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.
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 respo