This description is part of the Nonprofit Job Description Toolkit View more
The director of development in this organization reports to a vice president of development. She or he is tasked with creating a development strategy, and hiring and managing staff members. The position also entails direct fundraising, and working with and supporting the senior management team with its fundraising plans.
Feel free to use and modify this sample job description to help you create one for your organization.
Sample Description
XYZ Nonprofit
Director of Development
Reporting to and working in close collaboration with the Vice President (VP), Development, the Director of Development will design and execute on a comprehensive development strategy for XYZ Nonprofit. The Director of Development will oversee and execute on both capital campaigns and ongoing fundraising efforts. She or he also will form and manage the XYZ Nonprofit development team.
Responsibilities
- Design development strategy for XYZ Nonprofit: Work with the management team to identify funds needed, preferred funding targets, and approaches
- Form and manage development team: Work with the VP of Development and senior leadership team to form a development team
- Identify staffing needs for capital campaigns and ongoing development
- Interview candidates and hire team members
- Oversee development team, once formed
- Fundraising: Conduct research, prospecting, and application to multiple donor sources
- Manage capital campaigns, engaging and overseeing capital campaign firms as necessary
- Oversee ongoing development efforts
- Build a robust donor base: Develop and maintain key long-term relationships with donors and prospects
- Communicate and train: Train and mentor development staff and communicate fundraising goals and progress throughout XYZ Nonprofit
Qualifications
- Development/Fundraising: Proven success in development for a large nonprofit. Experience running capital campaigns and success fundraising from multiple donor channels
- Project Leadership: Experience in planning, leading, and managing development projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, and tracking and reporting on progress to senior managers/board of directors
- Entrepreneurial Spirit: Takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen current donor relationships and to forge new ones
- Communications: Skilled in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications for fundraising. Ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials. Experience and credibility when presenting materials to external audiences
- Influencing: Gets others to accept ideas by using convincing arguments, creates a win-win situation and responds appropriately to key stakeholders
- Collaboration: Effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives
- Relationship Building: Skilled at establishing and cultivating strong relationships with peers, across different levels of the organization and externally
