Director of Development

Director of Development Job Description 

Milwaukee Parks Foundation (MPF) is hiring a Director of Development. Join a passionate, highly skilled team and help us raise funds to fulfill our mission to collectively steward a thriving park system.

To apply, please send your resume and one fundraising-related writing sample to the email address shown after clicking on the “Learn How to Apply” button below by 5 pm Friday, December 4, 2026.

Title: Director of Development

Reports To: Executive Director

Employment Type: Full-Time Exempt

Salary Range: $75,000 – $90,000 annually, commensurate with experience

Target Start Date: February 15, 2027, or sooner

Milwaukee Parks Foundation Overview

Our Milwaukee County Parks (MCP) system consists of 215+ miles of trails and is home to 15,500 acres of land, with 150+ parks.  MCP offers vital environmental, health, cultural, and recreational benefits to residents. However, MCP has half the budget it had in the 1980s, once adjusted for inflation, and the system is in significant disrepair, with $500M+ in deferred maintenance needs. This disinvestment has left many parks, particularly those in Milwaukee’s Black and Brown neighborhoods, under-resourced and therefore underutilized.

MPF was founded in December 2019 to combat these fiscal challenges with an equity lens through fundraising and grantmaking, advocacy and engagement. Founded by thirteen members of the community, today MPF is a $2M+ organization with a team of five dedicated to supporting our Milwaukee County Parks system, with the belief that these are our parks, this is our community, and this is our future.

MISSION: Collectively steward a thriving park system.

VISION: A vibrant and equitable park system for all.

Why MPF?

MPF is a small, mighty team of five working out of the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center, and our work takes us all over Milwaukee County’s 150+ parks. You’ll work directly alongside the Executive Director, have real influence on MPF’s growth, and see the impact of your fundraising in the parks and neighborhoods we serve. On the MPF team, we value flexibility, collaboration, a sense of humor, passion, and deep and varied expertise.

Job Summary

The Director of Development will serve in a key leadership role to implement a strategic and comprehensive development plan that generates revenue for MPF. The Director of Development will work closely with the Executive Director and Associate Director to oversee donor relationships, manage grant writing, the grants calendar and reporting, and facilitate corporate volunteering events and other engagement/networking events for MPF.

Ultimately, the Director of Development is responsible for working alongside the Executive Director to ensure MPF has significant resources to fulfill its mission to collectively steward a thriving park system. MPF aims to raise $3–4M annually over the next three years and is preparing for a future comprehensive campaign. This role includes some evening and weekend events, especially during our busy summer and fall season. We offer flex time to help balance them out.

The Director of Development’s time is expected to be divided roughly as follows:

• Donor Relationship Management and Fundraising (30%)
• Grants Management (25%)
• Engagement and Revenue Generating Events (25%)
• Corporate Volunteering and Sponsorship (10%)
• Leadership, Administration and Team Development (10%)

Essential Functions

Donor Relationship Management and Fundraising

• Manage an inherited portfolio of major donors and grow it through new prospect identification, cultivation and moves management planning.
• Partner with the Executive Director on moves management for her major donor portfolio as well.
• Oversee all components of the donor cycle, including prospecting, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Lead MPF’s annual giving program, including year-end and other appeals, mid-level donor growth, and “where it’s needed most” giving.
• Work with the Executive Director to create and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan for MPF that includes the elements listed in this job description.
• Set reasonable fundraising and revenue goals, and work with the team and database to analyze and report fundraising data on a regular basis.
• Partner with MPF team members on donor communications, including appeal letters, impact reports and donor newsletters.
• Manage MPF’s donor recognition program, including the Cheers to Our Parks giving circles.
• Organize and assign donor responsibilities to Board Members and team members.
• Play a key role, alongside the Executive Director and Campaign Cabinet, in MPF’s first comprehensive campaign to fund large park projects and organizational growth.
• Explore existing and potential fundraising strategies, making recommendations to the MPF leadership team and Board of Directors. Existing strategies include major donor cultivation, grant management, Cheers to Our Parks giving circles, Go Green for Parks, restricted donor campaigns (Seeds & Sprouts), and pursuing regional, national and government support. Potential strategies include planned giving, additional events and corporate volunteering/sponsorship.

Grants Management

• Manage a robust grants calendar, ensuring on-time submission of all grants. As the primary grants manager, the Director of Development is responsible for assigning grant writing to other team members and consultants.
• Complete and submit all necessary grant reports.
• Seek out prospective new grants and add them to the calendar whenever possible.
• Keep MPF’s bookkeeping and fundraising admin consultants informed of all new grants, grant award notices, and restricted funds to ensure accurate tracking, compliance, and reporting.
• Support the Executive Director in working with Milwaukee County Parks to manage park projects funded by restricted gifts.
• Manage the digital grants library.

