WHAT DOES A DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR DO?

Updated: Dec 2, 2024 - The Development Director oversees the full lifecycle of multiple development projects from inception to completion, advises the board, and leads site feasibility studies along with acquisition due diligence. This position coordinates Development Managers on smaller projects, sources new opportunities, secures tenants and funding, and manages planning and legal documentation processes. The director also develops and implements project delivery programs, ensuring all development activities meet strategic timelines and compliance requirements.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Development Director

1. Development Director Duties

  • Strategic Support: Supporting the land team to meet the business plan, including the development of clear exit strategies.
  • Team Leadership: Creating an exceptional team who are clear on the requirements and objectives of the business.
  • Process Management: Ensuring a seamless Land/Development and Development/Production handover process.
  • Relationship Building: Developing relationships with registered providers, agents, ‘runners’, and end users.
  • Consultant Management: Cultivating a family of consultants that are the best in class, meeting skill and will assessments.
  • Value Addition: Adding value through optimization, rationalization, and evolution of developments.
  • Planning Strategy: Develop robust and deliverable planning strategies with risks clearly identified.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitoring and reporting against budgets, programs, and targets.
  • Political Acumen: Developing a good working knowledge of the political landscape and creating relationships at local, regional, and national levels.
  • Market Analysis: Considering routes into alternative markets and having a working understanding of demand and exit plans.
  • Grant Writing: Research grant sources and write grant proposals and reports to foundations.
  • Budget Oversight: Overseeing the CYMT development budget.

2. Development Director Details

  • Strategic Advising: Advising the board on the delivery of multiple development projects from concept to completion.
  • Project Oversight: Managing Development Managers who manage some of the smaller projects.
  • Project Sourcing: Assisting with the sourcing and assessment of new development projects.
  • Feasibility Studies: Leading on the production of site development feasibility studies.
  • Due Diligence: Leading the development site acquisition due diligence and legal processes.
  • Tenant Securing: Securing tenants for new development.
  • Funding Acquisition: Securing funding for development.
  • Consent Management: Managing the planning team to secure consent.
  • Programme Development: Devising development delivery programmes and managing and reporting progress against the programmes.
  • Legal Management: Managing the legal process for all development documents (Agreement to Leases, Funding Agreements, Land Purchase Agreements, etc.).
  • Procurement Management: Managing the procurement and legal documentation of all required third-party consultant, contractor, and supplier services to facilitate the delivery of the developments.

3. Development Director Responsibilities

  • Consent Compliance: Securing all required statutory consents and third-party approvals, and ensuring the delivery of developments complies with consents and all related conditions.
  • Performance Reporting: Assisting with the reporting of actual performance against project appraisals.
  • Marketing Management: Managing the marketing team for developments and coordinating with development delivery works.
  • Progress Reporting: Regularly reporting internally and to external development partners & funders on progress against programme, expenditure against approved budget, and overall performance against the approved appraisal.
  • Strategic Management: Assisting in the strategic management of the business and its joint venture companies.
  • Independent Operation: Working independently on most assignments but receiving guidance only on unusual issues.
  • Knowledge Application: Possessing broad knowledge of principles and practices of related disciplines.
  • Reputation Enhancement: Enhancing BNP Paribas Real Estate’s reputation through successful delivery.
  • Networking: Building own network across all service lines.
  • Cross-Functional Communication: Facilitating cross-functional communication across departments.
  • Department Integration: Working with the Chief External Relations Officer and Senior Director, Marketing & Communications to help integrate and coordinate the management of the External Relations department with one another and with all of City Harvest.
  • Partnership Collaboration: Partnering effectively with Marketing & Communications to share consistent messaging to all donors.

