Director of Development

Cancer changes lives overnight. Cancer Pathways makes sure no one has to navigate it alone.

We provide prevention education, peer support programs, camps, workshops, and community connection for anyone touched by cancer. Now we’re ready to grow. And that growth depends on one thing: bold, strategic, relationship-driven fundraising.

We’re looking for a Director of Development who wakes up excited about revenue targets, donor relationships, and building something bigger than themselves. This is our most critical new hire. The right person will significantly expand our funding base and scale our impact across the region.

This role reports to the Executive Director and sits on the leadership team. You’ll own the strategy, the execution, and the results.

If you see a fundraising goal and think, “We can beat that,” keep reading.

What You’ll Own

1. Build and Drive the Fundraising Strategy
   • Design and execute a comprehensive annual development plan
   • Set ambitious but achievable revenue goals across all fundraising streams
   • Create strategies that grow individual, major gift, corporate, sponsorship, and event revenue
   • Regularly track, analyze, and report results to the Executive Director and Board

You won’t just run campaigns. You’ll build a scalable fundraising engine.

1. Grow Individual & Major Giving
   • Build and manage a strong major gifts program
   • Cultivate and steward high-net-worth donors
   • Develop a strategy to grow a large, sustained base of annual donors
   • Increase donor retention, consecutive giving, and lifetime value
   • Establish and systematize a planned giving program

You’ll connect donor passion with mission impact in a way that keeps them invested for the long haul.

1. Expand Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships
   • Develop and execute a comprehensive corporate giving and sponsorship strategy partnering with the events team, the Executive Director and the Board of Directors
   • Secure significant corporate sponsorships for programs and events in partnership with the events team (Gala, Golf, Teen Writing Contest, Camps, and more)
   • Build long-term corporate partnerships that drive multi-year support
   • Identify and grow third-party fundraising partnerships with local businesses

We want companies to see Cancer Pathways as a partner they’re proud to stand beside.

1. Innovate How We Fundraise
   • Create new opportunities for sustained and legacy giving
   • Design micro-giving and digital-first campaigns to engage younger donors
   • Generate creative, revenue-driving ideas that increase donor longevity

If it increases revenue and deepens relationships, we want you thinking about it.

1. Own Donor Experience & Stewardship
   • Ensure every donor interaction feels personal, thoughtful, and meaningful
   • Oversee high-touch stewardship and acknowledgment processes
   • Create engagement opportunities aligned to donor interests
   • Partner with Communications to deliver strong donor-forward messaging and impact reporting

We believe stewardship is strategy, not an afterthought.

1. Manage Systems & Metrics
   • Oversee and optimize our Little Green Light (LGL) donor database
   • Maintain accurate donor records and engagement tracking
   • Pull and analyze reports to guide decision-making
   • Lead evaluation of fundraising outcomes and performance

This role is measured on results. Clear metrics matter.

How Success Is Measured

• • Total dollars raised
  • Year-over-year revenue growth
  • Increase in major gifts and multi-year commitments
  • Growth in corporate sponsorship revenue
  • Expansion of third-party fundraising partnerships with local businesses
  • Increased donor retention and lifetime value
  • Successful engagement and growth of younger donor segments
  • Strength and scalability of the overall development program

We are looking for someone who is comfortable being accountable to ambitious revenue goals and proud to hit them.

What You Bring

• • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus
  • 5+ years of progressive nonprofit development experience
  • Proven track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals
  • Experience cultivating major donors and corporate partners
  • Strong strategic thinking paired with strong execution
  • Comfort working in a growth-focused, evolving organization
  • Experience with donor management systems (Little Green Light a plus)
  • Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills

Most importantly: you are mission-driven, resilient, proactive, and energized by growth.

Benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan (403B), paid holidays and paid time off.

English required, other languages a plus