Director of Development
Job Summary
The Director of Development serves as YWCA Evanston/North Shore's lead fundraising professional, responsible for expanding philanthropic support through strategic donor cultivation, relationship management, annual giving, and revenue diversification.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Develop and implement annual fundraising strategies that increase philanthropic support and diversify revenue.
Partner with the President & CEO to establish annual fundraising goals and measurable performance targets.
Develop strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades.
Expand recurring giving and annual fund participation.
Identify new revenue opportunities including individuals, family foundations, corporate giving, workplace giving, and community partnerships.
Maintain accurate donor records within DonorPerfect.
Monitor fundraising performance and recommend adjustments throughout the year.
Manage a portfolio of individual donors and qualified prospects through active cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Schedule and conduct donor visits independently and jointly with the President & CEO.
Develop individualized cultivation and stewardship plans for major donors.
Prepare donor briefings, talking points, and solicitation strategies for the CEO.
Ensure timely follow-up after meetings, gifts, and organizational engagements.
Build long-term relationships that increase donor loyalty and lifetime giving.
Lead annual fundraising campaigns including: Giving Tuesday, Year-End Appeal, Monthly Giving Program, Donor Renewal Campaigns, Legacy Gift Campaigns.
Develop stewardship strategies that demonstrate donor impact.
Coordinate personalized donor acknowledgments and recognition.
Partner with Marketing to ensure fundraising communications effectively tell the organization's story.
Perform donor operations and reporting tasks such as maintaining accurate donor records, monitoring donor pipeline activity, preparing monthly fundraising dashboards and reports, ensuring gift acknowledgments are timely and IRS compliant, and utilizing donor analytics to inform fundraising strategy.
Additional Duties
Attends staff training and participates in agency committees.
Pursues professional development.
Understands and adheres to all YWCA Evanston/North Shore procedures and policies as well as YWCA Employee Handbook.
Performs other duties as assigned by management.
Requirements
Education: Bachelor's degree.
Experience and/or Training: 7-10 years progressive fundraising experience, demonstrated success securing five-figure and six-figure gifts, experience managing a donor portfolio, experience planning annual fundraising campaigns, strong relationship-building and communication skills, excellent writing and presentation skills, valid driver's license and reliable transportation, intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, advanced proficiency with Donor Perfect Online or comparable donor database, reliable access to a personal auto to conduct business.
Preferred Qualifications: MBA or master’s degree in communication or non-profit administration, Certified Fund Raising Professional (CFRE) preferred, experience within a nonprofit human service organization, experience fundraising around racial equity, gender equity, violence prevention, housing, or human services, experience partnering directly with CEOs and Boards, knowledge of moves management and donor pipeline development, CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Professional) or progress toward certification.
Physical and Mental Demands
Frequent nights and/or weekends required for events or meetings.
Frequent local and intermittent statewide travel required.
Tolerance of prolonged and continuous stationary periods at a desk/computer.
Occasionally required to push, pull, lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Must be able to move about the facility.
Must be able to operate controls for computers and other equipment.
Salary
$85,000 - $100,000 / Yearly.