4. Development Director Job Summary

  • Team Leadership: Provide guidance, direction, and leadership to the Individual and Major Giving team, ensuring strategies and supporting systems are in place to achieve department goals and objectives.
  • Major Donor Strategy: Partner with the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief External Relations Officer in developing cultivation strategies for significant major donors, to achieve annual Major Gifts goals.
  • Donor Relationship Management: Define a plan to strengthen relationships and develop productive contact with a personal portfolio of current and potential major donors to further commitment to the organization.
  • Board Management Collaboration: Work closely and collaboratively with the Chief Executive Officer and her office, as well as the Chief External Relations Officer and Principal Gifts Officer to manage the Board of Directors, related to fundraising and donor relations.
  • Team Leadership - Institutional Partnerships: Provide guidance, direction, and leadership to the Institutional Partnerships team, ensuring strategies and supporting systems are in place to achieve department goals and objectives.
  • Institutional Donor Strategy: Partner with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief External Relations Officer in developing cultivation strategies for significant major donors, to achieve annual Institutional Partnership goals.
  • Personal Donor Engagement: Define a plan to strengthen relationships and develop productive contact with a personal portfolio of current and potential donors to further commitment to the organization.
  • Direct Response Oversight: Oversee the Direct Response program - develop a comprehensive strategy for donor appeals and ensure all solicitations incorporate consistent and compelling messaging that supports City Harvest's work.
  • External Relations Operations Leadership: Provide leadership, guidance, and direction for the External Relations Operations team, ensuring accuracy and best practices in maintaining donor records, timeliness and accuracy in reporting with Finance, and creation of proactive and effective donor research strategies.
  • Internal Collaboration Enhancement: Enhance collaboration with an internal support team for research, data analysis, and reporting requirements; present relevant financial information to internal and external audiences.

5. Development Director Accountabilities

  • Team Leadership: Inspire, support, and manage a team of five high-performing development professionals.
  • Strategy Development: Working closely with the Executive Director and Department Head of Public Engagement, develop and implement a multi-year global fundraising strategy to diversify and grow income streams supporting 350.org’s (C3 & C4) mission and its long-term goals, fiscal health, and organization-wide priorities.
  • Innovative Fundraising: Identify and employ creative and innovative fundraising plans, tools, and techniques that remain true to 350’s ideals and identity.
  • Donor Relationship Management: Create and drive implementation of strategies to develop and nurture relationships with existing and potential donors and secure contributions from a broad variety of sources to support the organization.
  • Development Systems Assurance: Assure the implementation and maintenance of appropriate and creative systems to the development function, including donor management, forecasting, prospect and donor research, market analysis and trends, and other stewardship efforts.
  • Regional Fundraising Support: Establish a regional fundraising framework and collaborate with and support Regional Team Leads in fundraising efforts within that framework.
  • Performance Evaluation: Establish performance measures, monitor results, and support the Department Head of Public Engagement to evaluate the effectiveness of the organization’s development program.
  • Brand Alignment Communication: Communicate the mission and vision of 350 in alignment with the organization’s brand and communication strategy to cultivate and solicit funding from a multitude of donor sources.
  • Donor Portfolio Management: Manage a select portfolio of high-level donors and prospects.
  • Financial Collaboration: Collaborate with the Global Finance Director in developing revenue projections, and monitor and report on progress on a monthly basis.
  • Risk and Opportunity Analysis: Assess fundraising risks, opportunities, and trends, and provide regular updates to the Board, Executive Team, and staff.

6. Development Director Functions

  • Budget Oversight: Oversee the development team budget.
  • Financial Coordination: Coordinate accurate income and expense reporting for foundation grants and individual donors in partnership with the Finance Team.
  • Online Fundraising Strategy: Collaborate with the Online Fundraising Manager to ensure diversification and increase of online fundraising and small donors.
  • Cultural Engagement: Engage with other Team Leads and staff to foster a culture of collaboration, diversity, equity, and inclusion across the whole organization.
  • Organizational Knowledge: Understand 350.org's history, campaigns, and theory of change, and keep current with basic climate science and policy.
  • Mission Contribution: Contribute work towards 350.org's overall mission that relies solely on geographic location or work capacity, beyond standard responsibilities.
  • Council Support: Support Council leadership in planning meetings and recruiting new Council members.
  • Networking Assistance: Assist Council in identifying networking opportunities and raising funds.
  • Event Sponsorship Management: Ensure sponsorships and high-impact participation for the annual Share the Good Gala.
  • Community Advocacy Development: Help develop Council Members as advocates for MedShare in the community.
  • Meeting Coordination: Coordinate meetings of the Northeast Regional Council, including agenda preparation, minutes/action items, etc.

