Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Development Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Development Director is a senior fundraising leader who designs and executes comprehensive revenue strategies to support the mission and growth of a nonprofit or mission-driven organization. This role leads major gifts, annual giving, grant acquisition, corporate partnerships, donor stewardship, and campaign efforts while managing a development team, optimizing fundraising operations, and partnering with executive leadership and the board to meet ambitious fundraising targets. The Development Director is responsible for strategic planning, relationship cultivation, data-driven decision making, and ensuring best practices in donor communications, compliance, and reporting.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Development Manager / Development Coordinator with demonstrated fundraising success
Major Gifts Officer with a track record of closing six-figure gifts
Grants Manager or Corporate Partnerships Manager who has managed revenue portfolios

Advancement To:

Vice President / Senior Director of Development
Chief Development Officer / Chief Philanthropy Officer
Executive Director / CEO (for mission-aligned leaders with broad organizational experience)

Lateral Moves:

Director of Advancement / Alumni Relations (for educational institutions)
Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations
Director of Donor Engagement / Stewardship

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy that integrates major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, grants, corporate sponsorships, special events, and digital fundraising to meet and exceed annual revenue and growth targets.
Build, manage, and directly cultivate a portfolio of mid- to major-level prospects and donors (including six- and seven-figure prospects), personally stewarding relationships from qualification through solicitation and stewardship.
Lead the planning and execution of a major gifts program: identify prospective major donors, develop tailored cultivation moves, prepare solicitation strategies, and close transformational gifts in partnership with the CEO and board members.
Develop and oversee competitive grant-seeking strategies, including identifying funding opportunities, leading proposal development, coordinating cross-functional staff to gather programmatic content, and ensuring timely submission and compliance for foundation, government, and corporate grants.
Create and execute capital campaign readiness and implementation plans when appropriate: case development, campaign feasibility assessments, silent phase leadership, public launch, and campaign reporting to stakeholders.
Lead and coach a high-performing development team (including major gifts officers, grantwriters, prospect researchers, gift officers, and support staff), setting KPIs, conducting performance reviews, and fostering professional growth and development.
Partner with the CEO, executive team, and board to set fundraising priorities; prepare and present clear, compelling briefing materials, proposals, and pipeline updates that enable informed decision-making and donor engagement.
Maintain and optimize the donor stewardship lifecycle—onboarding, recognition, impact reporting, and renewal strategies—to maximize retention, upgrade rates, and donor lifetime value.
Manage the donor/prospect pipeline, including prospect research and qualification, moves management, solicitations, and accurate forecasting to ensure revenue targets and monthly/quarterly projections are met.
Oversee donor database administration (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud), ensuring data integrity, gift processing accuracy, gift acknowledgement timeliness, and meaningful analytics to guide strategy.
Develop and manage the development budget, forecasting philanthropic revenue, tracking performance vs. goals, and ensuring efficient use of fundraising resources and vendors.
Design, produce, and approve fundraising collateral and digital assets—case for support, proposals, stewardship reports, solicitation letters, and campaign microsites—to ensure consistent branding and messaging aligned to impact.
Cultivate corporate partnerships and sponsorships: identify prospective corporate allies, negotiate sponsorship packages, and build multi-year strategic relationships that provide revenue, in-kind support, and employee engagement.
Establish and monitor performance metrics, dashboards, and KPIs for all development functions; use data-driven insights to refine strategy, identify risk, and highlight opportunities for growth.
Serve as the point-person for donor relations during stewardship visits and solicitations, often joining executive leadership for high-touch face-to-face meetings and presentations.
Work with finance to ensure accurate revenue recognition, gift restriction tracking, and compliance with donor intent and grant terms; coordinate audits and financial reporting as necessary.
Lead prospect research and analytics initiatives to segment donors, identify propensity-to-give, and inform targeted solicitation strategies and personalized asks.
Plan and manage high-impact fundraising events—galas, donor briefings, cultivation trips, site visits and online fundraising drives—overseeing budgets, sponsorship activation, volunteer engagement, logistics, and post-event follow-up.
Implement planned giving and legacy programs that expand long-term revenue streams, including developing marketing materials, donor workshops, and estate/planned giving cultivation strategies with legal and financial advisors.
Drive cross-functional collaboration with marketing, programs, and operations to ensure fundraising narratives align with programmatic impact, beneficiary stories, and metrics that resonate with donors and funders.
Ensure all fundraising efforts comply with nonprofit regulations, ethical standards, gift acceptance policies, and reporting requirements; develop and maintain appropriate internal controls and policies.
Mentor board members and volunteer fundraisers—providing training, materials, and strategies to engage their networks and leverage influence for donor cultivation and solicitation.
Negotiate and finalize gift agreements, memoranda of understanding, and sponsorship contracts in partnership with legal counsel when needed, ensuring clarity on deliverables, recognition, and reporting obligations.
Prepare and present accurate, timely fundraising reports and forecasts to leadership and the board; translate data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
Lead innovation in revenue diversification by piloting new fundraising channels (peer-to-peer, recurring giving, workplace giving, digital acquisition), testing hypotheses, measuring ROI, and scaling successful tactics.
Manage external consultants and vendors (agency partners, event planners, consultants) to amplify development capacity while maintaining cost-effectiveness and alignment with strategic goals.
Champion a culture of philanthropy across the organization—educating staff about donor-centered practices, integrating fundraising priorities into program planning, and celebrating donor impact across teams.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc reporting requests for leadership and board committees, providing tailored analyses of donor behavior, campaign progress, and revenue forecasts.
Lead internal cross-functional projects to streamline gift processing, improve CRM workflows, and reduce administrative bottlenecks.
Participate in community outreach and public relations activities to raise the organization’s profile and attract new donor audiences.
Coordinate with program staff to collect stories, outcomes, and impact metrics required for proposals, stewardship reports, and marketing campaigns.
Serve as backup spokesperson for fundraising inquiries and media interviews when required, collaborating with communications and executive leadership.
Design and deliver training sessions for staff and volunteers on donor cultivation best practices, moves management, and ethical solicitation techniques.
Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of philanthropic trends, tax law changes affecting giving, and donor-advised fund dynamics to inform strategy and donor conversations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Fundraising Strategy & Planning — proven ability to design integrated multi-channel fundraising plans that include major gifts, annual giving, grants, and events.
Major Gifts Cultivation & Solicitation — experience personally closing high-value gifts and implementing moves management for major donor portfolios.
Grant Writing & Grants Management — demonstrated success securing foundation and government grants, preparing competitive proposals, and managing grant compliance and reporting.
CRM Proficiency — advanced skills with donor databases (Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect) including segmentation, reporting, and automation.
Financial Forecasting & Budget Management — ability to create revenue forecasts, manage fundraising budgets, and collaborate with finance for accurate gift accounting.
Campaign Management — experience with readiness assessments, campaign planning, feasibility studies, silent and public phases, and multi-year campaign reporting.
Data Analytics & Prospect Research — use of prospect research tools (WealthEngine, DonorSearch, iWave) and analytics to inform segmentation, score prospects, and prioritize moves.
Planned Giving & Legacy Programs — familiarity with estate gifts, bequests, charitable gift annuities, and working with legal/financial advisors on planned giving vehicles.
Digital Fundraising & Email/Social Campaigns — knowledge of online giving platforms, peer-to-peer tools, and digital acquisition techniques that support donor acquisition and retention.
Donor Stewardship Systems — experience designing stewardship workflows, impact reporting, and recognition programs that increase donor loyalty and renewal rates.
Contract & Grant Compliance — understanding of nonprofit regulatory requirements, gift acceptance policies, and legal considerations for corporate sponsorships and restricted funding.

