Director, Advancement

Director, Advancement

District Alliance for Safe Housing

Status: Full-time, exempt employee

Salary: $115,000–$130,000

Reports to: President & CEO

Supervises: Manager, Development Operations

Location: Hybrid (in-person and remote), Washington, DC

About the District Alliance for Safe Housing

Founded in 2006, the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) is one of DC’s largest providers of safe housing and trauma-informed services for survivors experiencing homelessness due to domestic and sexual violence. DASH meets survivors where they are, eliminating barriers to safe housing so that they can rebuild their lives on their own terms.

DASH supports survivors—individuals, families, and transitioning youth aged 18-24—with housing; flexible financial assistance; and holistic services. DASH provides a continuum of emergency-to-transitional and transitional-to-permanent safe housing programs, including the 42-unit Cornerstone building, owned and operated by DASH.

DASH’s key programs include: Cornerstone, Empowerment Project, Project Empowerment, Right to Dream, Survivor Resilience Fund, and Safe Nights Fund.

DASH holds Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency and has been recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the DC region's best nonprofits. To learn more, visit www.dashdc.org.

Position Overview

The Director, Advancement plays a key role in developing and implementing the strategic direction and execution of all fundraising and communications activities. This role is central to cultivating and fostering relationships, particularly with individual donors, and supporting DASH’s fundraising and advocacy efforts to drive the organization’s mission and impact. The Director ensures that fundraising initiatives, communications, and donor engagement are aligned to advance DASH’s priorities and strengthen its community presence.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Development and Fundraising (50%)

• Reports directly to the President & CEO, providing guidance and support for DASH’s fundraising activities.
• Partners with the Executive Team, including the Deputy Chief & Chief Financial Officer (DC & CFO), to align fundraising initiatives with organizational priorities and long-term sustainability goals.
• Coordinates with and provide oversight of outsourced fundraising partners (grant writers, digital fundraising, and communications consultants), ensuring deliverables are high-quality, aligned with DASH priorities, and completed on schedule.
• Identifies, cultivates, and stewards individual donors, major gift prospects, sponsors, and funding partners.
• Supports donor-focused events, including tours and presentations, to showcase DASH’s programs and impact.
• Assists in the preparation of fundraising materials, grant proposals, campaigns, and appeals to secure public and private funding.
• Helps develop strategies to grow individual giving, including annual appeals, major gifts, and planned giving.
• Maintains the annual fundraising calendar, including appeals, stewardship, reporting, and deadlines.
• Supports board engagement related to fundraising, including preparation of materials, dashboards, and meeting briefings.
• Partners with Finance and the Executive Team on revenue forecasting, budget alignment, and funder reporting.
• Contributes to donor stewardship through coordinated communications, storytelling, and recognition programs.
• Analyzes donor data to identify trends and opportunities for growth, providing recommendations to the leadership team.

Communication, Partnerships, and Advocacy (20%)

• Works with and provide oversight to communications consultants and vendors, ensuring consistency, timeliness, and alignment with DASH’s messaging and strategic priorities.
• Coordinates and supports execution of DASH communications in support of fund development initiatives, across internal staff and designated external communications support, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, messaging, and timelines, under the direction of the President & CEO.
• Supports the development and implementation of DASH’s communications strategy to enhance brand visibility and public engagement.
• Manages relationships with external partners, including donors, funders, media, businesses, and community leaders, in coordination with the Executive Team.
• Oversees creation of marketing and communications materials, including annual reports, newsletters, press releases, and digital content.
• Maintains DASH’s website and social media presence, ensuring consistent, engaging messaging.
• Represents DASH at external meetings, as appropriate, to strengthen partnerships and support advocacy goals.
• Works closely with the President & CEO, DC & CFO, and broader leadership team to identify opportunities for collaboration, advocacy, and strategic engagement.
• Conducts assessments to identify gaps and opportunities in external partnerships, expanding networks to support fundraising and mission-driven initiatives.
• Supports implementation of advocacy strategies to advance DASH’s mission and policy objectives, staying informed of relevant legislative and policy developments.

Leadership and Team Management (20%)

• Supports DASH on resource development and grant applications.
• Supervises and supports the Development & Communications department. Delegates work streams effectively, fostering professional growth and motivating and holding team members to a high standard of excellence and accountability.
• Attracts, develops, coaches, and retains high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance. Supports staff to develop problem-solving skills and leads team brainstorming to respond to opportunities and challenges.
• Ensures staff understand DASH’s model of voluntary service and trauma-informed practice to embed within DASH’s development and communications strategies and functions.
• Identifies departmental training needs and consults with People & Culture to find or develop appropriate training resources.
• Contributes to the development of training sessions through DASH Academy, DASH’s in-house, signature professional development institute for staff.
• Fosters a collaborative and innovative program culture that encourages continuous improvement and learning.