7. Development Director Job Description

  • Donor Engagement: Works with the CEO and/or Chief Development Officer to cultivate, solicit, and steward individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
  • Major Gift Cultivation: Identifies major gift prospects in the Northeast region and actively manages the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of these prospects.
  • Annual Giving Collaboration: Works with the National Development Manager responsible for annual giving.
  • Major Gift Management: Focuses on major gift fundraising by managing a portfolio of 150 prospects, including individuals, corporate, and foundation donors with the potential to give $10K and up.
  • Fundraising Execution: Conducts fundraising for unrestricted, restricted, project sponsorships, and hospital surplus recovery program.
  • Relationship Development: Nurtures existing and develops new relationships with both regional hospital and corporate product donors.
  • Strategic Plan Support: Supports the implementation of MedShare's strategic plan and actively models a “One MedShare” behavior.
  • Board Engagement: Participates in and contributes to Board and Board Committee meetings.
  • Values Promotion: Promotes and cultivates the values of MedShare across the organization.
  • Storytelling: Actively pursues opportunities to share the MedShare story throughout the Northeast Region.
  • Partnership Promotion: Encourages, organizes, and receives visits and tours of MedShare’s facility to promote key partnerships.

8. Development Director Overview

  • Financial Resource Development: Developing and coordinating financial resources to meet the financial needs of the organization.
  • Resource Identification: Identifies resources through developing applications, presentations, and literature for the faith community, city, state, federal, public and private foundations, and businesses.
  • Event Planning: Plans, organizes, and implements events such as direct donor mail campaigns, special events, food drives, etc.
  • Financial Base Identification: Identifies a continual financial base to meet the growing program needs, whether service or operation and short or long term.
  • Fundraising Strategy: Fundraising that establishes a sound financial short- and long-term base of resources to meet increasing program needs.
  • Community Resource Development: Develops resources from all segments of the community.
  • Funding Solicitation: Solicits, coordinates, and prepares applications and letters of inquiry to potential funding sources.
  • Presentation Preparation: Preparing presentations for potential funders.
  • Literature Preparation: Prepares informational literature for direct donor mailing campaigns, special events, newsletters, and quarterly, and annual reports.
  • Grant Management: Development and maintenance of a master file of grants.

9. Development Director Details and Accountabilities

  • High-Value Donor Cultivation: Cultivating and soliciting alumni, parent, and friend prospects
  • Donor Stewardship: Cultivating, soliciting, and providing stewardship of prospects with an emphasis on increasing financial commitment to School priorities.
  • Prospect Management: Managing a prospect pool of 150 names.
  • Prospect Identification: Identifying and rating new prospects capable of making gifts of $100,000 or more.
  • Strategic Donor Engagement: Providing individualized and strategic stewardship contact for existing major gift donors.
  • Proposal Writing: Writing gift proposals and other materials.
  • Event Representation: Representing the School at regional and on-campus events.
  • Volunteer Management: Identifying, recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers.
  • Volunteer Development: Cultivating regional volunteers for future leadership roles on Harvard Chan boards, committees, and councils.
  • Volunteer Networking: Working strategically with volunteers to encourage them to build bridges and utilize networks to help Harvard Chan develop stronger relationships with other prominent alumni, parents, and friends.

