The Perfect Director of Development Resume Writing Tips

Do you want to apply for a Director of Development position to help you get closer to your career goals? Applying for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and other job boards can be a time-consuming process, however, to streamline the process, you can ensure your resume writing helps you to stand out from the crowd, and your online profile helps you to get an interview!

If a recruiter or hiring manager are looking for a Director of Development, they are searching for specific transferable skills. With less than ten people being interviewed for the job and hundreds of people, just like you, applying, The Perfect Resume team have created Resume Writing Tips to help you stand out from the others.

What do recruiters look for in a Director of Development resume or an online profile?

Tailoring your resume to a Director of Development position is mandatory today to ensure that your application will pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). In doing so, your resume will be read by the prospective employer. Then, fingers crossed, you will be shortlisted as a potential candidate and be called for not one, but multiple job interviews!

Firstly, before you apply to be a Director of Development, you need to be acquainted with what a Director of Development does!

Director of Developments handle the organisation’s fundraising efforts and philanthropic support.

Hiring Managers are looking for a spirited, self-motived and deadline-driven Director of Development to assist in setting and achieving fundraising goals, maintaining knowledge of fundraisers' interests, and cultivating relationships with fellow employees and volunteers. You will be an active participant in fundraising events, undertake vision trips, and maintain a social media presence.

To be successful as a Director of Development, you should have knowledge of necessary corporate procedures, be open to learning, and have strong communication skills. Ultimately, a high performing Director of Development should be able to achieve lasting relationships with donors and contribute to making the world a better place.

Knowing this, your resume and online profile should include the hard and soft skills that the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for in a candidate.

The Director of Development position description template will also contain pivotal information about what the candidate will need to do daily. Such as:

• Collaborating with the board of directors to create and implement a fundraising plan.
• Collaborating with the communications team to develop a digital fundraising strategy.
• Furnishing board with regular progress reports.
• Collaborating with a network to identify and build relationships with new donors.
• Maintaining relationships with existing sponsors.
• Obtaining financial support from individuals and organizations.
• Managing fundraising and special events.
• Generating development materials such as grants and case statements.
• Managing the implementation of development software.
• Managing staff responsible for data entry and gift processing.

You will also have some requirements and personal attributes that you will need to demonstrate in your resume to ensure your potential employer will take your application seriously, such as:

• Bachelor's degree in business, non-profit management, or related field.
• 4+ years of sales or business development experience.
• Proficient with sponsorship solicitation.
• Excellent computer skills.
• Proficient with MS Office applications and CRMs.
• Proficient with social media platforms.
• Excellent understanding of best practices.
• Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to work independently.

You may also want to do some industry research to find out what other companies want in their Director of Developments.