Director of Development

POSITION DETAILS

Reports To: CEO

Location: Hillsborough, New Jersey

Position Type: Full-Time, Senior Leadership

Organization: Feeding Hands, Inc.

Salary Range: $100,000 - $120,000

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Feeding Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Hillsborough, New Jersey, committed to caring for neighbors experiencing food insecurity and other effects of poverty. Motivated by Judeo-Christian teachings, Feeding Hands serves people with dignity, compassion, excellence, and hope while mobilizing individuals, churches, businesses, foundations, community organizations, volunteers, and donors to make a meaningful difference in the lives of their neighbors.

Since its founding in 2014, Feeding Hands has grown from a local food pantry into a significant community-based organization serving thousands of children, adults, seniors, veterans, and families throughout Central New Jersey. Feeding Hands now operates a multi-site distribution model and provides nutritious food, essential household products, compassionate support, and connections to additional community resources.

Feeding Hands is intentionally more than a transactional food distribution organization. Its culture is built around three core values: Empathy, Connection, and Stewardship. The organization seeks to create an environment where guests are known and treated with dignity, volunteers discover purpose through service, donors see meaningful impact from their generosity, and community partners work together to address food insecurity and poverty.

Feeding Hands is entering an important period of continued growth. Increased community need, expansion of distribution locations and services, and declining government support are creating both urgency and opportunity. To meet this need sustainably, Feeding Hands must continue expanding its donor community, financial resources, strategic partnerships, and long-term fundraising capacity.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Development is a senior leadership position responsible for personally building and executing a comprehensive development program that provides the financial resources and donor relationships necessary to advance the mission and continued growth of Feeding Hands. This is initially a one-person development department, with the opportunity to establish and eventually lead a team as fundraising revenue and organizational capacity grow.

Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Development will personally manage fundraising efforts across major gifts, individual and recurring giving, corporate partnerships, church relationships, foundations and grants, sponsorships, special events, planned and non-cash giving, donor communications, and stewardship. The Director will build upon Feeding Hands’ community reputation while establishing practical, disciplined, diversified, and scalable fundraising systems. Initially, this position has two direct reports. Serves as the liaison with churches, writing grants, and event management.

The Director of Development will be both a strategist and a hands-on practitioner. The successful candidate will independently create and implement an annual fundraising plan, manage donor relationships and records, make direct asks, cultivate major donors, prepare fundraising communications and proposals, coordinate with organizational leaders, track results, and represent Feeding Hands throughout the community. Over time, this leader will recommend staffing priorities and build a department as resources permit.

This role requires someone who understands that fundraising at Feeding Hands is not simply about raising money. Development is an invitation for individuals, churches, businesses, foundations, and community organizations to participate meaningfully in a mission that provides nourishment, dignity, connection, and hope to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Development Strategy and Leadership

· Develop and execute a comprehensive annual and multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with Feeding Hands' strategic priorities, operating needs, and growth plans.

· Establish measurable annual goals for contributed revenue and develop clear strategies for achieving those goals.

· Maintain a diversified development model that appropriately balances individual giving, major gifts, recurring gifts, corporate support, church partnerships, foundations, grants, sponsorships, events, and other philanthropic revenue.

· Provide the Executive Director and Board with regular reports on fundraising performance, donor pipelines, opportunities, challenges, forecasts, and progress toward established goals.

· Partner closely with the Executive Director, senior leadership, Board members, and colleagues across the organization to create a strong organization-wide culture of philanthropy, while serving as the primary person responsible for development execution.

· Assess current development practices and personally establish efficient systems, processes, documentation, and accountability that can support fundraising now and provide a foundation for future departmental growth.

· Monitor philanthropic trends and identify new opportunities for Feeding Hands to expand and diversify contributed revenue.

Individual Giving and Donor Engagement

· Build upon and manage relationships with current and prospective individual donors.

· Develop effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to strengthen individual donor relationships and financial support.

· Develop additional strategies to convert committed volunteers into donors and ambassadors for Feeding Hands.

· Personally cultivate relationships and make direct financial asks to individual donors and prospective donors.

· Identify opportunities to encourage existing donors to increase their level of support through meaningful engagement and communication.

· Create meaningful opportunities for donors to experience Feeding Hands' mission firsthand through pantry visits, volunteer experiences, events, conversations with leadership, and impact updates.

· Develop strategies for donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, upgrading, and long-term engagement.

· Strengthen Feeding Hands' recurring giving program and increase the number and value of monthly donors.

· Work with the Executive Director and Board members to prepare them for donor meetings, fundraising conversations, and stewardship activities.

Corporate and Business Partnerships

· Expand Feeding Hands' network of corporate and business partners throughout Central New Jersey and the surrounding region.

