Director of Development: Major Gifts & Growth Leader

The Nature Conservancy (All); Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 118,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina seeks a Director of Development to lead a $4.5M annual fundraising program and expand donor pipelines, connecting SC priorities to One Future: Together, We Find a Way.

The role builds a high-performing, inclusive team, engages trustees and volunteers, and strengthens donor strategy, portfolio management, and reporting to drive growth and accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 years related experience.
• Experience asking for and closing major gifts.
• Demonstrated success with planning, organizing and running campaigns with significant target achievement.
• Experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with fundraising constituents such as major donors, foundations and corporations.
• Experience in planning and delivering budgetary responsibilities.
• Experience managing and supervising a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience, coursework, or training in charitable giving, capital campaigns, major gifts and planned giving.

Responsibilities

• Lead South Carolina’s fundraising strategy, including executing multi-year campaigns to meet and exceed fundraising goals.
• Grow the donor pipeline, identifying new donors, and cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and principal gift donors, foundations, corporations, and key partners.
• Lead, manage, develop, and retain a high-performing development team.
• Partner with the State Director, Board Chair, trustees, and campaign volunteers to strengthen fundraising engagement.
• Develop and administer budget and fundraising objectives, evaluate results and develop corrective strategies as needed.
• Manage major gift functions, including planned giving, endowments, principal gifts, donor prospecting, research, donor engagement, and multi-year campaigns.
• Report development program activities to leadership and the South Carolina Board of Trustees.
• Maintain 100% Board participation in TNC’s Legacy Club and work with Trustee Legacy Ambassadors towards the goal.
• Ensure fundraising activities comply with TNC policies, financial standards, legal requirements, and ethical practices.
• Maintain confidentiality of frequently sensitive and emotionally charged information.
• May direct or participate in negotiations for complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.
• May travel frequently and on short notice, work long hours and weekends.
• Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.

Skills

Major gifts

Campaign planning

Donor relations

Team leadership

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft 365

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Outlook

Teams

Job description

The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina seeks a Director of Development to lead a $4.5M annual fundraising program and expand donor pipelines, connecting SC priorities to One Future: Together, We Find a Way.

The role builds a high-performing, inclusive team, engages trustees and volunteers, and strengthens donor strategy, portfolio management, and reporting to drive growth and accountability.