Director of Development Services

About the role

The Director of Development Services provides analytic and operational leadership for the organization’s revenue strategy, systems, processes, data, and financial coordination. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this role ensures the integrity, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of Development Services in support of the organization’s fundraising goals and mission.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Development Services team, including direct supervision of up to four (4) Managers with responsibility for portfolio management, donor research, gift processing, and donor data, respectively.
• Manage and develop staff, set clear performance expectations and accountability measures, establish and optimize standard operating procedures, track and report on key performance indicators.
• Manage vendor relationships to ensure operational excellence and alignment with organizational goals.
• Serve as a senior operational advisor to the Vice President of Advancement, proactively identifying opportunities to strengthen systems, processes, workflows, and outcomes.
• Collaborate with the Vice President of Advancement, as well as individual development team members, to identify and advance specific donor prospecting, research, and moves management strategies.
• Oversee the gift processing, including acknowledgements, gift data entry and reporting, direct mail solicitations, check and credit card processing, etc.
• Establish procedures to ensure donor data integrity and accuracy, including data input, reporting, change management, and systems enhancements.
• Partner with the Controller in monthly revenue reconciliation and the accuracy, timeliness, and clarity of revenue reporting and analytics to support organizational planning and decision-making.
• Aid Finance with audit preparation and other regulatory and reporting activities.
• Explore new processes for tracking contributions, processing acknowledgments, and reporting on data and analytics.
• Share knowledge, expertise, and best practices across the organization, documenting standards for database use, communication systems, and revenue reporting.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will bring relevant experience and will demonstrate strong analytic and operational skills and is an effective communicator and team-builder.
• Hightly valued experience includes: 8–10+ years in Advancement/Development Services, Development Operations, Fundraising Analytics, Prospect Development, and/or Nonprofit Revenue Operations, with 4+ years in a leadership role.
• Direct experience managing staff, vendors, budgets, SOPs, performance expectations, and cross-functional workflows, required.
• Strong CRM/database knowledge and experience specifically with Salesforce (or comparable fundraising systems), required.
• Strong project management experience with system improvements, integrations, automation, reporting redesign, and data governance.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear and accurate fundraising analytics, pipeline reporting, revenue projections, portfolio metrics, and executive dashboards.
• Experience with Gift Processing, Acknowledgments, Donor Records, Pledge/Payment tracking, Revenue Reconciliation, and Audit Support.
• Able to develop, document and execute strong policies and procedures/SOPs.
• Strong working knowledge of Prospect Research, Portfolio Management, Moves Management, Campaign Reporting, and Donor Stewardship operations.
• Experience partnering with Development, Finance, Marketing, IT, and senior leadership to bring development operations to a world class level.
• Excellent judgment around data integrity, compliance, confidentiality, donor experience, and business process design.
• Strong, clear communication skills. Ability to translate operational complexity into practical recommendations for fundraisers and executives.
• Experience / knowledge of Advancement Services for a University, preferred.

Skills

• Strong analytic and operational skills.
• Effective communication and team-building abilities.
• Strong CRM/database knowledge and experience with Salesforce (or comparable fundraising systems).
• Strong project management experience with system improvements, integrations, automation, reporting redesign, and data governance.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear and accurate fundraising analytics, pipeline reporting, revenue projections, portfolio metrics, and executive dashboards.
• Experience with Gift Processing, Acknowledgments, Donor Records, Pledge/Payment tracking, Revenue Reconciliation, and Audit Support.
• Able to develop, document and execute strong policies and procedures/SOPs.
• Strong working knowledge of Prospect Research, Portfolio Management, Moves Management, Campaign Reporting, and Donor Stewardship operations.
• Experience partnering with Development, Finance, Marketing, IT, and senior leadership to bring development operations to a world class level.
• Excellent judgment around data integrity, compliance, confidentiality, donor experience, and business process design.
• Strong, clear communication skills. Ability to translate operational complexity into practical recommendations for fundraisers and executives.
• Experience / knowledge of Advancement Services for a University, preferred.

Benefits

This position includes a highly competitive benefits package.

Pay

Salary Range: $125,000 – $145,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Hybrid / 2 Days in Office