Development Director

The Stephens Family YMCA is seeking an experienced Development Director to help advance our mission in this wonderful community!

Job Description

The Development Director will provide the leadership for all fundraising activities at the Stephens Family YMCA. The Development Director will work with the CEO, staff, board members, and other volunteers to accomplish fundraising goals and objectives. We are looking for an individual who can develop a culture of philanthropy that will continue to position the Stephens Family YMCA as a “Charity of Choice”. This person’s work will help donors understand and support the YMCA’s mission and dedication to youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Our ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years of successful and proven fundraising experience. This role is pivotal in engaging volunteers, donors, and community leaders to secure philanthropic support that sustains and expands the Y’s impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Five or more years of professional fundraising experience with a proven track record of success, including donor relations, annual giving, major gifts, grant writing, and special events. Experience with capital campaigns and endowments is a plus. Relevant and transferable work experience will also be considered.
• Strong oral communication, written communication, relationship building and "people" skills.
• Commitment to the YMCA’s organizational mission and a strong desire to connect donors to the mission.
• Working knowledge of charitable giving vehicles and the ability to create interpretive materials that effectively communicate the YMCA’s mission to potential donors.
• Ability to think creatively about how to effectively engage new donor audiences.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to self-motivate and work independently.
• Ability to engage with top community leaders and diverse groups across all social and economic segments.
• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to travel frequently to meet with donors, partners, and stakeholders. This includes attending conferences, events, and face-to-face meetings to strengthen relationships and advance the organization's mission.
• Familiarity in identifying and securing grants.
• Expertise in using marketing and fundraising software packages, email marketing platforms, social media management tools, and analytics tools. This includes the ability to leverage these tools to enhance fundraising campaigns, track donor engagement, and optimize marketing strategies.
• Proven ability to achieve pre-established metrics related to fundraising. This includes meeting or exceeding targets for donor acquisition, retention rates, campaign success, and overall fundraising revenue. Demonstrates a strong commitment to setting and reaching measurable goals that support the organization's mission and financial sustainability.
  
  

Essential Functions

• Develop and manage both short-term and long-term fundraising plans that align with the Stephens Family YMCA's mission, vision, and values.
• In partnership with the CEO and the Board of Directors, lead and execute the YMCA’s fundraising strategy which includes the annual campaign, major gifts, special events, sponsorships, endowments, and capital campaigns.
• Oversee the development and execution of the annual campaign, ensuring that strategic activities are in place to achieve the campaign goal.
• Plan and implement fundraising special events that align with the YMCA’s mission and financial goals. Coordinate event volunteers and evaluate the return on investment for events.
• Develop and manage the YMCA’s sponsorship program, identifying and cultivating donors to participate in year-round sponsorship opportunities. This includes securing support for the annual campaign, as well as for special events.
• Identify and pursue new sources of grant funding. Prepare grant applications and maintain relationships with grantors. Manage the grant reporting process to ensure compliance and continued support.
• Develop an annual calendar to strategically map out all development activities for each year.
• Work closely with the CEO, the Board of Directors and other staff to further obtain new charitable gifts to the YMCA. Serve as a staff representative to the Development Committee
• Demonstrate success in learning the details of our organization's substantive work and applying that knowledge in drafting successful fundraising solicitations.
• Process all gifts and pledges in donor database; maintain donor records including Daxko Fundraising and other donor files; provide analytics and reporting as requested. Complete donor acknowledgments, pledges, recognition, and stewardship, including corporate, foundation, and individual donors.
• Represent the YMCA at community engagements and be a public representative of the work that is being done at the YMCA.
• Attends department and association meetings as required. Serve on the SFYMCA leadership team.
  
  

Cause-Driven Leadership Competencies

• Values: Demonstrates in word and action the YMCA’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility and shows a commitment to the YMCA’s mission.
• Quality results: Demonstrates and fosters a strong commitment to achieving goals in a manner that provides quality experiences.
• Functional expertise: Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
• Relationships: Builds authentic relationships in the service of enhancing individual and team performance to support the YMCA’s work.
• Developing Others: Recognizes and acts on the need to continually develop others’ capabilities to attain the highest level of performance possible.
• Philanthropy: Values and supports the many facets of philanthropy as an essential component in achieving the YMCA’s mission.