Associate Director of Development

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Minnetonka (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is seeking an Associate Director of Development to lead fundraising programs, steward major donors, and manage partnerships. The role drives annual giving, legacy society activities, corporate sponsorships, and community food drive initiatives while coordinating cross-team efforts to advance stewardship and donor engagement.

You will oversee campaigns, ensure timely acknowledgments, and collaborate with legal and finance partners on planned gifts and donor

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive fundraising or nonprofit development experience.
• Proven success in annual giving, donor cultivation, and partnerships.
• Experience coordinating campaigns and community engagement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Leadership Annual Givers portfolio; cultivate and steward up to 200 donors.
• Lead ICA Legacy Society growth and stewardship, coordinating recognition events.
• Manage corporate partnerships, sponsorships, employee giving, and grants.
• Lead community food drive campaigns and drive participation.
• Coordinate direct mail and digital fundraising appeals; monitor results.

Skills

Donor relations

Leadership

CRM systems

Event coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management

Tools

CRM software

Job description

ICA Job Description

Job Title: Associate Director of Development

Department: Development & Communications

Reports To: Director of Development & Communications

FLSA Status: Exempt (Salary)

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Development plays a key leadership role in advancing the organization's fundraising strategy by overseeing annual giving initiatives, cultivating donor relationships, managing corporate partnerships, coordinating the ICA Legacy Society, and leading community food drive efforts. This position works collaboratively across departments to strengthen philanthropic support, increase donor engagement, and ensure successful execution of fundraising campaigns that advance ICA's mission of creating a community where everyone has the resources to thrive.

1. Management of Leadership Annual Givers (50%)

• Manage a portfolio of up to 200 leadership donors through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Ensure timely, personalized acknowledgement for all donors in portfolio
• Develop and implement a stewardship plan to deepen relationships and increase retention
• Track and maintain all donor communication in database
• Collaborate across the Development Team by providing support for department initiatives, events, and special projects as needed, recognizing that all team members contribute to shared success.

2. Manage ICA Legacy Society (10%)

• Lead the growth and stewardship of ICA's Legacy Society and planned giving program.
• Cultivate relationships with current and prospective legacy donors.
• Coordinate Legacy Society recognition events and stewardship activities.
• Maintain accurate planned giving records and donor documentation.
• Collaborate with legal and financial advisors, when appropriate, to facilitate planned gifts.
• Develop educational materials that promote legacy giving opportunities.

3. Manage Corporate Partnerships (10%)

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with corporate partners.
• Identify and solicit new corporate sponsorships and partnership opportunities.
• Manage employee giving campaigns, volunteer engagement opportunities, and corporate grant requests.
• Ensure fulfillment of sponsorship benefits and recognition commitments.
• Prepare partnership proposals, presentations, and impact reports.
• Collaborate with program staff to create meaningful engagement opportunities for corporate partners.

4. Food Drive Leadership (10%)

• Serve as the organizational lead for community food drives and collection campaigns.
• Recruit, train, and support businesses, schools, faith communities, and civic organizations hosting food drives.
• Develop promotional materials and toolkits to maximize participation.
• Coordinate logistics with operations staff to ensure successful collection and distribution.
• Evaluate food drive outcomes and identify opportunities for growth and increased community engagement.

5. Appeal Implementation & Donor Communications (20%)

• Coordinate implementation of all direct mail and digital fundraising appeals.
• Manage project timelines to ensure campaigns are executed on schedule.
• Collaborate with communications staff and vendors on content, design, printing, and mailing.
• Monitor campaign performance and prepare post-campaign analysis.
• Maintain donor data integrity and ensure timely gift acknowledgment and stewardship.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities to perform duties effectively:

• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strategic thinking and data-driven decision making.
• Proficiency with donor management (CRM) systems.
• Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical fundraising practices.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business or related field
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible fundraising or nonprofit development experience.
• Demonstrated success managing annual giving programs.
• Experience cultivating corporate partnerships and donor relationships.
• Experience coordinating fundraising campaigns and community engagement initiatives.
• Planned giving or legacy society experience preferred. 10–15 years of nonprofit development experience preferred; 5 years minimum

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements be interpreted as all-inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Acknowledgment

I acknowledge that I have received this position description and understand that it is not a contract of employment. I am responsible for reading this job description and complying with all job duties, requirements, and responsibilities contained herein, and any subsequent revisions.Failure to meet the expectations of this job may result in disciplinary action up to and including release of employment.

Employee Acknowledgment

Date: