Director of Development

Jewish Family Service of Colorado • Denver, CO

1d • $95,000 - $110,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) seeks a Director of Development. As a key member of the Executive Management Team, the Director of Development partners strategically with the Chief Advancement Officer to design, oversee, and execute comprehensive fundraising initiatives aimed at achieving annual individual philanthropic revenue of $8 - 10 million. This leadership role manages a high-performing team of development professionals—including positions leading major gifts, planned giving specialists, and annual fund staff—with a focus on systematically renewing and scaling revenue year-over-year. Working in close collaboration with the CAO and Director of Marketing & Communications, the Director of Development will help architect and implement ambitious fundraising strategies that directly support JFS's 2025–2028 strategic priorities. We seek a visionary leader who brings inspirational energy, strategic acumen, and proven expertise to elevate JFS's capabilities in donor research, cultivation, and stewardship. The Director of Development will lead an intelligent, data-driven pipeline management system ensuring prospects are identified, cultivated, and solicited according to their philanthropic capacity and interests, positioning JFS as a sustainable and vital community resource for generations to come.

Requirements

• Preferred bachelor’s/master's degree in business administration, related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Preferred 7+ years of experience in fundraising, managing, mentoring, and building a team of successful fundraising professionals.
• At least three years’ prior management experience preferred.
• Proven Fundraising Excellence : A sophisticated fundraiser with demonstrated expertise in donor stewardship and cultivation; proven track record of executing compelling solicitations and successfully closing significant major gifts.
• Strategic Pipeline Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of industry best practices in pipeline and moves management, with the ability to lead, train, and mentor development staff in these critical revenue-generating functions.
• High-Initiative Leadership: A self-motivated professional characterized by enthusiasm, positivity, tenacity, and resilience; capable of achieving ambitious revenue goals and managing complex initiatives with minimal supervision.
• Operational Excellence: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously, anticipate and meet critical deadlines, optimize time management, and solve problems independently within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional Leadership & Communication: Superior skills in team building, staff management, and cross-departmental collaboration, fostering a high-performance culture that drives results.
• Relationship Architecture: Expert interpersonal and relationship management capabilities, with proven success working effectively with high-net-worth donors, volunteer leaders, and internal stakeholders.
• Diplomatic Acumen: Displays mature judgment and superior diplomatic skills, combined with highly developed active listening abilities and excellent verbal and written communication competencies.
• Collaborative Strategic Thinking: A strategic partner who works cooperatively with leadership to establish ambitious goals, resolve complex challenges, and make data-informed decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness and sustainability.
• Cultural Competency: Familiarity with Jewish culture, values, and the local Denver/Boulder community landscape is highly preferred.
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (proof required), subject to legally required exemptions.

Nice To Haves

• Colorado-based fundraising experience is a plus.
• Experience with fundraising CRMs is a plus.
• Professional designation as a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Management: Provides day-to-day oversight and management of five development staff members, including identifying, recruiting, coaching, and mentoring team members to ensure high performance and professional growth.
• Strategic Operations: Oversees comprehensive strategic and administrative functions of the Development department, including prospect research, database management, pipeline development, and donor stewardship programs.
• Donor Relationship : Maintain a personal portfolio of high-level donors and prospects through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, involving personalized strategies, proposal writing, event outreach to drive significant fundraising for JFS.
• Pipeline Development: Provides strategic oversight of prospect management functions, implementing data-driven strategies to expand donor pipelines and systematically move prospects through qualification, cultivation, and solicitation processes.
• Mission Advocacy: Maintains deep, current knowledge of JFS programs and services to effectively communicate organizational impact to donors and provide strategic guidance to fundraising staff and relationship managers.
• Performance Management: Drives team success through regular individual and departmental meetings, professional development initiatives, rigorous pipeline reviews, wealth assessments, and accountability metrics that support both individual and collective goals.
• Revenue Leadership: Monitors and strategically manages development revenues to meet and exceed departmental goals of $7.5 million (FY27), while building capacity for long-term growth toward $8-10 million targets.
• Culture Development: Mentors and coaches direct reports to foster a collaborative, high-performance environment that maintains excellence standards and supports team motivation.
• Systems Management: Collaborates with Development and Operations teams to implement gift processing best practices, maintain database integrity, establish key performance metrics, and provide transparent progress reporting to staff and stakeholders.
• Cross-Departmental Partnership: Works strategically with the CAO and Director of Marketing & Communications to design, implement, and execute annual development plans, including optimization of monthly giving programs based on donor giving patterns.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Implements continuous analysis of fundraising data and philanthropic trends to inform strategic decisions and optimize development approaches.
• Portfolio Management: Maintains a small, focused personal portfolio of major gift prospects, actively managing the complete fundraising cycle from identification through stewardship.
• Donor Engagement: Creates compelling, relevant engagement opportunities for major and mid-level donors that align philanthropic interests with JFS's strategic objectives and sustainability goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• JFS offers competitive pay and benefits, including medical, dental, vision, health savings account, flexible spending account, Legal/ID Theft, supplemental insurances, agency-paid Life/LTD, Employee Assistance Programs, 401(k), 16 paid holidays, and a generous leave program.

What This Job Offers

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