Athens Director of Development

Summary:

ESP is seeking an experienced, energetic, and entrepreneurial fundraising leader to serve as the Director of Development for ESP serving the Athens and Watkinsville area community. This role leads the comprehensive development strategy, generates the resources necessary to advance ESP’s mission, and strengthens the relationships that sustain long-term community impact.

The Director of Development is the senior fundraising leader for the community. This position owns the community’s development plan and revenue goals, personally manages a portfolio of leadership annual and major-gift prospects, and leads local development staff toward shared outcomes. The Director will build a strong donor pipeline; cultivate relationships with individuals, businesses, foundations, and civic partners; and guide supporters through meaningful engagement with ESP.

Working in close partnership with the Executive Director and ESP’s broader Development team, the Director of Development will align local fundraising priorities with organizational strategy, strengthen a culture of philanthropy, and help the community grow toward long-term financial sustainability.

About ESP

ESP exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better. Founded in 1986 in Watkinsville, Georgia, ESP now operates five locations across Georgia and North Carolina, providing year-round programming, summer camp, and family support to more than 1,500 families. ESP also has a social enterprise Java Joy that employs 82 adults with developmental disabilities through a mobile coffee model. To learn more, visit espyouandme.org.

Our Values

• Infused with Joyful Hospitality
• Innovating Possibilities
• Activating the Abilities of All
• Fascinated with Fun
• Compassion, Freely Given
• Connecting the Unconnected
• Persevering, Together

Top Five Responsibilities

1. Lead the community’s comprehensive development strategy and revenue plan, establishing priorities, goals, and accountability measures that advance the community toward long-term financial sustainability.
2. Develop and manage a portfolio of leadership annual and major-gift prospects, personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals and organizations with an emphasis on securing gifts of $2,500 and above, including major gifts of $25,000 or more.
3. Lead, coach, and hold accountable the community’s development team, ensuring clear ownership, strong fundraising practices, effective collaboration, and consistent progress toward individual and shared goals.
4. Build and manage a healthy donor pipeline, creating individualized strategies that move prospective donors through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship while strengthening donor retention and increasing giving over time.
5. Expand ESP’s community presence and philanthropic partnerships by developing relationships with businesses, foundations, civic organizations, volunteers, and other community stakeholders and leading the fundraising strategy for grants, campaigns, and special events.

Detailed Functions and Responsibilities

Development Leadership and Revenue Strategy

• Manage a qualified portfolio of individual and organizational prospects with the capacity and inclination to make leadership annual and major gifts.
• Create and lead an annual development plan that includes clear revenue goals, strategies, timelines, ownership, and performance measures.
• Partner with the Executive Director and organizational Development leadership to align community fundraising priorities with ESP’s strategic and programmatic goals.
• Build a strong culture of philanthropy by helping staff, board members, and volunteers participate appropriately in relationship development.
• Provide timely updates, forecasts, and recommendations to organizational and community leadership.

Portfolio and Major Gift Management

• Manage a qualified portfolio of individual and organizational prospects with the capacity and inclination to make leadership annual and major gifts.
• Maintain a consistent cadence of meaningful donor visits, personalized communications, and follow-up activities.
• Create written strategies for priority prospects and move donors through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Prepare compelling and personalized proposals, presentations, correspondence, and pre-meeting materials that connect donor interests with ESP priorities.
• Secure leadership annual gifts of $2,500 to $25,000 and major gifts of $25,000 or more, with goals established through the annual development plan.

Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead, coach, and develop community-based development staff, providing clear expectations, regular feedback, and meaningful accountability.
• Establish effective team rhythms for strategy, pipeline review, goal tracking, problem-solving, and professional development.
• Coordinate roles and responsibilities across the community and organizational Development teams to create a consistent and donor-centered experience.
• Equip the Executive Director, Champion Board members, program staff, and other partners for donor engagement, visits, and solicitations.
• Model ESP’s values and a team-first approach while contributing to organization-wide fundraising initiatives.

Donor Pipeline and Stewardship

• Build and maintain a balanced pipeline of new, renewing, and increasing donors across giving levels and funding sources.
• Develop strategies that deepen donor engagement, improve retention, and increase long-term philanthropic investment.
• Ensure donors receive timely, thoughtful, and personalized stewardship that demonstrates the impact of their partnership.
• Maintain accurate and complete donor records, interaction reports, moves-management plans, and forecasts in ESP’s CRM.
• Analyze donor and fundraising data to identify opportunities, risks, and next actions.

Community Partnerships Grants and Events

• Develop and strengthen relationships with businesses, foundations, civic groups, community leaders, and other prospective partners.
• Lead or coordinate grant strategy, including prospect identification, proposal development, submission, reporting, and stewardship.
• Represent ESP at community and mission-focused events, building awareness and inviting deeper engagement with the organization.
• Guide the fundraising strategy for community campaigns and special events so they support donor acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship goals.
• Collaborate with staff and volunteers to deliver a joyful, inclusive, and mission-centered experience for donors and guests.

Key Competencies

• Demonstrated success navigating donor cycles resulting in closed gifts to include major gift level.
• Fundraising leadership and strategic thinking
• Proven relationship building and donor-centered communication
• Ability to coach, lead, and hold others accountable
• Strong project management, organization, and follow-through
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication
• Resourceful, data-informed, and solutions oriented
• Comfort making direct asks and navigating complex donor conversations
• Strong judgment, discretion, and attention to detail
• Flexible, optimistic, collaborative, and motivated by ESP’s mission

Minimum Qualifications

• At least five years of progressive fundraising, sales, business development, or related experience.
• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and closing five-figure gifts.
• Experience developing and executing fundraising or revenue-generating strategies against measurable goals.
• Prior experience supervising, coaching, or leading staff or cross-functional teams.
• Experience using a CRM to manage relationships, document activity, and evaluate performance; Salesforce experience is a plus.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace; experience with Canva and other fundraising tools is a plus.

Job Expectations

• Maintain a regular presence within the assigned ESP community and build relationships throughout the region.
• Attend required internal meetings, professional development, donor visits, and mission-focused programs and events.
• Maintain a flexible schedule that may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and periodic overnight travel.
• Travel locally and regionally as needed to engage donors, partners, and ESP stakeholders.
• Protect confidential donor, employee, member , and organizational information.
• Contribute beyond defined responsibilities when needed in support of ESP’s mission and team.

Job Details

• Reports To : A member of ESP’s organizational leadership team, with a dotted-line relationship to the Athens Executive Director or Chief Operating Officer, depending on the final reporting structure.
• Location : Athens, GA
• Annual Compensation : $80,000-$90,000 
• FLSA Status : Full-Time, Exempt
• Benefits :
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Competitive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), supplemental life and disability, generous Paid Time Off
  • A fun, energetic, and passionate employee culture
  • The opportunity to be a part of an undeniable mission changing lives daily
• After a decision to hire a candidate, an offer will be made contingent on the satisfactory completion of required background checks. Background checks will vary depending on the position and may include criminal history, driving record, and any other relevant information for the job.

ESP provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

ESP is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. As part of this commitment, esp will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact ESP's People Team at View email address on us.fitly.work.