Director of Development
About the Organization
Assistance Canine Training Services (ACTS), a nonprofit founded in 2007 by Dorothy Hyde-Williams in memory of her son Nate, is dedicated to raising, training, and placing service dogs with individuals facing physical disabilities, as well as facility dogs in therapeutic settings such as schools and hospitals. Headquartered in the Mount Washington Valley and accredited by Assistance Dogs International, ACTS is committed to fostering independence and emotional support for those in need. Our ACTS of Compassion Therapy Dog Program provides comfort to thousands in hospitals, schools, and care facilities each year. Central to ACTS' mission is a strong volunteer program where local puppy raisers play a vital role in our dogs' development, lead our therapy dog program, and engage in community outreach.
About the Job
Position Overview
In this newly created position, the Director of Development will be responsible for defining and executing ACTS’ first formal development program. As such, you’ll be tasked with educating the Executive Director, senior staff, and the Board on fundraising best practices while putting in place structure and strategies for mission-aligned sustainable growth. Success in this role will require experience as a development generalist along with initiative, patience, and organizational pragmatism.
Our training facilities and offices are located in New Hampshire’s picturesque Mount Washington Valley – through an affiliation with a University of Vermont student club we also have dogs with student puppy raisers on UVM’s Burlington campus.
Responsibilities
• Build, cultivate, and deliver sustainable financial support through fundraising initiatives including donor management and relations, planned and annual giving, capital campaigns, major gifts, grants, corporate and foundation giving, and stewardship.
• Identify top individual and institutional gift prospects whose philanthropy and values align with ACTS’ mission of dogs helping people and successfully execute tailored engagement plans.
• Conceive, lead, and facilitate fundraising events – open hearts and wallets through effective public education (e.g., demonstrations, success stories), speaking engagements, etc.
• Set budget, income forecasts, fundraising, and annual development plans; monitor and analyze financial data and apply sound data-driven decision making to determine priorities or modify objectives.
• Provide critical information for the management of data in Salesforce (donor management system) and online giving outlets. Ensure the accuracy of entity, gift, and prospect management records. Generate reports for Board meetings, impact statements, year-end donation summaries, etc.
• Respond to donations via a letter, email, hand-written note or phone call. Draft acknowledgement and other templates – leverage software applications (mail mergers and digital marketing platforms) to create targeted outreach and engagement.
• Contribute creatively to public relations and social media initiatives that increase the public’s awareness of ACTS’ mission and build brand loyalty.
• Stay abreast of philanthropic, economic, and social trends related to fundraising and the service-dog industry.
Requirements, Skills, Desirable Traits
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience. To be considered candidates must offer a minimum of 3 years’ experience in Donor Management and Relations, fundraising, securing major gifts or corporate sponsorships. CNP, CFRE, or CGW certifications a plus.
• As ACTS’ Director of Development it’s imperative that you’re an independent self-starter who can prioritize first steps vs. longer-term objectives and introduce best practices scaled for a small nonprofit.
• An innate and proactive project manager (a dog lover and herder of cats) who can capably plan/steer projects with affiliates and volunteers AND celebrate wins.
• Strong written, verbal, proofreading, and presentation skills – effectively convey strategy, vision, and mission to diverse audiences.
• Computer proficiencies including MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Donor Management Systems, Gmail, and Digital Marketing Platforms (e.g., Constant Contact, Classy), and online giving outlets.
• Ideally, you love dogs and are well versed in the many ways dogs provide companionship, comfort, empathy, and independence as it relates to service dogs and animal-assisted therapy dogs (e.g., physical/psychological therapy practices, community resource, schools, hospitals, courthouses, crisis response).
Pertinent Details
• Reports to the Executive Director.
• Full-time 40 hours with flexibility for occasional weekends or evenings (special events).
• Remote/Hybrid but based in the Northeast preferably within a three-hour drive to North Conway, NH.
• Up to 20% travel time is possible.
• Salary commensurate with experience.
• Benefits package includes health insurance, retirement, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, and paid time off.
Interested candidates please submit a cover letter with salary requirements and resume to: Careers@assistancecanine.org