Senior Director of Development

Senior Director of Development

Location: In-person / Hybrid/ CIST Administrative Office / Austin, Texas

Employment Type
:
Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Supervises
:
Will supervise a full-time Development Operations Manager

Salary
: $7,500/monthly ($90,000/yearly) (contingent on experience)

The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader on the Development team responsible for annual philanthropy, donor engagement and stewardship, fundraising events, fundraising communications, and development operations.

Working closely with the Chief Development Officer and alongside the senior leaders for Major Gifts and Grants, the Senior Director translates fundraising priorities into integrated strategies that grow philanthropic revenue, strengthen donor relationships, and advance Communities In Schools of Central Texas’ long-term fundraising goals. The role is responsible for strengthening annual giving, donor acquisition and retention, the donor experience, fundraising campaigns and events, and the systems and processes that enable the Development team to operate effectively.

The Senior Director leads and develops staff and establishes strategy, priorities, and accountability while also maintaining meaningful direct ownership of fundraising and departmental priorities. This includes personally leading select campaigns and projects, developing donor-facing communications, analyzing fundraising performance, and stepping into execution where their expertise is most valuable.

Annual Philanthropy & Revenue Growth

• Lead strategy and planning for annual philanthropy, with a focus on growing, retaining, and deepening donor support and increasing unrestricted philanthropic revenue.
• Lead and directly contribute to annual and special fundraising campaigns and appeals, including segmentation, messaging, solicitation strategies, timelines, and follow-up.
• Strengthen donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrade, and reactivation strategies.
• Analyze fundraising performance and donor behavior to identify opportunities for growth and translate insights into stronger fundraising strategies.
• Identify and test new fundraising approaches and continually improve strategies based on performance, donor insights, and emerging opportunities.
• Partner with Major Gifts and other Development staff to create clear pathways for donors to deepen their engagement and philanthropic support.

Donor Engagement, Stewardship & Events

• Lead the organization's approach to donor stewardship and engagement, creating thoughtful and consistent experiences that strengthen donor relationships and encourage increased giving over time.
• Provide strategic leadership for Promise Circle programming and other donor engagement initiatives, in partnership with staff responsible for program execution and relationship management.
• Lead fundraising and engagement strategy for Food for Thought and other signature events, including revenue goals, audiences, sponsorship strategy, and post-event cultivation.
• Supervise and support the Associate Director responsible for event and engagement program execution.
• Ensure events, campus experiences, volunteer opportunities, and other engagement activities are intentionally connected to cultivation, stewardship, retention, and fundraising goals.

Development Operations & Analytics

• Provide leadership and oversight for the systems, processes, data, budgets, vendors, and infrastructure that support effective fundraising.
• Supervise and support the Development Operations Manager, with responsibility for CRM/database management, gift processing, reporting, campaign production, and other core operational functions.
• Leverage Salesforce and other fundraising technologies to strengthen donor segmentation, forecasting, fundraising analysis, and decision-making; advanced database administration or Salesforce development experience is not required.
• Establish and continuously improve department-wide processes, workflows, and systems that increase operational efficiency and strengthen the donor experience.
• Lead priority systems and process improvements and ensure fundraising leadership has accurate, timely…