Development Director

Maryland Nonprofits; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Art with a Heart is seeking a Development Director to lead fundraising strategy and donor cultivation in Baltimore. You will partner with the Executive Director to advance major gifts, foundations, corporations and individual giving while refining donor engagement and stewardship programs.

You will manage donor portfolios, develop grants and sponsorship strategies, and drive fundraising reporting. The role requires strong communications, teamwork, and strategic thinking within a nonprofit

Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in comprehensive fundraising strategies including corporate, foundation and individual giving.
• Excellent written and verbal communications, able to represent Art with a Heart to donors and partners.
• Highly organized self-starter with critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to turn data into actionable fundraising plans and measure progress.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships and collaborate with diverse groups.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead Art with a Heart’s annual fundraising strategy with goals, revenue projections, strategies, timelines and metrics.
• Build and actively manage donor portfolios for the Executive Director and cultivate new prospects.
• Identify prospects and coordinate donor meetings, materials and strategy to move them through the donor pipeline.
• Retain, renew, upgrade and steward existing donors while building a pipeline of new prospects.
• Lead foundation and grant strategies, manage grants calendar, proposals and reporting; steward institutional relationships.
• Develop and lead corporate sponsorship programs and long-term engagement opportunities.
• Own fundraising reporting and analyze revenue, donor retention and pipeline progress.
• Support Board fundraising activities by identifying relationships and leveraging events and donor meetings.
• Lead development of new funding streams including grants, campaigns and special fundraising initiatives.
• Communicate the organization’s mission and plans to the philanthropic community and donors.
• Oversee communications with the Communications and Marketing Manager to implement PR and social media strategies.
• Maintain donor data integrity in databases and coordinate with staff on donor communications.
• Represent Art with a Heart at events, community meetings and donor-focused activities.
• Plan and execute donor cultivation events such as open houses and stakeholder gatherings.
• Contribute to monthly newsletters with donor stories and fundraising highlights.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor relations

Communications

Project management

Data-driven decision making

Collaboration across teams

Prospect research

Attention to detail

Public speaking

Tools

Donor CRM

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Constant Contact

DonorSnap

Apple devices

Job description

About The Organization

Art with a Heart's mission is to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art. The organization views creative development and artistic expression as vital components of the human experience and works to address the equity gap in visual arts education and access by offering a variety of services, including engaging, educational, and interactive visual arts classes to underserved Baltimore-area children, youth and adults in schools, group homes, shelters, community centers, recreation centers, foster care agencies, senior facilities, and hospitals. Art with a Heart's goals also include using visual art for positive civic and economic change in its workforce development, public art, community service, and leadership development branches. The organization values collaboration, creative self-expression, consistency, and high levels of artistry in all its work.

About The Organization

Art with a Heart's mission is to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art. The organization views creative development and artistic expression as vital components of the human experience and works to address the equity gap in visual arts education and access by offering a variety of services, including engaging, educational, and interactive visual arts classes to underserved Baltimore-area children, youth and adults in schools, group homes, shelters, community centers, recreation centers, foster care agencies, senior facilities, and hospitals. Art with a Heart's goals also include using visual art for positive civic and economic change in its workforce development, public art, community service, and leadership development branches. The organization values collaboration, creative self-expression, consistency, and high levels of artistry in all its work.

About The Position

The Development Director will serve as the organization’s lead fundraising strategist and a key member of the senior leadership team. Working in close partnership with the Executive Director, the Development Director will lead the development of Art with a Heart’s fundraising strategy and be responsible for its implementation, tracking, and ongoing refinement. The Executive Director will remain actively engaged in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, while the Development Director will help identify and prioritize the Executive Director’s donor portfolio, develop strategies and next steps for key relationships, and prepare and support the Executive Director for donor meetings and solicitations.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

• A keen interest, genuine passion for, and deep personal commitment to AWAH's mission.
• Five or more years of relevant work experience in comprehensive fundraising strategies including corporate, foundation and individual giving.
• Strong written and verbal communications and ability to represent Art with a Heart to donors and partners.
• A highly organized self-starter who possesses critical thinking and problem-solving skills, eager to build new systems and processes.
• Demonstrated ability to strategize based on available data and turn strategy into actionable steps to achieve fundraising goals.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships and work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
• Ability to remain focused, transparent, and tactful while exercising solid judgment, especially in high pressure situations.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a complex environment with multiple priorities.
• Technical skills should include proficiency with donor management platforms, Microsoft suite, Google suite, and experience with or willingness to learn other software and systems necessary for the role.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

You will collaborate with the Executive Director and Board of Directors on the following specific duties and responsibilities:

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

• Develop and lead implementation of Art with a Heart’s annual fundraising strategy, including goals, revenue projections, strategies, timelines, and metrics across individual, foundation, and corporate donations.
• Build and actively manage donor portfolios for the Executive Director, as well as cultivate, solicit and steward a specific portfolio of donors/prospects of your own.
• Partner closely with the Executive Director on major donor relationships, including identifying prospects, preparing meeting strategy and materials, coordinating follow-up, and strategizing movement through the donor pipeline.
• Develop and implement strategies to retain, renew, upgrade and steward existing donors, while also building the pipeline of new prospects.
• Lead Art with a Heart’s foundation and grant strategy, including identifying and cultivating prospective funders, managing a robust grants calendar and pipeline, overseeing proposal development and reporting, stewarding foundation relationships, and developing strategies to renew and grow institutional support.
• Develop and lead a strategic corporate sponsorship program, creating a clear structure for identifying, soliciting, and stewarding corporate partners and developing opportunities for long‑term engagement.
• Own fundraising reporting and analysis, regularly reviewing revenue, donor retention and renewal, pipeline activity, projections, and progress toward goals and using that data to inform strategy.
• Provide fundraising leadership to the Board of Directors, helping Board members identify relationships, open doors, cultivate and steward donors, host events and participate effectively in fundraising.
• Lead the research and development of new financial support for the organization, including cultivating donors, proposal development, grant writing and reporting, charitable campaign applications, annual appeals, and/or organizing innovative fundraisers and marketing campaigns.
• Communicate the organization’s mission, goals and operational plans to the broader corporate and philanthropic community and to individual donors.
• Partner with Art with a Heart staff and oversee the Communications and Marketing Manager to develop and implement social media and public relations strategies.
• Partner with the Operations Specialist to update databases and communications with new donor and constituent data, ensuring the donor data is accurately and consistently maintained.
• Manage communications and marketing materials for Art with a Heart grant‑makers, donors, and sponsors, with support from the Communications and Marketing Manager.
• Act as organizational ambassador during community service events,

corporate functions, fundraisers and networking events.

• Oversee the Communications and Marketing Manager to gather stories for and assist with writing the monthly newsletter, in support of Art with a Heart’s fundraising and visibility goals.
• Support external relationships and partnerships which may include development of press packets, preparation for media coverage, and other public relations tasks as needed.
• Represent Art with a Heart in public engagements, community meetings, and events, as needed.
• Oversee and implement a calendar of special events which serve as donor cultivation, community activation, and stewardship opportunities, including but not limited to the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, Holiday Open House, Volunteer Art Show and Shop & Bop celebration.

Technical Skills

• Microsoft and G Suite
• Experience with or willingness to learn Constant Contact, DonorSnap or other donor management system(s)
• Facility with Apple products