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Development Director Jobs in Madison, WI (NOW HIRING)

L3HHCM20

Principal, Business Development

Madison, WI · On-site +1

Principal, Business Development Job Code: 41483 Job Location: Remote Job Schedule: 9/80 As a ... Qualifies and shapes opportunities within the USAF through direct customer engagement at all ...

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Development Director information

See Madison, WI salary details

$40.8K

$93.1K

$156.2K

How much do development director jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for development director in Madison, WI is $93,104.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $70,500.00 and $109,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a development director do?

A Development Director is responsible for overseeing fundraising and resource development efforts within an organization, typically a nonprofit. They create and implement strategies to secure financial support, manage donor relationships, lead fundraising campaigns, and often supervise development staff. Their goal is to ensure the organization has the funding needed to achieve its mission and objectives. Development Directors also work closely with executive leadership and the board of directors to align fundraising goals with the organization's overall strategy.

What does a development director do?

A development director is responsible for fundraising strategies and initiatives to help promote the business and operations of nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and hospitals. As a development director, your job duties include reaching out to potential benefactors, maintaining relationships with existing donors, devising new strategies for fundraising, and organizing fundraising events. These events may consist of benefit concerts, dinners, parties, and special events. Collaborating with company management is also a regular part of your job. Depending on the organization, your exact duties may vary.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a development director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Development Director, you need expertise in fundraising strategy, donor relations, and nonprofit management, often supported by a relevant degree or CFRE certification. Familiarity with donor management systems (like Salesforce or Raiser’s Edge) and CRM platforms is typically required. Exceptional communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills set top performers apart in this role. These abilities are crucial for driving organizational growth, securing funding, and building lasting partnerships essential to the nonprofit’s mission.

How does a development director typically collaborate with other departments to achieve organizational goals?

A Development Director frequently works cross-functionally with teams such as marketing, finance, and program management to align fundraising strategies with organizational objectives. This collaboration often involves coordinating on campaigns, sharing donor insights, and ensuring consistent messaging across platforms. Strong communication and teamwork skills are essential, as the Development Director serves as a bridge between departments to maximize impact and foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.

What is the difference between Development Director vs Fundraising Manager?

AspectDevelopment DirectorFundraising Manager
Primary FocusOversees overall fundraising strategies, donor relations, and development initiativesExecutes specific fundraising campaigns and manages donor outreach
ResponsibilitiesStrategic planning, team leadership, major gift cultivationEvent planning, donor communication, campaign execution
CredentialsBachelor’s or Master’s in Nonprofit Management, Fundraising, or related fields; experience in leadership rolesBachelor’s degree; experience in fundraising or development roles often preferred
Work EnvironmentNonprofit organizations, charities, educational institutionsNonprofit organizations, charities, fundraising agencies

The Development Director typically holds a strategic leadership role, overseeing the entire development department and long-term fundraising goals. In contrast, the Fundraising Manager focuses on executing specific campaigns and managing day-to-day donor activities. Both roles require similar credentials and work in similar environments, but the Development Director has broader responsibilities and higher-level oversight.

More about Development Director jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Development jobs in Madison, WI? The most popular types of Development jobs in Madison, WI are:
What job categories do people searching Development Director jobs in Madison, WI look for? The top searched job categories for Development Director jobs in Madison, WI are:
What cities near Madison, WI are hiring for Development Director jobs? Cities near Madison, WI with the most Development Director job openings:
Development Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Development Director job openings in Madison, WI as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $93,104 per year, or $44.8 per hour.

Senior Development Program Specialist/Development Program Manager School of Veterinary Medicine, Sch

Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association

Madison, WI • On-site, Remote

$114K/yr

Full-time

Retirement

Re-posted 14 days ago

Job description

Overview
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for UW-Madison, is seeking a highly organized and self-motivated Senior Development Program Specialist/Development Program Manager to join our development operations team!
In this role, you will work as part of a collaborative team supporting development efforts for Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and UW Athletics in partnership with other development operations colleagues. The ideal candidate will bring strong attention to detail, sound judgment, excellent organizational skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. This is a hybrid position that will require you to work on-site in our Madison, WI office location at least two days a week.
Please note: This position can be filled as a Senior Development Program Specialist or Development Program Manager, depending on the skills/experience of the selected candidate.
Who is WFAA?
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW-Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW-Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.
Essential Functions
Donor and Campus Relationship Management
  • Serve as a liaison to campus partners including the unit's advancement and communications team and dean's office. Triage, negotiate, and respond to all inquiries, requests, donor communication list requests, proposals, and issues while continuing efforts to build mutually beneficial relationships, improve communication and collaborative teamwork, and increase campus understanding of the development process.
  • Work in collaboration with the unit's advancement team and dean's office on projects including, but not limited to, preparation for the units' board of visitors' meetings, commencement, tailgates, emeritus events, team meetings, printed materials and information/data pulls.
  • Coordinate with WFAA teams such as business intelligence and research to compile data and other information that informs strategic planning, donor recognition, and stewardship activities for the unit and dean's office.
  • When applicable, work with the events team to plan, implement, and manage all aspects of events designed to identify and cultivate Dean's prospects and build relationships with existing donors (i.e. Wisconsin Club, Dean's travel, etc.).
  • Collaborate with directors of development on donor visits to campus, including on-site logistics, greeting and hosting guests, and responding to miscellaneous needs as they arise.
  • Collaborate with finance, legal, development operations, campus partners, donors, and directors of development on the preparation, signature routing, and final distribution of gift legal documentation (e.g. Memoranda of Agreements, Pledge Agreements, etc.) in accordance with established WFAA business processes.

Strategy development, planning and project execution
  • Work in active partnership with the development unit leads, development directors, and unit's advancement team to plan, implement, manage and evaluate strategies, initiatives, and projects designed to enhance and advance the unit's priorities/goals, prospect and donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship and successfully move projects to completion.
  • Create and implement consistent standards of practice and procedure that provide exemplary customer service to donors and campus partners.
  • Provide directors of development with materials as requested in preparation for donor visits in collaboration with Development Program Specialists including documenting appropriate follow-up in Constituent Relationship Management (CRM), etc.
  • Work with WFAA teams such as marketing, communications, gift planning, and others to facilitate team projects and leverage internal resources for consistent and exceptional donor experiences.
  • Manage and track the unit's Key Performance Indicators in coordination with development unit leads. This will include supporting accurate entry of data into CRM.
  • Serve as a CRM subject matter expert for development team and interface with the Business Intelligence Service Center and Development teams.

Stewardship
  • In collaboration with campus units, directors of development, and central stewardship, assist with all aspects of comprehensive stewardship of donors, including gift acknowledgements, milestone thanks, scholarship and faculty award cycles, and impact reporting.
  • Work with development operations leadership, directors of development, and central stewardship in reviewing and implementing new opportunities for donor stewardship and engagement.
  • Coordinate fund administration process and fund stewardship, including all activities related to the creation, documentation, notification, and review of unit funds.
  • Respond to campus questions regarding unit gifts and funds, identifying issues that require additional review and action, including questions of fund use and compliance.
  • Coordinate, distribute, and analyze routine gift reports.

Prospect Data Management
  • Manage stewardship, fund, and constituent activities in CRM.
  • Maintain contact updates, donor biographic information, and other constituent management duties.
  • Provide KPI data to units' advancement and dean's office for strategic review of unit level giving.
  • Utilize self-service reports and work with the business intelligence team as needed, refine and customize alumni and donor lists for internal and external special mailings, invitations, stewardship projects, donor recognition, etc.

Office Administration
  • Collaborate with the unit lead and other team members on scheduling, agenda creation, and note taking for regular team meetings.
  • Coordinate the direct mailing of solicitations, stewardship projects, announcements, event invitations, and advanced administrative needs when necessary or appropriate.
  • Suggest areas for process improvement and assist in improvement implementation.
  • Serve as a leader on our collaborative team alongside the Senior Development Program Manager for the College of Engineering. This includes but is not limited to project management, mentoring other development operations colleagues, delegating tasks as appropriate, and having a growth-mindset when opportunities and challenges arise.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree is preferred or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • 2 + years for Senior Development Program Specialist or 5+ years for Development Program Manager of relevant professional work experience in higher education, non-profit, or fundraising environment

Other Qualifications
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong attention to detail.
  • Ability to judge the relative importance of issues and act independently to address them, applying the appropriate level of urgency to achieve results.
  • Self-motivation, a proactive nature, persistence, flexibility, and dependability.
  • Ability to work effectively with a team in an entrepreneurial environment and interact well with all internal and external constituents.
  • Ability to remain calm under pressure; prioritize and manage multiple and sometimes competing tasks, and maintain a high degree of discretion, tact, poise, professionalism, and diplomacy.
  • High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint); previous experience with database reporting and constituent relationship management software preferred.
  • Demonstrates creativity and resourcefulness by identifying and adapting best practices from outstanding donor relations programs, and by designing visually appealing, brand-aligned materials using tools such as Canva.

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. Click here to learn more about our employee benefits!
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the "doing business as" name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

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