Director, FinDev

Seattle YMCA; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

YMCA membership

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Mental health resources

Paid time off

Childcare discounts

Job summary

Seattle YMCA is seeking a Director of Philanthropy, Annual Giving, to craft the philanthropic strategy and annual giving objectives across branches. You will lead campaigns, build donor relationships and coach volunteers and staff to cultivate gifts up to $10,000 with growth toward major gifts.

The role oversees a 75–100 donor portfolio, designs multi-channel fundraising, and partners with Marketing and Programs to tell compelling impact stories that advance Y’s mission.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, nonprofit management, or related field.
• Five+ years of fundraising or development experience.
• Experience supervising staff and volunteers.
• Ability to produce effective solicitations and donor communications.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the annual philanthropic strategy and fundraising plan.
• Develop multi-channel campaigns (direct mail, digital, events).
• Manage donor portfolio and cultivate relationships toward major gifts.
• Coordinate donor communications and stewardship across channels.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Programs and leadership to align fundraising with mission.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor cultivation

Portfolio management

Stakeholder communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Overview

Our Commitment to Equity

The Y actively promotes a culture free from bias and injustice. We are dedicated to removing institutional and systemic barriers that result in oppression and racism. We will be accountable to marginalized communities for creating equitable and sustainable environments where social justice is woven into every facet of our programs, and by caring for our communities in a culturally versatile and respectful manner.

Job Summary

As a member of the Financial Development Team, the Director of Philanthropy, Annual Giving, will be responsible for creating the philanthropic strategy and objectives for annual giving initiatives and direct the implementation in assigned Branches, Districts, Centers of Excellence (CoEs) or Departments. They provide leadership and support to YMCA branches in developing plans, financial objectives and strategies for branch development and philanthropic success. They are responsible for the growth of annual giving revenue each year in a way that helps achieve strategic goals for the Y with an emphasis on building relationships, training, coaching and motivating volunteer leadership and staff. This Director will lead the strategy to assist volunteer leadership, staff leaders and donors to develop a culture of philanthropy as a foundation of annual giving and springboard for major and planned giving programs. Responsibilities will include working with a portfolio of individuals based on assignment to acquire, cultivate, solicit, and steward community level gifts up to $10,000.

What you’ll get from working at The Y:

• Membership to the YMCA of Greater Seattle for you and your household
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance
• Retirement with generous employer contributions
• Free access to mental health resources
• Rapidly-accruing paid time off (PTO) available immediately upon hire
• Discounts on qualifying YMCA of Greater Seattle childcare and day camp programs

Hiring Range: $96,000-$114,000
Schedule: Monday-Friday; 9am-5pm

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Campaign Development

• Design and execute an annual philanthropic strategy and fundraising plan for the YSIC in partnership with the AVP of Community Giving, CDO, and VP of Social Impact, including defined goals, timelines, and revenue targets.
• Develop and implement multi-channel fundraising campaigns (direct mail, digital, events, and individual outreach) from planning through execution, tailored to the YSIC’s mission and donor audiences.
• Collaborate with the broader Financial Development Team to align YSIC campaigns with organization-wide initiatives including The Annual Fund Drive, GiveBIG, Giving Tuesday, Changemakers Q4 year-end appeals, and the overall annual goals.
• Maintain an annual philanthropy calendar specific to the YSIC and communicate proactively with internal partners to ensure coordinated execution.
• Bring forward ideas and creative concepts for YSIC donor communications, appeals, and impact storytelling - partnering with the Community Giving and Marketing & Communications teams to shape and produce final content, rather than producing it independently.
• Support the creation of donor-facing materials by providing YSIC program knowledge, donor perspective, and community insight to inform content developed by the Community Giving and MarCom teams.

