of philanthropy and meet or exceed identified fundraising goals.
● Create revenue and expense budgets; identify, benchmark, track, and utilize meaningful metrics to assess and improve donor retention, solicitations, and stewardship and achieve goals.
● Provide direction, accountability, and insight into a robust moves management system to track goals and progress.
● Track the progress of solicitations and ensure that proper records and documentation are implemented across the team.
● Develop and fine-tune systems to ensure donor stewardship, deliverables, recognition, and expectations are fulfilled for individual/corporate gifts and grants.
● Work with the communications team to create and implement a multi-channel marketing and external communications strategy that increases engagement.
● Partner with the finance team to ensure donations and pledge processing are handled to the highest levels of stewardship, accuracy, security and timeliness.
● Manage the fundraising budget, allocating resources effectively to support fundraising priorities and initiatives.
● Sustain a team-based environment where team members are supported appropriately to meet their individual goals along with collective ones.
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree with at least eight years’ fundraising experience developing strategies that include, but are not limited to, individual giving, corporate partnerships, grant sources, and foundations.
● Proven record of raising at least $3M+/year (individually or in a high-level team role).
● Experience developing and implementing successful capital and/or comprehensive campaigns.
● Relationships with the Colorado philanthropic community.
● Strategic and analytical thinking, strong capability for project management.
● Experience creating and executing communication strategies.
● Experience developing and leveraging donor data from a donor relations CRM (Bloomerang or a similar system) to drive donor strategy and to assist with recognition, engagement, and stewardship.
● Experience building and managing high-impact teams, both direct reports and cross-functionally, that deliver measurable fundraising growth.
● Ability to build, influence and engage a wide range of donors and long-term relationships; extraordinary verbal and written communication skills.
● Experience in small- to large-scale fundraising events.
● Demonstrated creativity in developing multiple successful philanthropic lines of communication and donor stewardship.
● Extensive experience with grant strategy, administration, writing and reporting for one-time and multi-year general operating and program-specific funding.
Desired Traits
● Passion for We Don’t Waste’s mission
● Highly empathetic, collegial, and service-oriented
● Self-starter
● Good sense of humor
● Ability to be flexible with creative problem-solving skills
● Desire to uphold and embody the core values of We Don’t Waste
Benefits
Salary/Benefits The salary range for this position is $90,000-$130,000. Why Work at We Don’t Waste ● Paid time off! We Don’t Waste offers three weeks of time for the first year of employment (accrued), 80 hours of sick time, 9 paid holidays AND our year-end closure from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day. ● Retention of We Don’t Waste staffis a priority! We provide increased vacation benefits for employees as a thank you for your service. In year 2, We Don’t Waste offers 4 weeks of time off. In year 3, We Don’t Waste offers 5 weeks of vacation and in year 8 We Don’t Waste offers 6 weeks of vacation! ● Amazing benefits such as health insurance, dental and vision insurance, life insurance plans, FSA and an IRA-matching program. We pay 100% of health premiums for employee coverage, 100% of employee vision coverage and 100% of employee dental premiums. ● Volunteer time off! Opportunities to volunteer in the community for up to 12 paid hours a year.
How to Apply
Application Process Qualified and interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Katie Malarkey at careers@wedontwaste.org. Our priority deadline is March 15, 2026, and applications will be accepted until the role has been successfully filled. The job posting will be removed from our website when the position has been filled. We Don’t Waste is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse pool of applicants. We know that women and people of color are often less likely to apply to a position if they don’t match 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We encourage you to apply even if you don’t think you’re the perfect candidate. EEO Statement We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, protected statuses). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training. Disclaimer The above job definition information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on changing business needs and conditions.
