The client seeks a Director of Development for the Midwest Region to advance major gifts and strengthen philanthropic engagement supporting vibrant faith communities in underserved areas. The Director of Development will join an approximately 20-person Development Department and collaborate with senior administration and development colleagues to grow major gift activity across the Midwest, including responsibility for states of Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky, as well as Chicago and its suburbs.
This role is expected to combine collaboration with a high degree of entrepreneurism and self-direction. The Director of Development will work with colleagues and members of the client’s Board of Governors to leverage local, regional, and national networks and to develop new fundraising strategies and programs. The position will require motivating commitment to faith, community, service, and justice, with an approach focused on fundraising rather than functioning as an ideological platform or advocacy organization.
Candidates are expected to have at least eight years of post-college work experience, including at least six years of frontline major gifts fundraising experience with proficiency handling gifts typically in the five-figure range or equivalent combinations across defined and undefined constituencies, from cultivation through closing and stewardship. Experience managing a fundraising territory for a mid- to large-size nonprofit is preferred, along with the demonstrated ability to think strategically across prospect development and to execute appropriate solicitations. The ideal candidate will also have knowledge of major philanthropic players, strategies, and trends in Chicago and the broader Midwest, the ability to access social networks effectively, and the capability to extract and analyze donor and process data, supported by working knowledge of modern data management practices.