Fund Development Senior Director

Whatcom Family YMCA • Bellingham, WA

10d • $83,200 - $93,600 • Onsite

About The Position

The Whatcom Family Y is entering an exciting period of growth, including the development of a new YMCA facility. This role is crucial in building the philanthropic support needed to achieve this mission and future vision. The Fund Development Senior Director will work closely with leadership to guide fundraising efforts across major gifts, annual giving, corporate partnerships, grants, capital initiatives, and donor stewardship. This is an opportunity for an experienced professional to strengthen an established culture of giving and build momentum for a significant growth period.

Requirements

• Experience in fundraising, development, donor relations, advancement, nonprofit leadership, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success cultivating and stewarding donors and asking for financial support.
• Strong relationship-building skills and confidence engaging donors, executives, Board members, volunteers, and community leaders.
• Experience with annual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, campaigns, grants, or other fundraising strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organization and project-management skills with the ability to move multiple priorities forward.
• Experience using donor databases or CRM systems and using data to inform fundraising strategy.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to inspire others around a shared mission.
• A commitment to ethical fundraising practices, donor confidentiality, and responsible stewardship.
• Bachelor's degree in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Communications, Public Administration, Philanthropy, or related field.
• Minimum 3-5 years of progressive fundraising, development, philanthropy, or nonprofit leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts and cultivating donor relationships.
• Experience supporting or leading annual campaigns, capital campaigns, or comprehensive fundraising initiatives.
• Strong understanding of donor cultivation, stewardship, prospect management, and fundraising best practices.
• Experience working with volunteer leaders, boards of directors, and fundraising committees.
• Proficiency with donor management software, CRM systems, and fundraising analytics tools.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to analyze fundraising performance and develop strategies that drive growth and donor engagement.
• Commitment to the YMCA mission, values, and youth protection policies.

Responsibilities

• Build meaningful donor relationships by cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors and prospective supporters.
• Lead Annual Campaign efforts, including strategy, volunteer engagement, events, campaigner training, and progress toward fundraising goals.
• Grow corporate giving and sponsorships by developing relationships with businesses and creating opportunities for them to invest in the Y’s mission.
• Support capital campaign initiatives through prospect management, donor engagement, stewardship, communications, and volunteer support.
• Strengthen donor stewardship through thoughtful recognition, communication, reporting, and engagement strategies that encourage long-term support.
• Partner on grants with the Grants and Partnership Director to support a strong grant portfolio, compelling proposals, reporting, and renewals.
• Engage Board members and volunteers in identifying prospects, building relationships, and expanding philanthropic support.
• Manage donor data and insights as the primary administrator of our donor CRM, ensuring accurate records, gift processing, prospect tracking, reporting, and fundraising analytics.
• Build a culture of philanthropy by partnering with leaders throughout the Y to connect organizational priorities with funding opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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