Development Director

Background

We are Colorado Horse Rescue, a 501(c)(3) impact organization working continuously to reimagine what’s possible to create a reality where safe solutions exist for every horse. We are advocates and strategists. Thinkers and doers. A passionate team with full hearts, helping hands, and the vision to rescue horses in Colorado and beyond. For more information about CHR’s programs, services, and activities, visit www.chr.org.

Primary Role

We are searching for a dynamic leader with experience in all aspects of fundraising who has a passion for making a better world for horses. Reporting to the CEO, the Development Director is a member of the senior executive team and oversees the fundraising strategy for the organization.

The Development Director designs and executes a strategic and robust development plan to engage, cultivate, and steward constituents as well as create new revenue streams to sustain funding for the future. This individual will manage a major donor portfolio while managing and providing direction for development team staff members. The Development Director provides direction and leadership to all fundraising components including but not limited to annual giving, planned giving, identification and discovery, grant writing, major gifts, corporate giving, donor stewardship, and fundraising events.

We would love to meet you if you are:

• Genuine, compassionate, and kind, you lead with optimism and confidence
• Mission-driven creative; you hold and execute a vision while maintaining flexibility, openness, and a willingness to try new things
• Dedicated to building deep, sustained relationships with donors, volunteers, board members, staff, foundations, corporations, granters, and other key stakeholders

Core Responsibilities

• Fiscal responsibility for developing and achieving the current $2M revenue budget while managing fundraising expenses
• Plan and support projected year-over-year annual growth of 15% through goal setting, creative strategy, benchmarking, and ROI analysis
• Execute planned capital campaign needed for the organization’s expansion
• Define CHR’s strategic fundraising direction and continually identify development areas
• Execute the strategy for retaining and cultivating current and prospective donors and partners through engaging in genuine relationships that grow contributions - identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward
• Create, facilitate, and oversee all annual and planned giving campaigns and fundraising programs and oversee grant writing while guiding and generating development materials for case statements
• Prepare for and solicit gifts personally and in collaboration with staff and key volunteers
• Lead and build a development team of 2-5 reports - recruit, hire, train, and develop
• Establish individual goals and objectives for development staff and evaluate performance regularly
• Actively study and stay informed of current trends and developments in philanthropy and fund development
• Maintain accountability and compliance standards for donors and funding sources
• Collaborate with marketing to develop a digital fundraising strategy and integrated campaigns
• Actively collaborate with all teams, internally and externally, to propel CHR’s mission forward
• Support CHR’s board of directors and development committees in fundraising and community development efforts
• Support the organization in the implementation of special events, community outreach, education, and public relations
• Provide leadership in deeply embedding equity and diversity within CHR’s philanthropic strategy
• Assist with any special projects as directed by the CEO

Common CHR Team Responsibilities

All CHR team members have these common responsibilities:

• Understand and incorporate CHR’s mission, goals, and brand in all outreach
• Effectively represent CHR to relevant partners and the community to increase awareness, referrals, and contributions
• Serve as an advocate for CHR before stakeholders, partners, and the general public
• Understand the current needs of CHR programs and seek to meet those needs by securing resources and partnerships with other agencies, nonprofits, and community partners

Requirements

A successful Development Director is a visionary leader and strategic thinker who can successfully design and swiftly execute a growing revenue stream and capital campaign. This individual is passionately committed to the goals, values, and mission of Colorado Horse Rescue.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience managing broad fundraising programs with proven knowledge of fundraising (or equivalent experience in business development) and a minimum of 5 years of people managerial experience
• Ability to create strong interpersonal connections with individuals, building upon relationships to fully engage donors, partners, and the community
• Proven success in qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding benefactors with a demonstrated track record of advancing relationships with donors by securing repeat gifts and running successful fundraising campaigns
• Experience managing a large-scale capital campaign from feasibility study to campaign strategy to execution
• As a highly visible and active participant in the community, the Development Director must be able to articulate CHR’s message and mission at the highest levels, have experience representing an organization at public functions and events, and have a comfort level in public speaking and engagements with hundreds of attendees
• Demonstrated success in leading and motivating a staff of professionals
• Understanding of professional fundraising ethics and codes of conduct and the ability to maintain privacy and confidentiality of constituent information
• Familiarity with basic gift accounting principles, relevant IRS rulings, and charitable gift guidelines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively across all levels
• Highly technologically savvy, with proficiency in donor management systems (Raiser’s Edge), prospect research tools, and MS Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) and the ability to comprehend and interpret nonprofit financial statements.
• Bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree and/or fundraising certification preferred

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with each qualification in the job description, please go ahead and apply anyway! You might be just the right candidate for this role.

Compensation

The Development Director position is 40 hours a week. This is an exempt position with a salary range of $84,393 to $96,913, commiserate with experience. CHR has a robust compensation system ensuring fairness and consistency across the organization, and we do not negotiate salaries.

Benefits

In order to recruit and retain the best talent, CHR offers the following benefits:

• This position is eligible for CHR’s bonus program, up to 15% of salary. Bonuses are not guaranteed and are subject to change depending on the organization’s overall progress towards goals and the fiscal responsibility of the organization.
• Platinum health, dental and vision insurance for low monthly rate
• We encourage employees to participate in our matching simple IRA program
• Staff are covered by CHR’s short-term disability insurance
• CHR's flexible vacation policy allows employees to take as much leave as they need. Employees need time to rest and enjoy themselves outside work. Eliminating the cap on this important personal time helps our effort to achieve high levels of team satisfaction and productivity.

Work Environment

• CHR is committed to the health and well-being of our staff. The Development Director is welcome to work remotely up to 50% of their time.
• Must be comfortable working in an office setting, touring the ranch, hosting interactions with horses, and working remotely through video conference communications.
• This position will include interaction with horses who can be unpredictably dangerous. While safety training is provided, there is always some risk involved.
• Interacts with staff, consultants, and outside vendors and may be subjected to interruptions throughout the workday.
• The position will require flexibility to meet with current and prospective donors early mornings, evenings, and weekends, as needed. Travel locally and regionally can be expected.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The ability to walk, stand and host community members outside in all types of weather as well as the ability to sit for sustained periods of time. The vision requirement includes close vision.

EEO Statement

At Colorado Horse Rescue, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our services, and our community. CHR is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Application Process

Apply on our website at: https://tinyurl.com/chr-development

ONLY applications submitted on our website will be reviewed - do not apply directly through Idealist.