Director of Advancement

Summary/Objective:

The Director of Advancement is a seasoned fundraising professional responsible for leading strategies that drive revenue across individual giving, institutional giving, and events. This role manages a donor portfolio, oversees grant seeking and proposal development, ensures stewardship excellence, and integrates event strategy into the broader cultivation plan. The Director of Advancement collaborates closely with the Senior Director to meet annual and long-term fundraising goals, strengthen donor engagement systems, and support post-award grant management requirements.

Reports to: Senior Director of Advancement

FLSA Status: Exempt

Essential Functions:

Fundraising & Portfolio Management

• Manage a portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation donors with clear revenue and activity metrics.
• Lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts across donor segments.
• Initiate donor meetings, conduct site visits, and steward relationships to deepen engagement.
• Develop compelling donor-facing materials: proposals, stewardship reports, sponsorship packets, and impact communications.

Institutional Giving (Grants & Foundations)

• Identify institutional funding prospects and support strategy for grant seeking.
• Lead or oversee LOI and proposal development in partnership with Programs, Finance, and MarCom.
• Ensure complete, accurate post-award management, including reporting deadlines, grant documentation, and funder stewardship.
• Maintain strong relationships with foundation program officers and corporate philanthropic contacts.

Stewardship & Donor Communications

• Oversee stewardship systems to ensure timely and meaningful donor touchpoints.
• Partner with MarCom to ensure impact stories, donor recognition, and reports are aligned and high-quality.
• Strengthen donor retention through consistent, mission-focused communications.

Events Strategy

• Lead Badge Bash strategy and execution in alignment with cultivation goals.
• Develop mission-forward donor engagement opportunities beyond signature events.
• Ensure ROI tracking, documentation, and post-event follow-up plans are completed.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Finance on budgets, reconciliations, and post-award grant management.
• Partner with Programs to align donor messaging with impact.
• Collaborate with MarCom on donor communications, stewardship materials, and event promotions.

Leadership & Accountability

• Establish and monitor fundraising activity expectations for the team.
• Provide coaching and strategic guidance to Advancement staff.
• Ensure consistent CRM usage, documentation, and adherence to SOPs.
• Performs other related duties as needed

Required Education and Experience:

• 7–10 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including frontline donor engagement and portfolio management.
• Demonstrated success in institutional giving, including:
  • Grant seeking
  • Grant proposal development
  • Post-award management and reporting
• Experience with major gifts, corporate partnerships, and donor-centered stewardship.
• Strong writing, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience supervising or providing strategic guidance to staff preferred.
• Familiarity with Raiser's Edge and/or Salesforce strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent related work/volunteer experience.
• Behavior consistent with the core competencies, core values, and beliefs of the organization

Physical Demands:

• Must be able to sit at a computer terminal for up to 3 hours at a time; must be able to stand for 1 to 2½ hours per day.
• Ability to lift a minimum of 25 pounds without difficulty
• Ability to climb stairs