Summary/Objective:

The Director of Development & Operations is a dual-focus leadership role responsible for securing the financial resources necessary to advance the Foundation’s mission while ensuring the operational infrastructure supports sustainable growth. This individual will spend approximately 70% of their time in direct donor engagement and gift solicitation, and 30% of their time overseeing the systems, data integrity, and internal processes that empower the development team.

Essential Job Functions:

Major Gifts & Relationship Management (70%)

Portfolio Management: Manage a qualified portfolio of 100+ major gift prospects and donors, moving them through the stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with opportunity to design and refine the donor pipeline.
Strategic Solicitation: Develop and execute personalized strategies, including lead generation, for five-to-seven-figure gifts, including multi-year pledges and planned giving opportunities.
Mission Alignment: Articulate the Foundation’s Catholic identity and mission with passion, connecting donors’ philanthropic goals with the spiritual and corporal works of the Church.
Travel & Engagement: Conduct 10+ face-to-face donor visits per month to build deep, lasting relationships.
Collaboration: Work closely with the Executive Director and Board members to coordinate “ask” strategies and involve leadership in high-level solicitations.

Operations & Development Infrastructure (30%)

CRM Oversight: Act as the primary administrator for the donor database (Raiser’s Edge), ensuring data accuracy, gift coding, and timely acknowledgment.
Reporting & Analytics: Generate monthly and quarterly fundraising reports for the Board to track progress against goals, donor retention rates, and ROI on various initiatives. Provide individualized fundholder reports and progress updates.
Process Optimization: Refine and document internal workflows for gift processing, tax receipting, and donor recognition to ensure compliance with Catholic and secular non-profit standards.
Strategy Support: Utilize data-driven insights to identify donors or prospects within the lower tiers of the giving pyramid who show potential for major gift cultivation.

Required Competencies:

Exceptional emotional intelligence, a high degree of discretion, and the ability to pivot from a “people-facing” role to a “data-focused” role seamlessly.
Experience in working with a variety of board and committee structures.
Ability to work efficiently and with minimal supervision.
Advanced experience with donor management software (CRM, Raiser’s Edge) and Microsoft Office Suite.
Should strive to personally know, love, and serve Jesus Christ through active participation in the life of the Catholic Church.
Must publicly profess and strive to follow Catholic teachings as proclaimed by the Magisterium of the Church.
Should have strong interpersonal skills, collaborating effectively and joyfully with people from diverse backgrounds.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with attention to detail.
Contribute to a positive working environment through words and actions, and maintain a positive and professional demeanor.
Demonstrate integrity and a striving for excellence at work.
Excellent organizational and time-management abilities, with the capacity to multitask, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
A reputation for ethical work, honesty, reliability, and professionalism in all interactions.
Ability to effectively work with diocesan staff and pastors.
Ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment with competing demands.

Required Education & Experience:

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or CFRE preferred.
Minimum 5+ years of professional fundraising experience, with a proven track record of closing five-figure gifts or higher.

Work Relationships:

Diocesan leadership & staff

Work Environment & Physical Requirements:

This position regularly requires sitting, standing, and the ability to lift moderate weight.
Must possess a valid driver’s license and the ability to provide reliable transportation for travel.

Classification:

Full Time, Exempt

Reports to:

Executive Director of the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation
Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation Board of Directors

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed or intended to be a comprehensive or exhaustive list of all activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of an employee in this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice, at the discretion of the Bishop of the Diocese of Madison.

Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation

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Director of Development & Operations