Director of Development

CAMELBACK VENTURES 

Camelback Ventures (Camelback) transforms the landscape of entrepreneurship by investing in ventures and leaders who have been systematically excluded from capital and opportunity. We focus on entrepreneurs of color and women, providing not just funding, but mentorship, advocacy, and access to networks that drive meaningful change. Since 2015, our impact speaks volumes: we've raised over $65M and supported 221 social entrepreneurs through our flagship Camelback Fellowship. Our Fellows have collectively raised over $432M, earned recognition as Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, and created a transformative impact in communities nationwide, from Eastern North Carolina to Seattle.

THE ROLE 

The Director of Development reports to the Chief Development Officer and is a senior revenue leader responsible for owning, growing, and optimizing three core bodies of work: Camelback's Annual Fund, digital fundraising campaign management, and Guardian Summit corporate sponsorships.

This role requires someone who is equal parts strategist and operator. The Director brings a clear point of view to fundraising, one shaped by genuine curiosity about people, deep listening, and an understanding that the strongest partnerships are built on relationships. They translate enterprise-level fundraising strategy, set by the CDO, into annual operating plans, revenue targets, and high-performing systems.

Working in close coordination with the VP of Development (Major Gifts), this role ensures Camelback has a diversified, resilient revenue base by strengthening annual donors, scaling recurring giving, managing digital campaign infrastructure, and expanding corporate sponsorships tied to Guardian Summit, thought leadership, and brand-aligned partnerships.

The Director directly owns a personal revenue goal that begins at $550K in year one and grows to $1M by year three (FY29), and leads execution across campaigns, sponsorships, donor journeys, and cross-functional delivery.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Annual Fund Strategy & Revenue Ownership (35%)

• With a starting annual fund goal of $50K, own the strategy, execution, and performance of Camelback's Annual Fund, covering individual donors making gifts between $100-$9K, recurring giving, and small-to-mid level gifts.

• Annual Fund targets: $50K in year one, $100K in year two, $200K in year three. These targets will be set annually in partnership with the CDO.

• Design and implement annual and multi-year Annual Fund plans with clear revenue targets, segmentation strategies, and donor upgrade pathways.

• Develop and manage integrated campaigns, including year-end giving, monthly giving, Guardian Summit giving moments, and rapid-response appeals.

• Partner with Communications to align messaging, creative, and timing across digital, email, and event-based fundraising.

• Coordinate with the VP of Development to identify Annual Fund donors with major gift capacity, supporting a defined handoff protocol for donors who reach $10K+ giving levels.

• Maintain pipeline integrity for all Annual Fund donors and prospects, ensuring CRM records reflect current stage, amount, and next action at all times.

Digital Fundraising Campaign Management (20%)

• Own and manage Camelback's digital fundraising campaign calendar, including planning, execution, and performance analysis across email, online giving platforms, and social channels.

• Design donor-facing campaign experiences that reflect Camelback's brand and values, in close partnership with Communications.

• Build and refine digital donor journeys, including welcome sequences, mid-campaign touchpoints, and post-gift acknowledgment flows.

• Track and analyze campaign performance metrics, including conversion rates, average gift size, donor acquisition, and retention, translating findings into actionable strategy adjustments.

• All digital campaign data must flow through the CRM systems maintained by the Development Operations Manager. The Director partners with the Dev Ops Manager on data hygiene, reconciliation, and reporting for all campaigns.

• Develop and execute creative strategies to grow the individual donor pipeline, including peer-to-peer fundraising and community-driven giving campaigns.

• Develop and execute creative strategies to grow the individual donor pipeline, including peer-to-peer fundraising, community-driven giving campaigns, and mission-aligned ambassador engagement that extends Camelback's reach into new networks and audiences.

• Ensure all digital campaign activity is captured accurately in CRM and reconciled with Finance.

Guardian Summit Sponsorships & Corporate Partnerships (25%)

• With a starting $500K annual goal, own Camelback's Guardian Summit corporate sponsorship portfolio from prospect identification through post-event stewardship and renewal.

• Develop and maintain compelling sponsorship packages, pricing, and value propositions that align corporate interests with Camelback's mission, audience, and Summit experience.

• Lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of corporate sponsors, in coordination with the CDO and CEO as appropriate.

• Oversee end-to-end execution of sponsorship agreements, including deliverables, recognition, reporting, timely, strategic and effective stewardship and renewal strategy, in partnership with Finance, Programs, and Communications utilizing organizational event platform.

• Expand the sponsorship portfolio beyond Guardian Summit to include Blueprint Roundtable and other mission-aligned partnership opportunities.

