Job Summary
The Director of Development is a key fundraising leader at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR)—a highly regarded nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with multiple locations, an annual budget of approximately $21 million, and a four-star Charity Navigator rating. As a member of the Philanthropy team, the Director of Development is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing fundraising strategies that support the mission of HSPPR, its staff, and the animals in its care.

This role provides strategic leadership within the Philanthropy team and works in close collaboration with the Director of Marketing & Communications, Director of Volunteer Services and Humane Education, and the Vice President of Philanthropy, as well as a dedicated team of fundraising professionals and supporting roles, to meet and exceed fundraising goals. The Director of Development directly supervises the Grants Manager, Annual Giving Manager, Events Manager, and Corporate Giving Manager. Most recently, the team raises between $6–8 million annually to meet the philanthropic needs of the organization.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities

• Provide leadership and management, assuming responsibility for fundraising goals and strategy including annual giving, corporate giving, grants, fundraising and stewardship events, and any campaigns.
• Set and improve procedures, administration, and financial functions related to the management of staff in department.
• Personally cultivate strong relationships to identify and inspire potential high-impact donors.
• Establish and manage effective support structures for development function of the Philanthropy team.
• Hire, lead, develop, and coach staff on the development team.
• Serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, comprised of Directors and Vice Presidents, to champion the organization’s strategic plan and priorities. Actively participates in high-level discussions and decision-making on key organizational matters, including workforce engagement, operational excellence and efficiency, and positioning HSPPR as a stable, resilient leader in animal welfare.
• Responsible for ensuring timely and accurate fundraising reporting, coordinating with auditors, and overseeing financial reconciliation in collaboration with the Finance Department and the HSPPR Board of Directors.

Tasks

• Develop, implement, and manage fundraising processes for HSPPR.
• Be an active and engaged member of the Major Gifts team, stewarding and soliciting a personal portfolio of 35-50 donors.
• Assist with creation and execution of a strategic annual plans.
• Works jointly to create annual budget goals and manage development department to meet these goals and be an excellent steward of financial resources.
• Develop and execute fundraising strategies appropriate to the unique mission, programs, services, and strengths of HSPPR.
• Identify funding opportunities for existing and planned HSPPR programs and services and provide input to ensure that HSPPR’s strategic planning and program development is fully integrated with fundraising strategy and appropriate funding opportunities.
• Continuously assesses fundraising performance against goals and plans, making data-driven adjustments to improve outcomes.
• Be an internal expert at HSPPR on developments, trends, issues, and best practices in all aspects of philanthropy and fund development.
• Negotiate, manage, evaluate, and monitor contracts within areas of responsibility.
• Collaborates with the Director of Marketing & Communications to ensure alignment in fundraising messaging, event promotion, and overall brand consistency.
• Partners with the Director of Volunteer Services and Humane Education to engage, steward, and elevate volunteers and youth, recognizing them as essential contributors to HSPPR’s mission.
• Attend and participate in donor appreciation and fundraising events.
• Be prepared to share information and speak publicly to strengthen awareness of animal welfare issues and HSPPR’s mission.
• Establish and manage effective support structures for development area:
  • Establish effective processes and tracking tools to achieve assigned aspects of annual philanthropy and communications plan.
  • Develop and implement tools and models to evaluate, and guide decisions as to fundraising strategies.
  • Provide timely, accurate and complete reports for the department.
  • Ensure HSPPR’s compliance with legal requirements, board policies, and ethical standards relating to fundraising.
  • Ensure that HSPPR’s internal culture, systems, and procedures support fund development, external and internal communications and vice versa.
  • Provide expense budget input to ensure that fundraising function is appropriately supported with staff, software, outside providers, and other resources.
• Hire (when necessary), lead, develop, and coach development staff.
  • Professional Growth Plans: Develop performance and professional development plan of each direct report.
  • Communication: Consistently and positively communicate organizational and department strategic direction, priorities, values, and key information.
  • Workplace culture: Establish workplace environment within team, and relationships and communication between team and other teams, which exemplify HSPPR’s values of
  • Daily supervision and scheduling resources: Oversee scheduling, supervision, and support for daily staff activities.
  • Team planning, processes and structures: Create, foster, and strengthen team strategic and operating plans, structures and processes (e.g., training processes, operating processes, meeting structures) to form a consistent platform for performance, improvement, and implementation of organizational plans and strategic direction.
  • Hiring and succession planning: Select new team members through hiring and succession planning who maintain our strong team culture.

