Director of Development - Homeless Services Network of Central Florida

Position Summary

The Homeless Services Network (HSN) of Central Florida is committed to the belief that everyone needs a safe place to call home. Our mission is to lead Central Florida's community-wide effort to make homelessness as rare and brief as possible through collaboration, data-driven strategy, capacity building and wise stewardship of knowledge and resources. We do this work in a way that treats people with dignity, uses trauma-informed care, and honors the perspective of those with lived experience. 

The Director of Development is responsible for generating revenue by cultivating new funding opportunities and donor relationships to encourage increased participation, corporate engagement, and individual giving to support the work of HSN. The Director of Development will also analyze existing and past fundraising efforts and lead or support grant-writing efforts. The person will work with the Director of Communications in refining the development strategy to align with the overall homeless response system communications. 

Skills and Abilities

• Have strong writing and speaking skills that can be used to compel individuals to action. 
• Be organized, prepared and detail-oriented to follow through on outreach and engagement of donors. 
• Be comfortable with donor databases and prospect research to aid in donor recruitment. 
• Make direct, face-to-face solicitations and assist the board and other staff with their solicitations, including strategic counsel and help with donor communication. 
• Help donors accomplish their philanthropic goals through a relationship with HSN. 
• Generate ideas to increase revenue and donor loyalty. 
• Be an enthusiastic leader able to work with a team toward a common goal. 
• Help to create print, digital and social media content. 
• Have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office. 
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability. 
• Have experience with online fundraising, email marketing, and internet research.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of Development is responsible for increasing unrestricted revenue to support the strategic objectives of HSN. Current revenue for HSN supports approximately $4M annually of internal expenses and more than $25M annually in community activities through contracts with landlords and nonprofit sub-recipients.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with the CEO, Director of Communications, HSN’s Board of Directors, and leaders of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness to develop, plan and execute strategies to improve unrestricted fund development. 
• Increase revenue through lead generation, solicitation, and development of new corporate and individual donors. 
• Lead and manage the development of engagement opportunities and products that meet the needs of corporate partners, including joining HSN’s CEO to make fundraising presentations. 
• Create and deliver development-related communication strategies for HSN that align with broader HSN communications, including creation of donor-related marketing materials. 
• Oversee contracted event planner activities associated with annual fund-development/awareness-raising event. 
• Work with CFO to track donations in accounting system while maintaining separate data system for tracking donors. 
• Report on donor development to CEO and HSN Board. 
• Research emerging practices on resource development strategies. 

Education and Experience

A bachelor’s degree in Philanthropy, Non-Profit Management, Business Administration, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications, Public Administration, or other related field with three (3) years’ experience; or equivalent background with five (5) years of experience working with nonprofit resource development.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Interest and passion about HSN’s mission with the ability to promote and communicate HSN’s philosophy, mission, and values to external and internal stakeholders. 
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with a customer-service focus.
• Ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, and boards to maximize performance, creativity, problem-solving, and results. 
• Knowledge of and experience in working with donor databases. 
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and computers, including email, internet and digital presentations. 
• Familiarity with homelessness, poverty, housing, mental health, recovery, and human services.
• Possess a valid driver's license and have access to a legally registered vehicle. 

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate in person or by telephone. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk and bend; to use his or her hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and to reach with his or her hands and arms. The employee must also be able to sit for extended periods of time. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects weighing up to 40 pounds.

Work Environment

The position involves attention to detail and extensive organizational skills. The employee will spend significant portions of time in the field, and sometime in the office setting. This is a full-time position requiring 40 hours per week. Additional hours are occasionally required. Work generally occurs Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. 

Conditions of Employment

• Provision of satisfactory references and completion of background investigation check. 
• Completion of a pre-employment drug screening and post-employment drug or alcohol tests upon reasonable suspicion of use. 
• Demonstrated computer literacy, which may be assessed through pre-employment testing. 
• Completion of HSN new employee orientation and ALL required paperwork prior to reporting to work. 
• Compliance with all HSN policies and procedures. 

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit cover letter and resume. Applicants that do not submit a cover letter will not be considered. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled.

This job description is not intended to provide, and should not be construed as providing, an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with a job. They are meant to be accurate reflections of the principal job elements essential for making fair and informed decisions about the job. Veterans and formerly homeless individuals are encouraged to apply.

Homeless Services Network of Central Florida [HSN] provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, HSN complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination