Director of Development

Kulshan Community Land Trust; Bellingham (WA); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Remote options

Generous PTO and holidays

Health insurance

Dental coverage

401(k) with match

Professional development

Mission-driven team

Job summary

KulshanCLT is seeking a thoughtful development leader to craft and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy that fuels housing programs and organizational growth. You will manage major gifts, foundations, corporate partnerships, and donor stewardship while collaborating with the leadership team.

The role combines strategy with hands-on fundraising, donor meetings, grant proposals, and event support, with a hybrid work arrangement in Whatcom County.

Qualifications

• 5 years demonstrated success in nonprofit fundraising, including individual giving, major gifts, grants, donor stewardship, or corporate partnerships.
• Experience developing and implementing annual or multi-year fundraising plans.
• A record of building authentic relationships and personally asking donors for support.
• Strong writing, editing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience working with an executive director, board members, staff, volunteers, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement annual and multi-year fundraising plans aligned with KulshanCLT’s strategic and financial goals.
• Lead major gifts and donor engagement, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Oversee foundation, corporate, and institutional giving strategies and reports.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on donor strategy and Board engagement.
• Supervise Communications Lead and coordinate donor communications and campaigns.
• Plan and oversee fundraising events and donor engagement activities.
• Ensure development operations, data integrity, dashboards, and reporting are in place.

Skills

Fundraising

Major gifts

Donor stewardship

Grant writing

Relationship building

Communication

Strategic planning

Data analysis

Project management

Salesforce CRM

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Kulshan Community Land Trust expands access to permanently affordable homeownership in Whatcom County, creating lasting opportunities for stability, equity, and belonging.

For more than 25 years, KulshanCLT has helped individuals and families purchase homes they can afford while preserving those homes as permanently affordable for future generations. Today, we are entering one of the most exciting periods in our history. We are completing new communities, expanding our homeownership and stewardship programs, and advancing a pipeline that will create many more permanently affordable homes throughout Whatcom County.

We are looking for a thoughtful, relationship-centered fundraising leader who believes housing can change lives—and who is excited to help build the partnerships and resources needed to make that possible.

About the Position

The Director of Development is a senior leader responsible for creating and implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategy that supports KulshanCLT’s mission, programs, and long-term sustainability.

Working closely with the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, staff, donors, foundations, businesses, and community partners, the Director will strengthen existing relationships while building new sources of philanthropic support. The position will lead major giving, annual fundraising, institutional giving, corporate partnerships, planned giving, donor stewardship, fundraising events, and development operations.

This is both a strategic and hands-on role. The successful candidate will be comfortable developing a multi-year fundraising strategy, meeting personally with donors, reviewing a grant proposal, coaching a board member, analyzing fundraising data, and occasionally helping with the practical details that make an event successful.

The Director of Development supervises the Communications Lead and serves as a member of KulshanCLT’s leadership team.

Key Responsibilities Fundraising Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and implement annual and multi-year fundraising plans aligned with KulshanCLT’s strategic and financial goals.
• Establish fundraising goals, revenue projections, donor-pipeline targets, and measures of success; monitor results and adjust strategies as needed.
• Partner with the Executive Director and Finance team on fundraising budgets and revenue forecasts.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy across staff, Board, homeowners, volunteers, and partners.
• Stay current on fundraising trends and opportunities relevant to affordable housing and community development.

Major Gifts and Individual Giving

• Build and actively manage a portfolio of current and prospective major donors, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Create meaningful donor engagement through meetings, project tours, events, and other opportunities to connect with KulshanCLT’s work.
• Partner closely with the Executive Director on major-donor strategy, meetings, solicitations, and follow-up.
• Strengthen donor retention and engagement across first-time, recurring, lapsed, mid-level, and major donors.
• Lead annual appeals and individual-giving campaigns and develop KulshanCLT’s planned and legacy giving program.

Foundation, Corporate, and Institutional Giving

• Develop and manage a coordinated strategy for foundation, corporate, and institutional support.
• Cultivate relationships with foundations, banks, credit unions, businesses, and other funding partners while identifying new opportunities.
• Manage the grant calendar and ensure high-quality, timely proposals and reports in collaboration with program, finance, project development, and homeownership staff.
• Develop meaningful business partnerships that support KulshanCLT’s mission.
• Help plan and execute capital and project-specific fundraising campaigns.

Board and Executive Partnership

• Serve as staff liaison to the Board’s fundraising/development committee and help trustees participate effectively in fundraising and relationship-building.
• Partner with the Executive Director to cultivate relationships with donors, funders, community leaders, and strategic partners.
• Provide clear fundraising reports and updates to the Executive Director, leadership team, and Board.
• Participate in organizational planning, budgeting, and leadership discussions.

Communications and Storytelling

• Supervise and support the Communications Lead, including work planning, coaching, and performance management.
• Partner on donor communications, fundraising campaigns, impact stories, annual reports, and other materials that inspire engagement and giving.
• Ensure communications and fundraising strategies reinforce KulshanCLT’s mission, values, voice, and brand.
• Help identify and share compelling, respectful stories about homeowners, donors, projects, and community impact.
• Serve as a spokesperson and ambassador for KulshanCLT when appropriate.

Events and Community Engagement

• Develop and oversee fundraising and donor-engagement events, including the spring fundraiser, annual meeting, project tours, and smaller donor gatherings.
• Evaluate events for both fundraising results and relationship-building value.
• Represent KulshanCLT at community events, meetings, and presentations.
• Build relationships with civic leaders, businesses, housing partners, professional associations, and other community stakeholders.

Development Operations, Data, and Systems

• Ensure Salesforce provides accurate, useful donor and relationship information.
• Maintain consistent systems for tracking donor contacts, gifts, prospects, proposals, acknowledgments, and stewardship.
• Use dashboards, donor segmentation, prospect research, and giving history to guide fundraising decisions.
• Ensure gifts are acknowledged promptly and donor information is handled accurately and confidentially.
• Maintain effective development procedures and recommend technology or system improvements when needed.

Who We’re Looking For

A strong candidate will bring:

• 5 years demonstrated success in nonprofit fundraising, including individual giving, major gifts, grants, donor stewardship, or corporate partnerships.
• Experience developing and implementing annual or multi-year fundraising plans.
• A record of building authentic relationships and personally asking donors for support.
• Strong writing, editing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience working collaboratively with an executive director, board members, staff, volunteers, and community partners.
• Experience managing staff, consultants, or complex projects.
• Ability to create structure, establish priorities, track commitments, and consistently meet deadlines.
• Experience using a donor database or CRM; Salesforce experience is preferred.
• Comfort interpreting fundraising data, budgets, forecasts, and performance measures.
• Sound judgment, discretion, curiosity, and a willingness to communicate directly.
• Commitment to equity and an understanding of how housing affordability, wealth-building, and access to homeownership affect different communities.
• Ability to represent KulshanCLT warmly and professionally with a wide variety of people.
• A sense of humor and the flexibility to work in a growing organization where not every day goes exactly according to plan.

A specific degree is not required. We value relevant professional and lived experience and encourage candidates to apply even when they do not meet every listed qualification.

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Bellingham, Washington. KulshanCLT currently supports a hybrid work arrangement, with approximately half of the position’s time spent in the office and the remainder working remotely or in the community.

The position requires regular meetings with donors and partners throughout Whatcom County. Some evening and weekend work is required for events, donor gatherings, and community activities. Occasional travel within Washington may also be required.

• $81,000 to $95,000- Exempt , depending on experience
• Flexible schedule and some remote work options
• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• Regence Health Insurance and MetLife Dental at 90 days
• IRA and 3% employer match
• Opportunities for professional development
• Work with a mission-driven, collaborative team creating lasting community impact

Note: This description reflects the current role and may be adjusted as KulshanCLT evolves.

There is no explicit apply section retained in this refined description.

Kulshan Community Land Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from people who have been historically underrepresented in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, housing, and community development.