Director of Development

Swbc Peo • San Antonio, TX

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Fiesta® San Antonio Commission Inc. is a nonprofit, volunteer, self-supporting organization that plans, promotes, coordinates, and preserves Fiesta® San Antonio through support of its Participating Member Organizations in presenting a safe, educational, annual celebration of the diverse heritage, culture and spirit of San Antonio for its residents and visitors. Fiesta® San Antonio started in 1891 as a one-parade event to honor the memory of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. That historic commemoration still takes place, but for more than a century, Fiesta® has grown into a celebration of San Antonio’s rich and diverse cultures and today is one of this nation’s premier festivals with an economic impact of more than $340 million. Each year, more than one hundred San Antonio Area Non-Profit, Fiesta Member Organizations coordinate more than one hundred Official Fiesta® Events to raise funds to provide services to San Antonio citizens throughout the year. The Fiesta San Antonio Commission’s purpose is to help each of its Member Organizations be as successful as they can be. The Fiesta San Antonio Commission proudly supports Fiesta Member Organizations that support: Higher Education Scholarships and Programs, Diverse Cultures, Historical Significance / The Alamo, Arts / Nature, Military Programs, Children’s Events / Programs, Pets / Animal Welfare, Inclusive Events / LGBTQ, Sports / Health and Wellness, Special Needs Community, Older Adult Community, Local Community Building. The Director of Development leads a comprehensive fundraising strategy in support of Fiesta San Antonio, one of the nation’s premier cultural celebrations. This role is responsible for generating revenue through emerging philanthropic initiatives, major gifts, grants, and corporate sponsorships, while building long-term sustainability through planned giving and capital campaign development. Working closely with the Executive Director, Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the Development Committee, the Director of Development will drive strategies that strengthen revenue, deepen partnerships, and position the Commission for future growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 7+ years of experience in fundraising, sponsorships, or business development
• Proven success securing major gifts
• Proven success securing corporate sponsorships
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and presentation skills
• Experience in events, nonprofit, or community-based organizations preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Exceptional organization skills
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Enthusiastic and positive attitude toward helping others
• Ability to work both independently and in team settings
• Demonstrated commitment to learning and continuous improvement
• Proven ability to exercise good judgement and discretion, analyze and resolve confidential, difficult and sensitive situations with diplomacy and tact
• Self-motivated, flexible, quick learner, and possess a high level of personal integrity
• Detail-oriented with ability to meet deadlines, both prescribed and self-imposed
• Experience in coordinating special events preferred
• Ability to work independently to bring a project to completion
• Skilled in facilitating partnerships and developing collaborative projects
• Must have the ability to demonstrate intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office and Office 365 (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and PowerPoint) including experience with virtual platforms such as Zoom
• Must have valid driver's license, motor vehicle liability insurance and personal injury insurance; or have a self-reliant source of transportation to conduct business on a daily basis

Nice To Haves

• Experience in events, nonprofit, or community-based organizations
• Experience in coordinating special events
• Experience in Jotforms, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Canva Design, Adobe Design packages and WordPress (web content management system)
• Bilingual Preferred (English/Spanish)

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to create endowments and grow major gifts, grants, annual giving, corporate sponsors and event revenue
• Identify new partnership opportunities and secure multi-year commitments
• Identify and secure transformational and long-term funding opportunities
• Meet or exceed annual fundraising goals
• Identify, pursue, and secure foundation and grant funding aligned with Fiesta’s mission and programs
• Build and manage a grants pipeline, including proposal development, submission, and reporting
• Establish relationships with institutional funders to support both programmatic and strategic initiatives
• Develop and launch a planned giving program to support long-term sustainability
• Create opportunities for legacy and estate giving, including donor education and recognition
• Integrate planned giving into overall donor engagement and stewardship strategies
• Support the planning and early development of a capital campaign or major fundraising initiative
• Build a pipeline of leadership-level donors and prospects
• Partner with leadership and board members to advance campaign strategy and readiness
• Manage a portfolio of donors, prospects and sponsors
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward high-level relationships
• Create customized engagement opportunities aligned with donor and sponsor interests
• Evaluate how fundraising efforts can support and enhance Membership growth and engagement
• Develop strategies to better integrate fundraising and membership pathways
• Identify opportunities to convert members into donors and sponsors into long-term partners
• Lead fundraising efforts tied to Fiesta events
• Represent the Commission at events, sponsor activities, and community functions
• Partner with member organizations to align fundraising and engagement opportunities
• Work with the Development Committee Volunteers to create fundraising goals and strategies
• Engage Board members in fundraising strategy, donor introductions, and campaign development
• Provide regular updates on pipeline, revenue, grants activity, and strategic initiatives
• Ensure donors and sponsors are recognized and all benefits are fulfilled
• Track activity, pipeline, and revenue in CRM systems
• Maintain accurate reporting across philanthropic giving, grants, and sponsorships

Benefits

• Competitive salary paid bi-weekly via direct deposit
• Generous health and welfare benefit package available
• Vacation days, sick days and holiday days available
• Monthly parking paid by the Commission

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director