Sr. Director, Development

Scope: The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) seeks a Senior Director, Development to lead and oversee all aspects of fundraising to fuel the growth and success of WSF’s mission and strategic programming and initiatives. He or she will work closely with the CEO, CMO and Board of Trustees to direct multi-year fundraising, cultivation and stewardship strategies, and to drive annual revenue from major and endowed gifts, individual giving, foundation grants and events.

General Responsibilities

• Work with CEO and Chair of Board Development Committee to develop and present a comprehensive, annual development strategy – and implement the plan as the leader of the department
• Oversee Development revenue reporting, budgets and information management, including strict discipline and practice regarding donor privacy
• Provide oversight for all development operations: gift processing, timely and relevant donor acknowledgement, CRM database and tools to track, monitor and analyze donor giving
• Work with the WSF Board of Trustees and WSF leadership team to expand donor base and increase annual giving
• Work with corporate partnership team on coordinated solicitation efforts
• Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications teams to develop collateral material to support donor outreach (i.e., fact sheets, annual appeals, annual reports)
• Supervise all Development Department staff, consultants and volunteers
• Represent the organization at professional conferences, cultivation events, donor meetings, programs and related events
• Ability for quarterly travel, estimated at 10%

Donor Cultivation, Engagement and Stewardship

• Develop and implement major gifts and individual fundraising strategies that result in higher donor conversion and increased donor retention rates
• Implement a year-round communications plan to interact with and cultivate donors at all levels – via a series of campaigns and integrated print and digital mail appeals, personalized correspondence, phone calls and in-person cultivation meetings
• Oversee prospect research, audience segmentation and donor analytics; analyze solicitation efforts, track revenue and report to CEO and Development Committee weekly/monthly, as required
• Plan and manage ongoing donor recognition and stewardship programs
• Work with CEO to oversee policy for major giving, endowed and planned gifts

Foundation Relations

• Proactively identify, cultivate, solicit and build relationships with foundation prospects in support of the WSF mission and strategic plan:
  • Conduct research and identify potential funders and grant opportunities
  • Initiate and develop communication with prospective funding sources
  • Work in conjunction with other departments to develop proposals
• Maintain an intense focus and high level of personal activity including writing letters of inquiry and submission of grant proposals
• Oversee gift acknowledgement, stewardship reports and related correspondence
• Track and ensure the successful fulfillment of foundation grant requirements in concert with WSF Leadership

Event Fundraising

• Drive sales strategy and attendee engagement efforts related to WSF signature event, Annual Salute to Women in Sports, and create other opportunities for donor cultivation
• Solicit members for the annual Gala Committee and manage their fundraising efforts with input from the Development Committee
• Direct Trustee engagement: gathering prospects, designing email templates and providing ticket and table sales information and sponsorship materials, as needed
• Build the event invite list and lead prospect research in coordination with WSF CEO, Team and Committees
• Oversee the development of event materials (i.e., table/ticket sales forms, invitations, signage, journals, pledge cards) and event promotion schedule in collaboration with Marketing and Communications teams
• Devise in-room fundraising strategies including auctions, raffles and floor-wide ask, and oversee associated vendors
• Serve as liaison with WSF Leadership on all donor events: engaging athlete participants, activating award recipients’ networks to support fundraising, and overseeing volunteer engagement, as appropriate

Qualifications

• Authentic interest in WSF’s mission and a passion for philanthropy and women’s leadership
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion
• 10 years’ experience in fundraising in the nonprofit sector, preferably at a national level
• Minimum of three years’ experience in writing winning grant proposals
• Knowledge of current and emerging trends in fundraising, and proven success in developing successful fundraising strategies
• Excellent attention to detail, active listening, and strong management and collegial skills with ability to work independently and in a team
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to work with diverse audiences, i.e. board members, leadership, staff, volunteers, donors, and vendors.
• Knowledge and experience with fundraising software and systems
• Growth mindset

To apply:

Email cover letter, resume and salary expectations into one PDF document to HR@WomensSportsFoundation.org. No Calls Please

Attn: Natoya Curd, Senior Director, Operations & Administration

Subject: Sr. Director, Development

In 2015, the Women’s Sports Foundation adopted the “Hucles Rule,” a hiring guideline that states that an elite athlete must be interviewed for each WSF job opening.

The Women’s Sports Foundation values an inclusive team and encourages individuals of diverse backgrounds and identities to apply. The Women’s Sports Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.