Development Director

What We Need

Cascade Bicycle Club is seeking an experienced, people-centered, strategic fundraising professional to serve as the next Director of Development. The Director of Development will serve this dynamic, well-established, and respected organization by demonstrating a passion for bicycling and for growing the influence and impact in pursuing the organization’s mission..

Who We Are

Cascade Bicycle Club, the nation's largest statewide bicycle nonprofit, is 9,500-members, 55-years old, and 51-staff strong, serving bike riders of all ages and abilities throughout the state of Washington. We teach the joys of bicycling, advocate for safe places to ride, and produce community rides and events. Our signature programs include the Seattle to Portland ride, the Pedaling Relief Project, advocacy for connected trail networks and on-street bike networks in Seattle and across the Puget Sound Region, Your Streets Your Say, Free Group Rides, Adult Classes, Let's Go, and the Major Taylor Project.

Washington Bikes promotes the health, safety, environmental, and economic benefits of bicycling. We advocate for people who bike, endorse political candidates, and hold officials accountable. We collaborate with community members and public officials to shape policies and investments in active transportation that create equitable, sustainable, and thriving communities across Washington state.

Our Values:

• Equity - We lead with a racial equity lens to eliminate inequities in community health outcomes and in mobility and transportation access. Bicycles are a tool for liberation.
• Climate Justice & Clean Air - Bicycles are clean, healthy, and an affordable solution to help solve the climate crisis, clean our air, reduce transportation pollution, and create sustainable communities.
• Community - We create opportunities for people to come together by removing barriers and fostering a sense of belonging. Bicycles are an integral part of creating connected, equitable and thriving communities.
• Safety - Safety is a right; we champion spaces that foster physical and emotional wellbeing.
• Collaboration - We share power, resources, and knowledge as a means to enrich lives and form mutually beneficial partnerships. We celebrate the existing strengths of our partners and participants and seek to be an accessible asset for others.

For a detailed description of the organization and its programs, please visit http://www.cascade.org or http://www.wabikes.org

What You’ll Bring

Cascade Bicycle Club is looking for a Development Director that will lead a six person team, work closely with the Executive Director, serve on the Leadership Team, and develop and implement a community centric giving strategy that will lay the foundation for sustainable success for many years to come. The work is primarily focused on strategic visioning, relationship building, and securing large-scale gifts. Cascade’s development portfolio of approximately $1.7 million for FY2026 includes individual giving, corporate sponsorship, grants, and membership dues. Revenue from the development department accounts for approximately 11% of the organization’s overall revenue in 2026. The Development Director will be responsible for growing development revenues to $1.9 million annually by 2028.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Development Director will develop and execute strategic, diversified development plans to raise funds through grant writing, individual giving, and corporate event and program sponsorship. The Development Director is responsible for leading the development team, leveraging existing organizational relationships, and managing a portfolio of major donors and institutions via prospecting, community engagement, and event attendance, and other activities as needed to build a robust grant and major gift portfolio.

Skills and Competencies

Strategic Management and Inspirational Leadership

• In partnership with the Executive Director and the Cascade Bicycle Club board, develop and implement a strategic and diversified fundraising plan that meets the current goal of raising $1.7M from individuals and institutions, and anticipate future needs and growth objectives.
• Collaborate with Donor Relations Officer to create strategies to identify and secure new individual supporters, fully leverage existing relationships, and increase annual and planned giving.
• Work with Corporate Partnerships Officer to develop strategies to identify and secure partnerships with corporations and foundations that reflect their marketing and business needs as well as philanthropic and community engagement goals.
• Help shape organizational strategy and play a leadership role in developing the organization's 2027-2032 strategic plan as a member of the Leadership Team.
• Work collaboratively with other departments on a frequent basis to support donor stewardship and engagement.
• Develop annual department expense budget and forecast contributed income sources for organizational budget.
• Promote a culture of community centric philanthropy amongst staff, board, and donors.

