Description

Position Title: Development Director

Mission Statement

The mission of Pathways is to provide a unique Christian program dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for adults with intellectual disabilities. Pathways accomplishes this by assisting each individual to achieve emotional, cognitive, physical, social, and spiritual growth to his or her fullest potential.

Position Summary

The Development Director is a senior leadership position responsible for managing Pathways’ fundraising and donor engagement efforts, including major gifts, foundation grants, annual giving, special events, and donor stewardship.

The Development Director works in close partnership with the Executive Director and the Development Committee, and directly supervises the Development Coordinator and Communications Manager. This role serves as a core member of the organization’s leadership team during a period of significant growth and transition, including the completion of a capital campaign and preparation for future phases of expansion.

This is a full-time, exempt position. Occasional evening and weekend commitments are required.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Develop, implement, and manage Pathways’ annual and multi-year fundraising plan in alignment with organizational priorities and growth plans
• Partner with the Executive Director on major fundraising initiatives, including the capital campaign and future campaign phases
• Establish annual fundraising goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics across revenue streams
• Manage the annual fundraising and stewardship calendar to ensure coordinated solicitations and donor communications
• Provide leadership and direction for the development team, ensuring alignment, accountability, and effective execution

Major Gifts & Donor Relations

• Lead the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift prospects and donors
• Manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, coordinating with the Executive Director on higher-level relationships and solicitations
• Develop and implement strategies to strengthen donor retention, upgrades, and long-term engagement
• Partner with the Communications Manager to ensure donor-facing materials clearly communicate mission, impact, and priorities

Foundation & Grant Management

• Serve as the primary grant writer, with the Executive Director providing editorial review and strategic input as needed
• Research, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation and institutional funders
• Manage grant tracking, reporting requirements, deadlines, and funder communications
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of grant reports and stewardship materials

Development Operations & Data Management

• Serve as the primary owner of Pathways’ development systems, including the donor database (e.g., eTapestry) and SharePoint-based tracking tools used for foundation submissions, reporting, and stewardship
• Maintain, utilize, and improve SharePoint Lists and workflows to track grant opportunities, submissions, deadlines, reporting requirements, and funder communications
• Oversee gift processing, acknowledgements, pledge tracking, and reconciliation in coordination with the accounting firm
• Analyze donor data and fundraising performance to inform strategy, forecasting, and decision-making
• Prepare development reports for the Executive Director, Development Committee, and Board of Directors

Events & Campaign Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of fundraising events, including sponsorship and auction strategy, revenue goals, and donor engagement outcomes
• Supervise the Development Coordinator in executing event logistics, sponsorship fulfillment, and donor follow-up
• Evaluate event performance and identify opportunities to increase net revenue and donor conversion
• Lead planning and execution of annual appeals and special campaigns in collaboration with leadership and communications

Communications & Volunteer Management Oversight

• Supervise the Communications Manager, who is responsible for organizational communications and volunteer recruitment and coordination
• Ensure alignment between fundraising, communications, and volunteer messaging and calendars

Board & Committee Engagement

• Serve as staff liaison to the Development Committee
• Support board members involved in fundraising through preparation of materials, data, and donor strategy support
• Prepare development updates and reports for the Executive Director to incorporate into board materials

Supervision

• Directly supervises the Development Coordinator and Communications Manager
• Provides leadership, coaching, and performance management
• Establishes clear workflows and collaboration across development, communications, and volunteer-related functions

Skills, Knowledge, and Expectations

• Strong and mature Christian faith with alignment to Pathways’ mission, vision, and values
• Demonstrated track record of successful fundraising outcomes, including major gifts, grants, events, or campaigns, with the ability to articulate individual contribution and results
• Experience with major gifts and foundation fundraising
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong proficiency in donor databases (e.g., eTapestry), reporting, and fundraising analytics
• Experience managing fundraising operations using SharePoint and or similar collaborative tracking systems, with comfort working in Lists and shared workflows strongly preferred
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trust with donors, staff, and volunteers

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising or development
• Experience supervising staff and managing cross-functional collaboration
• Capital campaign experience preferred

Reporting Relationships

• The Development Director reports to the Executive Director and supervises the Development Coordinator and Communications Manager.

 Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• This position requires regular walking and standing, including giving tours of Pathways’ facility, visiting event venues, and representing the organization at meetings, fairs, and community events
• Occasional evening and weekend hours are required for events and donor engagement activities
• The role involves periodic setup and breakdown for events, including carrying and arranging materials such as event décor, display items, easels, signage, and supplies
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull materials weighing up to approximately 25 pounds, with the use of carts or other assistive equipment when available
• Ability to work in a variety of environments, including indoor and outdoor event settings
   

Requirements

Listed in Job Description