Director of Development, Jacksonville Florida

Job / Position Title: Director of Development, Jacksonville Florida

Supervisor: Vice President of Development & Marketing

Status and Classification: Full-Time & Exempt

Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. From our humble beginnings with one boy’s wish to be a police officer, we have evolved to be one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 400 volunteers, Make-A-Wish Central & Northern Florida granted 453 wishes last year.

Position Summary

The Director of Development will play a pivotal role as a front-line fundraiser, representing Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida in the Northeast Florida community. This dynamic and motivated individual will be responsible for establishing a prominent organizational presence, forging and nurturing relationships with individuals, corporations, and foundations capable of making philanthropic investments in our mission. Additionally, the Director of Development will lead and inspire a dedicated development team in the Northeast region of our chapter to exceed budgeted revenue goals, ensuring mission-aligned stewardship of donors, and collaborating closely with development colleagues and organizational leadership. This role requires a motivated, energetic, and personable individual with a go-getter attitude and a drive to meet and exceed budgetary fundraising goals.

Duties And Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Revenue Growth

• Provide strategic leadership for fundraising in Jacksonville and surrounding 18counties of the Northeast Florida Market, representing over $2.2M of revenue with increasing goals annually.
• Drive sustainable revenue growth and market development in alignment with chapterwide goals, including setting annual revenue targets, monitoring performance, and increasing goals year over year.
• Supervise, coach, and develop a highperforming team of regional fundraisers by establishing clear expectations, performance metrics, and professional development plans.
• Foster a culture of excellence, teamwork, and innovation within the development team, crosscollaborating with other departments and regions.
• Set clear and consistent performance goals and expectations to ensure the team meets and exceeds budgeted revenue goals.
• Maintain oversight of select highimpact donor and corporate relationships and Advisory Board portfolios to support team efforts, model best practices, and advance strategic opportunities.
• Guide portfolio strategy, moves management, and donor engagement activity across regional team, ensuring disciplined use of Salesforce CRM, timely documentation, and regular portfolio reviews.
• Collaborate with Development leadership to analyze data, assess market potential, and allocate resources to maximize regional fundraising outcomes.
• Regularly update the VP of Development and Marketing with progress reports, financial data, revenue forecasts, and key performance metrics.
• Cultivate and manage a portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation donors and prospects, moving prospective donors through the qualification, cultivation, and solicitation processes to secure philanthropic investment with a focus on $10K gifts and $200K personally secured, with increasing goals annually.
  
  

Board and Community Engagement

• Support the identification, recruitment, and leadership of regional advisory board to expand awareness, networks, and philanthropic investment.
• Serve as a representative and ambassador for MakeAWish within the region, cultivating relationships with community leaders, corporate partners, and key stakeholders.
• Provide strategic direction for board engagement, referral followup, and stewardship efforts, ensuring meaningful and timely communication.
• Strengthen the organization’s regional presence through participation in select networking groups, civic
• organizations, and community events.
  
  

Mission Delivery and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with internal teams, including Medical Outreach, Volunteer Engagement, Marketing, and Wish Alumni, to align fundraising efforts with mission delivery and community engagement.
• Support the engagement of wish families, alumni, and volunteers as ambassadors through storytelling, fundraising initiatives, and publicfacing opportunities.
• Foster relationships with medical professionals and community partners, identifying opportunities for recognition, collaboration, and mission integration.
• Represent the organization at local wishes, mission moments, and special events as a visible leader and advocate for the mission.
  
  

Administration, Reporting and Organizational Leadership

• Provide accurate forecasting, reporting, and analysis for regional fundraising performance in collaboration with Development leadership.
• Ensure completion and oversight of proposals, agreements, invoicing, expense tracking, and required documentation in accordance with organizational standards.
• Uphold strong internal communication, accountability, and collaboration across teams; perform additional duties as assigned in support of organizational goals.
• Serve as a point of contact for the region’s physical office operations and oversight of daily administrative tasks.
  
  

Knowledge and Abilities

Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop high-performing fundraising teams, fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.

• Strong strategic planning and analytical skills, with the ability to assess market opportunities, set priorities, and translate strategy into measurable outcomes.
• Deep knowledge of philanthropic fundraising principles, including donor engagement, relationship management, stewardship, and revenue growth strategies.
• Exceptional leadership skills, including the ability to motivate and manage a highperforming team.
• Ability to balance strategic oversight with selective relationship ownership to support team success and model best practices.
• Proven capacity to influence, collaborate, and build alignment across departments and leadership levels in a complex, missiondriven organization.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to represent the organization confidently to donors, board members, community leaders, and partners.
• Strong judgment and decisionmaking skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and navigate ambiguity.
• Proficiency in CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and datadriven fundraising management, including forecasting, reporting, and performance tracking.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and integrity when handling sensitive information and relationships.
  
  

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant professional certifications preferred.
• Minimum of 57 years of progressive experience in fundraising, development, or related leadership roles, with demonstrated success in revenue growth.
• At least 3 years of experience managing and leading teams, including performance management and professional development.
• Experience developing and executing regional or multimarket fundraising strategies.
• Proven success working with boards, advisory councils, and senior volunteers.
• Experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding philanthropic based gifts, including $10,000 individual and $25,000 corporate donations.
• Experience with fundraising events (generating $1M )
• Must possess an outgoing and positive personality, collaborative working style, and an enthusiasm for building bridges between and among key stakeholders.
• Possess integrity, maturity and ethical awareness; ability to handle sensitive information and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a publicfacing leader and ambassador within diverse community settings.
• Experience in nonprofit, healthcare, or missiondriven organizations strongly preferred.
• Strong comfort with travel across assigned territories and flexible work schedules, including evenings and weekends as needed.
• Commitment to the MakeAWish mission and vision.
  
  

Working Conditions

This is a hybrid regional role located in Jacksonville, FL. The individual must be comfortable working in a small office environment. While the position is hybrid, it requires regular in-person engagement, representing the organization at meetings, events, and prospecting opportunities. Therefore, the incumbent must reside in Jacksonville, FL.

Rewards and Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit package: Medical, Vision, Dental
• 100% employer paid for employee: Long Term Disability and Life Insurance
• Annual incentive potential
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan: up to 3% Match
• 15 PTO days, 11 Paid Holidays, and 2 Personal Days
• Paid maternity and paternity leave
• Quarterly Team Outings
• Early release Fridays (3pm)
• Individual and Leadership Development
• Employee Rewards and Recognition Programs
  
  

Join Our Team of Inspired People Transforming Lives

We are more than a great place to work - our work is life changing. We are an inclusive and diverse group of people who, through a mosaic of backgrounds, thoughts and experiences are united in purposeful work. We are fueled and guided by our values - values that are represented in the inspired people we work with and the transformational work we do every day.

We respect and ensure equal opportunity, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, perceived disability and other legally protected characteristics.

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.