Development Senior Director

Make-A-Wish North Texas; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Make-A-Wish North Texas seeks an experienced Development Senior Director in Dallas, TX to lead major gifts, cultivate strategic donor relationships, and build a high-performance fundraising team dedicated to changing children’s lives.

You will manage a portfolio of 150 high-capacity donors ($25,000+), partner with the CDO and CEO, align strategies with annual giving and campaigns, lead solicitations, and represent the organization at community events to broaden support and impact.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive fundraising experience with a focus on major gifts
• 3+ years of experience managing others
• Proven track record of securing 5-, 6-, and 7-figure gifts
• Bachelor's degree or higher (or equivalent professional experience)

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a strategic major gifts plan to meet and exceed annual revenue goals.
• Manage a portfolio of 150 high-capacity donors and prospects ($25,000+ level).
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to a team of fundraising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture that promotes accountability, collaboration, employee engagement, and continuous growth.
• Partner with the CDO, CEO, and key volunteer leaders to strengthen relationships and expand philanthropic support across the region.
• Align major giving strategy with broader development initiatives (annual giving, campaigns, grants).
• Lead and participate in donor solicitations, including preparing proposals and presentations.
• Represent Make‑A‑Wish North Texas as a brand ambassador at fundraising events and in the community to deepen engagement and broaden support.

Skills

Major gifts

Donor portfolio mgmt

Relationship building

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

We are currently seeking an experienced Development Senior Director to join our team in Dallas, TX.

The Development Senior Director we need is the kind of person who walks into a room, builds trust quickly, and inspires people to take action. You're energized by relationships, motivated by ambitious goals, and naturally skilled at bringing people together around a shared purpose. If you're looking for the opportunity to lead a high-performing team, cultivate influential relationships, and help shape the future of a mission that changes lives, you've come to the right place.

Your challenge: inspire transformational growth by mobilizing people, resources, and relationships to help make every eligible child's wish come true.

The charismatic persuader we seek thrives on possibility and sees opportunities where others see obstacles. You're driven by results, fueled by meaningful connections, and confident leading through influence. But you’re more than a fundraiser. You’re the kind of leader who creates trust, inspires belief, develops talent, and unites people around a common purpose.You understand the strongest teams are built through clarity, accountability, encouragement, and a compelling vision of what’s possible.

You embrace bold goals and understand that lasting success comes from a combination of vision, strategy, accountability, and follow-through. You measure achievement not only by dollars raised, but by the lives changed because of those investments and the people you’ve helped grow along the way.

We're a team of passionate relationship-builders, ambitious dreamers, and mission-driven achievers. We give talented people the freedom to pursue bold goals, the support to grow, and countless opportunities to connect with incredible donors, volunteers, community leaders, and families.

If you're persuasive, optimistic, fiercely independent, and energized by the opportunity to lead people, inspire action, and build something bigger than yourself, you're going to love it at Make-A-Wish North Texas.

Who We Are

Make-A-Wish North Texas - Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has been creating life-changing wish experiences for children with critical illnesses around the world. Research shows wishes can have a positive impact on a child’s emotional and physical well-being, helping replace fear with confidence, sadness with joy, and anxiety with hope. A wish doesn’t just transform the life of a child, it creates lasting impact for families, supporters, and entire communities.

Make-A-Wish North Texas is 100% locally funded and serves 161 counties across the state of Texas, including Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, and the surrounding areas. Since our chapter’s founding in 1982, we have granted over 14,000 wishes. To learn more about us, visit https://wish.org/ntx.

Our Mission

Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

How We Work

We understand we have the responsibility—and privilege—of meeting families at the hardest moment of their lives and offering something luminous in return: hope. We’re more than a nonprofit, we’re a community united by the belief that hope has the power to transform lives and we are guided by our cultural values of Freedom & Responsibility, Community, Unwavering Commitment, Fearless Curiosity, and Celebration. We believe in assuming positive intent, listening to understand, embracing every voice, communicating transparently, and having fun while making a meaningful impact together.

What you’ll do

• Develop and implement a strategic major gifts plan to meet and exceed annual revenue goals.
• Manage a portfolio of 150 high-capacity donors and prospects ($25,000+ level).
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to a team of fundraising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture that promotes accountability, collaboration, employee engagement, and continuous growth.
• Partner with the CDO, CEO, and key volunteer leaders to strengthen relationships and expand philanthropic support across the region.
• Align major giving strategy with broader development initiatives (annual giving, campaigns, grants).
• Lead and participate in donor solicitations, including preparing proposals and presentations.
• Represent Make‑A‑Wish North Texas as a brand ambassador at fundraising events and in the community to deepen engagement and broaden support.

Our Perfect Candidate

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a discipline that develops strong written and verbal communication skills, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7 or more years of progressive fundraising experience, with a focus on major gifts.
• Strong relationship building and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a donor portfolio and meet or exceed revenue goals.
• 3 or more years of experience managing others.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams to meet or exceed revenue goals.
• Proven track record of securing 5-, 6-, and 7-figure gifts.
• PREFERRED:
• Experience working with board members and senior executives in fundraising
• Background in nonprofit or mission-driven organizations
• Familiarity with donor databases/CRMs.

Company Offers

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience and education
• Comprehensive benefits package available: healthcare, vision, dental, disability and life insurances; 401k company match; paid time off and holidays

If you're energized by building relationships, inspired by ambitious goals, and motivated by the opportunity to create life-changing impact, we encourage you to apply.