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation & Stewardship

• Manage an active portfolio of 75–100 individual donors and prospects giving $1,000 or more annually, with a focus on identifying and growing donors with the capacity to become major donors in the $5,000–$25,000 range and beyond.
• Execute the full donor lifecycle - identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward for all portfolio relationships with a deeply donor-centered approach.
• Develop individualized engagement strategies for existing donors to deepen relationships and grow giving levels over time.
• Identify and qualify new donor prospects from research, community connections, peer networks, and internal referrals; produce prospect research profiles to inform cultivation strategy.
• Partner with the AVP of Community Giving, CDO, and Institutional Giving (Grants) team on philanthropic opportunities for the YSIC, contributing donor intelligence and community relationships to support aligned strategy.
• Design and coordinate regular donor touchpoints - personal outreach, site visits and tours, engagement events, and written stewardship that connect supporters meaningfully to YSIC programming.
• Coordinate with the Donor Services Team to ensure timely acknowledgment letters, pledge documentation, and accurate donor records for all YSIC-related gifts.

Donor Communications & Stewardship Content

• Serve as the primary voice of the donor relationship for YSIC, ensuring all stewardship communications reflect a warm, specific, and impact-centered approach consistent with YGS’s values.
• Collaborate with the Community Giving and MarCom teams to develop and refine YSIC-specific donor communications—including impact updates, stewardship letters, and campaign appeals—by contributing YSIC program context, donor feedback, and community narrative.
• Provide input and review for YSIC content across fundraising platforms, social media, web, and event materials to ensure accuracy, donor relevance, and alignment with the YSIC’s voice and community.
• Support the creation of personalized stewardship for portfolio donors in partnership with the Community Giving team, ensuring communications reflect each donor’s history, interests, and connection to YSIC programs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the primary Financial Development liaison to the YSIC, participating in relevant leadership and planning conversations as a collaborative partner and philanthropic resource.
• Partner with the VP of Social Impact, program directors, and branch leaders to stay current on YSIC programming, outcomes, and community relationships—and translate that knowledge into compelling donor engagement.
• Bring fundraising perspective and donor insight into YSIC program planning conversations, ensuring philanthropy is woven into the culture and rhythm of the Social Impact Center.
• Collaborate actively with the AVP of Community Giving and the Institutional Giving (Grants) team on strategy alignment, pipeline sharing, and funder stewardship for YSIC priorities.
• Represent the YSIC at community events, partner convenings, and donor gatherings as an ambassador for YGS’s social responsibility mission.

Data Management & Reporting

• Utilize YGS’s donor management system (CRM) to maintain accurate, current records of all donor interactions, giving history, and pipeline activity for the YSIC portfolio.
• Track portfolio progress against revenue goals and provide regular reports to the AVP of Community Giving on pipeline health, campaign performance, and donor engagement trends.
• Conduct prospect research to build and expand the YSIC donor pipeline.
• Ensure data integrity for all YSIC donor records, lists, and communications in coordination with the Donor Services Team.

General

• Support the AVP of Community Giving and Financial Development Team in various tasks to ensure smooth division functioning.
• Maintain discretion and independent judgment when handling confidential donor information.
• Able to occasionally work non-traditional hours, including evenings or weekends, for events and donor activities.
• Represent YGS’s values—cause-driven, equity-centered, and community-focused—in all interactions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Code of Conduct for Applicants

All employees and volunteers are responsible for adhering to abuse prevention policies, maintaining appropriate boundaries, completing required training, reporting suspicious or inappropriate behavior, and complying with mandated reporting requirements.

Responsible for ensuring staff are properly screened, trained, supervised and held accountable to the organization’s abuse risk management standards.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in business administration, financial development, communications, public relations, human services or equivalent experience. Other applicable education, training, and experience, which provide the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to perform effectively in the position will be considered.
2. Five or more years of related experience.
3. Experience supervising staff, working with volunteers and knowledge of nonprofit organizations and fundraising principles.
4. Ability to produce high quality written and verbal solicitations and messaging to a broad audience.
5. Ability to collaborate and work effectively and proactively with all levels of branch and Association Office staff.
6. Excellent computer skills, including word processing, database, spreadsheet software and web-based applications.

PREFERRED POSITION ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS

• Prefer knowledge of, and previous experience with, diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Ability to speak any language in addition to English may be helpful.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Role may require standing, walking, squatting, sitting, typing, bending, reaching, twisting, repetitive hand movements, and driving.
• Hearing must be adequate to perform job duties in person, over the telephone, and in virtual meetings.
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand English fluently in person, over the telephone, and in virtual meetings.
• Visual acu