Senior Director of Development

Title: Senior Director of Development

Reports to: President & CEO

Supervises: 5 FTE Development Team

About United Way of Northern Utah: United Way of Northern Utah (UWNU) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which serves Weber, Box Elder, Morgan, Cache, and Rich counties. Its mission is to Unite people and organizations to build a healthy, stable, and well-educated community where individuals, families, and neighborhoods thrive.

Goal: More than a fundraiser, United Way creates opportunities for people in our community to work together to improve the health, education, and financial stability of every person. We move quickly to meet changing needs in our community and need a strong leader to assist with mission advancement. You will cultivate and build strong lifelong relationships with United Way’s supporters, match donors’ interests with community needs and prioritize and secure the resources necessary for United Way to achieve excellence in supporting the goals set forth in the strategic plan through foundation and government grants, corporate campaigns and individual giving.

Summary: The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader within UWNU, reporting to the President and CEO and serving as a strategic partner to the Board and Senior Leadership Team. This role shapes and advances an integrated fundraising vision that drives sustainable, diversified philanthropic growth and positions UWNU for long-term community impact. The Senior Director provides leadership to a high-performing Development team and stewards a comprehensive revenue portfolio spanning foundation, government, corporate, and individual giving. Through strong donor relationships, innovative partnerships, and compelling engagement strategies, this role builds community investment, strengthens legacy support, and cultivates new funding opportunities that advance UWNU’s mission and collective impact goals. A successful candidate will be a sophisticated development professional who is a builder of teams, knowledgeable about all facets of philanthropic development and stewardship strategy and has proven ability to influence donor giving in a complex and constantly evolving environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Impact

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, critical decision-making, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Set and drive the development strategy in collaboration with the UWNU Controller, CEO, and Board of Directors to ensure the organization’s financial health and growth.
• Act as a primary driver in increasing revenue and diversifying funding sources for the organization.
• Clearly articulate and communicate United Way’s value proposition to stakeholders.
• Actively steward relationships with United Way Worldwide and high-performing local United Ways to leverage best practices and shared resources.
• Serve as a brand champion and foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization and community.
• Contribute to the overall success of UWNU by performing other essential duties, participating in organization-wide events, and fulfilling responsibilities as assigned.

Revenue Growth & Development

• Expand and diversify funding support from government, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and other key sources for prioritized initiatives.
• Inspire giving from the United Way Board and other influential volunteers and donors.
• Support team in increasing visibility and participation in corporate workplace giving campaigns, driving expanded adoption throughout the UWNU service area.
• Support corporate partners in achieving social responsibility goals through their partnership with UWNU.
• Support team in donor cultivation and development efforts to generate engagement through Year of Action and Community Drives.
• Collaborate with the Marketing and Public Relations team to ensure all development efforts support and are aligned with the overall marketing strategy.

Departmental Leadership & Team Development

• Set a vision and provide supportive, accountable leadership to the Development team.
• Guide, approve, and monitor the department’s logic model, strategic priorities, and action plan.
• Ensure the department is effectively structured to achieve revenue goals and advance organizational priorities.
• Identify and advocate for necessary staffing and budget resources.
• Coach, mentor, and create professional development plans for direct reports; meet regularly to review progress toward goals.

Required Knowledge:

• Advanced understanding of philanthropy principles, donor psychology, and fundraising best practices.
• Expertise in multi-channel fundraising strategies, including major gifts, planned giving, corporate partnerships, and grant acquisition.
• Knowledge of nonprofit financial management, budgeting, and revenue forecasting.
• Familiarity with United Way’s mission, collective impact framework, and community development principles.
• Understanding of marketing integration with fundraising and donor engagement.
• Awareness of legal and ethical standards in fundraising and donor stewardship.

Required Skills:

• Strategic planning and execution of organizational development strategies.
• Leadership and team development for high-performing teams.
• Relationship management with major donors, corporate leaders, and foundations.
• Strong written and verbal communication for proposals and presentations.
• Data analysis for campaign optimization and performance tracking.
• Project management and prioritization.
• Technology proficiency in CRM systems and donor databases.

Required Abilities:

• Influence and inspire giving at all levels, including board members and major donors.
• Navigate complex environments and adapt strategies to changing circumstances.
• Translate vision into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization and community.
• Represent the organization externally with professionalism and credibility.
• Maintain confidentiality and ethical standards in all donor interactions.

Required Competencies:

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to take initiative, mentor and influence others positively, and contribute to the success of the team and organization.
• Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people come before the process and is astute in cultivating and managing positive relationships toward a common goal.
• Collaboration: Understands the roles and contributions of all community sectors and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement and collaboration with multiple institutions.
• Mission-Focused: Catalyzes others’ commitment to the mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities.
• Results-Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good with a proven track record for successful fundraising and developing a strong, cohesive, creative, high-performing team that achieves results, even under tough circumstances.
• Action-Oriented: Finds new solutions to old problems, and take on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Written and Verbal Communication: Strong ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders through written communication (such as emails), verbal conversations, reports, and presentations.
• Brand Steward: Presents themselves as a steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater United Way network.
• Data-Driven: Ability to track, collect, manage, analyze, and make timely decisions based on data to prioritize continuous improvement processes to refine program execution and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Adaptability: Willingness to adapt to new processes, technologies, and program requirements, and help others adjust as well.
• Team Player: Ability to work well with others to achieve a shared goal, while also contributing to the overall organization and team's success.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Tech Proficiency: Comfortability with using technical softwares and tools such as Microsoft 365 Suite, Google Workplace Suite, Canva, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, Artificial Intelligence, and donor databases.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to troubleshoot issues, resolve conflicts, and adapt to changes quickly in a fast-paced environment.
• Ethical and Trustworthy: Consistently acts with honesty and fairness, upholds organizational values, and makes decisions based on what is right. Maintains confidentiality and earns trust through dependable, principled behavior.
• For your reference: Additional United Way Resource Development Competencies, of which many are relevant, are outlined in this United Way Worldwide resource

Required Qualifications:

• 4-5 years of fundraising experience, including a track-record of exceptional fundraising success.
• 4-5 years of supervisory experience of teams of two or more people.
• Bachelor’s degree in related field (business, public administration, communications, etc.) or related work experience.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing the Donor Cultivation Cycle.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the core work of United Way.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5-8 + years of fundraising and executive leadership experience, including a track-record of exceptional team management and fundraising success.
• Master’s degree in related field.
• Knowledge of integration between marketing and volunteerism in relation to fundraising.
• Familiarity/history of service within the landscape of education, community development and social services.
• Strong personal network in Northern Utah.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish.

Compensation:

Wage: $80,000- $95,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications (increased compensation package negotiable for exceptional candidates with a strong fundraising track record)

Benefits: A comprehensive benefits plan includes vacation leave, sick leave, 12 paid holidays, health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, as well as a 403(b) match of up to 10% of your salary after 1 year of employment.

Location: Based out of Ogden, Utah office; work throughout UWNU Service area required (Weber, Morgan, Cache, Box Elder, and Rich Counties). Hybrid work options are available upon supervisor approval.

Hours: Full-Time, Exempt (40 hours per week). UWNU hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm MST. Work hours are subject to change based on UWNU and/or events and activities happening in the community.

How to Apply: Send a cover letter AND resume to UWNU Hiring at hiring@uwnu.org. Applications will NOT be considered without providing BOTH a cover letter AND resume. You may address cover letters and other communications to the Snr. Director of Development Hiring Committee. Specifying which position you are applying for is critical as we may have multiple positions open simultaneously.

Closing Date: Open until filled, first review of applications will begin on January 12, 2026.