Director, Development Communications

Americares; United States; Remote; USD 127,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Americares, a global health and disaster relief organization, seeks a Director, Development Communications to support the Chief Development Officer and executive leadership with donor-facing and executive-level communications.

This role deepens donor relationships and translates complex program work into compelling materials for principal, major, and high-net-worth donors as Americares advances a five-year growth campaign.

Qualifications

• Exceptional writing and ability to synthesize complex ideas.
• Strong listening and relationship-building across stakeholders.
• Ability to represent donor and Development priorities to executives.
• Experience communicating for fundraising programs.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic communications that support Development priorities, donor engagement, and fundraising objectives.
• Produce high-quality donor-facing content, including proposals, reports, stewardship materials, presentations, briefing documents, and campaign collateral.
• Develop and oversee a strategic executive and donor communications framework that advances campaign objectives.
• Lead cross-functional communications initiatives through collaboration across Development, Programs, Marketing and Leadership.
• Partner with frontline fundraisers and programmatic teams to translate priorities into donor communications.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship through tailored communications for principal and major donors.
• Serve as a conduit between Development and Programs to align donor interests with organizational priorities.
• Maintain understanding of Americares fundraising priorities and donor audiences.
• Model and contribute to Americares values and mission.
• Engage in team spaces with global competencies and growth mindset.

Skills

Exceptional writing

Active listening

Stakeholder management

Executive-level communication

Fundraising communications

Time management

Job description

Position Title: Director, Development Communications

Department: Development

Reports to: SVP & Chief Development Officer

Location: Remote in CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, Puerto Rico, TN, TX, VA, and WA

Number of Direct Reports: 0

Travel Required: None

Assignment Type: Full-time, exempt

Hiring Range: $127,036 to $139,600

Global Health Starts with YOU!

Americares is a global health and disaster relief organization that helps people and communities around the world access health in times of disaster and every day. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

We create global community, treating people as they want to be treated.

We respond effectively and responsibly, putting plans into practice.

We embed ethics and equity in our work and workplace.

We are better together; partnership is at our core.

We ask and listen, to create sustainable solutions for a healthier tomorrow.

We commit to quality, growing and improving to ensure individuals and communities thrive.

About the Position

The Director, Development Communications provides high-level support to the Chief Development Officer and executive leadership in producing sophisticated donor-facing and executive-level communications. As Americares advances its five-year growth campaign, this role will deepen donor relationships, develop campaign-related collateral, and translate complex programmatic work into compelling communications for principal, major, and high-net-worth philanthropic audiences.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic communications that support Development priorities, donor engagement, and fundraising objectives.
• Produce high-quality donor-facing content, including proposals, reports, stewardship materials, presentations, briefing documents, and campaign collateral.
• Develop and oversee a strategic executive and donor communications framework that advances campaign objectives, strengthens donor engagement, and supports organizational growth priorities.
• Leads cross-functional communications initiatives through collaboration and influence across Development, Programs, Marketing, and Executive Leadership
• Partner closely with frontline fundraisers and programmatic teams to translate organizational priorities into compelling donor communications.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship efforts through tailored communications for principal, major, and campaign donors.
• Serve as a conduit between Development and Programs to align donor interests with organizational priorities and ensure fundraising materials are both compelling and operationally feasible.
• Maintain a deep understanding of Americares fundraising priorities, programmatic work, and donor audiences.
• Actively model and contribute to Americares values, work culture and mission.
• Engage in and contribute to team spaces with openness, global competencies, and a growth mindset
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Key expectations for this role include

In the first 90 days:

• Learn and live Americares values.
• Complete all required new-hire onboarding trainings
• Become steeped in the nuances of Americares programmatic work and audiences.
• Build rapport across the Development team with programmatic leadership.
• Build comfort with Americares systems and processes.
• Attend strategy meetings and begin drafting correspondence and talking points for the Chief Development Officer and CEO focused on Board and donor audiences.

In the first 6 months:

• Develop communications plans that establish a cadence for Board and executive-level communications.
• Attend donor strategy meetings and contribute communications supporting donor cultivation and stewardship efforts.
• Develop a strong understanding of principal donor audiences, the Chief Development Officer's donor portfolio, and Board audiences.
• Draft concept notes, proposals, reports, stewardship materials, and donor communications.
• Collaborate effectively across Development and programmatic teams to create systems for shared content and communications.
• Collaborate specifically with content creators across the Development and Marcomms teams to maximize efficiencies in the creation of donor content across numerous audiences.

In the first year:

• Establish and implement a coordinated executive, Board, and donor communications calendar that improves consistency, responsiveness, and donor engagement
• Serve as a trusted communications partner to Development leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Produce high-priority proposals, stewardship reports, impact reports, Board communications, and campaign materials.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of fundraising priorities and effectively tailor messaging to diverse donor audiences.
• Strengthen collaboration between frontline fundraising and program teams to advance donor engagement and fundraising outcomes

Competencies required for the role include

• Exceptional writing skills and the ability to synthesize complex ideas into clear, compelling proposals, reports, and donor communications.
• Strong listening skills and the ability to build relationships and consensus across diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to navigate multiple perspectives while effectively representing donor and Development priorities.
• Ability to interface confidently with senior executives and organizational leaders, and senior executives.
• Ability to develop communications strategies for executive, Board, and philanthropic audiences.
• Knowledge of donor-centered fundraising communications and stewardship best practices.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Experience writing for fundraising programs and donor audiences.

These competencies are preferred but not required for the role

• Experience working in a humanitarian context and knowledge of the global health landscape.
• Experience supporting a comprehensive fundraising campaign or capital campaign.
• Experience supporting executive communications and Board relations.

Additionally, our core competencies as an organization are

• Ownership and results
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Equity and inclusion
• Teamwork and conflict resolution
• Leadership
• Management
• Strategy and planning
• Decision making

Recruitment process for this role

• Virtual interview with People and Talent (1 hour)
• Virtual interview with Hiring Manager (1 hour)
• Virtual panel interview with internal stakeholders (1 hour)