The posting
Lead a fundraising program that's already working.
KSPS PBS has served the Inland Northwest and Western Canada for nearly 60 years, connecting communities through trusted public media. We are looking for an experienced fundraiser and emerging or established leader to guide a strong, growing philanthropy program generating approximately $4.8 million annually.
If you've looked at Development Director positions lately, you've probably seen some daunting ones.
This is not a turnaround role, and you will not be expected to fundraise alone.
You'll inherit an experienced eight-person team, a deeply loyal donor base, a growing major gifts program, a maturing planned giving program, an endowment approaching $5 million, and fundraising performance that is already exceeding expectations.
You'll also have something every fundraiser deserves: an executive team and board that understand fundraising is an organizational responsibility, not one person's job.
Our Board of Directors participates in fundraising and maintains 100% board giving. Our President and General Manager spent three successful years leading this same development department and remains actively involved in donor cultivation and solicitation. The previous Development Director served for ten years.
The position is open because of internal advancement, not turnover or poor performance.
Our development team is tenured, growing, and delivering strong annual results. The foundation is here. Your job is to lead it into its next chapter.
About KSPS PBS
KSPS PBS is the public television station serving the Inland Northwest and Western Canada. Our philanthropy program includes membership and annual giving, major and planned giving, corporate underwriting, and development operations.
A note for candidates watching the public media landscape: with the 2025 loss of federal funding nationwide, some assume every public media organization is in financial distress.
KSPS PBS is the counterexample.
Our revenue has always come overwhelmingly from donors and community support, not federal dollars. KSPS PBS holds approximately $12.1 million in total assets, $9.3 million in net assets, and more than two years of liquid operating reserves. We have recorded five consecutive years of operating surpluses, and net assets have more than doubled since 2019.
Our current fiscal year is running approximately 11% ahead of fundraising goals.
Don't take our word for it. Our Form 990s are public through ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer under "Friends of KSPS," and we encourage candidates to look.
The Opportunity
The loss of approximately $1.2 million in annual federal support created a significant challenge, but our community responded.
Supporters across the Inland Northwest and Western Canada have stepped forward in remarkable ways, substantially narrowing the resulting revenue gap. The next Director of Philanthropy & Fundraising will help us retain and deepen those relationships while continuing a three-year strategy to replace lost federal support with sustainable, diversified philanthropic revenue.
We believe the goal is ambitious. We also believe it is achievable, and we have invested in the people, donor relationships, systems, reserves, and organizational support necessary to pursue it responsibly.
Reporting to the President and General Manager, you'll lead an eight-person development team responsible for membership, major and planned giving, corporate underwriting, and development operations.
This is both a leadership and frontline fundraising position, but it is not an expectation that the Director personally execute every fundraising function. You are here to lead a capable team, develop strategy, build relationships, and personally engage where senior-level involvement has the greatest impact.
In this role, you will:
- Lead, coach, and support an experienced development team, setting clear goals while fostering accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and sustainable workloads.
- Develop and execute fundraising strategy across a diversified $4.8 million annual philanthropy program.
- Lead the organization's three-year strategy to replace approximately $1.2 million in lost federal funding through sustainable philanthropic revenue.
- Personally manage a focused portfolio of approximately 25–40 major donor prospects, partnering closely with the President and General Manager on cultivation and solicitation.
- Strengthen donor stewardship, retention, moves management, and pipeline development.
- Partner with an engaged Board of Directors that maintains 100% board giving and participates in supporting the organization's philanthropic goals.
- Oversee a $1.6 million annual development budget and align fundraising investments with organizational strategy.
- Use data, CRM tools, segmentation, forecasting, and performance measures to inform decisions and identify opportunities.
- Continue strengthening major and planned giving while protecting the successful annual giving and membership programs that provide a strong foundation for KSPS PBS.
- Help shape the next generation of philanthropy at an organization with nearly six decades of community trust.
Requirements
Who We're Looking For
We care more about whether you can lead this work successfully than whether you've already held this exact title.
You may already be a Development Director or Director of Philanthropy. Or you might be a successful Major Gifts Officer, Development Manager, Annual Giving leader, Planned Giving professional, or other experienced fundraiser who is ready to lead a department.
