Senior Director of Advancement

Resilience; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

HMO

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Free onsite gym

Generous holiday schedule

Job summary

Resilience is seeking a Senior Director of Advancement to lead fundraising, donor relations, grants, and partnerships. This senior role partners with the Executive Director to set strategy, build infrastructure, and ensure ethical storytelling grounded in trauma-informed practice.

You will directly cultivate major gifts, oversee annual giving and communications, and supervise the DAMC and staff, driving revenue growth and organizational visibility in a mission-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years in fundraising, development, or advancement.
• High emotional intelligence and cultural humility with diverse donors.
• Proven success in securing major gifts and donor relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication; trauma-informed storytelling in donor contexts.
• Strategic thinking and organizational skills for multi-year plans.
• Experience with marketing or communications strategy.
• Proficiency with donor CRM systems and fundraising platforms.
• Minimum five years supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop long-term revenue strategies with leadership.
• Execute fundraising strategy including major gifts, grants, and events.
• Ensure data-driven decisions using CRM data.
• Lead major donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Oversee budget, monitor metrics, report to ED and Board.
• Strengthen donor pipelines and stewardship systems.
• Collaborate to build and implement portfolio management.
• Represent the organization at donor meetings and events.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Donor relations

Strategic thinking

Trauma-informed storytelling

Budget management

Supervisory experience

Education

BA/BS in business or related field

Tools

Donor CRM systems

Development analytics

Job description

Reports To: Executive Director

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Salary Range: Up to $100,000, commensurate with experience

Benefits: HMO, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance fully covered by the employer. Generous holiday schedule and paid time off. Free onsite gym at Downtown Loop office location

Location: Hybrid in-person/work-from-home

General Role Description

The Senior Director of Advancement (SDOA) is a senior member of the leadership team accountable for all advancement functions, including fundraising, donor relations, grants, strategic partnerships, and marketing and communications. The SDOA is responsible for the contributed revenue that sustains the organization’s mission, and ensures all advancement work is grounded in survivor-centered values, confidentiality, equity, and trauma-informed practice, ensuring ethical storytelling, cultural humility, and respectful engagement in fundraising strategy, donor relations, and communications. The SDOA will directly engage in major gifts cultivation and key donor relationships, and will provide strategic leadership, including setting priorities and strengthening advancement infrastructure in close partnership with the Executive Director. The Director of Advancement, Marketing, & Communications (DAMC) reports to the SDOA and leads day-to-day implementation of annual giving, communications, and events.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Accountability

• Partner with the Executive Director and Fundraising Committee to develop long-term revenue strategies


• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy incorporating major gifts, annual giving, grants, corporate partnerships, and events aligned with organizational goals


• Ensure decisions and strategies are data-driven, including the agency’s Customer Relations Management (CRM) data


• Focus on new individual donor acquisition, particularly major gifts


• Spearhead a planned giving program, cultivating legacy donor relationships and building infrastructure to grow this revenue stream over time

• Collaborate with the DAMC to develop a grant strategy and priorities; ensure compliance, timely reporting, and strong funder relationships

• Develop the advancement budget with the Executive Director and financial services staff; manage the budget, monitor fundraising metrics to ensure revenue goals are met, and report progress regularly to the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and Fundraising Committee

• Strengthen internal systems, donor management processes

Major Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management

• Lead and oversee the collaborative design of a trauma-informed stewardship framework that reinforces survivor-centered values across all giving levels


• Assess and strengthen donor pipelines; create new donor pipelines, particularly major donors; and improve donor retention and stewardship systems


• Partner with the Executive Director and DAMC to develop and implement a portfolio management strategy, determining the best breakdown for key staff to cultivate, solicit, and steward, including the ED, SDOA, and DAMC

• Monitor donor retention rates and guide strategies to strengthen long-term engagement

Community Engagement, External Relations, & Events

• Set strategic direction and goals for fundraising and stewardship events based on past results, knowledge of our donor base, and current trends


• Develop community engagement opportunities that educate and activate supporters, and ensure all events reflect trauma-informed design and organizational values


• Partner with the ED and Leadership Team to strengthen organizational visibility


• Build and maintain relationships with community partners, foundations, and corporations


• Represent the organization at advocacy initiatives, community events, donor meetings, and key major donor cultivation events


• Oversee volunteer fundraising engagement and give/get accountability, working with the DAMC on operational BOD and Associate Board (AB) support

Marketing & Communications Oversight

• Set the strategic direction for all marketing and communications, ensuring messaging is trauma-informed and culturally responsive

• Oversee impact reports using anonymized data and ethical storytelling; collaborate with program staff to gather mission-aligned content

• Ensure brand consistency across all platforms and materials; approve major campaigns, media outreach, and public-facing content

• Support the Executive Director in public relations and crisis communication

Team Leadership & Infrastructure

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and volunteers, including the Board of Directors and Associate Board

• Supervise and mentor the DAMC and support their oversight of advancement staff, contractors, and interns

• Oversee the recruitment, hiring, and supervision of the Engagement Manager, Communications Consultant, and Grant Writer, as needed

• Foster a culture of philanthropy by engaging staff across the organization in donor awareness and mission storytelling

• Participate on hiring committees as needed

Perform other duties as assigned to further the reputation and financial stability of Resilience.

Required Qualifications

• Ten or more years of experience in fundraising, development, or advancement


• High emotional intelligence and cultural humility, with a demonstrated ability to engage diverse communities and donors with sensitivity


• Demonstrated success securing major gifts and managing donor relationships


• Strong written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated trauma-informed communication and ethical storytelling in a donor-facing context, including proposal writing and impact storytelling


• Strong strategic thinking, prioritization, and organizational skills with a record of managing complex, multi-year advancement plans


• Experience with marketing or communications strategy


• Proficiency with donor CRM systems, development analytics, online fundraising platforms, and standard office and communications software


• Experience in collaborative leadership and team development, including mentoring staff and managing advancement teams or consultants


• Ability to work effectively in a small, mission-driven, trauma-informed organization


• Budget development and management experience


• Minimum five years of supervisory experience


• BA/BS (or equivalent experience) in business, nonprofit management, marketing, or similar field

Organizational Requirements

• Exceptional executive functioning skills

• Adaptability, conscientiousness, and reliability

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to give and receive honest, constructive feedback

• Ability to take initiative and work independently, as well as in a team environment that includes cross-department coordination

• Passion for Resilience's mission required

• Flexibility to work occasional evening and weekend hours

• Completion of minimum 40-hours of sexual assault training within 90 days of hire

Preferred Qualifications

• GiveSmart experience a plus

• Knowledge of the Chicago philanthropic community highly desired

• Understanding of sexual assault and violence, gender-based violence, women\'s issues, human rights issues, and trauma-informed approaches