Development Director

Full-time, permanent, exempt position
Salary: $75,000–$80,000, based on experience
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 40 hours/week
Location: New York City; up to two remote workdays per week
Benefits: Comprehensive health coverage and generous paid time off, including a four-day summer workweek and seasonal office recesses
Preferred start date: November 1, 2026 or earlier

Visual AIDS seeks a Development Director to lead all aspects of fundraising and development, including institutional and individual giving, benefit events, and board engagement.

Working in close partnership with the Executive Director, the Development Director will be both a strategic and hands-on member of a small, collaborative staff. This is an exciting moment of growth at Visual AIDS, with significant opportunity to shape the next phase of our fundraising strategy and develop new sources of support.

Responsibilities

The Development Director will work closely with the Executive Director to set fundraising priorities and strategy, while taking primary responsibility for managing and implementing Visual AIDS's day-to-day development work. The role will also collaborate across the staff to connect development work with Visual AIDS's programs, communications, and broader organizational goals.

Institutional Giving

• Lead Visual AIDS's foundation, government, and corporate fundraising, including researching and cultivating prospective funders and developing strategies for renewed and increased support.
• Draft and edit grant proposals, reports, letters of inquiry, and other fundraising materials in collaboration with the Executive Director and program staff. Ensure that proposals, reports, and other funder requirements are completed accurately and on time.
• Develop and maintain relationships with foundation and corporate partners alongside the Executive Director.

Individual Giving

• Develop and implement strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, including annual appeals and direct outreach.
• Coordinate donor acknowledgments and stewardship and maintain accurate donor and giving records in Salesforce.
• Identify opportunities to deepen donor engagement with Visual AIDS's programs and community.

Benefit Events

• Take a leading role in planning and producing Visual AIDS's major fundraising events, including the annual Postcards from the Edge benefit and the biennial Visual AIDS Vanguard Awards, while identifying opportunities to evolve these events in ways that strengthen their fundraising impact and advance Visual AIDS's broader goals.
• Develop fundraising strategies and timelines and coordinate donation solicitation, benefit committees, board participation, volunteers, vendors, and event logistics.

Communications and Board Engagement

• Develop fundraising messaging and contribute copy for appeals, email campaigns, sponsorship materials, and other communications in collaboration with the Executive Director and Communications staff.
• Assist the Executive Director with board stewardship and quarterly board meetings and serve as a primary staff contact for board members regarding giving and fundraising.

What We're Looking For

Approach to the Work

The Development Director will be a close thought partner to the Executive Director, working together to strengthen Visual AIDS's fundraising strategy and identify opportunities for growth. They should approach fundraising as a form of relationship-building, creating meaningful connections with Visual AIDS's broad and diverse community and opportunities for people to participate in and support our work at different levels of giving.

Required Experience and Skills:

• At least 3 years of fundraising experience.
• Experience with nonprofit fundraising, including grant writing and fundraising events, and demonstrated success securing funding from a range of sources.
• Excellent professional writing and communication skills, including the ability to describe Visual AIDS's work compellingly to different audiences.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, with systems for meeting deadlines, accurately tracking donations, and ensuring consistent follow-up.
• Strong interpersonal skills and comfort building relationships with donors, funders, artists, board members, volunteers, and other members of Visual AIDS's community.
• Commitment to Visual AIDS's mission and to a workplace culture grounded in inclusion, openness, collaboration, and respect.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with individual giving, donor cultivation, and/or corporate sponsorships.
• Experience using Salesforce or another donor CRM and familiarity with email marketing and other fundraising communications platforms.
• Fundraising experience within an arts, culture, and/or social justice nonprofit.
• Interest or experience in contemporary art, art history, public history, and/or HIV and AIDS activism.

Schedule and Workplace

Visual AIDS maintains a collaborative, primarily in-person workplace with opportunities for flexible and hybrid work. Following a two-month introductory period, employees may work remotely up to two days per week and have greater flexibility in scheduling their work.

Visual AIDS staff are expected to attend public programs, benefits, openings, and other events, often during evenings or weekends. 

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position is $75,000–$80,000, based on experience.

Visual AIDS provides full-time employees with comprehensive benefits and a generous approach to paid time off, designed to support meaningful time away from work throughout the year.

Full-time employee benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 29 days of individual paid leave annually: 14 vacation days, 5 personal days, and 10 sick and safe leave days
• 11 paid holidays throughout the year
• Two paid seasonal recesses: Summer Recess during the week preceding Labor Day and Winter Recess from December 26–31
• A four-day workweek during the summer, with the office closed Fridays from Memorial Day through Labor Day
• Up to two remote workdays per week and flexible scheduling following the introductory period

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter describing your interest in the position and relevant fundraising experience. We ask that you briefly address the following in your cover letter:

• What types of fundraising have you worked on—such as foundation or government grants, individual giving, corporate sponsorships, or special events—and where is your experience strongest?
• What fundraising technology or communications platforms have you used, and how have you used them? This might include CRMs, email marketing platforms, social media, or prospect research tools.
• What is the approximate scale of the fundraising you have been responsible for? Please share one or two examples of funds you personally helped secure, including the type of funder and approximate amount.
• What skills or experiences would make you an effective fundraiser for Visual AIDS?

Send your cover letter, résumé, and references as a single PDF to jobs@visualaids.org with the subject line "Development Director Application — [Your Name]."

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. References will only be contacted at a later stage, with advance notice. The preferred start date is November 1, 2026 or earlier.