Senior Director of Development and Communications

Hudson Ferris has been retained by Hour Children, a leading provider of services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State to execute a search for their Senior Director of Development and Communications.

Senior Director of Development and Communications
Why this role?
Hour Children needs a senior fundraiser who can convert strategy into sustained, diversified revenue while building durable systems and a high-performing team. The CDO anchors individual giving growth (our biggest potential for revenue growth), orchestrates and leads the team in executing a multi-channel development plan, including a grant calendar, direct mail program, and targeted stewardship plan. This person will also be responsible for building upon and improving department, and in some cases organization-wide SOPs to maintain overall effectiveness in Hour Children’s fundraising.

Title & Reporting

Title: Senior Director of Development and Communications

Reports to: Executive Director

Direct Reports: Institutional Giving Officer, Development Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Build and own the annual development plan with channel goals for each fundraising channel (individual, major/legacy, foundations, corporate, events).

Translate strategy into quarterly, monthly and weekly operating rhythms: prospect moves, grant calendar, stewardship touches, and campaign milestones.

Re-evaluate and adjust development plan quarterly to align with FY 26 Budget progress.

Individual & Major Gifts (Primary Focus)

Lead moves management for top 50–75 prospects; partner with board and ED on joint visits and solicitations.

Build a recurring/upgrade ladder and a legacy/estate stewardship track.

Institutional Giving Oversight

Supervise the grants pipeline (foundation, corporate, government LOIs, proposals, reports) ensuring narrative alignment with program capacity, as well as on-time submission for applications, reports, and renewals.

Manage, coach, and set clear OKRs for the Institutional Giving Officer and Development Coordinator; drive SOP adoption (acknowledgments, data hygiene, grant workflow, stewardship).

Ensure rigorous CRM (Bloomerang) use, prospect tagging, and activity logging; maintain a shared development calendar.

Campaigns & Events

Plan mini-campaigns tied to storytelling and program moments; oversee an efficient, ROI-positive event plan partnered with the Coordinator.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work with Program/Impact to surface outcomes and case studies; with Finance to align revenue forecasts; with Communications to implement the brand/message roadmap.

Qualifications

10+ years progressive fundraising experience with demonstrated strength in individual and major gifts.

3+ years people management; proven success building team SOPs and pipeline discipline.

Familiarity with foundation/corporate/government funding, annual campaigns, and events.

Success Metrics (first 12 months)

Meet or exceed FY26 private revenue targets, focusing on Individual: $600,000, Corporate: $100,000, Foundations: $1,438,000, Events: net positive performance.

40+ substantive major-donor moves/quarter; 12–18 joint ED/Board asks annually.

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