Location: In-person / Hybrid/ CIST Administrative Office / Austin, Texas
Employment Type Full-Time, Exempt
Reports to: Chief Development Officer
Supervises Will supervise a full-time Development Operations Manager
Salary $7,500/monthly ($90,000/yearly) (contingent on experience)
Rooted in community for over 40 years, Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CISCT) is a sophisticated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas. Communities In Schools (CIS) is a national organization that ensures every student has what they need to realize their full potential in school and beyond. At CISCT, our mission is simple: surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader on the Development team responsible for annual philanthropy, donor engagement and stewardship, fundraising events, fundraising communications, and development operations.
Working closely with the Chief Development Officer and alongside the senior leaders for Major Gifts and Grants, the Senior Director translates fundraising priorities into integrated strategies that grow philanthropic revenue, strengthen donor relationships, and advance Communities In Schools of Central Texas' long-term fundraising goals. The role is responsible for strengthening annual giving, donor acquisition and retention, the donor experience, fundraising campaigns and events, and the systems and processes that enable the Development team to operate effectively.
The Senior Director leads and develops staff and establishes strategy, priorities, and accountability while also maintaining meaningful direct ownership of fundraising and departmental priorities. This includes personally leading select campaigns and projects, developing donor-facing communications, analyzing fundraising performance, and stepping into execution where their expertise is most valuable.
What You’ll Do
Annual Philanthropy & Revenue Growth
- Lead strategy and planning for annual philanthropy, with a focus on growing, retaining, and deepening donor support and increasing unrestricted philanthropic revenue.
- Lead and directly contribute to annual and special fundraising campaigns and appeals, including segmentation, messaging, solicitation strategies, timelines, and follow-up.
- Strengthen donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrade, and reactivation strategies.
- Analyze fundraising performance and donor behavior to identify opportunities for growth and translate insights into stronger fundraising strategies.
- Identify and test new fundraising approaches and continually improve strategies based on performance, donor insights, and emerging opportunities.
- Partner with Major Gifts and other Development staff to create clear pathways for donors to deepen their engagement and philanthropic support.
Donor Engagement, Stewardship & Events
- Lead the organization's approach to donor stewardship and engagement, creating thoughtful and consistent experiences that strengthen donor relationships and encourage increased giving over time.
- Provide strategic leadership for Promise Circle programming and other donor engagement initiatives, in partnership with staff responsible for program execution and relationship management.
- Lead fundraising and engagement strategy for Food for Thought and other signature events, including revenue goals, audiences, sponsorship strategy, and post-event cultivation.
- Supervise and support the Associate Director responsible for event and engagement program execution.
- Ensure events, campus experiences, volunteer opportunities, and other engagement activities are intentionally connected to cultivation, stewardship, retention, and fundraising goals.
Development Operations & Analytics
- Provide leadership and oversight for the systems, processes, data, budgets, vendors, and infrastructure that support effective fundraising.
- Supervise and support the Development Operations Manager, with responsibility for CRM/database management, gift processing, reporting, campaign production, and other core operational functions.
- Leverage Salesforce and other fundraising technologies to strengthen donor segmentation, forecasting, fundraising analysis, and decision-making; advanced database administration or Salesforce development experience is not required.
- Establish and continuously improve department-wide processes, workflows, and systems that increase operational efficiency and strengthen the donor experience.
- Lead priority systems and process improvements and ensure fundraising leadership has accurate, timely reporting and analysis.
Fundraising Communications
- Partner closely with the Communications team to develop compelling donor-facing fundraising and stewardship communications.
- Lead Development strategy and priorities for campaigns, appeals, stewardship communications, impact updates, and other donor-facing content.
- Personally develop or substantially shape key donor solicitations, appeals, campaign messaging, and other priority fundraising communications.
- Ensure fundraising communications are audience-centered, coordinated across channels, and connected to broader donor engagement and revenue strategies.
Team & Department Leadership
- Serve as a member of the Development leadership team and a strategic partner to the Chief Development Officer.
- Supervise, coach, and develop staff, creating an environment of trust and accountability where team members feel supported, challenged, and empowered to do their best work.
- Build strong coordination across annual philanthropy, major gifts, grants, events, communications, and operations.
- Personally lead select fundraising, operational, and cross-functional priorities based on organizational needs and team capacity.
- Foster a culture of strong planning, ownership, innovation, continuous improvement, and an exceptional donor experience.
What You Bring
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Seven or more years of progressively responsible nonprofit fundraising experience, including management responsibility.
- Demonstrated success leading annual fundraising, donor engagement, campaigns, events, or related revenue-generating initiatives.
- Strong fundraising acumen across annual giving, donor stewardship and engagement, fundraising events, and donor communications.
- Experience managing and developing staff while remaining actively engaged in execution.
- Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM to support fundraising strategy, donor segmentation, forecasting, and performance analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze fundraising data, identify trends and opportunities, and translate insights into action.
- Strong financial, organizational, and project management skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities, solve problems, improve systems, and drive results.
- Ability to build strong collaborative relationships and work effectively across departments.
- Commitment to the mission and values of Communities In Schools of Central Texas.
Why Join CIS?
- Mission-driven work – Be part of a team that changes the trajectory of students’ lives.
- Professional growth – Ongoing training, supervision, and career pathways into director-level roles.
- Community impact – Build partnerships that extend beyond the classroom.
- Generous paid time off: 4+ weeks of holidays, 2 weeks of vacation time, personal days and sick days
- Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% employer-paid employee medical plan available, plus family subsidies, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, and 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
- Community-centered culture focused on impact, growth, and connection
