Senior Director of Development Strategy and Operations

Senior Director of Development Strategy and Operations

About American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund is the nation’s leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 35.5 million Americans with kidney disease. Our mission is to help people fight kidney disease and live healthier lives, and we fulfill that mission by providing a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention activities, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling kidney patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation. We also invest in clinical research to improve outcomes for kidney patients, and we fight tirelessly on Capitol Hill for legislation and policies supporting the issues that are important to the people we serve. We provide these critically needed services while maintaining a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading charity watchdog agency. We spend 97 cents of every donated dollar on programs that directly serve patients.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Development Strategy and Operations will be a key member of the Development senior leadership team and will lead strategic initiatives, enhance operational efficiency, and drive fundraising success within the Development Department. This role will collaborate closely with Development senior leadership, including the Chief Development Officer (CDO), to ensure the department meets its goals while contributing to the organization’s broader mission. Their key responsibility will be to identify new areas of revenue generation by identifying cross-channel opportunities not currently being implemented and working across other departments to assess opportunities for revenue generation that have yet to be realized. The end result should be increased fiscal health, leveraging of new and emerging technologies and integrating and capitalizing revenue channels and the identification of completely new revenue opportunities. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in strategic planning, program management, direct donor solicitation and stewardship, and data-driven fundraising strategies.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Leadership

• Lead the efforts of the Development team in the creation of 4-year strategic plan and annual operating plan in concert with Development Senior Directors, the Executive team and other senior leadership across the organization.
• Work closely with the CDO to identify and set annual departmental priorities, ensuring alignment with overall institutional objectives.
• Define key success metrics for fundraising activities, monitor progress, and provide transparent reports to internal stakeholders.
• Oversee benchmarking activities in partnership with the CDO and fellow Development Senior Directors.

Prospect Development, Intelligence, & Analytics

• Collaborate with senior development leaders to identify new opportunities for revenue generation by integrating various channels of funding.
• Transition existing individual prospect development process and initiatives to a department-wide program in an effort to identify untapped funding streams and prospects, as well as expand current supporters beyond their current giving channel.
• Leverage institutional data, advanced analytics, and emerging technologies (such as AI and machine learning) to identify and engage new prospects.
• Oversee transparent and continuous reporting on fundraising performance, ensuring alignment with department goals.

Development Operations

• Work closely with the CDO and Development senior leadership to create and manage the Development Office budget, ensuring financial efficiency and transparency.
• Lead the monthly tracking and reporting of the department’s financial status, ensuring alignment with planned budgets and identifying opportunities for cost optimization.
• Continuously assess and refine operational policies and procedures to improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and ensure consistent delivery of services. This will include file management, process documents and reporting.

Communications Strategy

• Partner with the CDO, Communications and Marketing teams, to develop and execute an integrated communications strategy that supports long-term fundraising growth.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to enhance the fundraising message across all AKF channels (website, non-development emails, newsletters, etc.), ensuring clear, consistent communication with all audiences.
• Act as the liaison for brand-related projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and fundraising strategies.
• Serve as liaison for content marketing efforts in partnership with the Communications, Marketing, and Patient Education teams, ensuring fundraising content is targeted and effective.

Innovation & Professional Development

• Stay current with emerging fundraising trends, best practices, and innovations, applying new ideas to enhance fundraising effectiveness.
• Drive the adoption of new technologies and methodologies to advance the department’s strategies and operations in partnership with senior leadership in the Development department and Business Operations.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by attending relevant conferences, networking, and encouraging professional development within the team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership

• Lead and collaborate with senior directors and cross-functional teams to achieve departmental and organizational goals.
• Provide regular updates to the CDO, Executive Team, and Board of Trustees on fundraising progress, strategic initiatives, and performance metrics.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and resource for the development team, offering guidance on best practices, strategic priorities, and operational improvements.

Additional Responsibilities

• Attend key organizational events, including The Hope Affair, and represent the Development Office as needed.
• Undertake other duties as assigned to support the success of the Development Department and organization.

Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience.
• 8 to 10 years of progressive fund-raising experience, including demonstrated success in the areas of individual, major gifts, corporate and foundation giving. Experience with event and peer to peer fundraising is also desirable as well as peer to peer.
• Must be highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously with demonstrated success in project management and program development.
• Must be able to anticipate, plan, prioritize and react to changing needs and situations with professionalism, integrity, and diplomacy.
• Have strong interpersonal skills, a positive disposition, strong written and verbal communication skills, be goal-oriented, excellent decision-making and judgment skills, strong project, and staff management/ supervisory skills as well an innate sense of pace and urgency.
• Self-starter with ability to equally function autonomously and as a member of a team, with a high regard for accountability and outcomes.
• Proficient in in-depth knowledge of the MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint) as well as fundraising database software (Raisers Edge, Convio, or similar software) a plus.
• Some experience in voluntary health preferred.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to travel (up to 15%).

POLICY ON PLACEMENT AND RECRUITING

The Batten Group and American Kidney Fund are equal-opportunity employers committed to the principles of non-discrimination in the workplace. Candidates will not be discriminated against based on age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, marital status, or any other basis that is prohibited by federal, state, or local law.