10. Development Director Tasks

  • Volunteer Engagement: Engaging volunteers in the prospect identification and evaluation process.
  • Volunteer Management: Overseeing select prospect assignments to volunteers, including providing pre- and post-contact support and, as appropriate, accompanying volunteers on cultivation/solicitation visits.
  • Volunteer Communication: Keeping volunteers informed about the School, University, and fundraising priorities.
  • Strategic Planning Collaboration: Working closely with the Executive Director on individual prospects, special events, and the development of the overall strategic plan for a particular region and/or projects.
  • Fundraising Support: Assisting fundraising staff, including colleagues in the University Development Office (UDO), as well as School/Center development officers and Alumni Affairs staff.
  • Event Participation: Attending and supporting staff fundraising visits by School and University leaders (e.g., President, Deans, or faculty members) and by senior administrators, including the Vice Dean and other senior development officers.
  • Event Coordination: Working closely with other Major Gift Officers and Alumni Affairs colleagues in the development of on-campus events.
  • Alumni Engagement: Programs that will lead to increased high-level involvement of local alumni, friends, and parents.
  • University Fundraising Support: Supporting the activity of University fundraising staff.

11. Development Director Roles

  • Fundraising Strategy: Lead the development and implementation of the organization’s fundraising strategy that will grow a community of supporters.
  • Relationship Management: Cultivate new and existing relationships with institutional funders and individual donors.
  • Donor Research: Research prospective donors and cultivate new relationships with community-based philanthropies and donors in the South.
  • Proposal Writing: Create and submit funding proposals and annual reports for institutional funders.
  • Campaign Development: Develop and oversee seasonal grassroots fundraising campaigns.
  • Fundraising Infrastructure: Develop and maintain systems for fundraising infrastructure, including a donor database and project management for campaigns.
  • Budget Support: Support the budget development process of both organizational and program budgets with the Finance and HR Manager.
  • Donor Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for donors.
  • Digital Strategy: Provide support for the implementation of a digital communications strategy.
  • Campaign Collaboration: Collaborate with the Director of Communications on seasonal campaigns.
  • Team Collaboration: Attend weekly staff meetings and participate in rotating facilitation.
  • Staff Retreat Participation: Participate in quarterly staff retreats and contribute to planning and facilitation.
  • Decision Making: Lead or join in consensus decision-making processes, including attending occasional strategic planning sessions and meetings with Press On board members.
  • Staff Evaluation: Work with the primary collaborator, the Director of Communications, on yearly staff evaluations.

12. Development Director Additional Details

  • Team Collaboration: Serve as a member of the OMA team.
  • Donor Relationship Management: Establish and maintain relationships with donors, including meeting with donors.
  • Solicitation Management: Serves as a solicitor for assigned donors and assigns solicitors for all major donors.
  • Fundraising Planning: Prepare and plan for the identified fundraising priorities for the year.
  • Donor Inquiry Response: Respond to questions from prospective donors.
  • Major Gift Solicitation: Participate in and shepherd major gift solicitations.
  • Fund Development Planning: Prepare annual plans for all fund development activities.
  • Budget Management: Manage the budget for fund development.
  • Annual Giving Management: Organize and manage all aspects and segments of annual giving, including the creation of appeals, online giving, and the development of a calendar.
  • Fund Development Operations: Oversee the daily operation of the fund development function, manage stewardship correspondence with constituents, and oversee acknowledgment of gifts.
  • Team Supervision: Supervise the database administrator, database assistants, and development volunteers.
  • Collaboration: Collaborate with the Eastern Province Development Office through scheduling and leading regular meetings to share ideas and best practices.
  • Data Analysis: Utilize and analyze data from fundraising software to provide proof of the effectiveness of the program on a daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
  • Proposal Writing: Manage the writing and editing of proposals, acknowledgment, and thank you letters.
  • Proposal Refining: Work with others within the office to refine and finalize proposals.

