Director of Development

Position Overview

Full-Time | $85,000 – $90,000 | Onsite

Reports to: Executive Director

Sanborn Mills Farm seeks its first full-time Director of Development at a defining moment in the organization’s history.

For decades, Sanborn Mills Farm has been sustained by the extraordinary vision and generosity of its founders. As the organization transitions from founder-supported to a broadly community-supported nonprofit, we are building the systems, relationships, and philanthropic culture that will ensure long-term independence and vitality. This is not a maintenance role. It is a builder role.

The Director of Development, in partnership with the Executive Director, will design and implement a comprehensive development strategy; cultivate meaningful philanthropic partnerships; and serve as a senior leader shaping the organization’s voice, identity, and brand alongside senior leadership staff, the Board of Directors, and volunteers engaged in advancing the mission.

This role is supported through close collaboration with the Executive Director, communications, and program staff, with the expectation of building additional development capacity over time.

Organizational Context

Sanborn Mills Farm is a 540-acre working farm and traditional-heritage-based craft school where history is practiced, skills are passed hand-to-hand, and tradition shapes the future. Our work is the archive; community use is preservation.

Sanborn Mills Farm benefits from more than two decades of relationships built through workshops, craft education, agricultural programs, and partnerships with artisans, educators, and supporters.

The organization is positioned for incremental growth, building upon this engaged community while expanding philanthropic participation and long-term institutional support.

Core Responsibilities

• Create a strategic philanthropic framework integrating annual, major, planned, and institutional giving
• Launch, maintain, and grow the Annual Fund
• Build a major gifts relationship management system
• Develop and oversee the Flywheel Initiative
• Design and implement planned giving strategies
• Lead corporate, foundation, and grant fundraising
• Partner closely with Executive Director, Michael Molla, on donor strategy, major gift cultivation, and long-term planning
• Utilize CRM/software systems and develop dashboards to track progress
• Co-solicit gifts with Executive Director, Board members, and volunteers

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years of fundraising experience
• Demonstrated success in securing major gifts
• Strong communication and strategic thinking skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Comfort navigating organizational growth

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $85,000 – $90,000

Health insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off

Health insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off