POSITION DESCRIPTION

Eco-Cycle’s Development Director is responsible for leading Eco-Cycle’s fundraising program to help secure revenues to fund our Zero Waste work, including cultivating donors and corporate sponsors, overseeing foundation prospecting and grant writing, helping implement a capital campaign, and coordinating periodic fundraising events and end-of-year annual giving.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement Eco-Cycle’s fundraising strategy, in close coordination with the Executive Director and Board Development Committee:
  • Develop annual fundraising goals and plan
  • Coordinate board and staff participation in overall fundraising strategy and specific fundraising opportunities
  • Report to Board on progress toward fundraising goals
  • Identify and pilot additional fundraising opportunities
• Maintain corporate relations and cultivate new corporate sponsors:
  • Research potential new corporate partnerships
  • Solicit sponsors for Eco-Cycle events, etc.
  • Coordinate opportunities for Executive Director, department directors, or board members to pitch corporate representatives
• Sustain individual donor relations and cultivate new donors:
  • Coordinate donor cultivation efforts with the Executive Director
  • Meet regularly with current and potential donors
  • Coordinate bimonthly communications with high donors
  • Oversee donor recognition process (thank-you letters)
• Oversee foundation prospecting and grant writing, working with a contracted grant writer to:
  • Research grant opportunities and appropriate matches
  • Write grants, or support writing of grants by department directors
  • Track grants calendar, submissions, grants received and reporting requirements
  • Write or assist with grant reports and ensure timely submission of reports
  • Maintain file of up-to-date grant attachments
• Work with Board Chair, Executive Director, and Capital Campaign Committee and contracted third-party expertise to implement next phases of a Capital Campaign:
  • Be the staff lead for Phase III (Campaign Planning), including refining the campaign strategy, case for support, gift table, prospect pipeline, campaign timeline, and campaign infrastructure
  • Coordinate and support the implementation of Phase IV (Quiet Phase) by developing donor cultivation and solicitation strategies, managing campaign communications and prospect tracking, preparing campaign materials, and supporting board engagement
  • Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board Capital Campaign Committee and external campaign consultants, ensuring alignment, accountability, and timely execution of campaign milestones
• Manage Eco-Cycle’s annual giving program:
  • Write End-of-Year annual appeal, and coordinate message, printing, distribution
  • Manage Colorado Gives Day and other donation conduits (Community Shares, Benevity, Easy Match, 1% for the Planet, etc.), including updating profiles annually, creating fresh appeals, and submitting membership recertification applications
  • Ensure matching gift opportunities are maximized (e.g., volunteers’ and donors’ employers)
• Coordinate periodic fundraising and cultivation opportunities:
  • Be the lead organizer for fundraising or “friend-raising” events, large and small
  • Ensure other Eco-Cycle events have fundraising elements (aka silent auction, etc.)
• Oversee Eco-Cycle’s fundraising database:
  • Manage and track donors, prospects, etc. on EveryAction database (currently under conversion from Salesforce)
  • Oversee accurate entry and timely recognition of all gifts (checks, cash, credit cards, EFT, and online, including GiftTool and Colorado Gives) into database and coordinat with accounting department on donations and grants communications, accounting, tracking, etc.
• Work with the Communications Director and staff to create fundraising content and collateral:
  • Provide support for content in Eco-Cycle’s Annual Report, working with company directors to create content, including program updates, financials, etc.
  • Identify, capture, and help to create fundraising stories
  • Create content for Social Media, working with Comms staff to develop/update fundraising messaging for website, Eco-Cycle e-newsletters, and different social media outlets
• Oversee and manage part-time contract support and additional staff support as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

Successful candidate must:

• Have a minimum of five to seven years demonstrated fundraising success.
• Have exceptional writing, grammar, and communications skills, including strong presentation skills.
• Enjoy talking with and working with other people.
• Take initiative, and be entrepreneurial, self-motivated, and team-oriented.
• Be highly organized and have good project management skills.
• Ideally, be a passionate sustainability advocate/conservationist.
• Capital campaign and event coordination experience a plus

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The position is for 40 hours per week, generally during working hours from 9:00 am–5:00 pm, with occasional evening and weekend events. Strong preference for staffer to be on-site, but some in-person/remote hybrid flexibility is possible. Compensation range is $85,000–$105,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, depending on experience and expertise, plus benefits.

Benefits include:

• EcoPass to ride local and regional buses and trains for free.
• Paid time off, including six paid holidays, plus two paid Personal Days off per year; accrued vacation starting at 20 days/year; accrued sick leave.
• Health benefits, beginning after 30 days, including health, dental, and vision; plus Life insurance, and Short-Term and Long-Term disability, including parental leave.
• Retirement benefits, beginning to accrue after one year, with a 403(b) retirement plan that employer will match up to 3%.

TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter and resume to recycle@ecocycle.org with “Development Director” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Interviewing will begin the week of September 21, 2026. No phone calls or drop-ins, please.