Director of Development

The Director of Development provides strategic leadership for fund development at Courage MKE. Working in partnership with the Executive Director, the Director of Development plans and manages all fund development activities, and supports the organizational leadership team in building relationships with donors, funders and community stakeholders to advance the mission and fundraising goals of Courage MKE.

This is the first major investment in this work by Courage MKE and as such, this role will do a lot to build and maintain systems for all aspects of fund development. As a member of the executive team, this position will report to the Executive Director

Responsibilities 

Fund Development Leadership and Management

• Annually establishes strategic fund development goals, including communication and public relations objectives related to fund development.
• Prepares fund development annual work plan and budget for Executive Director review; works as a member of the board fund development committee; regularly evaluates fund development goals and reports progress to Executive Director.
• Manages all fund development campaigns, events and communications.
• Ensures accurate, timely and meaningful internal reports related to gift income, donors and fund development results.
• Develops and maintains written policies and protocols governing fund development.
• Oversees and manages fundraising database and tracking systems and ensures consistent, accurate and timely entry of all gifts and donor information.
• With finance department, ensures reconciliation of development results with Courage MKE’s financial reports and budget.
• Eventually will recruit, hire, supervise, evaluate, and train development staff.

Individual Giving

• Manages, administers and grows the individual giving program including annual fund campaign, direct mail, online giving, sustained giving, and major gifts.
• Develops and implements a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with donors.
• Designs and implements strategies to develop new constituencies and build the donor base.
• Develops and implements an annual cycle of donor communications including the design, copywriting, production, and dissemination of all development collateral (solicitation letters, acknowledgement letters, donor stewardship letters, newsletters, impact reporting, etc.)
• Gathers data on donors and prospects in support of fundraising efforts.
• Compiles, updates and maintains database files on donors and prospects with the assistance of administrative staff.

Government, Foundation, and Corporate Grants

• Collaborates with off-site contracted grant writer to maintain and, as possible, increase grant revenue. • Cultivates and stewards grantors and prospective grantors in collaboration with the Executive Director.

Special Events

• Develops and implements strategies to grow existing special events.
• Designs corporate sponsorship packages.
• Produces and monitors event workplans, budgets, sponsorship packages.
• Coordinates efforts of board, event committee, and Executive Director in the solicitation of event sponsorships.
• Develops corresponding event communications (direct mail, email, website, social media, press releases and coverage); ensures timely event communication in collaboration with development staff.
• Serves as staff liaison to event planning committees.
• Generates appropriate reporting to keep staff and volunteers on task.
• Spearheads after-event evaluation efforts.
• Oversees staff involved in special events related work
• Collaborates with the Executive Director to increase visibility for the organization.
• Manages the development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral related to fund development including, but not limited to, newsletters, brochures, and website.
• Oversees online content that engages donors and friends of Courage MKE’s – website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn; ensures regular posting of new and consistent information by staff responsible for social media and website.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in the nonprofit sector; previous experience as a senior fund development leader required
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and persuasively; experience writing for fundraising, public relations and social media
• Tangible experience expanding and cultivating existing donor relationships over time
• Superior organizational skills and ability to create organizational systems and policies
• Flexible and adaptable style; a leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives
• Ability to listen for understanding and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Capacity to handle multiple tasks and relationships simultaneously with grace and humor
• Experience with donor databases; knowledge of BetterUnite a plus
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, G Suite, Constant Contact and other applications
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience and training preferred

Compensation:

Salary range: $70k – $85k, $150 a month reimbursement health stipend. We provide 16 PTO days per year as well as seven paid holidays.