Senior Director, Development & Communications

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Director of Development & Communications leads the agency’s fundraising strategy, directing annual campaigns, major gifts, capital campaigns, and donor engagement efforts that strengthen philanthropic support. This role builds and stewards deep relationships with individual donors, managing a robust portfolio, cultivating new prospects, and implementing strategies that increase individual giving and donor retention. The Senior Director of Development & Communications plans and executes all major external events, including the annual charity ball and other fundraising events, and oversees volunteer engagement to enhance community involvement in development activities. This position directs fundraising-related marketing, ensuring that messaging and storytelling effectively communicate impact and inspire greater philanthropic investment. Using donor-management technology and data systems, the position tracks donor engagement, monitors progress toward fundraising goals, and produces data-driven reports for senior leadership and the board.

ABOUT US

CSS is a Catholic human and social services agency and behavioral health care provider that welcomes people of all faiths through its programs and employment. We provide help for our Alaskan neighbors through a variety of supportive service programs, including emergency shelter, food stability, housing, case management, and refugee assistance. CSS empowers individuals and families on their path to permanent stability, creating thriving communities for all. Located in Anchorage, Alaska, CSS is a nationally accredited agency through the Council on Accreditation (COA), which recognizes that CSS provides high quality services that meet best practice standards in the social service field.

Mission : To promote the physical, spiritual and mental welfare of persons in need in the community. This mission is achieved by:

• Offering charitable assistance to those in need, especially persons who are poor.
• Developing and conducting programs to strengthen and support families and the dignity of the human spirit.
• Administering the Corporal Works of Mercy and Gospel of Jesus Christ as defined by the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church and envisioned by the traditional concepts of Catholic Social Teaching and Action through the laity.
• And advocating for social justice for the common good of all.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Catholic Social Teaching & Mission Alignment: Demonstrates respect for the dignity of every person and supports the agency’s Catholic mission and identity. Upholds key principles of Catholic Social Teaching in daily work and decision-making. Treats all people with compassion, respect, and fairness.

Leadership: Inspire and guide individuals and teams towards common objectives through effective communication, empowerment, and strategic decision making. Foster a culture of collaboration and accountability.

Accountability: Takes ownership for delivering on commitments; owns mistakes and uses them as opportunities for learning and development; openly discusses his/her actions and their consequences both good and bad; has an ability to identify strengths and developmental opportunities and leverages insight to adjust to improve their effectiveness; courage to have difficult conversations.

Adapting to Change: Accepts and adapts to change in a professionally appropriate and thoughtful manner. Is willing to offer a different perspective or approach and yet knows when and how to stand down graciously and accept a well-thought-out decision. Embraces change.

Confidentiality: Maintains the highest level of confidentiality regarding CSS’s records and information. Appropriately uses internal confidential information for business purposes only.

Communicating Effectively: Shares information. Listens and involves others. Clearly conveys ideas in a manner that engages others and helps them understand and retain the message.

Decision Making/Judgment: Approaches problems and decisions methodically and objectively; involves others as needed; uses sound judgment in making decisions and understanding the impact to themselves, customers, their team, and the organization; conducts the appropriate analysis to identify the symptoms and root cause of issues; makes timely decisions.

Delivering High Quality Work: Makes sure responsibilities central to the role meet all requirements and expectations. Finishes tasks promptly and critically reviews work to ensure quality and accuracy. Considers impact of work to others and takes steps to mitigate.

Results Orientation: Is focused on outcomes and accomplishments; follows through on commitments; can be counted upon to successfully execute on goals; motivated by achievement and a need for closure; has an attention to detail and is both efficient and effective in achieving a high level of measurable outcomes; persists in achieving goals despite obstacles.