· Develop partnership opportunities that may include financial support, event sponsorships, matching gifts, employee giving, volunteer engagement, food and essential-item drives, in-kind contributions, and cause-related partnerships.

· Create clear sponsorship and corporate partnership opportunities with appropriate benefits and stewardship.

· Develop relationships with corporate executives, community relations leaders, business owners, employee resource groups, and corporate foundations.

· Increase participation in employer matching-gift and volunteer-grant programs.

· Ensure corporate partners understand the measurable community impact produced through their relationship with Feeding Hands.

Church and Faith Community Development

· Work collaboratively with Feeding Hands' church partnership leadership to strengthen and expand relationships with churches and faith communities.

· Develop strategies for engaging congregations in financial giving, volunteerism, food and essentials drives, sponsorships, advocacy, and other mission opportunities.

· Build relationships with pastors, church leaders, ministry leaders, and congregational champions.

· Work with staff to create resources that help churches communicate Feeding Hands' mission and impact to their congregations.

· Identify opportunities to deepen church relationships from periodic participation into sustained mission partnerships.

· Represent Feeding Hands in church and faith-based settings when appropriate.

Foundation and Grant Development

· Provide strategic oversight of Feeding Hands' foundation and grant fundraising efforts.

· Personally coordinate foundation and grant prospecting, proposal preparation, submissions, deadlines, reporting, and stewardship, collaborating with program, finance, and communications colleagues.

· Maintain an organized grants calendar and pipeline that includes application deadlines, reporting requirements, renewal opportunities, and relationship-building activities.

· Ensure grant proposals clearly communicate Feeding Hands' need, strategy, outcomes, financial stewardship, and community impact.

· Develop relationships with foundation representatives when appropriate rather than relying solely on transactional grant applications.

· Ensure grant commitments, restricted gifts, and reporting requirements are appropriately communicated internally and fulfilled.

Donor Stewardship and Retention

· Create and implement a comprehensive donor stewardship program that helps supporters understand the impact of their generosity.

· Establish appropriate acknowledgment, recognition, communication, and engagement standards for donors at different giving levels.

· Develop personalized stewardship plans for major donors, corporate partners, foundations, churches, and other significant supporters.

· Partner with communications and program staff to collect compelling stories, outcomes, data, photographs, and other content demonstrating donor impact.

· Monitor donor retention and develop strategies to reduce attrition and strengthen long-term relationships.

· Ensure donor communications consistently reflect Feeding Hands' values of Empathy, Connection, and Stewardship.

Special Events and Community Fundraising

· Provide strategic leadership for fundraising events, including Feeding Hands' signature and community-based events.

· Establish clear revenue, sponsorship, attendance, donor acquisition, and engagement goals for fundraising events.

· Evaluate events based on both financial return and their effectiveness in cultivating long-term donor relationships.

· Develop sponsorship strategies and personally secure significant event sponsors when appropriate.

· Create pathways for event participants to become ongoing donors, volunteers, advocates, and organizational partners.

· Encourage and support peer-to-peer and third-party fundraising initiatives led by individuals, churches, businesses, schools, clubs, and community organizations.

Development Operations and Donor Data

· Ensure Feeding Hands maintains accurate, complete, and useful donor and prospect information within its development systems.

· Establish consistent processes for gift entry, acknowledgment, donor records, prospect tracking, moves management, reporting, segmentation, and stewardship.

· Use donor data to identify trends, opportunities, retention issues, major-gift prospects, and areas for improvement.

· Develop fundraising dashboards and reports that allow leadership to evaluate development performance and forecast contributed revenue.

· Ensure donor privacy and confidentiality are maintained.

· Partner with finance and administration to ensure appropriate gift reconciliation, restricted-fund tracking, documentation, and financial reporting.

Campaigns and Strategic Growth

· Help assess the need and readiness for future capacity-building and/or special fundraising campaigns.

· Develop compelling cases for support that connect organizational priorities with donor interests and measurable community impact.

· Build donor pipelines capable of supporting Feeding Hands' future facility, staffing, storage, transportation, technology, and program needs.

· Develop campaign leadership structures, prospect strategies, gift tables, timelines, and solicitation plans when major campaigns are undertaken.

· Help Feeding Hands move toward deeper, longer-term philanthropic relationships and transformational giving.

Planned Giving and Non-Cash Gifts

· Expand awareness and use of charitable giving vehicles beyond traditional cash gifts.

· Promote opportunities for gifts of appreciated securities, donor-advised fund grants, qualified charitable distributions when appropriate, employer matching gifts, estate and legacy gifts, and other tax-advantaged charitable giving strategies.

