Director of Development & External Affairs

Director Of Development & External Affairs

Esperanza is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven Director of Development & External Affairs to lead fundraising, communications, and external engagement in service of the organization's mission. This is a hands-on leadership role combining relationship-centered fundraising with marketing, communications, and external affairs strategy.

The Director will work alongside an active CEO and Board to deepen funder relationships, expand the grants pipeline, and build a stronger culture of philanthropy. In the first year, priorities include strengthening donor relationships, growing the grants portfolio, and increasing Esperanza's visibility with key external audiences. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who leads with cultural humility, operates with sound judgment, and is genuinely committed to the communities Esperanza serves.

Key Responsibilities:

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Lead a comprehensive annual fundraising plan aligned to Esperanza's mission, strategic priorities, and approved budget.
• Champion a culture of philanthropy, engaging board members and staff as active ambassadors for the organization.
• Build and steward relationships across all funding channels: individual donors, foundations, government funders, and corporate partners.
• Develop and manage a major gifts portfolio, including multi-year cultivation and stewardship strategies.
• Champion a culture of philanthropy, engaging Board members and staff as active ambassadors.

Revenue Development

• Manage and grow the foundation, government, and corporate funding portfolio.
• Lead the grants strategy and oversee the full grant lifecycle direction-setting, writing and editing, compliance, renewals, and outcomes reporting.
• Build a corporate sponsorship pipeline, cultivating multi-year relationships and leveraging events as structured donor engagement opportunities.
• Grow the individual donor program through intentional stewardship, tailored outreach, and a moves management approach.

Fundraising Events

• Lead all phases of Fiesta of Hope Esperanza's signature fundraising event including planning, execution, budget oversight, corporate sponsorship strategy, event branding, and post-event donor engagement.
• Lead budget and fundraising strategy for the Back-to-School event, in close partnership with program teams who drive logistics and on-the-ground execution.

Revenue Planning & Forecasting

• Maintain a rolling revenue forecast and pipeline across all funding streams, updated monthly and shared with leadership.
• Track progress against annual revenue targets, identify funding gaps early, and keep the CEO and Board informed on pipeline health and timing.

Development Operations

• Own CRM health and data integrity, including donor profiles, segmentation, and entry standards.
• Establish and maintain clear procedures for donor acknowledgement, recognition, and stewardship.
• Produce consistent reports on revenue targets, pipeline health, and donor retention to support leadership decision-making.
• Leverage generative AI tools responsibly and ethically respecting data privacy, donor confidentiality, and organizational integrity to accelerate the pace of work and improve the quality of deliverables.

External Affairs

• Develop and maintain an annual integrated communications plan that aligns messaging across fundraising campaigns, events, digital channels, and public-facing materials.
• Establish and uphold brand standards and voice guidelines, ensuring consistency across all communications.
• Oversee Esperanza's digital presence including website and social media setting strategy and holding vendors and staff accountable for execution.
• Direct creation of core organizational collateral, including funder presentations, impact reports, one-pagers, and sponsorship materials.
• Manage external marketing vendors, overseeing quality, contracts, and budgets.
• Track and report on key communications metrics email open rates, social media engagement, and web traffic using data to inform strategy.
• In partnership with the CEO, cultivate relationships to advance the organization's visibility and mission.

Board & Leadership Partnership

• Serve as the primary development partner to the President & CEO; attend Board and Development Committee meetings.
• Deliver clear, decision-focused quarterly updates to the Board on revenue, pipeline, and communications effectiveness.
• Engage Board members in identifying, cultivating, and stewarding priority prospects.

Requirements

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, business, or a related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of fundraising experience with a demonstrated track record across multiple channels (individuals, foundations, corporations, and/or government).
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort with direct solicitation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences.
• Financial literacy and proficiency in Excel for forecasting and pipeline management.
• Experience with a donor CRM and data analytics.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience working with contractors and vendors, and comfort directing others as the team grows.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across teams and lead with cultural humility.
• Practical proficiency with generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar).

Preferred

• Graduate degree or advanced professional training.
• Background in education, youth development, or workforce-related organizations.
• Experience in marketing strategy, brand management, or integrated communications particularly in a nonprofit context.
• Familiarity with digital marketing platforms, email tools, CMS, or social media management tools.
• Experience modernizing development operations, including tools, processes, and reporting.
• Comfort learning and using digital tools, including AI platforms.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $90,000 $100,000 annually, plus performance-based bonus potential. Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; Short-Term Disability; 401(k) retirement plan; Paid Time Off (combining vacation, personal, and sick leave); paid holidays; and bereavement, jury duty, and military leave. A detailed benefits summary is available upon request.