Job Title: Director of Development
Reports To: Chief Community Relations Officer
Status: Full-Time
Positions Supervised: Grants & Major Gifts Manager, Community Relations Coordinator
FLSA: Exempt
Hours: 36 Hours/Week, Monday - Thursday 7:00am - 5:00pm (or as needed/required)
About the Department
The Community Relations team at HELP of Southern Nevada leads the organization's fundraising, marketing, events, communications, and volunteer engagement efforts. They connect the community to HELP's mission by building strong donor and partner relationships, elevating the organization's visibility, and coordinating a robust volunteer platform. Their work ensures that resources, awareness, and community support flow to the programs serving individuals and families across Southern Nevada.
Job Summary
The Director of Development is a key member of HELP's leadership team and is responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing a comprehensive private fundraising strategy that supports the organization's annual revenue goals. This role leads all aspects of corporate, foundation, and individual giving; supervises community relations, donor relations, and database management; and ensures the execution of a coordinated stewardship and communications strategy.
The Director manages a team of two development professionals and provides strategic direction, coaching, and accountability to ensure high performance and alignment with organizational priorities. This position oversees the annual fundraising budget, maintains the communications and stewardship calendar, leads strategic gift meetings, and produces mission‑aligned fundraising communications including the Annual Report, Impact Report, newsletters, and donor updates.
The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader with strong relationship‑building skills, exceptional writing and communication abilities, and a deep understanding of nonprofit fundraising. They thrive in a fast‑paced environment, balance strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, and represent HELP with professionalism and integrity.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute a comprehensive annual fundraising plan to meet or exceed private revenue goals.
- Lead corporate, foundation, and individual giving strategies, ensuring a balanced and diversified funding portfolio.
- Manage a team of two development staff, including those responsible for donor relations, events, and database management, providing mentorship, performance management, and professional development.
- Lead weekly development meetings and monthly strategic gifts meetings, ensuring coordinated cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts.
- Partner with the Chief Community Relations Officer and executive leadership to align fundraising strategy with organizational priorities.
Major Gifts, Corporate Partnerships & Foundation Support
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major donors and prospects.
- Oversee corporate partnership development, including sponsorships, employee engagement, and workplace giving.
- Provide strategic guidance and partnership to executive leadership, including preparing strategies, briefing materials, and stewardship plans for leadership-managed donor portfolios.
- Provide strategic oversight for foundation relations, including proposal development, reporting, and funder stewardship.
- Represent HELP at donor meetings, community events, and partner engagements.
Donor Relations & Stewardship
- Oversee the donor relations functions, ensuring timely acknowledgments, personalized stewardship, and meaningful donor experiences.
- Maintain and refine HELP's stewardship matrix to ensure consistent, mission‑aligned engagement across donor segments.
- Ensure accurate, timely, and ethical donor recordkeeping in the CRM (DonorPerfect).
- Pull, analyze, and compile donor and fundraising reports to support data-driven fundraising; create and update a monthly development dashboard to track progress toward goals and inform strategy.
Communications & Fundraising Materials
- Maintain the organization's communications calendar and ensure coordinated messaging across platforms.
- Lead the creation and production of fundraising communications, including the Annual Report, Impact Report, newsletters, donor spotlights, and campaign materials.
- Collaborate with Communications and PR partners to elevate HELP's visibility and brand presence.
- Oversee Constant Contact email communications and ensure consistent, high‑quality content.
Data, Systems & Reporting
- Supervise database management, ensuring accuracy, segmentation, and reporting integrity.
- Use data to inform strategy, track progress toward goals, and support forecasting and budgeting.
- Ensure compliance with donor confidentiality, ethical fundraising standards, and HELP's internal policies.
Cross‑Department Collaboration
- Work closely with Programs, Finance, and Operations teams to gather stories, data, budgets, and outcomes for fundraising and communications.
- Support fundraising components of events, holiday programs, and community initiatives.
- Serve as a thought partner in organization‑wide planning and strategic initiatives.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree preferred.
- 5+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising or related experience, including supervisory responsibilities.
- Demonstrated success in major gifts, corporate partnerships, and foundation fundraising.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills.
- Strong organizational and project management abilities.
- Experience with CRM platforms (DonorPerfect preferred), Canva, Constant Contact, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines, work independently, and collaborate across departments.
- Comfort representing HELP at community events and speaking with donors.
- Valid driver's license, proof of insurance, and ability to travel between HELP sites and partner locations.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to lift and move items up to 20 pounds during events or community activities.
- Ability to stand for extended periods during events or outreach activities.
- Ability to travel locally between HELP sites, partner locations, and community events as needed.