Organizational Collaboration and Internal Customer Service (10%)

• Supports DASH’s strategic planning efforts, including collaborating with executive and senior leadership to develop and implement operational strategies aligned with organizational objectives.
• Contributes to the development of organizational strategies, ensuring that development goals align with DASH’s broader mission and vision.
• Participates in organizational recruitment processes as requested.
• Maintains effective working relationships with all employees. Demonstrates a great degree of discretion, flexibility, and cooperation.
• Models DASH’s standard of understanding, sensitivity, and responsiveness to cultural differences in the organization’s service and employee population.
• Maintains complete survivor and/or employee confidentiality in all matters. Exhibits the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity.
• Masters, communicates, and models DASH values.

Experience, Skills, and Qualities

While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas:

• A minimum of five years of related experience, or a combination of professional experience and a graduate degree (e.g., master’s degree with two years of experience). Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, nonprofit management, business administration, or related field required, with relevant experience substituting for education. Master’s degree in marketing, communications, nonprofit management, business administration, or related field preferred.
• Proven success in fundraising, including major gifts, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
• Strong ability to build and maintain relationships with individual donors, enhancing donor engagement and increasing contributions.
• Strong understanding of marketing and communication principles, with experience managing multi-channel campaigns.
• Demonstrated abilities in team management, development, and strategic planning.
• Expertise in project management methodologies, policies, and tools.
• Familiarity with budget development and forecasting as well as data collection and analysis.
• Proven track record of developing and managing strategic partnerships with external stakeholders.
• Strong communication, collaboration, ethics, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. Strong ability to respond diplomatically to challenging issues, and give and receive feedback with openness, compassion, and respect.
• Proven capacity to respond sensitively and thoughtfully to individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, encompassing a range of values, attitudes, and languages.
• Experience or understanding of trauma’s dynamics, trauma-informed frameworks, and trauma issues in gender-based and power-based violence fields, including domestic violence, sexual assault/violence, human trafficking, and interfamilial violence, is a plus but not required.
• Proficiency in:
• Project management tools (Monday.com, Trello, Asana)
• CRM platforms (Salesforce, Network for Good, DonorPerfect)
• Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook)
• (A plus but not required) Social media and web systems (Instagram, X / Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, Google Analytics, Hootsuite)
• (A plus but not required) Graphic design systems (Canva, Adobe Creative, or similar design platforms) and Internet Browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer)
• (A plus but not required) Video Editing Systems (iMovie, ClipChamp etc.)

Other:

• Ability to travel within Washington, DC, including to DASH offices, community sites, and other Washington, DC locations during business hours is expected.
• Occasional work in the evenings and on weekends may be required to attend or manage fundraising events and opportunities.
• Must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation, as well as a routine drug screening (if required by any of DASH’s funding agreements).
• Must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 unless qualified for a medical or religious exemption.

Compensation & Benefits

DASH offers a competitive salary in the range of $115,000–$130,000. DASH benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, with DASH covering 90% of the employee’s premium and 80% for spouse and children; a minimum of 20 days of paid leave, 15 holidays, and a weeklong winter holiday; and a 3% DASH non-elective contribution retirement plan.

Application Process

Good Insight, a national nonprofit executive search firm headquartered in Washington, DC, is assisting with this search. Interested applicants should upload a resume and a detailed cover letter in PDF format to good-insight.org/careers. Confidential inquiries about the role may be directed to DASH@good-insight.org. For best consideration, submit a PDF resume and a cover letter by late January 2026. Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.

Location

DASH is located in Washington, DC. The Director, Advancement position operates on a hybrid schedule that requires location in the DC region. The number of in-office days will be agreed with the successful candidate, but is expected to average two to three days per week.

Physical Demands

This role includes prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Contact DASH@good-insight.org to request reasonable accommodations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

DASH is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive work environment and building a team that reflects the rich diversity of our community. DASH bases employment decisions on each person’s performance, qualifications, and abilities. DASH does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or characteristics protected by the District of Columbia and federal law. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities are encouraged to apply.

DASH offers a competitive salary in the range of $115,000–$130,000. DASH benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, with DASH covering 90% of the employee’s premium and 80% for spouse and children; a minimum of 20 days of paid leave, 15 holidays, and a weeklong winter holiday; and a 3% DASH non-elective contribution retirement plan.