· Work with donors and their professional advisors as appropriate while avoiding the provision of legal or tax advice.

· Develop a long-term planned-giving strategy appropriate to Feeding Hands' donor base and organizational maturity.

Communications and Case for Support

· Personally develop and coordinate fundraising communications, working with available marketing/communications staff and outside support to ensure materials clearly articulate Feeding Hands’ mission, impact, financial stewardship, and funding needs.

· Develop compelling donor-centered messaging for appeals, proposals, presentations, sponsorship materials, campaigns, newsletters, digital communications, and donor conversations.

· Translate organizational statistics and program outcomes into understandable stories of human impact.

· Ensure fundraising communications maintain the dignity of Feeding Hands' guests and never exploit individuals experiencing poverty for fundraising purposes.

· Help communicate Feeding Hands' strong stewardship model and the multiplying effect of donor support.

Board and Executive Partnership

· Partner closely with the Executive Director on major donor relationships and significant funding opportunities.

· Help Board members understand their role in philanthropy and provide them with practical ways to participate in donor identification, introductions, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

· Prepare donor briefings, talking points, prospect information, and other materials for organizational leaders.

· Participate in Board and committee meetings as requested and provide clear reporting on development strategy and performance.

· Build fundraising capacity across the organization by engaging the Executive Director, Board, and colleagues as partners, while remaining accountable for the day-to-day development function during its initial one-person phase.

Building the Development Function and Future Team

· Serve initially as the sole full-time development professional, taking ownership of both high-level planning and essential day-to-day fundraising tasks.

· Prioritize activities according to mission impact, fundraising return, available time, and resources; establish repeatable workflows and clear measures of success.

· Document development processes, donor stewardship practices, reporting routines, and fundraising materials so that the function can scale effectively.

· Collaborate with finance, operations, programs, volunteers, technology, marketing, and executive leadership; coordinate volunteer or outside assistance when available.

· As contributed revenue and organizational needs increase, recommend phased staffing investments, define future roles, assist with hiring when approved, and ultimately lead, coach, and hold accountable a growing development team.

QUALIFICATIONS

· A bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, marketing, public relations, ministry, or a related field is preferred. Significant relevant experience may substitute for formal educational requirements.

· Progressive professional experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, advancement, major gifts, business development, donor relations, or a closely related field.

· Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing philanthropic gifts.

· Experience building and managing relationships with major donors and prospective donors.

· Demonstrated ability to develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies and achieve measurable revenue goals.

· Experience with corporate partnerships, sponsorships, foundations, grants, events, annual giving, or recurring giving.

· Experience working with churches, faith communities, or faith-based organizations is highly desirable.

· Experience with donor databases, CRM systems, prospect tracking, moves management, fundraising analytics, and development reporting.

· Strong written communication skills with the ability to create compelling donor correspondence, proposals, presentations, appeals, and cases for support.

· Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills, including comfort meeting with donors individually and presenting to groups.

· Strong financial understanding and the ability to develop fundraising forecasts, evaluate return on investment, and work effectively with organizational budgets.

· Ability to manage multiple priorities, relationships, deadlines, campaigns, and initiatives simultaneously.

· Experience establishing fundraising processes independently is strongly preferred; experience supervising staff or building a team is a plus.

· Knowledge of ethical fundraising practices and donor confidentiality.

· Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends for donor meetings, church engagements, community events, and fundraising activities.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Feeding Hands is at an important point in its organizational story. Community need is increasing, the organization's geographic footprint has expanded, and thousands of individuals depend upon Feeding Hands for nutritious food and compassionate support.

That growth creates the need for a development program capable of growing alongside the mission. The Director of Development will have the opportunity to help move Feeding Hands into its next stage of philanthropic maturity by deepening donor relationships, expanding the major-gift pipeline, strengthening corporate and church partnerships, diversifying revenue, building fundraising systems, developing a long-term culture of generosity, and a strong development team.

For the right leader, this is an opportunity to build rather than simply maintain. The Director will initially lead the development function with the support of two part-time staff members, taking a hands-on approach to fundraising, donor engagement, and strategic partnerships. As fundraising efforts expand and organizational resources grow, the Director will have the opportunity to strategically build, develop, and lead a larger development department, establishing the team, systems, and infrastructure needed to support Feeding Hands’ long-term growth and community impact.

Pay: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Fundraising: 7 years (Preferred)
• Individual Giving: 5 years (Preferred)
• Grant Writing: 3 years (Preferred)
• Events management: 3 years (Preferred)
• CRM software: 3 years (Preferred)
• Ministry: 3 years (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Hillsborough, NJ 08844 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Hillsborough, NJ 08844: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person