Development Director

EarthCorps - Seattle, WA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

EarthCorps, Seattle, seeks a Development Director to lead fundraising and development activities, including management of government contracts, in close partnership with the Executive Director. The role focuses on expanding the donor base, strengthening grants programs, and guiding communications and annual giving strategies.

You will oversee a fundraising team, coordinate with the board, and drive initiatives across major gifts, events, and corporate partnerships to support programmatic work.

Qualifications

• Experience leading nonprofit fundraising initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of grants, contracts, and compliance.
• Proven ability to grow donor base and secure diverse funding streams.

Responsibilities

• Lead all fundraising and development activities, including government contracts.
• Build and manage a fundraising team and pipeline of grants, gifts, events, and corporate programs.
• Oversee communications and marketing to raise EarthCorps’ visibility and impact.
• Collaborate with the board and ED to expand funding and unrestricted support.
• Aim to start ASAP and coordinate first-round engagements.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Grant management

Donor relations

Leadership

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

CRM software

Contracts management

Job description

The Development Director (DD) serves as a key member of the leadership team and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting EarthCorps. In partnership with the Executive Director (ED), this position is responsible for all fundraising and development activities including management of government contracts that support programmatic work. The successful candidate will help forge new and existing relationships to build EarthCorps’ visibility, impact, and financial resources. This role reports directly to the ED and serves as a critical thought partner and may act as a stand‑in for selected external settings.

The DD will have primary responsibility for strengthening and building a fundraising team. The 2025 EarthCorps budget totals $5.2M with approximately $1.4M coming from private sources and the remainder from government contracts and fee‑for‑service activities. Strong candidates will bring with them deep knowledge of the complexities of grants and contracts in addition to the ability to build the agency’s grant, major gifts, special events, and corporate programs. In addition to revenue generation, the DD oversees communications and marketing for EarthCorps. The DD will expand and diversify EarthCorps’ donor base and funding pipeline as well as work closely with other team members to secure funding for new initiatives, including unrestricted funding. In addition, the DD will work closely with the board of directors and support board members to take on a more active fundraising role.

Our Hiring Process

The priority deadline is 2/10/25. All applications will be reviewed by the priority deadline. Any applications submitted after the priority deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We expect to conduct first‑round interviews the week of February 17th. Top candidates will be invited to a second‑round interview the week of February 24th. We’re looking for someone who can start ASAP, but are most interested in finding the right candidate for the role. If you have any questions, please contact Taylor Benavente, at [email protected] .