Senior Director of Development and Communications Hour Children

Hudson Ferris has been retained by Hour Children, a leading provider of services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State to execute a search for their Senior Director of Development and Communications. Senior Director of Development and Communications Why this role? Hour Children needs a senior fundraiser who can convert strategy into sustained, diversified revenue while building durable systems and a high-performing team. The CDO anchors individual giving growth (our biggest potential for revenue growth), orchestrates and leads the team in executing a multi-channel development plan, including a grant calendar, direct mail program, and targeted stewardship plan. This person will also be responsible for building upon and improving department, and in some cases organization-wide) SOPs to maintain overall effectiveness in Hour Children’s fundraising. Title & Reporting Title: Senior Director of Development and Communications Reports to: Executive Director Direct Reports: Institutional Giving Officer, Development Coordinator Core Responsibilities Revenue Strategy & Planning Build and own the annual development plan with channel goals for each fundraising channel (individual, major/legacy, foundations, corporate, events). Translate strategy into quarterly, monthly and weekly operating rhythms: prospect moves, grant calendar, stewardship touches, and campaign milestones. Re-evaluate and adjust development plan quarterly to align with FY 26 Budget progress. Individual & Major Gifts (Primary Focus) Lead moves management for top 50–75 prospects; partner with board and ED on joint visits and solicitations. Build a recurring/upgrade ladder and a legacy/estate stewardship track. Institutional Giving Oversight Supervise the grants pipeline (foundation, corporate, government LOIs, proposals, reports) ensuring narrative alignment with program capacity, as well as on-time submission for applications, reports, and renewals. Team Leadership & Systems Manage, coach, and set clear OKRs for the Institutional Giving Officer and Development Coordinator; drive SOP adoption (acknowledgments, data hygiene, grant workflow, stewardship). Ensure rigorous CRM (Bloomerang) use, prospect tagging, and activity logging; maintain a shared development calendar. Campaigns & Events Plan mini-campaigns tied to storytelling and program moments; oversee an efficient, ROI-positive event plan partnered with the Coordinator. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work with Program/Impact to surface outcomes and case studies; with Finance to align revenue forecasts; with Communications to implement the brand/message roadmap.