Development Director Jobs Build Support for Mission
Search Development Director jobs with nonprofits, foundations, schools, universities, healthcare organizations, associations, arts organizations, and other mission-driven employers across the United States. Find fundraising leadership opportunities where you can grow philanthropy, strengthen donor relationships, and help organizations expand their impact.
Current Development Director Jobs
Explore current nonprofit Development Director and Director of Development opportunities across the United States. New fundraising and advancement leadership positions are added regularly.
Development Director Opportunities
Current positions matching Development Director.
Director of Development Opportunities
Additional positions using the common Director of Development title.
Build the Relationships and Revenue That Move Missions Forward
Development Directors play a central role in helping nonprofit organizations build sustainable philanthropic support. They develop fundraising strategies, cultivate donors, manage campaigns, strengthen institutional relationships, and help connect supporters with the mission and impact of an organization.
The scope of a Development Director role varies widely. At a growing nonprofit, the position may lead nearly every aspect of fundraising. At a larger institution, the Development Director may oversee a specific fundraising program, team, region, donor segment, or strategic initiative.
Development Directors commonly work closely with Executive Directors, CEOs, Chief Development Officers, board members, program leaders, communications teams, donors, foundations, corporations, and community partners.
Foundation List connects fundraising professionals with Development Director jobs and related nonprofit career opportunities throughout the United States.
Where Development Directors Work
Fundraising professionals are needed throughout the mission-driven sector. Development Director positions exist across organizations of nearly every size and mission.
Nonprofits
Build fundraising programs for organizations serving communities across social services, advocacy, environment, housing, public interest, and social impact.
Schools & Education
Support advancement, annual giving, major gifts, campaigns, alumni engagement, and philanthropic growth for educational institutions.
Healthcare
Lead development programs for hospitals, healthcare foundations, health organizations, medical institutions, and community health providers.
Arts & Culture
Grow philanthropic support for museums, theaters, cultural organizations, performing arts groups, and creative institutions.
Foundations
Support philanthropic organizations through donor engagement, partnerships, development, communications, and strategic relationship building.
Community Organizations
Build local support, partnerships, individual giving, grants, sponsorships, and community investment for place-based organizations.
What Does a Development Director Do?
Development Directors plan and execute fundraising strategies while building strong relationships with donors, prospects, boards, foundations, corporations, volunteers, and community partners.
Fundraising Areas Development Directors May Oversee
Depending on organizational size, a Development Director may personally lead several fundraising channels or manage staff responsible for specialized development functions.
High-touch donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and relationship management.
Annual appeals, recurring giving, donor retention, digital campaigns, and broad-based fundraising.
Foundation prospecting, relationship development, proposal strategy, and grant stewardship.
Sponsorships, partnerships, employee giving, cause marketing, and corporate philanthropy.
Legacy giving, estate gifts, bequests, and long-term donor relationships.
Fundraising events designed to support revenue, engagement, stewardship, and visibility.
Capital, comprehensive, endowment, and strategic growth campaigns.
CRM systems, donor data, prospect research, analytics, reporting, and gift administration.
What Employers Look for in Development Directors
Strong Development Director candidates combine relationship-building skills with measurable fundraising experience and the ability to create disciplined, sustainable development programs.
Employers often seek professionals who can confidently engage donors while also managing strategy, deadlines, data, staff, budgets, communications, and multiple fundraising priorities.
Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed philanthropic revenue goals.
Strong interpersonal skills and experience cultivating meaningful supporter relationships.
Experience identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors.
Ability to communicate mission, impact, funding needs, and organizational priorities.
Ability to manage campaigns, deadlines, events, grants, portfolios, and competing priorities.
Comfort using donor databases, pipelines, reporting, and fundraising metrics.
Experience managing development staff, contractors, volunteers, or cross-functional teams.
Ability to authentically represent the organization and inspire investment in its mission.
How Do You Become a Development Director?
Development professionals often build experience across individual giving, donor relations, grants, events, development operations, major gifts, or institutional giving before taking responsibility for a broader fundraising program.
Learn Fundraising
Build experience in development coordination, donor relations, grants, annual giving, events, or fundraising operations.