You do not need to have been a Development Director before.
We are especially interested in candidates who can demonstrate leadership through project leadership, mentoring, cross-functional work, volunteer leadership, campaign management, or other experiences, even if their current position has not included formal direct reports.
You bring:
- Significant professional fundraising experience, with demonstrated growth in responsibility and results.
- A track record of building donor relationships and successfully soliciting philanthropic support.
- Experience with, or strong understanding of, multiple fundraising channels.
- Demonstrated leadership ability and readiness to coach, support, and hold a professional team accountable.
- Strong analytical skills and comfort using CRM systems and data to guide strategy.
- The ability to think strategically while understanding the operational details that make fundraising programs successful.
- A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- CFRE certification is welcomed. If you are not currently certified, KSPS PBS will support appropriate professional development toward certification.
You are:
- A collaborative, emotionally intelligent leader who builds trust.
- A fundraiser who understands that sustainable philanthropy is built through relationships, not simply increasingly aggressive revenue targets.
- Curious about data and willing to question assumptions.
- Comfortable giving talented staff room to do their jobs.
- Calm under pressure and steady in politically sensitive or highly visible environments.
- A thoughtful builder who can improve successful systems without assuming everything needs to be reinvented.
- Deeply aligned with the mission and values of public media.
- Comfortable working in genuine partnership with a President and Board who are actively engaged in philanthropy.
What You Won't Be Walking Into
We know experienced fundraisers have seen positions where the reality didn't match the job posting, so we want to be unusually clear about what you'll find here.
You will not inherit a development department in crisis. The team is experienced, growing, and producing strong results.
You will not be the organization's only fundraiser. You'll lead an eight-person development team with established responsibilities across fundraising disciplines.
You will not inherit an empty donor pipeline. KSPS PBS has a large, longstanding donor base, an established annual giving program, growing major giving activity, and a maturing planned giving program.
You will not have an executive who thinks fundraising is solely your responsibility. Our President and General Manager previously led this department and continues to cultivate and solicit donors alongside the Director.
You will not have a board that refuses to participate. Our Board of Directors maintains 100% board giving and actively supports fundraising.
You will not be expected to live at work. This is primarily a weekday leadership position with limited evening commitments and travel.
We will expect a lot from our next Director. In return, we believe fundraising leaders deserve the staff, resources, partnership, realistic expectations, and organizational commitment necessary to succeed.
A Sustainable Leadership Role
Fundraising leadership is demanding work. We have intentionally structured this position to make a senior nonprofit career compatible with having a life outside of work.
The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with one remote workday per week available after 90 days.
Evening commitments generally average one or two per month and are typically tied to donor cultivation, station events, or community engagement. Travel is limited, generally consisting of one or two professional conferences annually plus occasional regional donor visits.
We want our next Director of Philanthropy & Fundraising to do exceptional work here and want to stay.
Why Spokane?
Spokane offers a rare combination of meaningful professional opportunity and quality of life. Residents enjoy short commutes, a lower cost of living than most major West Coast cities, a thriving arts and restaurant scene, and immediate access to hiking, skiing, lakes, rivers, and other outdoor recreation.
As the economic and cultural hub of the Inland Northwest, Spokane offers the amenities of a growing metropolitan area while remaining accessible and community oriented.
Benefits
Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate.
Compensation: $100,000–$115,000, commensurate with experience and credentials.
Benefits include:
- Medical with dependent coverage available
- Employer paid dental insurance with dependent coverage available
- Employer-paid life insurance
- Employer paid short-term and long-term disability coverage
- 401(k) eligibility after 3 months of service days, including an automatic 3% annual employer contribution
- Paid vacation
- Paid sick leave
- Up to 12 paid holidays
- One remote workday per week after 90 days
- Limited evening and travel expectations
- Professional development opportunities
Are you Interested, But Not Sure You Check Every Box?
Please apply anyway.
Fundraising careers don't always follow a straight line, and we are not looking for a mythical candidate who has already done every part of this job.
We're looking for a talented fundraiser with strong judgment, demonstrated leadership potential, curiosity, integrity, and the ability to build relationships with donors and colleagues.
If you've built a successful fundraising career and are ready for the opportunity to lead a strong team, we'd like to hear from you.
