Director of Development
Job Overview
The Director of Development is an innovative professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and securing major individual gifts to the Conservancy and serves as an integral part of the development team. The Director works collaboratively and strategically with the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO)and leadership, volunteers, and other development team members to implement strategies for major gift donor relationship management and cultivation. Provides management oversight for critical fundraising and support programs, including Major Gifts, Planned Giving and Grants Management.
Salary starting from: $127,869 - Commensurate with experience
Responsibilities
Fundraising
- Focuses on field work to build and advance relationships with a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects who are capable of investing $100,000+ toward organization priorities.
- Ensures proposals are vetted with leadership, appropriately scoped, and well-crafted.
- Qualifies, cultivates, and solicits new major gift donors through thoughtful engagement and involvement of leadership when appropriate.
- Utilizes industry-leading, metrics-driven, moves management process that fully leverages available technology to ensure performance is aligned with organization objectives.
- Share responsibility for cultivating a culture of excellence, collaboration, accountability, and efficiency.
- Serve as an active participant on various campaign and leadership teams and task forces.
Team Management and Development
- Provides management oversight and leadership for Major Gifts, Planned Giving and Grants Management.
- Leads and motivates fundraising and support staff, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.
- Mentors individual staff members and supports their professional growth.
- Oversees the planning and execution of planned giving initiatives and engagement activities.
- Navigates complex situations with a variety of stakeholders.
Strategic Alignment and Messaging
- Collaborates with the Chief Advancement Officer and Director of Communications & Marketing to align fundraising strategies with organizational goals.
- Ensures consistency in messaging and branding to enhance the organization's image.
- 6+ years of successful fundraising experience, increasing revenue and fundraising efficiency.
- Proven personnel management, mentoring, and team leadership experience.
- Effective communicator passionate about environmental conservation.
- Expertise in leading organizational teams for comprehensive development programs, especially in planned giving.
- Track record of motivating donors to contribute major gifts ($100,000+).
- Demonstrated success leading multiple fundraising programs in complex organizations, including capital campaigns, grants, online giving, major gifts, planned giving, and more.
- Proficient in strategic prospect research deployment for development goals.
- Strong project management skills, including research, analysis, strategy, planning, and organization.
- Leadership style emphasizing alliances, consensus building, participative management, ethics, teamwork, and delegation.
- Thrives in a fast-paced, creative, and progressive environment, willing to take initiative and get hands-on.
- Visionary leadership with assertiveness, risk-taking, and persuasive communication.
- Excellent verbal and written communication, negotiation, financial acumen, and executive presence.
- Inspires and supports others, sets meaningful goals, and adapts well to change, fostering a positive team dynamic.
The above statements describe the general qualifications required to perform the job and the general nature and level of work performed-not a complete list of duties-additional duties may be assigned by management.
Certificates, Licenses and Registrations
- Valid driver’s license and good driving record.
- CFRE or ACFRE designation preferred
- AFP – member of Association of Fundraising Professionals
Skills and Abilities
- Proficient in complex document analysis and effective response to sensitive inquiries or complaints.
- Skilled in crafting original speeches and articles with persuasive techniques.
- Capable of delivering persuasive presentations on complex topics to top management, public groups, and boards of directors.
- Strong mathematical aptitude, including probability, statistics, geometry, trigonometry, fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions.
- Expertise in problem definition, data collection, fact-establishment, and valid conclusion-drawing.
- Ability to interpret various technical instructions, whether in mathematical or diagrammatic form, and work with abstract and concrete variables.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
This job description recognizes that reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role. The job entails:
- Regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
- Lift/move objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
- May spend time in the field, and experience exposure to Florida outdoor weather conditions.
- Use of hands for various tasks.
- Visual abilities include close and color vision, along with peripheral and depth perception.
- Noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.
Salary starting from: $127,869 - Commensurate with experience
To Apply: Visit the Conservancy.org Careers Page
Posted 08/04/2025
Working for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida means working for an important issue — protecting our environment. As a valued employee, you will have a distinct opportunity to make a lasting impact on the quality of life in the region for generations to come.