Development Director

Title: Development Director Reports to: Executive Director Status: Full time, Exempt Salary Range: $95,000 - $110,000 Tentative Start Date: January 2027

  FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.

  PUT CHILDREN FIRST

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth's needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

  BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

  COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.

  PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.

  UNLOCK ALL POTENTIAL

We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.

  Basic Function / Position Objective:

Our Development Director will be instrumental in accomplishing the fundraising goals of the Dallas chapter. They will work alongside our Executive Director (ED), the Board of Directors (more specifically the Development Chair), with support from our staff and Friends and in coordination with the rest of the Friends National network, to actualize the organization’s fiscal goals and values.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Passion for serving youth facing the most challenging situations
• Work effectively – with ED, Board, and independently -- to identify and cultivate donors including individuals, corporations and foundations
• Support the ED and Development Chair with revising and implementing a development plan, systems and strategies as necessary to move our fundraising to the next level
• Perform prospect research on individuals, corporations, and foundations evaluate prospects for corporate and foundation grants
• Demonstrate and create processes for showing gratitude in timely, appropriate, and delightful ways
• Actively participate in aspects of planning, budgeting, and managing the growth and development of the organization through philanthropy
• In partnership with the team, plan and implement events for the organization
• Excellent organization, time management, delegation and follow-up skills
• Coordinate with ED and board on revenue targets and achievements
• Plan and execute special funding opportunities (North Texas Giving Day, end-of-year-end appeal, Annual Report, etc.)
• Collaborate with Operations Manager on a basic communications plan that will focus on educating and raising visibility for donors and prospects. This should include social media channels and electronic newsletters
• Familiarity with state, local, and national philanthropic, governmental, and business communities
• Ability to research, prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals and reports and in collaboration with National Grant Writing team.
• Make, and in some cases attend, appointments with/for ED with foundation officers and other prospects, arrange for onsite tours for supporters (foundation officers, foundation trustees)
• Prepare timely, specific, and relevant materials for development meetings and conversations
• Identify and utilize creative methods for gathering stories from Friends to be shared as appropriate
• Strive to ensure that organization’s commitment to equity is reflected in all decisions, communications, and processes

  Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Be willing and able to attend and actively participate in team meetings, staff functions, and development events
• Possess commitment to extreme attention to detail, including but not limited to ability to implement self-checking procedures for data entry, produce accurate correspondence and reports, and produce and edit written materials accurately and consistently
• Have excellent project management and organizational skills to routinely manage and prioritize daily work and meet multiple deadlines simultaneously, especially during high-volume times of the year
• Demonstrate ability to work independently as well as in a team setting
• Have a passion for serving youth facing the most challenging situations
• Be a self-starter with high level of initiative and willingness to learn
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Be social media savvy
• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding major gifts through strategic identification, cultivation, solicitation, and long-term donor engagement resulting in measurable revenue growth.
• Proven ability to partner effectively with executive leadership and board members to advance fundraising goals, activate networks, and strengthen a culture of philanthropy.
• Track record of building and managing sustainable fundraising pipelines, including prospect identification, moves management, donor segmentation, and stewardship strategies that increase donor acquisition, retention, and giving levels.
• Evidence of creating and executing development strategies that translate relationship-building efforts into philanthropic investment and long-term organizational support.
• Demonstrated success using data and donor insights to prioritize opportunities, manage fundraising performance, and achieve annual development goals.
• Experience establishing development infrastructure, systems, and processes that support scalable fundraising growth.

Required Education, Experience, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field, plus a minimum of seven (7) years of progressive professional experience in fundraising, development, nonprofit advancement, or a related field;
• or a minimum of ten (10) years of progressive professional fundraising/development experience
• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding major gifts through strategic identification, cultivation, solicitation, and long-term donor engagement resulting in measurable revenue growth.
• Proven ability to partner effectively with executive leadership and board members to advance fundraising goals, activate networks, and strengthen a culture of philanthropy.
• Track record of building and managing sustainable fundraising pipelines, including prospect identification, moves management, donor segmentation, and stewardship strategies that increase donor acquisition, retention, and giving levels.
• Evidence of creating and executing development strategies that translate relationship-building efforts into philanthropic investment and long-term organizational support.
• Demonstrated success using data and donor insights to prioritize opportunities, manage fundraising performance, and achieve annual development goals.
• Experience establishing development infrastructure, systems, and processes that support scalable fundraising growth.

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended as a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. 

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.