Director of Development & Communications

Grounds for Health’s mission is to prevent cervical cancer in coffee-growing communities. We create sustainable, effective cervical cancer prevention and treatment programs in partnership with coffee companies, cooperatives, Ministries of Health, and local health organizations. We believe in global equity and access to healthcare, because no woman should die from a preventable disease. We currently operate programs in Ethiopia and are expanding into Latin America, beginning with Guatemala. The majority of our funding comes from the coffee industry through corporate donations, cause-marketing partnerships, and customer engagement. We believe there is significant room for growth within coffee industry funding as well as by diversifying into and growing individual giving, family foundations, and grants. This role is central to that growth.

About the role

Grounds for Health seeks a full-time Director of Development & Communications to lead our fundraising and communications strategy, with a primary focus on income growth through corporate partnerships, major gifts, and new donor cultivation. This is a senior leadership role. The Director will partner closely with the Executive Director on strategy and key donor relationships, take day-to-day ownership of the development and communications functions, drive the annual communications strategy and ensure effective implementation, and build organizational capacity to support GfH’s next phase of growth.

The ideal candidate is someone who understands and integrates communications strategy into fundraising. They are a sophisticated writer and communicator, motivated at their core by closing gifts and growing revenue. This role requires equal comfort setting direction and rolling up your sleeves in a small, lean organization.

Reports to: Executive Director
Oversees: Part-time Communications/Social Media Consultant; Graphic Design Consultant; works closely with Operations staff on donor database management and gift processing

Schedule

Full-time (5 days/week) with regular working hours to support real-time collaboration. This is a remote position; candidates in the Eastern time zone or within reasonable travel distance of western Massachusetts are preferred but not required. Position includes domestic and international travel approximately 20% of the time for donor visits, coffee industry conferences, and team gatherings.

Responsibilities

• Fundraising Strategy & Leadership
  • Develop and lead GfH’s annual development strategy and revenue targets, in partnership with the Executive Director.
  • Serve as staff lead for the Board’s Fundraising Committee: prepare materials, track progress against goals, and equip Board members to support fundraising.
  • Set and report on key performance indicators, including pipeline metrics, conversion rates, and revenue by source.
• Corporate Partnerships & Major Gifts
  • Build and manage a pipeline of corporate partners and major gift prospects — particularly within the coffee industry and aligned commodity sectors — through proactive research, outreach, and relationship cultivation.
  • Lead outreach to secure meetings with prospective partners and prepare strategy and materials to make the ask; work alongside the Executive Director on key relationships.
  • Cultivate GfH’s individual major gift portfolio, identifying new prospects including individual philanthropists, family foundations, and impact-oriented donors.
  • Represent GfH at coffee industry conferences and trade shows (e.g., World of Coffee, Sintercafe, NCA) to build relationships and identify new opportunities.
  • Identify and pursue foundation and grant opportunities to support GfH’s revenue diversification goals.
• Donor Stewardship & Database Oversight
  • Lead planning and execution of GfH’s fundraising campaigns — including the annual appeal, GfH Week, summer fundraiser, and coffee auction — coordinating across the team to meet timeline and revenue goals.
  • Ensure all donors receive timely, meaningful acknowledgment and stewardship that reinforces GfH’s mission-aligned relationships.
  • Work with operations staff to maintain the donor database (Little Green Light) and use data to inform strategy and reporting.
• Communications Strategy & Execution
  • Own GfH’s communications strategy, ensuring all external communications — across digital, print, and event channels — effectively support fundraising goals, reflect program impact, and reinforce relevance among target audiences.
  • Produce written content independently: donor emails, e-newsletters, blog posts, fundraising campaign copy, quarterly impact reports, board materials, and grant narrative sections.
  • Maintain and refresh donor-facing materials with current impact data and stories from the field.
  • Identify and direct staff or contractor support (social media, design) for day-to-day content creation and channel management across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the website, ensuring consistency with GfH’s voice and fundraising calendar.
• Organizational Leadership
  • Serve as a senior thought partner to the Executive Director on organizational strategy and planning.
  • Contribute to annual budgeting for the development and communications function, and help identify additional capacity as GfH grows.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 6+ years of successful fundraising experience, with substantial experience in corporate partnerships, major gifts, or capital campaigns.
• Demonstrated ability to independently build a prospect pipeline and secure meetings with corporate and major gift donors.
• A personal portfolio of donor or partner relationships that you can bring to, or develop on behalf of, the organization.
• Demonstrated success establishing and executing communications strategy in service of nonprofit fundraising goals; ability to independently produce donor communications, campaign copy, and organizational content.
• Experience directing staff, contractors, or freelancers to produce communications or marketing deliverables.
• Comfort operating in a small, lean organization where senior leaders are expected to both set direction and execute.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor CRM platforms (Little Green Light preferred); familiarity with Mailchimp and social media scheduling tools a plus.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally, approximately 20% of time.

Desired

• Experience with the coffee industry, agricultural supply chains, or public-private partnership models.
• Background in global health or international development.
• Familiarity with board engagement and fundraising committee structures.

Pay

Salary range: $90,000–$100,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits

• Health and dental reimbursement plan
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Combined paid time off