Demo

VP, Donor Development

Precept
Chattanooga, TN Full Time
POSTED ON 4/1/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/31/2026

POSITION TITLE: VP, Donor Development

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

GENERAL SUMMARY: The VP of Donor Development will provide leadership and oversee all donor giving efforts of the Development Team for the cultivation and solicitation of current and deferred gifts from existing givers and new prospects. This leader operates comfortably at both the high-touch, relationship-driven major donor level and the broader, high-volume, lower-dollar donor level, while also being fluent in today's rapidly evolving fundraising landscape.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

LeadershipStrategy

  • Fundraising strategy development – aligning major, mid-level, and micro donor fundraising with ministry vision and budget needs
  • Team Leadership – coaching staff, aligning development with communications, and breaking down silos
  • Budgetforecasting – projecting donation revenue and tracking progress to goals

Donor Relationship Management

  • High EQrelational intelligence – reading people well, building trust, and aligning giving opportunities with donor passions
  • Portfolio management discipline – organizing, tracking, and personally cultivating relationships with the top 50 donors
  • Strategic stewardship – creating custom engagement plans for each major donor, with clear next steps, impact reporting, and involvement opportunities
  • Confident in the ask – skilled at making direct, inspiring, and appropriately timed solicitations

Digital Donor Engagement

  • Assist Marketing with segmentationpersonalization – understanding how to use donor data to tailor appeals and retention strategies
  • Assist Marketing with compelling storytelling – translating ministry impact into emotionally resonant narratives for email, print, social, and video
  • Assist Marketing with Annual giving program development – assist with designing multi-channel campaigns that keep smaller donors engaged and moving up the giving ladder

TechnicalAnalytical Skills

  • CRM fluency – adept at using donor databases to track constituent informationbehaviors
  • Data-driven decision-making – using KPIs like donor retention rate, average gift size, and donor lifetime value to guide strategy
  • Integration with Marketing-understanding how SEO, social ads, and email automation support giving

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Major Donor Leadership

  • Personally manage and cultivate relationships with the top 50 or so donors
  • Develop individualized stewardship and solicitation plans for each major donor
  • Conduct regular in-person and virtual meetings, impact tours, and tailored updates
  • Oversee planning and execution of major donor fundraising event(s)

MicroMid-Level Donor Growth

  • Assist marketing in the development and execution of giving strategies for 6,000 micro-level donors
  • Work with regional development associates to develop tailored cultivation strategies for $1,000 to $10,000 mid-level givers
  • Collaborate with marketing to develop multi-channel campaigns (direct mail, email, social media, digital ads, SMS)
  • Oversee compelling storytelling that reflects ministry impact

Strategic Leadership

  • Develop annual fundraising plan aligned with ministry vision and budget goals
  • Build and lead a high-performing development team
  • Partner with communications/marketing to ensure message integration
  • Engage and equip the Board to expand donor connections

InnovationGrowth

  • Introduce contemporary fundraising methods, i.e. donor journey mapping, peer-to-peer campaigns, and planned giving
  • Implement digital-first storytelling and hybrid donor events
  • Monitor fundraising KPIs and adjust strategy based on data

Qualifications

  • Proven track record in major gifts fundraising, ideally managing $500k portfolios
  • Demonstrated success in both high-dollar donor cultivation and broad-based campaigns
  • Deep understanding of donor stewardship as ministry, with alignment to Christina values
  • Strong leader with experience building and coaching teams
  • Excellent storyteller and communicator-equally effective in one-on-one meetings, from a stage, and written formats
  • Skilled in CRM systems, data analytics, and donor segmentation

TrainingExperience

Requires a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 8 - 10 years of experience in business management, administration or equivalent working experience. Extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Any acceptable combination of training and experience. CFRE certification a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:


0-24%


25-49%


50-74%


75-100%


Seeing:

Must be able to read documents and use computer.


X


Hearing:

Must have acute hearing ability.


X


Standing/Walking/Mobility:

Must be able to move between departments.


X



Climbing/Stooping/Kneeling:


X



Lifting/Pulling/Pushing:


X



Fingering/Grasping/Feeling:

Must have the ability to write, type, and use telephone.


X


PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS:

Medium work: Exerting up to 20 lbs of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs of force consistently to move objects.

Salary : $500,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a VP, Donor Development?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the VP, Donor Development career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$105,549 - $167,174
Income Estimation: 
$128,536 - $205,780
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other VP, Donor Development jobs in the Chattanooga, TN area that may be a better fit.

  • Octapharma Plasma, Inc. Chattanooga, TN
  • Job Summary This role is responsible for determining donor eligibility, plasma collection and product processing while maintaining compliance. This Is What... more
  • 3 Days Ago

  • Kenco Group Chattanooga, TN
  • At Kenco Logistics, you’re more than just a team member—you’re part of a company that values innovation, integrity, and a strong commitment to its people. ... more
  • 2 Months Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!