Development Director

South Florida Wildlife Center

Job Description

The South Florida Wildlife Center is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and education of wildlife in the tri-county area of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. It is the highest-volume wildlife trauma hospital in Florida and licensed rehabilitation center treating nearly 8,000 injured and orphaned animals each year, representing nearly 300 different species.

Job Overview

The Development Director will oversee philanthropy in conjunction with the Executive Director, leading a growing development program at a pivotal moment of expansion. This role is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive, sustainable fundraising strategy that fuels the organization’s mission and long-term impact.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Director will play a key leadership role in preparing for and executing a future capital campaign, helping to position the organization for transformational growth.Blending strategy with storytelling, the Development Director builds meaningful donor relationships while developing the internal systems and processes that ensure a seamless flow of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities. This position collaborates across communications and marketing to elevate the organization’s voice, deepen engagementand inspire giving.

Strategic Leadership, Goals & Growth

-Develop and implement a comprehensive annual and multi-year fundraising plan aligned with organizational priorities.
-Establish clear fundraising goals and key performance metrics across all revenue streams and ensure accountability for achieving results.
-Regularly analyze performance data, adjust strategies and report progress to the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
-Partner with the Executive Director to plan and execute a capital campaign, including strategy development, donor pipeline building, and campaign readiness.
-Lead the evolution of a growing development program, identifying opportunities to expand revenue streams and donor engagement.
-Foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization, engaging staff, leadership, and board members in fundraising efforts.

Team Leadership & Oversight
-Provide leadership, supervision, and mentorship to development and communications staff.
-Set team goals and performance expectations, monitor progress, and support staff in achieving outcomes.
-Oversee and support volunteers, event committees, and fundraising committees to ensure alignment and effectiveness.
-Build a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on results, accountability, and mission impact.

Annual Giving, Direct Mail & Digital Engagement
-Design and execute strategies to build and sustain a robust annual giving program.
-Lead direct mail and digital fundraising strategies, including email campaigns, online giving, and donor engagement initiatives.
-Establish measurable goals for donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade, and track performance against benchmarks.
-Ensure integrated, multi-channel donor journeys that connect storytelling, outreach, and giving opportunities.
-Cultivate, solicit, and steward a diverse portfolio of donors, with a focus on long-term relationship building.

Systems, Operations & Data Management
-Build and refine development systems, processes, and workflows to support efficient and effective fundraising operations.
-Oversee donor database management (DonorPerfect), ensuring accurate data entry, gift processing, and reporting.
-Develop dashboards and reporting tools to track KPIs, campaign performance, and donor trends.
-Use data and analytics to inform strategy, forecast revenue, and optimize fundraising outcomes.

Storytelling, Communications & Collaboration
-Partner with communications and marketing to align messaging and elevate storytelling that inspires donor investment.
-Translate programmatic impact into compelling narratives for proposals, campaigns, and donor communications.
-Ensure consistent, mission-driven messaging across all development materials and touchpoints.

Grants, Events & External Relations
-Develop, write, and manage proposals and reports for foundation and corporate funding.
-Engage community partners and volunteers in planning and executing fundraising events.
-Identify and pursue new funding opportunities, partnerships, and marketing collaborations.

Board & Volunteer Engagement
-Partner with the Board of Directors to strengthen fundraising capacity and engagement.
-Support recruitment, training, and motivation of fundraising volunteers and ambassadors.

Compliance & Accountability
-Ensure compliance with all legal, regulatory, and ethical standards in fundraising.
Maintain transparency and accountability in all development activities.

Qualifications
-Deep commitment to the mission of South Florida Wildlife Center.
-Bachelor’s degree in business, nonprofit management, or a related field (advanced degree or CFRE preferred).
-Minimum of 4 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising, including leadership roles.
-Demonstrated experience participating in or supporting a capital campaign preferred.
-Proven success in annual giving, major gifts, direct mail, digital fundraising, and grant development.
-Strong track record of setting and achieving fundraising goals and using metrics to drive performance.
-Experience managing staff, volunteers and cross-functional teams.
-Experience building or scaling development systems, processes, and donor pipelines.
-Strong marketing, communications and storytelling instincts, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills; persuasive and relationship-driven communicator.
-Demonstrated ability to analyze data and use insights to drive strategy.
-Experience working with donor databases/CRMs (DonorPerfect preferred).
Strong leadership, interpersonal and decision-making skills.
-Experience working with and engaging a Board of Directors.
-Proficiency in Microsoft Office and standard business tools.
-Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed; valid driver’s license required.

Benefits: This position is full-time (40 hours a week), bi-weekly accrual for up to 3-weeks of paid time off per fiscal year, holiday pay and health insurance coverage including medical, dental, and vision.

Work Hours: The Center operates 365 days per year, as such staff will be scheduled to work week-ends on a regular or recurring basis as needed. This is an in-office position with one remote work day a week. This is a salaried, exempt position (range $100K). Scheduled hours are typically 8:30 to 5:30, with one hour non-paid lunch. Since all staff are considered ambassadors of the Center, there may be requirements to participate in direct customer interactions, after hours functions or offsite activities and events.