Senior Director of Development and Strategic

Position Summary

The Development Director leads Hunkapi Programs, Inc.'s comprehensive fundraising and donor-engagement strategy to secure the resources needed to sustain and expand the organization's mission.  This role builds authentic relationships with individuals, foundations, corporations, sponsors, and community partners; oversees grants, major gifts, annual giving, campaigns, events, and stewardship; and creates disciplined systems for prospect management, reporting, and revenue forecasting. The Development Director works closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, program and clinical leaders, and community partners to translate Hunkapi's impact into compelling opportunities for investment.

Essential Responsibilities

1. Development Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Create and execute an annual, multi-channel development plan aligned with Hunkapi's strategic priorities, program needs, operating budget, and long-term sustainability goals.
• Establish ambitious but achievable revenue goals, prospect pipelines, activity benchmarks, timelines, and performance dashboards for individual giving, major gifts, grants, sponsorships, events, and campaigns.
• Build a balanced contributed-revenue portfolio that reduces funding concentration and increases predictable, renewable support.
• Monitor philanthropic trends, funding opportunities, donor behavior, and community needs; recommend timely adjustments to strategy and resource allocation.
• Provide accurate revenue forecasts and written progress reports to the Executive Director and Board, identifying opportunities, risks, and corrective actions.

2. Major Gifts and Donor Relations

• Develop and manage a qualified portfolio of individual donors and prospects through intentional identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Personally secure leadership-level and major gifts while supporting the Executive Director and Board members with donor strategy, meeting preparation, proposals, talking points, and follow-up.
• Design meaningful donor journeys, recognition practices, site visits, impact updates, and engagement opportunities that deepen trust and long-term commitment.
• Maintain professional, timely, and personalized communication with donors while honoring confidentiality, donor intent, and Hunkapi's values.
• Develop planned-giving and legacy-giving opportunities as organizational readiness and donor interest support them.

3. Foundation, Corporate, and Institutional Giving

• Research and qualify foundation, corporate, government, and community funding opportunities that align with Hunkapi's programs and capacity.
• Oversee the complete grant lifecycle, including calendars, letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets, supporting documents, award tracking, compliance, reporting, and renewals.
• Collaborate with program, clinical, operations, compliance, and finance staff to ensure proposals and reports are accurate, compelling, measurable, and feasible.
• Cultivate corporate partners and design sponsorship opportunities that deliver mission impact, appropriate recognition, and clear value for both Hunkapi and the partner.
• Maintain positive relationships with funders and ensure all reporting deadlines, restrictions, and stewardship commitments are met.

4. Events, Campaigns, and Community Engagement

• Lead the fundraising strategy for Hunkapi's signature events, including sponsorships, underwriting, guest cultivation, appeals, auction or giving opportunities, stewardship, and post-event conversion.
• Partner with staff, committees, vendors, volunteers, and Board members to ensure events are mission-centered, financially responsible, well-executed, and integrated into the broader donor strategy.
• Develop annual and special campaigns with clear cases for support, segmented audiences, coordinated messaging, and measurable goals.
• Represent Hunkapi at community, philanthropic, and business events and build relationships that increase visibility, referrals, partnerships, and support.

5. Development Operations and Data Integrity

• Maintain effective development systems for constituent records, gift entry, acknowledgments, pledges, restrictions, moves management, prospect research, reporting, and document retention.
• Ensure donor and gift data are accurate, complete, confidential, and reconciled regularly with finance records.
• Develop and use dashboards to track revenue, pipeline value, retention, acquisition, renewal, average gift, proposal activity, event return, and progress toward annual goals.
• Establish written procedures for gift acceptance, acknowledgment, donor recognition, sponsorship fulfillment, data privacy, and development workflow.
• Prepare accurate development reports for leadership, the Board, funders, auditors, and other authorized stakeholders.

6. Storytelling, Communications, and Case for Support

• Develop clear, emotionally resonant, and evidence-informed cases for support that reflect Hunkapi's mission, programs, outcomes, and funding priorities.
• Collaborate on donor communications, impact reports, appeals, sponsorship materials, presentations, website content, social media, and campaign collateral.
• Gather program outcomes, participant stories, testimonials, photographs, and other content using appropriate permissions, privacy protections, and trauma-responsive practices.

7. Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a collaborative member of the leadership team and integrate fundraising priorities with programs, finance, operations, compliance, marketing, and organizational planning.
• Engage and equip the Board of Directors to participate meaningfully in fundraising, introductions, donor stewardship, sponsorship, and community advocacy.
• Recruit, supervise, coach, and evaluate development staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers, as assigned; establish clear goals, roles, timelines, and accountability.
• Manage the development budget responsibly and evaluate activities based on mission alignment, revenue potential, cost, staff capacity, and relationship value.

Performance Expectations

• Achievement of annual contributed-revenue and campaign goals, supported by reliable forecasting and disciplined expense management.
• Growth in qualified prospects, major gifts, grant submissions and awards, corporate partnerships, donor retention, and multi-year commitments.
• Consistent, high-quality donor cultivation and stewardship with timely acknowledgments, reports, and follow-up.
• Accurate development records, gift documentation, restricted-fund information, pipeline data, and reconciliation with finance.
• Effective participation by leadership and the Board in fundraising and relationship-building activities.
• Compelling, ethical storytelling that strengthens Hunkapi's visibility, reputation, and community trust.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, philanthropy, institutional advancement, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated success securing contributed revenue through major gifts, grants, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, annual giving, campaigns, or fundraising events.
• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with donors, funders, Board members, community leaders, and internal partners.
• Strong grant writing, proposal development, donor communication, presentation, and persuasive storytelling skills.
• Experience using a donor database or CRM and maintaining accurate records, reports, prospect stages, gift documentation, and stewardship schedules.
• Ability to create and manage development plans, budgets, calendars, forecasts, and measurable performance goals.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, organization, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or comparable productivity tools and the ability to learn Hunkapi's fundraising, event, and collaboration platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, business, public relations, marketing, social services, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Experience in behavioral health, human services, healthcare, equine-assisted services, trauma-responsive programming, veteran or first-responder services, youth programs, or disability services.
• Established philanthropic, corporate, foundation, or community relationships in Arizona, particularly the greater Phoenix and Scottsdale region.
• Experience leading a capital, comprehensive, or special campaign and working closely with a nonprofit Board or fundraising committee.
• CFRE credential or relevant fundraising training.

Work Environment and Position Requirements

• This is a full-time, hybrid position combining regular on-site work at Hunkapi's Scottsdale location with approved off-site work. The on-site/off-site schedule will be established with the Executive Director based on donor engagement, events, meetings, program needs, and organizational priorities.
• The position requires regular in-person visibility with staff, donors, visitors, volunteers, community partners, and the Hunkapi herd, as well as travel to meetings and community engagements.
• Occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends are required for donor meetings, events, tours, campaigns, and other organizational needs.
• The role includes work in office, community, farm, and equine environments. The employee must follow all applicable safety practices and site requirements.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Equal Opportunity and At-Will Employment

Hunkapi Programs, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity and to a workplace free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Employment decisions are made based on organizational needs, job-related qualifications, and applicable law. Hunkapi will provide reasonable accommodations as required by law. This job description is not a contract of employment and does not alter the at-will employment relationship. Duties, priorities, work location expectations, and organizational relationships may be modified as business and mission needs evolve.

Compensation details: 100000-130000 Yearly Salary

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