DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND MAJOR GIFTS
Status: FT Exempt
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Schedule of Hours: Monday – Friday, 9-5with occasional evenings and weekends
Possible Percentage of Work from Home: 50% or more onsite
Mandated Reporter: No
ABOUT CORA
CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) is the only agency in San Mateo County solely focused on serving people experiencing intimate partner abuse. CORA provides comprehensive services including a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, legal services, counseling, community education, and prevention programming. CORA is a multicultural agency committed to serving individuals regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, immigration status, religion, financial status, language, or mental or physical ability.
THE POSITION
The Director of Development and Major Gifts leads CORA’s development department and is responsible for achieving an annual fundraising goal of approximately $3 million. The Director sets departmental priorities, establishes measurable goals, manages and develops staff, and uses fundraising data to evaluate performance and guide strategy.
This is a high-touch fundraising leadership role with significant personal responsibility for major donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The Director manages a portfolio of approximately 140 major gift prospects and donors, builds the major donor pipeline, develops corporate and community partnerships, and leads strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades, including planned giving.
The Director works closely with the CEO, Board members, Board Development Committee, CFO, and development and marketing teams to strengthen CORA’s fundraising capacity and long-term financial sustainability.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Development Department Leadership
- Lead, supervise, coach, and develop a team of three development staff who oversee foundations portfolio, special events, individual giving and marketing and communications.
- Establish departmental goals, priorities, work plans, and performance expectations.
- Monitor results, use data to identify gaps and opportunities, and hold staff accountable for measurable goals.
- Oversee the development budget and department systems, including donor management and tracking platforms.
- Partner with the CEO/CFO on vendors, consultants, and technology that strengthen development capacity.
Major Gifts
- Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 140 major gift prospects and donors through face-to-face and virtual meetings, calls, solicitations, and personalized stewardship.
- Build and manage a strong major donor pipeline through prospect identification, research, qualification, cultivation, and solicitation.
- Develop strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades.
- Strengthen long-term relationships with major donors and provide meaningful opportunities for engagement.
Corporate & Community Partnerships
- Develop and implement strategies for corporate giving and sponsorships.
- Identify and cultivate businesses, corporate leaders, and community partners whose interests align with CORA’s mission.
- Personally cultivate and steward high-value relationships and participate in solicitations.
Development Strategy & Campaigns
- Develop and execute an integrated annual strategic plan across major gifts, individual giving, foundations, corporations, sponsorships, community partnerships, events, and campaigns.
- Use donor data, analytics, pipeline information, and campaign results to evaluate performance and refine strategy.
- Establish and monitor key development metrics and benchmarks.
- Create new initiatives to increase donor acquisition, retention, repeat giving, and overall fundraising capacity.
- Plan and oversee annual and special campaigns, for example, End of Year and Giving Tuesday.
Special Events
- Oversee fundraising events with revenue, donor acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship goals.
- Develop donor-focused and VIP opportunities in collaboration with the development team.
- Evaluate event results and incorporate lessons learned into future strategy.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in fundraising, donor cultivation, major gifts, nonprofit development, or a related field.
- Close ties to the local Peninsula and Bay Area community and businesses, strongly preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
- Demonstrated success by increasing fundraising revenue and achieving measurable goals. This includes experience personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors, including donors capable of making gifts of $10,000 or more.
- Experience developing corporate donors, sponsors, and/or community partnerships that generate financial support.
- Experience managing fundraising campaigns and events.
- Experience leading, coaching, and managing development staff to achieve department goals.
- Strong CRM and donor data management skills.
- Ability to use donor and fundraising data to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and inform development strategy.
- Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors, corporate leaders, and community partners.
- Nonprofit leadership experience preferred.
- CFRE credential preferred.
- Passion for and commitment to work addressing the impact of Intimate Partner Abuse.
WORK ENVIRONMENT/ PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Ability to be onsite meeting donors and attending community events in San Mateo County weekly, required.
- Successful results upon hire from a DOJ Live Scan fingerprint clearance are required
- Completion of the 40 Hour Training – required and will be provided to the successful applicant upon hire if not already completed within last 5 years.
- Driver’s License and active insurance required.
MANDATED REPORTER STATUS– No
EEO STATEMENT
CORA inspires work of the highest caliber by fostering staff engagement through transparency and inclusion in agency decisions wherever possible. We believe that embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as organizational values is a way to intentionally make space for positive outcomes to flourish for our clients and our community. We strive to ensure our policies and communications reflect an appreciation of the impact of social inequities and actively promote healthy relationships among staff by demonstrating mutual respect in all our communications. CORA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We seek diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, sex, (including breastfeeding and medical conditions related to breastfeeding), religion (including religious dress or grooming practices), national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic characteristics and information, ancestry, marital status, family status, political belief, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), medical condition, military, or veteran status or any other category or status protected by Federal, State or other applicable laws.
