Director of Philanthropy and Fundraising

KSPS PBS • Spokane, WA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

KSPS PBS is seeking an experienced fundraiser and leader to guide its strong, growing philanthropy program, which generates approximately $4.8 million annually. This is not a turnaround role, and the new Director will not be expected to fundraise alone. The position offers the opportunity to lead an experienced eight-person team, a loyal donor base, a growing major gifts program, a maturing planned giving program, an endowment approaching $5 million, and a department that is already exceeding expectations. The executive team and board understand that fundraising is an organizational responsibility. The President and General Manager has prior experience leading this department and remains involved in donor cultivation. The previous Director served for ten years and the position is open due to internal advancement. KSPS PBS is the public television station serving the Inland Northwest and Western Canada, with its philanthropy program encompassing membership, annual giving, major and planned giving, corporate underwriting, and development operations. Despite the loss of federal funding, KSPS PBS is financially stable with significant assets, net assets, and operating reserves, and has recorded five consecutive years of operating surpluses. The Director will lead a three-year strategy to replace lost federal support with sustainable, diversified philanthropic revenue, managing an eight-person development team and a $1.6 million annual development budget. This role involves both leadership and frontline fundraising, focusing on strategy development, relationship building, and personal engagement where senior-level involvement is most impactful.

Requirements

• Significant professional fundraising experience, with demonstrated growth in responsibility and results.
• A track record of building donor relationships and successfully soliciting philanthropic support.
• Experience with, or strong understanding of, multiple fundraising channels.
• Demonstrated leadership ability and readiness to coach, support, and hold a professional team accountable.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort using CRM systems and data to guide strategy.
• The ability to think strategically while understanding the operational details that make fundraising programs successful.
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• A collaborative, emotionally intelligent leader who builds trust.
• A fundraiser who understands that sustainable philanthropy is built through relationships, not simply increasingly aggressive revenue targets.
• Curious about data and willing to question assumptions.
• Comfortable giving talented staff room to do their jobs.
• Calm under pressure and steady in politically sensitive or highly visible environments.
• A thoughtful builder who can improve successful systems without assuming everything needs to be reinvented.
• Deeply aligned with the mission and values of public media.
• Comfortable working in genuine partnership with a President and Board who are actively engaged in philanthropy.

Nice To Haves

• CFRE certification is welcomed.
• Leadership demonstrated through project leadership, mentoring, cross-functional work, volunteer leadership, campaign management, or other experiences, even if the current position has not included formal direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and support an experienced development team, setting clear goals while fostering accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and sustainable workloads.
• Develop and execute fundraising strategy across a diversified $4.8 million annual philanthropy program.
• Lead the organization's three-year strategy to replace approximately $1.2 million in lost federal funding through sustainable philanthropic revenue.
• Personally manage a focused portfolio of approximately 25–40 major donor prospects, partnering closely with the President and General Manager on cultivation and solicitation.
• Strengthen donor stewardship, retention, moves management, and pipeline development.
• Partner with an engaged Board of Directors that maintains 100% board giving and participates in supporting the organization's philanthropic goals.
• Oversee a $1.6 million annual development budget and align fundraising investments with organizational strategy.
• Use data, CRM tools, segmentation, forecasting, and performance measures to inform decisions and identify opportunities.
• Continue strengthening major and planned giving while protecting the successful annual giving and membership programs that provide a strong foundation for KSPS PBS.
• Help shape the next generation of philanthropy at an organization with nearly six decades of community trust.

Benefits

• Medical with dependent coverage available
• Employer paid dental insurance with dependent coverage available
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Employer paid short-term and long-term disability coverage
• 401(k) eligibility after 3 months of service days, including an automatic 3% annual employer contribution
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick leave
• Up to 12 paid holidays
• One remote workday per week after 90 days
• Limited evening and travel expectations
• Professional development opportunities
• Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate.

What This Job Offers

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