Development Director

Development Director | Seattle, WA

Location: Seattle, Washington

Full Time | Exempt 

POSITION SUMMARY (Basic purpose or primary function of job)

The Director of Development will implement, coordinate and manage cost-effective fundraising activities within the market to attain and exceed its financial goals. This is a sales position, in which, the performance review is largely based upon achieving aggressive annual revenue goals. The Director of Development also solicits, trains and manages an effective volunteer base of community leaders to assist in meeting financial goals. This position acts as liaison between the Arthritis Foundation, its volunteers, and the local community. The Director of Development works closely with the Regional VP, Senior Development Director, Development Manager, Executive Director, Community Engagement Directors, Market Relationship Coordinator, CRM support representatives and leadership in all areas of the Foundation, including Development, Marketing and Communications, SLT members, and the Help & Support team. The Director of Development recruits, trains, and manages volunteers, and develops/maintains relationships with business leaders, corporate worksites, Greek fraternal organizations, and others in the Market Area and the communities assigned.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES (Principal responsibilities or job duties)

• Revenue Generation:  Directly responsible for achieving revenue through assigned fundraising initiatives (Walk to Cure Arthritis, Jingle Bell Run, Social/Gala, Other) which includes utilizing organizational best practices, achieving specific revenue and expense budget, managing the timeline and logistics, leading volunteer recruitment activities and efforts, marketing, and sponsorship solicitation for each event.
• Volunteer Recruitment and Management:  Recruit, orient, train and coach/mentor volunteers to organize events that meet or exceed the established fundraising goals.  Key volunteer positions include Leadership Board members, Event Committees, Youth, Medical and other Honorees, Corporate Chairs, Team Captains, and Sponsors. 
• Relationship Building: Develop strong networks within the local community.  Identify target audiences and build appropriate recruitment and fundraising strategies to successfully recruit, acknowledge, and retain and upgrade event donors/sponsors/teams and participants.
• Revenue Generation: Develops a pipeline of new revenue streams, event sponsorships, and volunteer opportunities through relationships, networking, sales calls or other prospecting efforts.
• Assess and Plan: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the on-going fundraising initiatives, including fundraising efficiency (cost/expense), community engagement, event potential, and overall success of the event.  Develop and implement strategies to enhance growth potential. Collaborate with ED to create event budgets and revenue plan to achieve goals.
• Collaboration with Mission:  Maintain a thorough knowledge of the Arthritis Foundation’s fundraising and mission based initiatives.  Collaborate with mission staff on key activities to ensure mission delivery at all events.
• Organizational Effectiveness:  Proficiency with multiple systems that track and manage revenue generating activities, volunteer leadership and more (Affinity, Kintera), and internal systems of the Arthritis Foundation.  Prepare and maintain accurate records/data to evaluate cost-effectiveness, profitability, and public awareness of events and/or activities. Activities may include monitoring income/expense budgets, compilation/analysis of event statistics, evaluation of media coverage, researching and analyzing community fundraising potential versus actual revenues, etc.
• Event Marketing:  Collaborate with Marketing & Communications team to oversee local marketing/communications/media relations efforts to drive awareness and community engagement in Arthritis Foundation events.
• Staff Management:  May directly supervise other development staff in the market. 
• All other duties as assigned by Executive Director.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

• BA or BS degree or equivalent, advanced degree or CFRE is desired.
• 5 to 7 years of prior related work experience, preferably in sales or event fundraising in a non-profit setting. 
• Experience in successful pledge-driven events.
• Proven and extensive successful fund raising experience including knowledge of sales best practices and current trends, as well as marketing and communications.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills required – the ability to gracefully handle rejection and bounce back assuring goals are met. Strong interpersonal and presentation skills required; ability to cold call, grow local contacts and build and nurture effective business relationships to increase Arthritis Foundation visibility, brand awareness, volunteer staff and revenue. Ability to articulate the value of the Arthritis Foundation in the organization’s four key strategic areas: Help & Support, Advocacy & Access, Juvenile Arthritis and Scientific Discovery.
• Strong background in marketing and communications as evidenced by writing samples (submitted with employment application).
• Detail oriented, adaptable, organized and demonstrated ability to successfully manage multiple projects and tasks in the following areas: Fundraising, marketing/communications, community engagement and administrative duties (as required).
• Ability to read, comprehend and analyze financial goals and fundraising reports and generate required reports on a timely basis.

Value Added Qualifications:

• Embraces change and promotes a culture grounded in adaptability.
• Upbeat, “can-do” demeanor; ability to project empathy and compassion when engaging constituents.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND TIME ALLOCATIONS

Revenue Generation                                                 45%

Volunteer Recruitment and Management                  20%

Relationship Building                                                 10%

Assessing/Planning/Organizational Effectiveness     10%

Event Marketing                                                          5%

Collaborate with Mission                                           10%

Total                                                                         100%