Director, Development Strategy and Communications

Director, Development Strategy and Communications
Grace Place for Children and Families | Naples, FL
Reports to: Chief Development Officer
Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Our Mission
Grace Place puts faith into action, providing pathways out of poverty by educating children and families.

Position Summary
Grace Place for Children and Families is seeking a strategic, organized, and mission-driven Director, Development Strategy and Communications to help strengthen the philanthropic foundation of the organization through the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign.

This position is responsible for developing and executing fundraising operations, donor communications, campaign coordination, stewardship systems, prospect development, and advancement strategies that support both immediate revenue growth and long-term funding sustainability.

Working closely with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and leadership team, the Director will help translate strategy into execution by coordinating campaign activity, donor communications, prospect research, stewardship processes, advancement operations, and fundraising systems. This role serves as an internal point of alignment across annual giving, major gifts, campaign planning, donor pipeline development, and related expansion priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Revenue Growth
The Director will partner with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and leadership team to implement a multi-year fundraising strategy that integrates the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign. This includes translating strategic priorities into action plans, timelines, meeting agendas, next steps, and deliverables that keep leadership and staff aligned.

This position will monitor progress toward measurable goals for revenue, donor acquisition, donor retention, and donor upgrades. The Director will also maintain a master development and campaign calendar that coordinates major gift cultivation, annual fundraising activity, direct mail, digital fundraising, peer-to-peer appeals, donor communications, and targeted initiatives related to sustainability and community impact.

Donor Pipeline and Campaign Integration
The Director will partner with the Chief Development Officer to ensure annual and campaign giving efforts strengthen the pipeline for major and planned gifts. This includes using data analytics, wealth screening, prospect research, and donor behavior to identify, qualify, and prioritize major donor and campaign prospects.

The Director will support donor segmentation strategies that align communications, cultivation, solicitations, and stewardship with donor interests, giving history, and readiness. This role will also coordinate systems that connect Annual Fund supporters with higher-level giving information and opportunities within the Sustainability Campaign.

Moves Management and Donor Stewardship
The Director will design and manage the implementation of a comprehensive moves management system that guides donors from first gift through major gift cultivation. This position will oversee the accuracy and organization of development data, including donor records, segmentation, research, outreach history, and campaign details.

The Director will ensure donor touchpoints are intentional, personalized, and tracked within the CRM. This role will also serve as an internal coordinator for development activity, including donor meetings, briefing materials, follow-up actions, stewardship touchpoints, and next steps.

Communications, Engagement, and Recognition
The Director will develop segmented donor communication strategies that reflect donor interests, giving history, engagement level, and campaign readiness. This includes developing and managing the communication cadence for the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign, with compelling messaging that clearly communicates community impact and outcomes.

The Director will help oversee donor societies and recognition programs tied to both annual and campaign contributions. This position will prepare proposals, reports, presentations, and materials to support leadership, campaign committees, board members, and external partners. The Director will also work to ensure cohesive branding and messaging across fundraising platforms in collaboration with marketing and communications teams.

Board, Volunteer, Data, Reporting, and Budget Support
The Director will help equip board and volunteer leaders with talking points, follow-up structures, and communication tools that make participation in fundraising clearer and more effective.

This position will manage reporting systems to track performance of both the Annual Fund and Sustainability Campaign, generate regular analytics on donor trends, giving patterns, and pipeline development, and oversee related budgets to ensure fiscal accountability and alignment with strategic objectives.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience
Minimum of seven years of progressive fundraising experience, including oversight of annual giving and/or campaign programs.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The ideal candidate will have proven success managing multi-channel fundraising and donor cultivation initiatives. Strong knowledge of donor lifecycle management, moves management, and philanthropic strategy is required.

Experience with CRM systems, specifically Raiser’s Edge, analytics tools, wealth screening, and prospect research is strongly preferred. The successful candidate must have exceptional communication, relationship-building, organizational, and presentation skills, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities, support senior leaders, and maintain clarity in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will be:

Strategic and operational in thinking
Highly organized and detail-oriented
A strong communicator and relationship manager
Results-driven and data-informed
Collaborative and purpose-driven
Experienced in donor engagement and giving strategy
Passionate about sustainability, philanthropy, and mission-centered growth

Essential Physical Requirements

This position requires the ability to remain physically active, mentally alert, and engaged throughout the workday, including standing, walking, sitting, and moving throughout offices, campus spaces, event areas, classrooms, and outdoor areas.

The employee must be able to frequently transition between sitting and standing; bend, squat, kneel, reach, twist, and move between areas as needed; lift, carry, or move items up to 40 pounds; assist with event, classroom, or equipment setup as needed; use hands and fingers effectively for typing and other fine motor tasks; see written materials and details at close and far distances; hear and distinguish voices and sounds; and communicate clearly with staff, volunteers, donors, children, families, and community partners.

Although this is a leadership and administrative role, the Director must be prepared to step into direct volunteer, classroom, or operational support roles when needed to maintain staffing ratios, ensure child safety, or support organizational operations.

This position may require operating a motor vehicle to travel between locations, attend meetings or trainings, or transport materials. A valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and active automobile insurance are required when driving is necessary.

Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of this position.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

Background check and fingerprinting are required.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Grace Place values diversity in the workplace and among our partners and stakeholders. It is the policy of Grace Place to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants on the basis of experience, training, education, and ability to perform the available work without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

This policy applies to all phases of employment, including recruiting, employment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, workforce reduction, termination, compensation, selection for training, use of facilities, and participation in company-sponsored activities.

Employees and applicants shall not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, or retaliation because they have filed a complaint, assisted or participated in an investigation or compliance review, opposed an unlawful employment practice, or exercised any other legal right protected by federal, state, or local law.

Disclaimer

This job posting is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.