Interdepartmental Functions

• Serve on Senior Leadership Team.
• Work with program departments to strongly connect fundraising/communications activities and strategy with HSPPR’s present and future programs.
• Lead cross-departmental project teams.

Supervisory Duties
Position directly supervises the following positions: Grants Manager, Corporate Giving Manager, Events Manager and Annual Giving Manager.

Expectations

Communications

• Is visible to staff, communicates with Vice President of Philanthropy on significant developments within the department.
• Attends necessary meetings.
• Communicates pertinent information to staff, managers and directors and ensures that supervisors are communicating effectively with line staff.
• Communicates and problem solves with managers.

Organizational Development

• Ensures that policies and procedures are being followed.
• Develops new ideas with staff. Develops and follows timelines for annual plans and projects and is accountable for staff’s decisions and actions.
• Supports management and discusses differences privately.

Development

• Encourages the use of volunteers, the solicitation of monetary and in-kind donations whenever possible.

Fiscal Responsibilities

• Maintains control of budgets including approving invoices and preparing financial and/or statistical reports as needed.
• Responds to audit requests.
• Manages compliance for state-to-state solicitations.
• Reconciles monthly revenue and monitors expense variances.

Staff Management

• Utilizes performance-based management when counseling and evaluating staff and sets measurable goals for employee growth.
• Submits evaluations on time and encourages continuing education for staff as it relates to the organization’s needs.
• Recognizes good performance and counsel staff to correct problems.
• Encourages professional development within areas of growth.

Availability

• Is flexible with scheduling and is available when away from the facility as needed to meet the needs of the organization.

Physical Demands

• Regularly sits at computer station.
• Must be able to lift a minimum of forty pounds with reasonable accommodations.
• Typically stands, bends, stoops and crouches.
• Consistently exposed to animals in the workplace and animal allergens under conditions with limited alternatives available.
• Periodically drives a HSPPR Vehicle to perform duties.
• In the event that the Community Animals Response Team (CART) is activated, may serve as the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) #11 Desk Representative at either the City or County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and is responsible for serving as the liaison between HSPPR, the CART shelter(s), and the Command Staff.
• Attends EOC-related City and County trainings, including but not limited to, completing the FEMA IS 100.b and IS-700a certificates, to be prepared to serve at the ESF #11 Desk.

Schedule Requirements
5 days a week (8a-4p or 9a-5p); 1-2 days hybrid/flexible after first 90 days. Occasional weekend and evening work.

Education/Experience Necessary
The Director of Development will be a seasoned and mature leader with the following experience and attributes:

• B.S. or B.A. degree required; CFRE, CSPG and/or CAWA designations preferred and/or advanced degree preferred.
• Seven to ten years of experience as a senior development officer or equivalent, preferably in a nonprofit organization with a budget of at least $3 million, multiple funding sources, and multiple operation locations; experience with administrative, personnel, and financial matters involved with managing personnel.
• Significant experience in a senior development role, partnering with other leadership, resulting in the development and implementation of sound, mission-based strategies.
• Significant experience soliciting gifts in excess of $25,000.
• Experience working on a capital campaign preferred.
• Significant experience in or knowledge of nonprofit fundraising strategies, ideally including all of the following: foundation grants, individual major giving, planned giving, direct mail, online giving, monthly giving, and fundraising events.
• Significant relationship building skills.
• Strong experience using Raiser’s Edge software.
• Strong use of Microsoft Office and Teams, with a demonstrated ability to quickly adapt to new and emerging technologies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, team management, supervisory, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent analytical and abstract reasoning skills, plus excellent organization skills.
• Emotionally capable of handling high-pressure situations in a professional manner in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to treat animals and people with respect and kindness.
• Colorado Driver’s License and insurable driving record required.