Engagement and Revenue Generating Events

• With support from the MPF team, volunteers and consultants, the Director of Development is responsible for planning and executing all components of MPF’s annual fundraising event, Go Green for Parks, including sponsorship solicitation, guest experience, ticket sales, marketing collateral, budgeting, event committee coordination, and more.
• The Director of Development is responsible for leadership and team coordination of all private donor events, including but not limited to the Stewardship Dinner, Cheers to Our Parks giving circle events, Outdoorsy Triathlon, donor tours, and additional events as developed in the annual development planning process.
• As needed, the Director of Development supports the Programs and Partnerships Manager with fundraising and planning for other engagement events, including but not limited to aquatics days, Healthy County Challenge, Harvest Fest(s), and Parknership Summit.

Corporate Volunteering and Sponsorship

• Connect corporate volunteers to Milwaukee County Parks (MCP), communicate with corporate volunteers, and attend volunteer events when feasible.
• Implement a corporate sponsorship offering with the support of MCP.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Work with the Executive Director and Associate Director to set strategic development goals and implementation priorities for the organization.
• Attend Board meetings as requested and report regular progress to the MPF Board of Directors as needed.
• The Director of Development directly manages MPF’s relationship with Abundant Philanthropy, a longtime fundraising consultant with a team that supports fundraising administration, grant writing, event planning, and strategy.
• Oversee all functions of an Associate Board (in tandem with the Associate Director), including but not limited to recruitment, scheduling meetings, compiling meeting agendas and notes, and communication with co-chairs.
• Research and develop an ideal future Development Department staffing structure for MPF, including key revenue metrics to meet to expand the team.
• Support the Executive Director in staffing a future Comprehensive Campaign Cabinet, including scheduling meetings, compiling meeting agendas and notes, and communicating with chairs.

Administration and Team Development

• With the support of Abundant Philanthropy, MPF’s fundraising consultant, manage all functions of a donor database and fundraising administration, including but not limited to acknowledgment letters, timely gift entry, donation forms, donor contact notes, updating donor contact information, and more.
• As a small team, MPF members are responsible for their own administrative tasks and supporting other organizational administrative tasks, including but not limited to cleaning up the office, meeting prep, scheduling, and more.

Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

• Ensure all decisions are made with a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion lens. Decisions include vendor decisions, partnership management and growth, storytelling, prioritizing neighborhoods, grantmaking, fundraising strategies and more.

Other Duties as Assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Director of Development will oversee a fundraising consultant relationship and many volunteers, and will occasionally assign responsibilities to other teammates. This role does not currently have any direct reports, but as MPF grows, we hope to build a development team with staff who report directly to this role.

First-Year Success

• Build strong relationships with an inherited portfolio of major donors and begin identifying new prospects
• Support MPF in meeting all fundraising goals established as part of the 2027 budget
• Lead a successful Go Green for Parks and year-end giving season
• Firm up a reliable grants calendar and regular fundraising reports for the Board
• Recommend a future Development Department staffing structure with revenue benchmarks for growth

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, fundraising, business, communications, arts and sciences, social justice, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience will be considered. Five to ten (5–10) years of progressive fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing five- and six-figure gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. Capital or comprehensive campaign experience preferred. CFRE credential, experience in parks, conservation or the environment, and familiarity with Milwaukee’s philanthropic community are a plus.

Skills

• Excellent relationship management skills and emotional intelligence
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong leadership and management skills
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Connection to and passion for Milwaukee Parks and Milwaukee residents
• Strong focus on equity, inclusion, and community engagement
• Comfort analyzing donor data and reporting on fundraising results
• Familiarity and/or experience with Blackbaud eTapestry or other donor database software
• Comfort with and experience using a range of technology, including the Google Workspace suite of applications, and effective email management

Physical Demands and Work Environment

This role requires an individual to remain in a stationary position at least 50% of the time. The remainder of the time this individual will need to move around inside as well as outside in various weather conditions throughout our County Parks system. Constantly operating a computer and phone and communicating with key partners will be critical for this role. Lastly, this role will occasionally need to move A/V equipment, event supplies, and other items up to 40 pounds for various events and activities in our parks. The employee must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision
• SIMPLE IRA (3% match)
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Flex time up to 4 hours daily
• Opportunity for 2 virtual workdays per week
• Competitive PTO package
• Laptop computer and cell phone provided as needed
• Budget available for professional development, membership fees and dues

Equal Employment Opportunity

Milwaukee Parks Foundation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

To apply, please send your resume and one fundraising-related writing sample to the email address shown after clicking on the “Learn How to Apply” button below by 5 pm Friday, December 4, 2026.