Development & Major Gifts Director

Scope and Summary:

The Development & Major Gifts Director serves as a key leadership figure on the Development Team, responsible for designing, overseeing, and executing a comprehensive fundraising strategy to meet annual contributed revenue goals. This full-time leadership role directly manages the Development staff and is responsible for driving revenue across corporate giving, individual donors, major gifts, and foundation grants. The Director will personally cultivate and solicit a portfolio of major individual and corporate donors while providing strategic oversight to the grants calendar and application pipeline. Additionally, this position utilizes Salesforce (or similar CRM/database systems) to manage donor pipelines, track progress, and leverage data analytics to expand Milwaukee Film’s philanthropic reach.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides direct leadership, mentorship, and oversight to the Development staff, establishing clear goals, evaluation metrics, and professional growth opportunities.
• Develops and executes an annual comprehensive fundraising plan encompassing individual major giving, corporate sponsorships, annual appeals, and foundation grants.
• Manages an active portfolio of major donors and prospects, leading initiatives to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high-net-worth individuals and corporate partners.
• Oversees the grants strategy, providing team guidance so that applications are compelling, and all compliance and reporting requirements are met.
• Oversees the organization’s donor database (Salesforce), ensuring accurate gift entry, prospect tracking, record integrity, and timely donor acknowledgments.
• Partners with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to prepare briefing materials, engage board members in fundraising strategies, and facilitate major donor asks.
• Collaborates with marketing and programming teams to craft compelling donor communications, proposals, pitch decks, and stewardship materials.
• Oversees fundraising and donor stewardship events, ensuring alignment with major gift and sponsorship goals.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of progressive non-profit fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in securing major gifts and corporate sponsorships.

  2+ years of experience in direct personnel or team management.

  Proficiency with Salesforce or similar donor management databases/CRMs.

  Proven track record of overseeing grant cycles, proposal drafting, and foundation reporting.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Leadership & Management: strong team management skills with the ability to inspire, mentor, and delegate effectively.
• Relationship Building: exceptional interpersonal skills and a high degree of emotional intelligence to build trust with donors, board members, and community leaders.
• Strategic Planning & Prioritization: ability to develop long-term fundraising plans while juggling multiple operational deadlines.
• Problem-solving & Flexibility: comfortable adapting to changing priorities in a fast-paced non-profit environment.
• Enthusiasm and passion: for the Milwaukee Film mission and vision.