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Development Director Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

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A Development Director, or a Development Officer, is responsible for securing donor funds and implementing the strategic vision of an organisation. Their primary duties are planning for and executing fundraising plans, maintaining donor portfolios and leading the in-house development team.

Development Director duties and responsibilities

The primary duties and responsibilities of the Development Director can include:

  • Overseeing the organisation’s fundraising programs and initiatives
  • Researching donation programs that are favourable to the organisation
  • Designing and implementing pilot and full-scale development projects
  • Preparing project reports and presenting them to donors and collaborators
  • Meeting with the donor’s representative to ensure the program’s plan matches the donor’s view
  • Keeping track of sent proposals and updating the development team
  • Developing and managing the organisation’s fundraising policies and best practices
  • Initiating and nurturing organisation-donor relationships by maintaining communication and through gift recognition programmes

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Development Director Job Description Examples:

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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What does a Development Director do?

A Development Director helps the organisation raise funding through donor engagement and capture management. They do this after thoroughly assessing project proposals. They market the organisation through advertisements and promotions, positioning a brand as a donor’s favourite. When donors have queries or concerns, they respond to them. The Development Director also builds a cohesive team, mentoring them in order to reach their organisation’s goals. They also give major collaborators updates from time to time and provide updates on spending and project progress.

Development Director skills and qualifications

A successful Development Director candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that generally include:

  • Proven fundraising or project management ability
  • Strong understanding of the funding process, grants and loan application
  • Ability to attract and sell the brand value to prospects
  • Proactive collaborating and networking skills to work across diverse collaborator groups
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
  • Tactfulness to professionally handle ambiguous and complex situations
  • Excellent grant writing and presentation skills
  • Ability to track donor trends to increase the chance of securing project funding

Development Director experience requirements

A prospective Development Director has at least three years of fundraising and management experience, preferably in a non-profit organisation. They must be able to show concrete evidence of interacting with donors and securing funds. Other essential skills include grant writing and project planning experience.

Development Director education and training requirements

A prospective Development Director should have a bachelor’s degree in business administration. A master’s degree with coursework in project management, strategic planning or grant writing is also ideal. Some organisations prefer candidates with a Certified Fund Raising Executive certification.

Development Director salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Development Director is £75,755 per year in the UK. Their salary may vary depending on their job location, the candidate’s level of experience and the particular organisation.

Job description samples for similar positions

If this role doesn’t suit what your organisation needs, consider the following job descriptions:

Create a culture of innovation
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Development Director job description FAQs

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