Own Relationships & Goals
Manage donor portfolios, fundraising campaigns, revenue goals, grants, or specialized development programs.
Lead a Program
Take responsibility for strategy, staff, multiple revenue channels, budgets, and development outcomes.
Advance to Executive Leadership
Progress toward Development Director, Vice President of Development, Chief Development Officer, or Chief Advancement Officer roles.
Development Director Compensation
Compensation varies based on organization size, fundraising goals, geography, donor portfolio, staff responsibilities, campaign scope, and overall complexity of the position.
What Do Development Directors Earn?
Development Director compensation varies considerably throughout the United States because organizations use the title across a broad range of roles and organizational sizes.
A Development Director responsible for all fundraising at a smaller nonprofit may have a very different position from a Development Director leading one specialized fundraising team within a large university, hospital, national nonprofit, or cultural institution.
Candidates should evaluate salary alongside fundraising expectations, revenue goals, team resources, donor portfolio, organizational budget, management responsibilities, healthcare benefits, retirement benefits, paid time off, flexibility, and professional development.
Related Development & Fundraising Job Titles
Nonprofits use many different titles for fundraising leadership roles. Searching related positions can help uncover additional opportunities.
Related Nonprofit Leadership Jobs
Explore additional leadership and fundraising careers across Foundation List.
Hiring a Development Director?
Reach mission-driven fundraising professionals nationwide through Foundation List. Promote your Development Director opportunity to candidates with experience in fundraising, major gifts, donor relations, advancement, grants, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership.
Whether you need someone to build a fundraising program, expand major gifts, strengthen donor retention, launch a campaign, grow institutional giving, or lead an experienced development team, Foundation List can help your organization reach professionals interested in mission-driven work.
Frequently Asked Questions About Development Director Jobs
Where can I find nonprofit Development Director jobs?
Foundation List features Development Director, Director of Development, fundraising, advancement, and nonprofit leadership opportunities across the United States. Candidates can search openings from nonprofits, foundations, schools, universities, healthcare organizations, associations, and other mission-driven employers.
What does a Development Director do?
A Development Director typically plans and executes fundraising strategy, builds donor relationships, manages fundraising campaigns, supports major gifts, strengthens institutional giving, engages boards, oversees donor stewardship, and tracks development results.
Is Development Director the same as Director of Development?
In many organizations, yes. Development Director and Director of Development are frequently used for similar fundraising leadership roles. Actual responsibilities vary according to organization size, fundraising structure, and seniority.
What qualifications are needed to become a Development Director?
Employers commonly seek fundraising experience, strong communication and donor relationship skills, evidence of meeting revenue goals, project management ability, and experience with donor databases or fundraising systems. Major gifts, grants, campaigns, board engagement, and staff management experience may also be valuable.
Is a Development Director an executive role?
It can be. At some organizations, the Development Director is the senior-most fundraising leader and works directly with the Executive Director, CEO, and board. At larger organizations, the Development Director may report to a Chief Development Officer, Vice President of Development, or Chief Advancement Officer.
What fundraising areas does a Development Director manage?
Responsibilities can include major gifts, annual giving, grants, foundation relations, corporate partnerships, donor stewardship, special events, planned giving, capital campaigns, development communications, prospect research, and fundraising operations.
Are there remote Development Director jobs?
Yes. Some Development Director positions are remote or hybrid, particularly with national or distributed nonprofits. Other roles require onsite leadership, donor meetings, community engagement, events, or travel.
What should a Development Director resume include?
Strong resumes should emphasize measurable fundraising results. Helpful examples include dollars raised, major gifts secured, donor retention improvements, campaign outcomes, grants won, portfolio size, fundraising growth, team leadership, board engagement, and development systems improved.
How can employers post a Development Director job?
Employers can create a Foundation List employer account and post Development Director, Director of Development, fundraising, advancement, and other nonprofit opportunities directly to the national job board.
Search Development Director Jobs Nationwide
Discover current Development Director, Director of Development, fundraising, advancement, and philanthropy opportunities with mission-driven employers across the United States.