Team Development and Management

• Directly supervise four employees and contract grant writer.
• Lead, supervise, train, motivate, coach, support, and partner with the development team to ensure that each employee meets their job goals and professional development objectives.
  • Create a development team in which all members take responsibility for team success and understand their roles in achieving team goals.
  • Create a trusting team culture that supports giving and receiving honest feedback, regularly assesses performance, destigmatizes mistakes, and is open to new ideas and approaches.
• Lead development efforts to be increasingly anti-racist by consistently addressing the structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions. Identify and implement changes that can produce more equitable outcomes.
• Support the planning and execution of major fundraising events with the Development Team, including an annual lunch and specialty market events.

Board Management

• In concert with the Executive Director, the Director of Development will engage the Board to meet critical financial goals for the organization.
• Primary relationship manager for Development Committee and development-focused board members.
• Maintain Board engagement (both financially and otherwise) to ensure Board retention and satisfaction.

Fundraising and Donor Relations

• Develop strategies and programs that recruit, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors giving or capable of giving $10,000 and above annually, and significant planned gifts. Develop and manage special campaigns and planned gifts.
• Implement strategies to increase the number of donors giving at all levels and grow donor giving year-over-year through engagement and cultivation.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a diverse base of individual donors, including board members, Cascade members and event participants
• Prepare and write personalized proposals, reports, letters, emails, notes, and other documents, as needed.
• Provide industry knowledge, monitor industry trends, and implement best practices.
• Develop, identify, implement, and track a high-level, customized cultivation and solicitation strategy for each individual in the Executive Portfolio.
• Manage and support the development responsibilities of the Executive Director, which includes focusing and prioritizing the Executive Director’s development-related time and duties, scheduling meetings with donors, partnering on meetings with donors, and more.

Race and Equity

• Sustain and grow a program that integrates an understanding of the intersections of race, class, power, and privilege in our development work, particularly through our engagement with donors.
• Build long-lasting transformational (not transactional) relationships with Cascade and Washington Bikes donors by treating them as partners, engaging them how they wish to engage, and asking them to give us their full financial support.
• Participate in Cascade’s race equity work. This may include serving on our Race and Equity committee, supporting Cascade race equity practices, participating in Race and Equity trainings, etc.
• Lead the implementation of community centric fundraising practices within the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience raising annual budgets over $2M
• Ideal candidates will have an awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit bias.
• A personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• A minimum of 3 years of people and department management and supervision experience, including the ability to motivate, lead, set objectives, and foster an environment of creativity and professional growth, and doing so in a manner that is inclusive and promotes equity is preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of related experience, with progressive responsibility and a proven track record of soliciting, closing, and stewarding 5 and 6-figure gifts with major donors, corporations and foundations is preferred.
• Exceptional initiative, vision, and ambition to lead a vibrant development program.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills.
• Experience developing successful written donor communications and marketing materials.
• Strong organizational and administrative skills, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress toward achieving objectives.
• Experience with donor database management and systems to track campaigns and ensure complete, secure, and private donor and campaign records. Advanced skill in Excel and Salesforce is a plus.

Job Details

This position is full-time exempt and remote-hybrid eligible. Generally, work can be done off-site, provided there is no loss to team collaboration, the needs of the organization, and the essential functions of the position. However, residence in Washington state and the ability to come into the office five to seven days a month are required. Some weekend and evening work may be required along with overnight travel 2 to 4 times per year. This includes two regular monthly evening meetings, presence at selected rides and events, and other donor engagement activities. Typical weekly hours for this position are 9 to 5.

Cascade Bicycle Club is on a journey to becoming an anti-racist organization. We strongly encourage applications from people who have historically been underrepresented in the bicycle industry, advocacy, and nonprofit work.

Cascade is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to diversity, racial equity, and inclusion. Cascade does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, genetic information, marital status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination. We strive to have a diverse board, staff, and volunteer base that is reflective of the communities we serve. This position is subject to reference checks and the completion of a background check. Cascade will consider qualified applicants for employment pursuant to the Seattle Fair Chance Employment Ordinance and Washington State Fair Chance Act.

Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement

If hired, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination.

Hiring Timeline

Estimated date of hire for this position is March 1, 2026. Priority will be given to applications received by January 2, 2026.