Director of Development

Director of Development Besa About Besa

Besa is on a mission to transform the volunteer experience by bringing the community together in meaningful, impactful ways. Besa is an Albanian term that means “to keep the promise,” and more than a decade in, Besa is keeping that promise to Central Ohio. Since launching in 2012, the team has rallied 98,000 volunteers, giving 245,000 hours through 15,000 service projects, and has facilitated $97M in community impact.

Besa sits at the center of Central Ohio’s volunteer ecosystem – connecting individuals and businesses with 205+ nonprofit partners, designing and delivering volunteer programs that meet real community needs, strengthening nonprofit capacity, and making community-wide service possible at scale

Besa’s funding comes from grants, foundations, business partnerships, and individual donors. Individual giving is where we have the most room to grow – and that’s where this role starts.

The Director of Development is a relationship‑first, campaign‑driven role focused on building, growing, and maturing Besa’s individual donor program. The work is relational and hands‑on – owning a portfolio of donor relationships; cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors; and running campaigns that perform and grow over time. While individual giving will be your primary focus, your portfolio may also include corporate and family foundation donors.

In this role, you’ll also support the CEO in donor research and preparing meeting briefs that advance successful cultivation and fundraising conversations. In addition, you’ll oversee the Sr. Advancement Coordinator, who supports department operations, including reporting, acknowledgments, and the CRM.

The ideal candidate will bring proven frontline fundraising experience and a strong understanding of principles of donor engagement and stewardship. They will bring experience building and executing data‑driven fundraising strategies to advance organizational priorities, and a demonstrated ability to support organizational leadership in building donor relationships.

This is a growth‑oriented role with significant opportunity for professional advancement and increased community impact as Besa’s individual giving program scales. As part of a team with a values‑driven culture and commitment to service, you will have the opportunity to see the impact of your work firsthand, participating in paid volunteer opportunities alongside your colleagues and Besa volunteers.

• Build, manage, and grow a portfolio of individual donors across all giving levels, including monthly sustainers and emerging donors, with a strategic focus on cultivating and advancing relationships toward major gifts in the $10,000+ range
• Own the full donor lifecycle: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal
• Make direct asks – in person, by phone, and in writing
• Qualify and assign prospects into appropriate portfolios
• Track all donor interactions and activities in CRM

• Design and manage Besa’s individual giving campaigns – from annual fund appeals to giving days and targeted donor segments
• Test messaging, segments, and channels; track results and apply learnings to future campaigns
• Develop donor communications including campaign copy, impact updates, and stewardship touchpoints

• Prepare CEO for funder meetings with research, background, and recommended talking points
• Manage follow up and next steps resulting from CEO funder conversations
• Supervise and support the Sr. Advancement Coordinator, providing coaching, accountability, and professional development
• Undertake additional duties as assigned, contributing flexibly to the dynamic needs of the organization

• Serve as primary staff liaison to board advancement committee, ensuring ongoing communication and alignment with fundraising priorities
• Develop overall fundraising capacity of board members, deepening their engagement in planning and execution of fundraising initiatives
• Support board members in engaging their networks and facilitating donor asks

• Three…