• Track sponsorship pipeline health, revenue, and renewal rates with discipline and transparency.

Donor Experience, Stewardship & Retention (10%)

• Ensure Annual Fund and corporate donors receive timely, high-quality, values-aligned stewardship across all touchpoints.

• Design donor journeys that prioritize retention, upgrades, and long-term engagement.

• Oversee stewardship touchpoints including reports, acknowledgments, event invitations, and recognition strategies.

• Collaborate with Programs to translate impact into donor-relevant outcomes.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination (5%)

• Provide day-to-day leadership for any staff, consultants, or vendors supporting Annual Fund, digital campaigns, and corporate fundraising.

• Work closely with the VP of Development to ensure alignment across donor segments and coordinated donor strategies.

• Serve as a connective leader across Development, Programs, Finance, and Communications to ensure fundraising efforts are cohesive and executable.

Strategic Direction & Special Projects (5%)

• Contribute to enterprise fundraising strategy, forecasting, and scenario planning led by the CDO.

• Support CEO, CDO, and VP of Development in preparation for high-level donor, sponsor, and partner engagements.

• Lead or support special initiatives that strengthen Camelback's revenue diversification and financial sustainability.

THE PERSON

Your Values Align With Ours You're driven by mission, hungry to reach your goals, and humble in your approach. You embrace learning, view failure as data, and believe that excellence in service of equity is non-negotiable. Most importantly, you have a demonstrated commitment to racial equity that shows up in your work, your leadership, and how you steward resources.

Your Superpowers Include

• Excellence as Standard: You set the bar high for yourself and inspire others to reach further. When given a goal, your instinct is to exceed it while bringing others along.

• Ultimate Teammate: You choose collaboration over solo wins. Colleagues seek you out because they know you'll approach challenges with both rigor and partnership.

• Growth Mindset Champion: You approach every challenge with curiosity, asking "what can this become?" instead of accepting "what it is." You build systems that learn and evolve.

• Strategic Foresight: You're the person who sees three moves ahead, identifying financial risks and opportunities before others notice them. You translate complex concepts into stories that drive decision-making.

Expectations

• The Development Director is a strategist who executes and an operator who brings perspective. They are as comfortable in a one-on-one cultivation conversation as they are building the campaign infrastructure behind it. They understand that fundraising at its best is relational work, and that the nuance required to steward a longtime donor differently than a new corporate sponsor is a skill worth developing and protecting. They thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments, bringing clarity, accountability, and warmth to every part of the work.

• Minimum 7 years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, with a track record of raising $1M in revenue, including direct responsibility for Annual Fund and/or corporate sponsorship revenue.

• Demonstrated success growing unrestricted revenue and donor retention year over year.

• Experience designing and executing integrated, multi-channel digital fundraising campaigns, including email marketing, online giving platforms, and campaign analytics.

• Proven track record managing corporate sponsorships for major convenings or events, including package development, agreement execution, deliverable fulfillment, and renewal.

• Strong understanding of annual fund structures, donor segmentation, and moves management.

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trust-based relationships with donors, corporate partners, and colleagues, with a track record of long-term retention and relationship depth, not just acquisition.

• Strong relational intuition, including the ability to read context, adapt communication style, and engage with nuance across different donor and partner profiles.

• Fluency with CRM platforms such as Salesforce or Blackbaud, including building and managing donor workflows, maintaining pipeline integrity, running and interpreting dashboards and reports, and using data to make strategic decisions about donor engagement, timing, and prioritization. You know how to use the CRM as a thinking tool.

• Excellent project management, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.

• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

• Ability to travel up to 25% annually.

IMPACT & SUCCESS METRICS

• Director meets or exceeds a personal fundraising goal of $550K annually across the Annual Fund, digital campaigns, and Guardian Summit and event sponsorships.

• Annual Fund meets or exceeds established revenue targets annually, with year-over-year growth in recurring donors and retention rates.

• Digital fundraising campaigns launch on schedule, with performance reports delivered within five business days of campaign close and measurable improvement in conversion and retention metrics year over year.

• Guardian Summit sponsorship revenue meets or exceeds annual projections, with 100% of agreements executed and deliverables fulfilled on time including post event follow-up.

• Post-Summit sponsor stewardship and reporting completed within 30 days of event close.

• 95%+ accuracy across Annual Fund and corporate donor records.

• All gifts and sponsorships entered into CRM within two business days.

• All donor acknowledgments and follow-ups completed within 48 hours or two business days.

• Dashboards and reports delivered on schedule with actionable insights.

• Positive cross-functional feedback indicating clarity, reliability, and partnership.