Full job description

Job Title: Development DirectorReports To: Chief Executive Officer

Salary:$90,000-$105,000 DOE and correlated with FTE negotiations

Hours:.75 time (30 hours a week) to start, room for growth over time or Full Time, negotiable

Benefits package:Accrued paid annual leave, 12 paid holidays plus 1 floating holiday. Health/Dental/Vision Insurance and retirement benefits.

About the YWCA Bellingham

The YWCA Bellingham is a 119-year-old nonprofit organization with four physical locations in Bellingham, WA. We have a 10-member Board of Directors, 22 staff, and a 1.9-million-dollar budget, and are part of a national network of YWCA organizations with the shared mission ofending racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, and freedom for all.We provide affordable housing, emergency shelter and case management for female identifying women and their children, and economic, social justice and personal empowerment programming in the communities we serve.

YWCA Bellingham is committed to providing a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all identities, backgrounds and walks of life, and to fostering a compassionate yet accountable culture that models our mission to empower women and eliminate racism. We are proud to be a learning organization that seeks to understand root causes and systemic solutions in all our work, and understand that sometimes learning requires unlearning old ways first.

We dont believe in a perfect candidate. If you desire to be a part of a high-performance team, furthering the YWCAs mission in our community and world, and are excited by the chance to grow in an organization like ours, please apply!

Development Director Position Summary

The Development Director is a new role intended to provide strategic leadership for fundraising and donor engagement activities for the organization. We are committed to long term sustainability of this position, and are looking for someone interested in working closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to build a robust development program that advances the organizations mission and ensures long-term financial sustainability of our work over time. Ideally, this role will grow, and we encourage those interested in building a program they are proud of to apply.

The Development Director will be responsible for individual giving and foundation grants and be the lead for three community events per year. They will be expected to manage the full donor lifecycle, deploy the CEO strategically to secure major donor gifts, and cultivate strong, values-aligned relationships with donors, partners, and the broader community. Their initial primary focus will be on understanding the organization and who we serve, assessing the organizations current fundraising program, making recommendations for the fundraising plan moving forward, building a strong working relationship with the CEO and Board particularly the Boards fundraising committee(s), and supporting the executive of two fundraising events a May gala and September community luncheon.

Working closely with the CEO, the Development Director develops fundraising plans and executes fundraising strategies, ensures a clear plan is in place to reach fundraising targets, serves as a visible community ambassador and advocate, and collaborates closely with leadership and the Board to strengthen organizational impact through community-centered philanthropy.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Fundraising, Resource Development, & Donor Cultivation:

• Develop, implement, and evaluate annual and long-term fundraising plans aligned with organizational goals
• Manage fundraising portfolio, including individual donors, major gifts, and foundation grants
• Oversee the full donor lifecycle, including cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and retention

o Develop and implement donor engagement strategies, including stewardship and recognition programs; track and analyze donor data to identify opportunities for increased giving and engagement

o Deploy the CEO strategically for major donor gifts, grounded in long term and genuine relationship building

• Manage donor databases, including development and oversight of processes and best practices to ensure donor data is accurate and readily available
• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities while maintaining and growing existing funding relationships
• Maintain excellent donor and sponsor records to ensure a careful, thoughtful, and balanced identification, cultivation, solicitation, and retention effort; including but not limited to phone calls, thank you notes, and emails
• Collaborate with staff and Board members to cultivate major gifts, business partnerships, and legacy giving

Fundraising Events

• Lead the planning, execution, and evaluation of YWCA Bellinghams three annual fundraising events and annual campaigns
• Collaborate with staff and Board committees to develop and implement work plans for each event
• Develop event revenue goals, budgets, timelines, and sponsorship strategies, in partnership with the CEO
• Leverage partnerships to improve ROI and reduce expenses to meet financial goals
• Coordinate staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors to support event planning and day-of event execution
• Seek and create special events with community partners throughout the year for one-time and ongoing engagement opportunities
• Ensure events reflect YWCA values and advance donor relationships beyond the event itself

Grants & Institutional Giving:

• Work closely with CEO to secure foundation grants, including prospecting, proposal development, reporting, and compliance
• Assist in the writing of grant applications and the development of internal and external reports; take the lead on grant writing as able
• Collaborate with program and finance staff to ensure accurate budgets, outcomes, and reporting for funders

Donor & Community Engagement:

• Build and sustain strong, positive relationships with donors, foundations, sponsors, and community partners, including other non-profit organizations, and government agencies
• Serve as a sp…