Director of Development

Director of Development

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer 

Status: Full-Time, Exempt 

Location: Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Position Summary

LifeAct is seeking a strategic, experienced, and hands-on Director of Development to lead and execute the organization's comprehensive fundraising strategy.

This position will be responsible for developing philanthropic revenue across individual giving, major gifts, foundations, corporations, grants, planned giving, annual campaigns, and fundraising events. The Director will work closely with the CEO, Board, volunteers, and staff to build strong donor relationships and create a sustainable and diversified development program.

The ideal candidate is both a strategic leader and an active fundraiser who is comfortable developing strategy, cultivating relationships, making asks, writing proposals, and ensuring that fundraising efforts produce measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

Development Strategy

• Develop and execute LifeAct's annual and long-term fundraising strategy.
• Establish fundraising goals, priorities, and measurable outcomes.
• Diversify philanthropic revenue and increase unrestricted support.
• Maintain a strong prospect pipeline and identify new funding opportunities.
• Regularly report fundraising progress and projections to the CEO and Board.

Major Gifts & Individual Giving

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of key donors and personally conduct donor meetings and solicitations.
• Lead LifeAct's annual fund and individual giving efforts.
• Develop strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and giving levels.
• Create meaningful donor stewardship and recognition practices.

Grants & Foundation Support

• Research and identify foundations and grant opportunities.
• Assist Development Specialist with proposals, letters of inquiry, and grant reports.
• Build relationships with foundation representatives and funding partners.

Corporate & Community Partnerships

• Develop corporate sponsorship and philanthropic partnerships.
• Cultivate relationships with businesses and community leaders.
• Create customized opportunities for corporate investment in LifeAct's mission and programs.

Planned & Legacy Giving

• Relaunch and grow LifeAct's planned and legacy giving program.
• Identify and cultivate prospective legacy donors.
• Develop appropriate communications and stewardship strategies for legacy donors.

Fundraising Events

• Provide strategic oversight for LifeAct fundraising events, including the Links for Life Golf Outing and Move for Mental Health 5K.
• Establish revenue goals and sponsorship strategies.
• Work with committees and volunteers to maximize fundraising results.
• Evaluate event performance and return on investment.

Board & Volunteer Engagement

• Develop meaningful fundraising roles for Board members and volunteers.
• Provide Board members with the tools and information needed to participate in fundraising.
• Work with the CEO to engage community leaders and volunteers in donor cultivation and solicitation.

Development Operations

• Ensure accurate and timely donor records and gift processing.
• Maintain effective use of LifeAct's donor database/CRM.
• Develop development reports and dashboards.
• Track revenue against goals and budget.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure accurate reporting and reconciliation of philanthropic revenue.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years of progressive nonprofit development experience, with a demonstrated record of fundraising success.
• Experience with major gifts, grants, annual giving, and corporate/foundation relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to personally cultivate and solicit donors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities.
• Experience working with nonprofit Boards and volunteers.
• Experience with donor databases/CRM systems.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution.