Director, Development - Texas

College Possible; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

College Possible Texas seeks a Director of Development to lead the fundraising department and advance college access for students from low-income backgrounds. You will design and implement the Texas marketing and communications plan, manage major gifts, build donor relationships, and oversee a statewide fundraising program across individuals, foundations, and corporate support.

The role requires strategic leadership, grants and proposal development, prospect research, and stewardship, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Six or more years of fundraising experience or equivalent.
• Minimum three years of supervisory experience.
• CFRE preferred or Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

• Lead major gifts efforts from foundations, corporations, and individuals.
• Develop and execute annual fundraising plan with revenue forecasts and stewardship strategies.
• Write and submit grant proposals and direct mail/digital campaigns.
• Prospect, cultivate, and secure donor relationships to increase giving base.
• Plan and run fundraising events and donor engagement activities.
• Track relationship management activities in Salesforce and report progress to leadership.
• Oversee communications, marketing, and public relations for Texas fundraising efforts.
• Provide site leadership and collaborate with Texas leadership and national teams.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Leadership

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree CFRE preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Director, Development

College Possible - Texas

This Work Is Our Mission

At College Possible, we believe talent is universal. For many students, the path to college can feel overwhelming or out of reach. That's where you come in.

We support students on their journey to higher education by providing personalized coaching, resources, and guidance. When you join College Possible, you become part of a team dedicated to making college access and success a reality. Together, we help students navigate the admissions process, overcome challenges, and earn their degrees.

Our Impact

87% of College Possible students are admitted to college and are enrolled at 866 colleges and universities across the United States. Nationwide, we've served 99,000+ students since 2000.

Why Join Our Team?

When you work at College Possible, you're not just taking a job-you're advancing a mission to help more students get to and through college. You'll play a direct role in helping students achieve their educational goals and build brighter futures.

Key Benefits

• Professional Growth Access training, mentorship, and career development opportunities as you support student success.
• Mission-Driven Impact Make a direct difference in students' lives by helping them access and complete college.
• Collaborative Community Join a team that values teamwork, innovation, and excellence in service of students.
• Work-Life Balance Enjoy flexible work options, unlimited PTO, and resources to support your well-being.

Your Role as Development Director

The Director of Development leads College Possible Texas's fundraising department, securing philanthropic investment that helps students from low-income backgrounds access and complete college. The director personally manages the design and implementation of the CP Texas marketing and communications plan, priority donor and funder relationships, builds a growing individual-giving pipeline, and leads the annual fundraising plan across individual, foundation, and corporate support. Working closely with Texas leadership, the Advisory Board, and national advancement colleagues, the director strengthens renewals, develops new funding opportunities, and maintains clear revenue forecasts and timely stewardship. This role combines strategic leadership with direct fundraising execution statewide across Texas.

Major Gifts: Act as primary manager to identify, cultivate and play a lead role in soliciting and closing major gifts from foundations, corporations, and high net worth individuals that generate five figure gifts and above.

Strategic Planning and Analysis: Develop and execute an annual fundraising plan, to include revenue forecasts, financial modeling, donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to meet and exceed annual fundraising targets. Analyze local data and monthly reports across all strategic outreach efforts and campaigns to critically assess effectiveness and progress towards goals. Responsible for analyzing and monitoring program data being reported to board and donors.

Grant and Appeal Writing: Develop, write, and submit grant proposals, direct mail, and digital appeal campaigns to support the achievement of CP Texas annual revenue goals. Build proposal budgets and incorporate financial modeling and forecasting techniques that support grant proposals. Use the Salesforce database and internal tracking practices to record application and reporting deadlines to ensure timely submission and compliance.

Prospecting and Cultivation: Lead prospecting and donor research to cultivate high-net-worth individuals and secure institutional support. Implement strategies to inspire prospective supporters to become donors and increase the number of donors to the annual operating fund.

Fundraising Events: Plan and implement events and activities (volunteer experiences, tours, receptions, friend-raisers, etc.) for individual major gift donors, using existing activities as appropriate. Engage in networking activities or other opportunities to generate potential donor prospects for cultivation.

Relationship Management and Stewardship: Track and report relationship management activity using Salesforce CRM system, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal submission, and stewardship of prospective and current funders. Monitor weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual activity to achieve individual performance measures (e.g. meetings, proposals, major gift revenue) through a strong stewardship strategy.

Communications/Marketing: Lead the communications, marketing, and public relations efforts for College Possible Texas and work closely with the National Communications Team. Oversee heads-up marketing efforts- quarterly newsletter, social media, marketing slide deck and website maintenance. Manage the creation and production of printed and electronic newsletters and press releases, and guide media relations and social media strategies.

Site Leadership: The Development Director plays a critical role as a leader at the Texas site. They will represent College Possible externally within the business, academic and philanthropic communities. They will build a strong culture of collaboration, excellence, and strong strategic leadership.

Other duties as assigned or required

What You Bring

Education/Certifications/Licenses:

• Bachelor's degree required
• Master's degree and/or CFRE preferred

Related Work Experience:

• Six or more years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, or equivalent demonstrated achievement
• A minimum three years of supervisory experience

Position Qualifications:

• Must possess strong written, oral and presentation communication skills, have substantial experience in developing clear and concise funding proposals, and the ability to exp explain program outcomes qualitatively and quantitatively
• Must have a demonstrated ability to meet financial goals for major gift giving, with a proven track record of cultivating and securing five-figure gifts and above, and successful experience with prospect research, outreach and developing cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Individual must be able to think strategically and creatively, and must have excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated record of completing assignments, multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, and working with minimal supervision
• Effective partnership with executives and board members; staff or contractor supervision where the role requires it
• Individual must possess a significant commitment to the mission of helping historically underserved students earn admission to college and persist toward degree completion
• Experience with federal grant writing and compliance is a plus
• Strong management abilities with significant supervisory experience

Computer/Software Skills:

• Strong computer skills, including demonstrated proficiency in: Microsoft Word, Excel and donor database software
• Salesforce experience preferred

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Self-starter with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Proven record of facilitating collaboration and cooperation with organizations and the community
• Attention to detail, including proofreading and project follow-through
• Comfort with data collection, analysis, and a strong focus on results

Physical Requirements:

• Travel required up to 20% to meet face-to-face with key funders, represent the organization at high-profile events, and perform site visits to evaluate project impact
• This position primarily involves computer-based and administrative work in an office and/or remote work environment. The role requires regular use of a computer and participation in virtual and in-person meetings. Occasional movement of office, program, or event materials may be required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

What We Offer

In addition to joining a committed, diverse, values-based organization, we offer:

• An opportunity for you to have a tremendous impact both internally and in the broader country
• A work-from-home/hybrid environment with regular travel to meetings, events, and co-working opportunities
• A competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Excellent benefits including complete health, dental, life, short-term and long-term insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Encouraged sustainability through a generous paid time off program.
• Personalized professional development and growth opportunities