Sr. Director II of Development

AVANCE Houston, Inc.; Dacoma (OK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Company-paid medical insurance

Company-paid telemedicine services

Company-paid basic life insurance

403(b) retirement plan with employer-m

28 paid holidays annually

15 days of PTO

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

AVANCE Houston, Inc. seeks a visionary Director of Development to lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with our mission to empower children and families.

This role will shape annual giving, major gifts, grants, events, donor engagement, and governance support to secure long-term financial sustainability. You will partner with the Executive Director and Advisory Board, oversee a diverse development team, manage the grant program, and deliver compelling donor communications, campaign

Qualifications

• 10+ years of fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven success securing major gifts, sponsorships, and grants.
• Experience managing annual fundraising goals of $3M+.
• Supervising development staff and leading teams.
• Experience with executive leadership, boards, and committees.
• Planning and executing major events and donor cultivation.
• Strong grant development, reporting, and compliance experience.
• Budgeting, forecasting, and performance metrics expertise.
• Collaboration with finance, communications, marketing, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an annual development strategy aligned with mission and priorities.
• Establish fundraising goals, monitor progress, and implement growth strategies.
• Lead all fundraising initiatives (annual giving, major gifts, grants, events, online giving).
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors across sectors to increase support.
• Manage donor pipeline using moves management to strengthen relationships.
• Oversee donor stewardship and recognition programs for retention.
• Oversee grant development from research to reporting and stewardship.
• Collaborate with ED, Deputy Director, and program staff to identify funding opportunities.
• Prepare fundraising presentations and donor proposals for leadership.
• Develop and manage the development department budget and resources.

Skills

Donor relations

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Fundraising leadership

Confidentiality

Diversity & inclusion

Board relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree preferred

CFRE credential preferred

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Salesforce

Bloomerang

DonorPerfect

Job description

Description

• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual development strategy that aligns with the organization's strategic plan, mission, and fundraising priorities.
• Establish annual fundraising goals and revenue targets, monitor progress, and implement strategies to achieve or exceed financial objectives.
• Lead all fundraising initiatives, including annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, corporate sponsorships, special events, online giving, and donor engagement programs.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and community partners to increase philanthropic support.
• Build and maintain a robust donor pipeline utilizing moves management strategies to strengthen donor relationships and increase giving levels.
• Develop and implement comprehensive donor stewardship and recognition programs that encourage donor retention and long-term engagement.
• Oversee the organization's grant development program, including funding research, proposal development, grant writing, submission, award acceptance, compliance, reporting, and stewardship.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Deputy Director, program leadership, and finance staff to identify funding opportunities that align with organizational priorities.
• Ensure timely submission of competitive grant proposals and accurate completion of grant reports and required documentation.
• Monitor grant compliance requirements and work collaboratively with program and finance staff to ensure funding requirements and reporting deadlines are met.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with foundation representatives, government agencies, corporate partners, and other funding organizations.
• Represent the organization at community meetings, networking events, donor functions, conferences, and public engagements to strengthen visibility and community partnerships.
• Partner with the Executive Director and Advisory Board to identify, cultivate, and engage prospective major donors and community stakeholders.
• Prepare fundraising presentations, donor proposals, campaign materials, and executive briefing documents.
• Develop and manage the annual development department budget and ensure responsible stewardship of development resources.
• Analyze fundraising performance metrics, donor trends, campaign outcomes, and return on investment to guide strategic decision-making.
• Oversee the organization's donor and constituent relationship management (CRM) system (e.g., Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, or similar platforms), ensuring data integrity, accurate reporting, effective donor tracking, and the utilization of data to support fundraising strategy and donor engagement. Implement best practices for donor data management, gift processing, acknowledgment, and recordkeeping.
• Provide leadership, coaching, supervision, and performance management for development staff, consultants, interns, and volunteers.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing development team focused on innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and exceptional donor service.
• Collaborate with marketing and communications staff to develop fundraising campaigns, donor communications, annual reports, social media initiatives, and promotional materials.
• Support organizational strategic planning efforts by identifying opportunities to diversify funding sources and strengthen long-term financial sustainability.
• Maintain knowledge of current trends, best practices, and regulations affecting nonprofit fundraising, philanthropy, grant administration, and donor engagement.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, and nonprofit fundraising regulations, ethical standards, and organizational policies.
• Prepare regular reports and presentations for the Executive Director, Advisory Board, and leadership team regarding fundraising performance, grant activity, donor engagement, and development initiatives.
• Serve as a member of the executive leadership team, contributing to organizational planning, cross-department collaboration, and agency-wide initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the mission, strategic objectives, and operational success of the organization.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree required in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field.
• Master's degree preferred (MBA, MPA, MNPM, or related field).
• CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) credential strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, government funding, and individual donor support.
• Proven ability to develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies resulting in measurable revenue growth.
• Experience managing annual fundraising goals of 3 million dollars or more (or comparable organizational fundraising portfolio).
• Experience supervising development professionals and leading high-performing teams.
• Extensive experience working directly with an Executive Director/CEO, Board of Directors, and board committees.
• Proven success recruiting, engaging, and supporting volunteer leadership, campaign committees, and fundraising ambassadors.
• Experience planning and executing major fundraising events, donor cultivation activities, and stewardship initiatives.
• Strong grant development and grants management experience, including proposal development, reporting, and compliance.
• Experience developing and managing fundraising budgets, forecasts, and performance metrics.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing departments, including finance, communications, marketing, and program operations.
• Experience serving as a member of a senior leadership or executive management team and contributing to organizational strategic planning.

Knowledge and Skills

• Exceptional relationship-building and networking skills with donors, foundations, corporations, elected officials, and community leaders.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit governance and the respective roles of the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and board committees.
• Ability to inspire philanthropic investment through compelling storytelling and donor engagement.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• High level of political acumen, diplomacy, and professionalism.
• Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to interpret fundraising data and make strategic recommendations.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive fundraising practices.
• Strong organizational, project management, and strategic planning skills.

Leadership Competencies

• Executive leadership and strategic thinking.
• Visionary planning and innovation.
• Results-oriented fundraising leadership.
• Collaborative leadership across departments.
• Ability to coach and mentor staff.
• Strong accountability and performance management.
• Ability to represent the organization at the highest levels within the community.
• Commitment to cultivating a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with early childhood education, family services, or human services organizations.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and private foundation funding opportunities.
• Existing relationships with philanthropic leaders, foundations, and corporate partners in the Houston region.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Why Join AVANCE-Houston?

This is an opportunity to shape the future of one of Houston's premier nonprofit organizations by partnering with executive leadership and an engaged Advisory Board to expand philanthropy, diversify revenue, and strengthen services for thousands of children and families each year.

Benefits

AVANCE offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support the health, financial well-being, and work-life balance of our employees, including:

• Competitive salary
• Company-paid medical insurance
• Company-paid telemedicine services
• Company-paid basic life insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching contributions
• 28 paid holidays annually
• 15 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth