Fractional Development Director

Senior fundraising leadership, a few days a month, without the full-time salary.

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A full-time development director in Massachusetts costs $85,000 to $120,000 with benefits, and the average one stays about 18 months. For a nonprofit under $3M, that math rarely works. A fractional development director gives you the same senior judgment, someone who has run annual funds, grants, campaigns, and events, for a fixed monthly fee, with systems built so your team can carry the work forward.

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WHAT I TAKE ON

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Annual fund: calendar, segmentation, appeal copy, and the follow-up that most shops skip.

 

Grants: research, calendar, writing, and reporting, so deadlines stop being surprises.

 

Stewardship: acknowledgment, donor communications, and the personal touches that turn one-time gifts into recurring ones.

 

Board support: fundraising plans board members can actually execute, and coaching for the ones who dread the ask.

 

Systems: CRM cleanup, data hygiene, and reporting your executive director can read in one page.

 

Events: strategy and production for fundraising events that net money, not just goodwill.

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HOW ENGAGEMENTS WORK

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1. Assessment (first 30 days): I review your donor data, past appeals, grant history, and board structure, and deliver a one-page fundraising plan with the three things that will move the number.

2. Ongoing (month 2 onward): a set number of days per month, a standing weekly check-in with your executive director, and a monthly dashboard.

3. Handoff: everything is documented. When you're ready to hire full-time, I help you write the job description and onboard the person.​

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WHO THIS IS FOR

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Nonprofits on the South Coast and across Massachusetts and New England with budgets between $500K and $5M: organizations with a mission that deserves a real development program and no one yet to run it. I work with human services, education, arts, faith-based, and environmental organizations, and I understand what it's like to be the only fundraiser in the building.

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PRICING

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Monthly retainers are scoped by days per month, with a three-month minimum. That's a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire, with no benefits, recruiting, or turnover costs. The first conversation is free.

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Based in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Available on-site across the South Coast, including New Bedford, Fall River, Westport, Fairhaven, Wareham, and the Cape, and remotely throughout New England. Email jesika@jesikadavis.com to start the conversation.