Soft Skills

Strategic Leadership — ability to set vision, rally teams, and translate strategy into measurable outcomes.
Relationship Building — exceptional interpersonal skills to cultivate trust with donors, board members, executives, and community partners.
Persuasive Communication — strong writing and public-speaking skills to craft compelling cases for support and deliver effective solicitations.
Coaching & Team Development — skilled at mentoring staff, providing constructive feedback, and building a collaborative development culture.
Emotional Intelligence — adept at reading donor signals, managing sensitive conversations, and balancing solicitation with stewardship.
Project Management — organized and deadline-driven, capable of managing complex initiatives with multiple stakeholders.
Negotiation & Influence — comfortable negotiating gift terms, sponsorship packages, and donor benefits while protecting organizational interests.
Adaptability & Problem-Solving — flexible in a fast-paced nonprofit environment; able to pivot strategies based on data and funding landscape changes.
Ethical Judgment — commitment to high ethical standards in fundraising and confidentiality of donor information.
Attention to Detail — meticulous in gift processing, reporting, and contract review to ensure compliance and accuracy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, business, public administration, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in nonprofit management, public administration, business administration (MBA), or related advanced degree.
Professional certifications such as CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) or equivalent fundraising credentials are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nonprofit Management
Business Administration
Communications
Public Administration
Philanthropic Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7–15 years in fundraising or development roles, with progressively increasing responsibility.

Preferred:

Minimum 5 years managing fundraising staff and cross-functional teams.
Documented success in raising major gifts and securing multi-year grants.
Experience leading or supporting capital campaigns or large-scale initiatives.
Proven track record using CRM systems to manage donor pipelines and deliver accurate fundraising forecasts.
Comfortable interfacing with senior leadership, the board of directors, and high-net-worth individuals.
Experience in the organization’s mission area (education, health, arts, social services, environment, etc.) is highly desirable.