Director of Development
OVERVIEW
Start Date: January 4, 2027
Weekly Hours: 40 hours per week
Reports to: Executive Director
Salary: $85,000 - $90,000
Direct Reports:
Creative Partnerships Lead
Grantwriters (contractors)
Volunteers (for events and crowdfunding campaign)
Location: Hybrid based in Bellevue, WA. In-office: M, W, Th
Mission: ZGiRLS equips girls with the tools and perspective they need to be confident, centered and courageous.
Vision: ZGiRLS creates a world where all girls and women live with ZERO self-limitations.
Summary: For the past 12 years, ZGiRLS has helped thousands of girls build the confidence, self-worth, resilience, and mental skills they need to trust themselves and KNOW their value. Now, we’re entering a really exciting stage of growth.
We’ve built new programs that allow us to reach girls in communities across the country, and we’re looking for a Director of Development who is excited to help fuel what comes next.
Our goal is to grow from $1.2M in annual revenue to over $3M+ in the next 12–24 months, while building the relationships, systems, and team that can support a much larger organization over time.
You’ll have a lot of ownership here. You’ll lead ZGiRLS’ fundraising strategy across individual giving, major gifts, monthly giving, corporate partnerships, grants and foundations, and fundraising campaigns and events. You’ll set the fundraising direction, grow the donor base, strengthen our systems, and help shape the development team ZGiRLS needs for its next chapter.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Donor Strategy + Relationships
Build and lead a thoughtful moves-management strategy that helps donors deepen their relationship with ZGiRLS over time
Grow our community, monthly, mid-level, and major-giving programs
Identify donors with potential for deeper engagement and create meaningful cultivation and stewardship plans
Partner with the Executive Director on major donor strategy, meetings, asks, and follow-up
Build relationships of your own and confidently make asks at every giving level
Create a donor stewardship rhythm that helps people feel known, valued, and connected to their impact
Use our CRM, prospecting tools, and donor data to identify and prioritize opportunities
Revenue Strategy
We want someone who can honor the relationships and fundraising strategies that got ZGiRLS here while also helping us think bigger about what’s possible next. You’ll lead a diversified fundraising strategy across:
Individual and major giving
Monthly giving
Corporate sponsorships and partnerships
Grants and foundations
Fundraising campaigns and events
Grants + Corporate Partnerships
Build and maintain strong relationships with foundations and funders
Own the grant strategy and pipeline, with support from contract grant writers
Lead corporate partnership strategy and manage our Creative Partnerships Lead in executing it
Identify new mission-aligned funding and partnership opportunities
Fundraising Campaigns + Storytelling
Fundraising at ZGiRLS is deeply rooted in storytelling and connection. You’ll own the strategy and direction for our fundraising campaigns, including:
Setting the goals, timeline, messaging, and strategy for each campaign
Building an annual campaign calendar across year-end giving, crowdfunding, events, and donor stewardship
Managing donor communications, including appeals, impact updates, and stewardship touchpoints
Shaping stories, copy, and creative that help donors understand what we do and why it matters
Tracking results and using what we learn to strengthen future campaigns
Annual Event
Our annual event is no longer a traditional gala. We’re intentionally building something more accessible, community-focused, experiential, and rooted in who ZGiRLS is today. You’ll lead the event from concept to follow-up, including:
Fundraising strategy and revenue goals
Guest experience
Sponsorships and pledge commitments
Venue, vendors, run-of-show, materials, and timeline
Invitations and donor communications
Volunteer coordination
Post-event stewardship and follow-up
Activate the Executive Director and Board as hosts, askers, and connectors
Crowdfunding Campaign
You’ll lead our annual crowdfunding campaign and the community of people fundraising alongside us. That includes:
Recruiting and onboarding fundraising champions
Building the campaign framework, toolkit, messaging, and materials
Coaching fundraisers throughout the campaign
Creating an energizing, collaborative team experience
Helping bring our broader community into the campaign
Tracking progress and celebrating wins along the way
Board Partnership
Partner closely with the Board Development Committee Chair
Give board members clear, meaningful ways to participate in fundraising
Provide useful reporting on goals, pipeline, and progress
Help activate the relationships and networks within our board
Team Leadership & Growth
Initially, this role will manage our Creative Partnerships Lead, contract grant writers, and fundraising/event volunteers. As ZGiRLS grows, you’ll also help shape the development team we need for the next stage, including identifying where we need more capacity and helping build that team over time.
What Success Looks Like
Ultimately, fundraising growth means tens of thousands of girls get access to tools they need to believe in and trust themselves for the rest of their lives. Over the first 12–24 months, we want to see:
Strong progress toward $3M+ in annual revenue
Growth across multiple fundraising channels
A healthy and growing pipeline of individual and major donors
A clear moves-management and stewardship system
Strong relationships with donors, foundations, and corporate partners
An engaged Board Development Committee
A development function with the systems and team needed to scale
A successful annual event and crowdfunding campaign that meet their goals and grow over time
Who We're Looking For
You’ve led fundraising strategy and campaigns within a growing nonprofit and understand what it takes to help an organization move into its next stage. You like connecting people to a mission, building relationships, telling great stories, and helping people understand how their generosity can make a real difference.
You’re someone who:
Brings optimism, energy, and an entrepreneurial mindset
Is an exceptional writer and storyteller
Builds authentic relationships easily
Is comfortable talking about money and making meaningful asks
Can think strategically while also moving work forward
Understands donor cultivation, stewardship, and moves management
Has experience working across multiple fundraising channels
Enjoys building systems, teams, and processes
Is a thoughtful, collaborative manager
Thrives working closely with a small, ambitious team
Believes deeply in what is possible for girls and for ZGiRLS
Experience in sales, marketing, or sports is a plus.
Most importantly, we want someone who looks at where ZGiRLS is going and thinks, I want to help build that.
Our Values
STRENGTH - We cultivate inner strength by embracing personal growth and embodying the ZGiRLS Curriculum™. We are willing to tackle uncomfortable conversations, rumble on tough decisions, and talk about our emotions.
SPORTS - We celebrate athleticism in all its forms. We believe that sports are for everyone and we appreciate our bodies for what they do.
ENERGY - We live with an optimistic, resilient mindset and are aware of how our emotions impact our energy. Our attitudes are inspiring and genuine.
BELONGING - We create space for diverse perspectives and experiences, actively celebrating each other's unique strengths and differences.
CHALLENGES - We view challenges as opportunities for growth and maintain our composure through setbacks. We choose courage over comfort by facing challenges instead of avoiding them.
TEAM - We communicate our needs and capabilities without judgment. We take ownership of our work responsibilities and understand how our actions affect the team.
About ZGiRLS
ZGiRLS is a nonprofit organization helping middle school girls build confidence, self-worth, resilience, and the mental skills they need to trust themselves and KNOW their value. Through our programs, girls learn how to navigate challenges, advocate for themselves, do things scared, recover from setbacks, and recognize the strength that is already inside them. Our vision is simple and ambitious: a world where girls and women live with ZERO self-limitations.