Senior Director, Donor Relations & Gala Strategy

Walking Mountains; Avon (CO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with employer match

PTO 15 days starting

12 paid holidays

Healthcare Savings Account

Flexible Spending Account

Life insurance

Short-term disability insurance

Discounted ski pass

Professional development opportunities

Pro deals

Job summary

Walking Mountains seeks a Director of Development to lead donor relations and fundraising strategy. The role manages a portfolio of individual, family foundation, and corporate donors, deepening engagement and building a pipeline for major gifts.

You will lead the annual giving program, expand corporate partnerships, and oversee Development events, including the signature gala, EdVentures, and open houses. Collaboration with senior leadership and staff ensures ambitious fundraising goals are met.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of progressively responsible nonprofit development or comparable fundraising experience preferred.
• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, stewarding, and more deeply engaging donors to increase philanthropic support, including major donors.
• Experience planning and implementing successful annual giving campaigns and utilizing effective moves management strategies and processes to advance donor relationships and fundraising goals.
• Experience managing staff and providing leadership for fundraising initiatives and events.
• A skilled leader with experience motivating teams with effective communication, collaboration, trust, empowerment and respect.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and project-management skills.
• Proficiency with donor database systems and commonly used business technology, including Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, and Sheets) and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Strategic, collaborative, self-motivated, and accountable, with enthusiasm for the mission of Walking Mountains.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse teams and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• A flexible, team-oriented approach and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends as donor engagement, events, and other Development priorities require.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of individual, family foundation, and corporate donors and prospects. For current donors in the Director of Development's portfolio, use active cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and moves management to deepen engagement, grow philanthropic support, and build the pipeline of future mid-level and major donors.
• Identify and qualify existing and new prospects, partnering with the Vice President of Development on prospect and portfolio strategy, assignments, and next steps.
• Lead the annual giving program, developing strategies and helping shape messaging to retain and upgrade donors, reactivate lapsed supporters, and increase philanthropic support.
• Manage select major corporate donors and prospects, pursuing opportunities to deepen relationships, grow corporate support, and expand the reach of the corporate partnership program.
• Provide overall leadership for Development-related events, including orchestration of A Taste of Nature, Walking Mountains' signature annual gala and its auctions.
• Working closely with the Vice President of Development and with the support of Development staff and other colleagues, provide overall coordination and oversight to help ensure a successful fundraising event and a well-run, positive experience for guests, volunteers, and staff.
• The Vice President of Development takes the lead on fundraising efforts for the gala with major donors and table and event sponsors. Provide strategic oversight for additional donor cultivation and stewardship events, including EdVentures and the Holiday Open House.
• Manage several direct reports, providing day-to-day oversight and strategic direction in fulfilling the responsibilities of their position, including (i) planning, logistics, execution, volunteer coordination, and staff support for Development-related fundraising, stewardship, and engagement events; (ii) cultivate, solicit, and steward their own portfolio of entry-level individual donors; (iii) grow a portfolio of corporate donors and prospects; (iv) conduct initial high-level prospect research; (v) provide administrative support.
• Collaborate with all members of the Development Team, including working with the President, Vice President of Development and Senior Director of Grants and Strategic Initiatives, as well as collaborating selectively with board members and committees, to achieve Development Team objectives.
• Partner with the Vice President of Development and other colleagues across the organization on fundraising strategy, donor communications, donor and prospect engagement, and other Development priorities requiring cross-department collaboration; assume increasing responsibility over time for budgeting, revenue forecasting, and monitoring financial performance.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Skills

Donor relations

Moves management

Prospect development

Staff leadership

Event oversight

Fundraising strategy

Donor databases

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Project management

Tools

Donor databases

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Walking Mountains seeks a Director of Development to lead donor relations and fundraising strategy. The role manages a portfolio of individual, family foundation, and corporate donors, deepening engagement and building a pipeline for major gifts.

You will lead the annual giving program, expand corporate partnerships, and oversee Development events, including the signature gala, EdVentures, and open houses. Collaboration with senior leadership and staff ensures ambitious fundraising goals are met.