Knowledge

• Fundraising principles, strategies, and best practices across annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, online fundraising, and capital campaigns.
• Donor psychology, stewardship practices, and relationship-based fundraising.
• Prospect research methods, donor pipeline development, and donor database management.
• Nonprofit marketing, branding, and external communications strategies that support fundraising.
• Event planning and execution, including large-scale fundraising events, donor cultivation events, and volunteer-led activities.
• Volunteer engagement and management within fundraising contexts.
• Nonprofit governance and the role of board members in fundraising.
• Ethical fundraising standards, donor confidentiality requirements, and professional codes of conduct.
• Nonprofit financial management as it relates to development budgeting, forecasting, revenue tracking, and gift accounting.
• Metrics, data analysis, and performance measurement specific to philanthropy and donor engagement.

Skills:

• Strong strategic planning skills with the ability to design, implement, and evaluate complex fundraising initiatives.
• Exceptional relationship-building, communication, and interpersonal skills that support donor engagement at all levels.
• Skilled in major gift cultivation, solicitation conversations, and donor stewardship practices.
• Proficiency in donor database systems, CRM platforms, and prospect research tools.
• Strong writing and storytelling skills for donor communications, proposals, appeals, and impact reports.
• Ability to analyze fundraising data, interpret trends, and apply insights to strengthen strategy and performance.
• Skilled in planning and executing large-scale fundraising events and donor engagement experiences.
• Competence in developing and managing budgets, tracking revenue, and ensuring fiscal accuracy within development functions.
• Understanding of data privacy regulations (particularly HIPAA) and the ethical handling of donor and client information.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Fund Development Leadership

• Lead and implement a comprehensive fund development program, including annual fundraising, major gifts, individual giving, planned giving, online fundraising, and capital campaigns.
• In collaboration with the Executive Directo, create and execute an annual development plan, including goal-setting, strategy development, benchmarking, evaluation, and an annual fundraising calendar.

Donor Cultivation and Stewardship

• Identify individual, corporate, and foundation donors, and develop donor management portfolios for both the development team and the Executive Director.
• Conduct proactive outreach to prospective donors and coordinate leadership participation in donor meetings, ensuring strong preparation for all donor interactions.
• Cultivate and deepen relationships with existing donors to increase gift size, frequency, and retention through events, acknowledgment, direct communication, social media, online appeals, and direct mail campaigns.

Events, Volunteers, and Community Engagement

• Oversee external events—including the annual charity ball, fundraising events, and donor stewardship events—to increase engagement and philanthropic investment.
• Direct volunteer involvement in development activities, including recruitment, training, coordination, supervision, and recognition of fundraising volunteers and volunteer leadership.

Marketing and Communications

• Lead and manage the communications team responsible for marketing, donor engagement, storytelling, and external visibility to support philanthropic growth and volunteer engagement.
• Oversee the design and development of the annual report and programmatic brochures and information.
• Guide social media strategy and content, as well as regular newsletters and digital communications.

Development Operations and Compliance

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the development department, ensuring efficient workflows, strong team performance, and accountability to goals.
• Manage donor databases and technology systems to ensure accurate gift entry, donor records, prospect research, and data-driven reporting on fundraising progress.
• Prepare and manage development budgets; monitor revenue and expenses; ensure sound fiscal practices within the development function.
• Ensure compliance with all regulations, ethical fundraising standards, donor accountability expectations, and internal development policies and procedures.
• Establish performance measures for development activities, monitor results, and support the Executive Director and board in evaluating fundraising effectiveness.

Leadership, Board Support, and Representation

• Design and deliver training and professional development for staff, board members and volunteers involved in fundraising.

Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Education Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in fundraising, marketing, or related field.

Minimum Experience Requirement: Four (4) years of senior development experience.

Certified Fund-Raising Executive certification preferred.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed in a standard indoor office environment. Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds. Frequently sitting or standing at a desk for several hours at a time.

Travel out of Alaska is rare. Frequent travel within the Municipality of Anchorage is required. Occasional travel to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is required.

Location: 4600 Debarr Road, Anchorage, Alaska.