13. Development Director Essential Functions

  • Leadership Team Collaboration: Serve as a member of the school Leadership Team, working collaboratively to implement the mission of the Church and school and to support the vision of the principal.
  • Donor Relationship Management: Meet prospective donors and supporters continually to establish effective communications and relationships with them.
  • Major Gifts Program: Grow a major gifts program including identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major donors, current and prospective.
  • Alumni Partnership Management: Manages the SDA portion of the Diocese Alumni Partnership program.
  • Grant Management: Oversee grant opportunities that support and enhance the mission of the academy.
  • Planned Giving Program: Build the planned giving program with a focus on deferred gifts such as bequest expectancies.
  • Annual Fund Management: Direct the annual fund program, including mailings and annual fundraising drives.
  • Capital Campaigns: Direct capital campaigns and other major fundraising drives.
  • Collaboration: Work collaboratively with the principal, the Director of Development for the Diocese, the Business Manager, and the Board/Committee.
  • Donor Database Management: Oversee donor database and tracking systems, including donor recognition program.
  • Team Collaboration: Work and collaborate with other marketing and fundraising team members.
  • Publication Creation: Oversee the creation of publications to support fundraising activities.

14. Development Director Role Purpose

  • Mission Alignment: Embrace the mission of Project N95 and is passionate about forwarding its goals through partner relationships.
  • Fundraising Management: Organize fundraising initiatives and develop marketing campaigns.
  • Donor Outreach: Reach out to potential donors and oversee prospect research.
  • Donor Relationship Management: Maintain relationships with previous donors and gift recognition programs, updating the donor database and tracking systems.
  • Grant Writing: Write and/or oversee grant proposals on behalf of Project N95.
  • Public Engagement: Raise public awareness and make public appearances/accept speaking engagements.
  • Team Leadership: Build strong relationships with employees and oversee their progress, noting any issues or successes.
  • Process Improvement: Coordinate multiple team-wide procedures and work to improve existing processes for maximum clarity, efficiency, and success.
  • Reporting: Attend executive meetings and deliver progress reports to the Development team.
  • Innovation and Business Development: Research and pursue new initiatives and innovations to promote new business, better value for money, higher quality, service improvements, and enhanced customer experience.
  • Risk Management: Manage development risk, ensuring that data upon which investment decisions are to be made is comprehensive and robust and that appropriate risk mitigations are applied.
  • Social Value Delivery: Ensure that Social Value objectives are pursued and delivered through the Affordable Development program.
  • Compliance and Standards: Ensure that all schemes are assessed and processed following internal procedures, standards, and financial delegations, and are in line with the Group Probity and Procurement policies.
  • Organizational Development: Create a culture of constructive challenge, personal responsibility, and service improvement using accepted organizational development methods.
  • Team Management: Lead and manage the colleague team, ensuring that skills, capacity, training, and workloads are monitored and that appropriate delegation is maintained.

15. Development Director General Responsibilities

  • Strategy Delivery: Lead the delivery of the Affordable Development Strategy.
  • Program Management: Lead the development and delivery of the approved development program, manage the relationship with funders, and achieve program delivery against agreed targets.
  • Quality Assurance: Deliver high-quality, well-designed homes that the company can be proud of.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that all regulatory and statutory requirements are met in respect of development delivery.
  • Team Adaptation: Lead the team’s adaptation to changing regulations relating to building safety, planning reform, MMC, and carbon.
  • Relationship Management: Develop and maintain relationships and networks to create growth opportunities for the company.
  • Risk Management: Maintain financial and risk appraisal systems to minimize risk exposure and ensure value for money.
  • Financial Management: Effectively manage finance for all areas of responsibility, including setting, monitoring, and controlling budgets and program cashflows following the business plan and standing orders.
  • Health and Safety Compliance: Maintain Health and Safety compliance in respect of all development functions.
  • Business Development: Lead the identification of new business and development opportunities underachieving the strategy.
  • Market Analysis: Network and horizon scan new markets, products, partners, joint ventures, funding sources, and multi-tenure opportunities.
  • Procedure Compliance: Ensure that all development procedures are in line with current legislation, requirements of funders, and company policies.
  • Legislative Interpretation: Interpret existing and proposed legislation and apply relevant changes to development operations.
  • Feasibility Studies: Ensure that feasibility studies and financial appraisals of schemes are undertaken in line with agreed finance and development procedures and the Group’s financial parameters and risk management framework.
  • Bid Preparation: Lead the preparation of bids for funding, programs, land, new schemes, and wider opportunities with agreed timescales and financial parameters.
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