Development Director

• Design and execute a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy
• Drive the organization’s growth from a $3M to $6M+ annual budget
• Lead planning and implementation of a $15M capital campaign for the launch of a Residential Academy
• Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team
• Oversee donor stewardship systems, development communications, grants management, and special events
• Act as the first line of contact for the Executive Director to identify major gift prospects and donors
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Development Department
• Coordinate donor mailings and produce high-quality written communications
• Assist the Executive Director in devising donor solicitation strategies
• Develop, cultivate, and maintain strong relationships with individual donors, foundations, corporations, and board members
• Oversee the grant strategy with the Development Associate
• Manage pledge collection and donor follow-up communications
• Support donor profiling, gift forecasting, and ongoing prospect research
• Collaborate with the program team to build compelling donor materials
• Lead a $15M capital campaign for the organization’s future Residential Academy
• Guide quiet phase planning, major donor cultivation, campaign messaging, and the public launch
• Build a campaign committee and develop a gift pyramid strategy
• Track campaign progress and ensure reporting and donor recognition milestones are met
• Supervise the Development Associate, who will coordinate event logistics
• Assist the Executive Director in event planning strategy and protocol improvement
• Support on-site logistics and donor engagement during all major events
• Maintain and manage Salesforce donor database
• Oversee data integrity, donor recognition, gift acknowledgment, and reporting protocols
• Collaborate with the National HQ accounting team and Executive Assistant on monthly revenue reconciliations
• Provide regular reports and dashboards for internal stakeholders

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• advanced training in nonprofit management, fundraising, or public administration preferred
• CFRE certification is highly desirable
• 10–15 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in education or youth development
• Proven success designing and leading multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns
• Experience managing staff and building a development department from early growth stages
• Strong knowledge of donor development software (Salesforce preferred) and analytics tools
• Familiarity with prospecting tools such as iWave or DonorSearch
• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong reasoning skills
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office suite programs
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Demonstrated success development strategy and strong moves management skills
• A “whatever it takes” mentality and willingness to adapt and problem solve for concrete outcomes
• Zest, grit, hope, love, social intelligence, gratitude, and a sense of humor
• Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative
• Ability to handle conflict professionally and productively
• Commitment to Hope Ignites’ mission and vision
• Schedule flexibility is a must as the position will entail some later evening and weekend hours as well as local and regional travel

• CFRE certification
• advanced training in nonprofit management, fundraising, or public administration
• fundraising experience in education or youth development

Annual participation in continuing education, satisfied through in-house programs offered by Hope Ignites or third-party providers