Senior Director of Development

Location: Chesapeake, VA | Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

About Neighborhood

Neighborhood is building a new model for economic mobility. We do not simply prepare individuals for jobs. We are closing the structural gap between underserved communities and regional employers by redesigning how opportunity, capital, and workforce systems align. Our work strengthens people, reshapes systems, and mobilizes investment to ensure living‑wage career pathways are not rare exceptions but expected outcomes. Our long‑term vision is to build a regional economic mobility engine capable of measurably increasing income levels across Hampton Roads. We aim to scale to $3–5 million in annual revenue within the next three to five years to expand program capacity, deepen employer partnerships, strengthen capital resilience, and extend the Economic Access Initiative across the region.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader responsible for leading and executing Neighborhood’s fundraising strategy in close partnership with the CEO. This role focuses on building and scaling a major‑donor‑centered revenue engine while strengthening foundation and corporate philanthropic partnerships. The Senior Director will manage a personal portfolio of major donors, drive donor pipeline growth, strengthen fundraising systems already in place, and help institutionalize fundraising as Neighborhood scales. Operating as both strategist and operator, this hands‑on leader will shape the plan, manage execution, optimize existing systems, and partner directly with the CEO as a key strategic leader in Neighborhood’s next stage of growth.

What Success Looks Like

• Expand the major donor base from a small core group into a resilient portfolio of committed partners.
• Secure multi‑year commitments that significantly increase financial predictability.
• Increase donor retention and average gift size.
• Establish disciplined forecasting and reporting systems.
• Activate the board as engaged partners in revenue strategy.
• Help institutionalize fundraising so revenue strength is embedded in the organization, not concentrated in one individual.
• Build a capital strategy capable of supporting growth toward $3–5 million in annual revenue.

Core Responsibilities

• Capital Strategy and Revenue Leadership: Lead execution of a multi‑year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational expansion; build annual fundraising plans with clear growth targets; lead revenue forecasting and dashboard reporting; align fundraising pacing with organizational growth priorities; identify capital gaps and develop strategies to address them.
• Major Donor Strategy: Design and lead a major donor program capable of supporting scale; manage a personal portfolio of high‑capacity donors and prospects; secure new major gifts and multi‑year commitments; build and manage a strong pipeline of qualified major donor prospects; partner closely with the CEO on top‑tier cultivation and solicitation.
• Foundations and Corporate Philanthropy: Lead foundation strategy and grants calendar; ensure competitive proposal development and reporting; cultivate long‑term foundation partnerships; develop corporate philanthropic partnerships aligned with mission and systems change (focus on strategic philanthropy, not event sponsorships).
• Fundraising Infrastructure and Optimization: Oversee CRM integrity and moves‑management discipline; strengthen donor segmentation and stewardship systems; optimize fundraising systems already built; leverage automation and external consultants strategically; improve donor impact reporting and engagement cadence.
• Executive and Board Partnership: Partner directly with the CEO to prioritize fundraising focus; prepare the CEO for major donor meetings and solicitations; develop a board fundraising engagement strategy; increase board participation and accountability in revenue growth efforts; help evolve the organization’s case for support as Neighborhood scales.

Qualifications

• 7 or more years of senior‑level fundraising leadership experience within nonprofit or mission‑driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success securing five‑ and six‑figure gifts.
• Experience managing a major donor portfolio.
• Strong strategic planning and forecasting capability.
• Comfort operating without a large internal development team.
• Experience in growth‑stage or entrepreneurial organizations preferred.
• Alignment with dignity‑centered, systems‑aware approaches to economic mobility.

Who You Are

• You think in scale, not survival.
• You believe capital can accelerate systems change.
• You are disciplined, metrics‑driven, and relational.
• You are comfortable building in motion.
• You are energized by ambitious growth.
• You are ready to help institutionalize what a founder has built.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: $105,000
• Annual insurance stipend: $4,000
• Structured annual compensation increases, including performance‑based step increases and cost‑of‑living adjustments.
• PTO: 160 hours (20 days).
• Office closed the full week of Thanksgiving and two full weeks at Christmas.