Director, Development Strategy and Communications

Grace Place for Children and Families•Naples, FL

1h•Onsite

About The Position

Grace Place for Children and Families is seeking a strategic, organized, and mission-driven Director, Development Strategy and Communications to help strengthen the philanthropic foundation of the organization through the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign. This position is responsible for developing and executing fundraising operations, donor communications, campaign coordination, stewardship systems, prospect development, and advancement strategies that support both immediate revenue growth and long-term funding sustainability. Working closely with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and leadership team, the Director will help translate strategy into execution by coordinating campaign activity, donor communications, prospect research, stewardship processes, advancement operations, and fundraising systems. This role serves as an internal point of alignment across annual giving, major gifts, campaign planning, donor pipeline development, and related expansion priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum of seven years of progressive fundraising experience, including oversight of annual giving and/or campaign programs.
Proven success managing multi-channel fundraising and donor cultivation initiatives.
Strong knowledge of donor lifecycle management, moves management, and philanthropic strategy is required.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, organizational, and presentation skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, support senior leaders, and maintain clarity in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Background check and fingerprinting are required.
Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and active automobile insurance are required when driving is necessary.

Nice To Haves

Experience with CRM systems, specifically Raiser’s Edge, analytics tools, wealth screening, and prospect research is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and leadership team to implement a multi-year fundraising strategy that integrates the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign.
Translate strategic priorities into action plans, timelines, meeting agendas, next steps, and deliverables.
Monitor progress toward measurable goals for revenue, donor acquisition, donor retention, and donor upgrades.
Maintain a master development and campaign calendar that coordinates major gift cultivation, annual fundraising activity, direct mail, digital fundraising, peer-to-peer appeals, donor communications, and targeted initiatives related to sustainability and community impact.
Partner with the Chief Development Officer to ensure annual and campaign giving efforts strengthen the pipeline for major and planned gifts.
Use data analytics, wealth screening, prospect research, and donor behavior to identify, qualify, and prioritize major donor and campaign prospects.
Support donor segmentation strategies that align communications, cultivation, solicitations, and stewardship with donor interests, giving history, and readiness.
Coordinate systems that connect Annual Fund supporters with higher-level giving information and opportunities within the Sustainability Campaign.
Design and manage the implementation of a comprehensive moves management system that guides donors from first gift through major gift cultivation.
Oversee the accuracy and organization of development data, including donor records, segmentation, research, outreach history, and campaign details.
Ensure donor touchpoints are intentional, personalized, and tracked within the CRM.
Serve as an internal coordinator for development activity, including donor meetings, briefing materials, follow-up actions, stewardship touchpoints, and next steps.
Develop segmented donor communication strategies that reflect donor interests, giving history, engagement level, and campaign readiness.
Develop and manage the communication cadence for the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign, with compelling messaging that clearly communicates community impact and outcomes.
Oversee donor societies and recognition programs tied to both annual and campaign contributions.
Prepare proposals, reports, presentations, and materials to support leadership, campaign committees, board members, and external partners.
Ensure cohesive branding and messaging across fundraising platforms in collaboration with marketing and communications teams.
Equip board and volunteer leaders with talking points, follow-up structures, and communication tools that make participation in fundraising clearer and more effective.
Manage reporting systems to track performance of both the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign.
Generate regular analytics on donor trends, giving patterns, and pipeline development.
Oversee related budgets to ensure fiscal accountability and alignment with strategic objectives.