Senior Director of Development

About Us
Central is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual seminary with students learning with us from 35 states and 9 countries. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to creating an inclusive learning environment where students from varied ethnic, geographical, and theological backgrounds can pursue postsecondary seminary education that is accessible, affordable, and relevant.
 
While our administrative building is in Overland Park, Kansas, the seminary has 8 additional sites in 5 other states and 1 other country. In the spring of 2025, Central enrolled 415 students in certificate, diploma, master, and doctoral level programs, which are currently offered in English, Kachin, and Korean. About 75% of Central’s students identify as Asian, and 53% are female.
 
In recent years, our seminary has been on the leading edge of providing theological education that is inclusive of technological proficiency, and currently most course offerings are provided virtually.
 
About the Role
Central Seminary is seeking a Senior Director of Development (SDD) to serve as a key member of the leadership team. Reporting directly to the President, the SDD will bring a deep commitment to Central’s mission and will be responsible for leading and managing all fundraising efforts. The position requires both strategic leadership and hands-on management to ensure the successful implementation of Central’s development plan. This individual will play a vital role in generating revenue to support the institution’s long-term goals.
 
The position oversees the achievement of a $2.4 million annual philanthropic goal, within the context of a $4 million overall budget. The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of all key components of development, including:

• Identifying and cultivating major and planned giving donors
• Building relationships with church and denominational donors
• Creating annual and online giving campaigns
• Managing and conducting grant writing
• Creative and consistent stewardship

• Contributing positively to Central’s organizational culture and lead with our values of community, empathy, growth, and tenacity
• Engaging with Central staff, faculty, donors, alumni, students, and other community members to truly understand Central’s mission and vision and to gather stories for development communications
• Serving as advisor to the President on all development relationships and opportunities
• Representing development needs to the Leadership Team, ensuring organizational strategy is aligned with development strategy
• Designing, implementing, and overseeing comprehensive development and stewardship strategies to meet Central’s annual fundraising goals
• Updating existing development and stewardship plans annually with new ideas, industry best practices, and data-driven analysis
• Leading strategy and design for Central’s annual fund and major gift program
• Ensuring a strong and sustainable gift pipeline capable of meeting annual revenue targets by actively cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual, church, and foundation donors
• Creating a specific plan to cultivate and solicit the Korean community, students, and alumni
• Monitoring and reporting regularly on the progress of the development plan, providing actionable analysis for the President and board of directors
• Supervising a part-time development operations manager 

• Researching and designing moves management plans for major individual donors and supporting the President in execution of the plans; project managing the President’s fundraising work, while being responsible for a portfolio of up to 25 major donors
• Keeping tabs on all major donor relationships to ensure they’re moving forward and pinch hitting for the President as needed
• Utilizing data insights to identify potential major donors from Central’s pipeline and advancing those relationships
• Designing and executing annual appeals, with support from development operations manager
• Managing Central’s planned giving program  

• Identifying and pursuing relationships with potential foundation funders
• Managing the grant portfolio by authoring compelling grant proposals and completing grant reporting processes in a timely and efficient manner
• Crafting compelling, polished content that communicates clearly and effectively
• Managing relationship with Central’s contracted grant writing firm

• Establishing and monitoring annual and long-term revenue goals and budgets

• Designing and updating a regular progress-to-goal reports and development dashboard for the President and the board
• Leading the entry and management of development-related data, ensuring accuracy and integrity across all records and reports within Central’s CRM (Network for Good)
• Working closely with the finance team to support management of restricted funds and donor-required reporting

• A dynamic and poised professional who represents Central’s mission with genuine enthusiasm and authenticity
• An inclusive leader capable of working effectively and empathically in multi-cultural and multi-lingual environments
• A skilled project manager who excels at creating and implementing structured, actionable plans
• A personable individual who values and recognizes the significance of every person’s unique story
• An exceptional communicator and networker, adept at building relationships and fostering connections
• A confident public speaker who can think quickly and adapt in dynamic situations
• A meticulous professional who gives careful attention to detail and is committed to producing the highest quality results
• A self-motivated individual with a strong drive for success and continuous improvement
• A creative problem solver open to exploring innovative ideas and approaches
• A dedicated leader who knows how to leverage data and systems to effectively manage all development work and streamline team processes

• 5-8 years of nonprofit development experience; higher education fundraising experience preferred
• Proven experience as a fundraising generalist, with hands-on expertise in major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, and institutional giving/grant writing
• Bachelor’s degree; theological education is a bonus
• Experience managing and improving development operations, ranging from CRM management to budget monitoring to gift processing
• A proactive mindset to introduce innovative ideas independently, receptiveness to constructive feedback, and the determination to turn those ideas into reality
• A passion for doing transformative work with exceptional people while not taking yourself too seriously

• A “teamwork” mindset and the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness

• In-person three-to-four days a week in Overland Park, Kansas office
• Health, group life, and dental insurance
• Retirement contributions
• Paid time off
• Professional development provided
• The salary for this role is $100,000-$110,000

• Resume and cover letter