Director, Development

CHILDRENS DEFENSE FUND•Washington, DC

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The primary responsibility of this national leadership position is ensuring enterprise-wide coordination and evaluation of resource generation efforts to advance the mission. The Development Director supports the President & CEO in crafting fund development strategy for institutional support with integrated workplans and manages the team staffing these efforts. The leader provides and/or assures mentoring, supervision, and professional development for Development team members and support for State and Regional Directors for fund development. The secondary responsibility of the Development Director is managing a dedicated portfolio of high-net-worth individual donors and national funders in partnership with the President & CEO, Managing Director, Executive Office, and Chief Strategy Officer. The ideal candidate will have a successful track record of philanthropic relationship management fundraising and campaign success, superior proposal and professional writing skills, a well-informed knowledge of the funding landscape, an orientation to servant leadership in their managerial posture, and excellent organizational skills.

Requirements

A minimum of seven years of relevant experience working within the nonprofit sector.
Bachelor’s degree required. Years of education may be considered for experience. Years of experience may be considered for education.
Proven track record of success stewarding campaigns and securing six and seven-figure commitments from institutions or individuals.
Experience developing and implementing institutional and individual funding strategies.
Successful supervision and mentorship of the work of others to ensure timely funding of submissions and reports.
Proficiency in using Office 365, relationship management software and foundations databases.
Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or RE NXT; Foundations Online.
Orientation to and background of servant leadership
Passion for CDF's mission and purpose with ability to communicate this passion to others
Ability to serve as an advocate and exemplar for the vision, values, and mission of the Children’s Defense Fund
Demonstrated strong relational skills
Self-starter capable of working independently and under tight and sometimes competing deadlines.
Ability to work effectively and maintain positive relationships with internal staff members and external constituents.
Commitment to continuous learning and professional development; keeping pace with philanthropic landscape and best practices.
Superb written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
Preference for and comfort within diverse, inclusive environments and organizations
Community awareness and prioritization of proximity to inform decisions
Relationship and consensus building with diverse stakeholders
Ability to build and successfully navigate in a fast-paced, outcomes-driven, and entrepreneurial environment
A well-organized individual with high ethical standards
A self-directed individual who is an independent thinker and a team player
Analytical ability is required to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to business challenges

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
CFRE certification.
Experience securing funds for national organizations with regional structures.

Responsibilities

Serve as a member of CDF’s National leadership Team, collaborating with other business unit leaders
Lead the coordination CDF’s fundraising efforts to align with the organization’s overarching vision
Develop and manage annual budget for CDF Development team
Directly supervise Advancement/Development Associate to build their skills and confidence to mentor, encourage, and motivate staff and volunteers
Synthesize data and inputs effectively and communicate results so that others easily understand
Develop and advance strategies aimed at improving overall organizational and revenue performance, efficiency and process improvements, and enhanced donor experience
Deploy resources efficiently and effectively to achieve goals while balancing workload and effort and providing regular feedback to improve performance
Nurture a high performing culture aligned with CDF’s values: Justice. Equity. Compassion. Trust. Love.
Develop a team-based environment to motivate and inspire staff to work collaboratively toward CDF’s vision
Establish annual department and staff goals to track results against accountabilities and compensation philosophy
Lead fund development efforts through cultivation and communication with institutional and high-net-worth donors and prospects
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of external economic conditions, philanthropic trends and long-term financial needs impacting the sustainability of CDF
Identify, cultivate, and solicit gifts and grants from foundations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals, aligned with CDF’s Gift Acceptance Policy
Manage Grants consultancy on prospecting, grant submissions, and reports to funders
Steward high net worth donor, funders, and prospects, keeping them abreast of programs of interest, CDF trends and engagement opportunities
Write concept papers, proposals and create presentations, as necessary to close grants and report fulfilment of partnership agreements
Collaborate on strategy with program leads on ways existing and potential work could align with donor interests and how to position our work
Communicate with program leadership to stay informed of priorities, activities, and impact to support, advise, and collaborate on funding opportunities
Foster strategic connections and communications with donors, including keeping donors informed of CDF’s activities relevant to their interests and preparing talking points and background for CDF leaders prior to meetings with donors
Ensure follow-up pertaining to all assigned grants and sponsorship solicitations
Work with President & CEO and Managing Director of the Executive Office to set annual objectives
Implement appropriate fund development support workflows and infrastructure
Support CEO to develop and agree upon annual fund, unrestricted and restricted giving, capital campaign and endowment targets
Oversee the coordination, integration, and execution of revenue generation strategies to ensure the expectations of funders, donors, volunteers, and prospects are consistently met
Define and continually improve solicitation protocols that address the questions and concerns of each prospective donor, segmented by type, level, and fund
Oversee the involvement, identification, training and support of fundraising staff (National Leadership Team members) to coordinate solicitation activities
Work with Strategic Communications team to establish standards for stewardship, donor recognition, and institutional sponsorship, with particular emphasis on the proper use of logos, brands, naming and other recognition opportunities
Ensure successful adherence to grant and restricted giving agreements
Implement basic guidelines for sponsorship to preserve the integrity of the CDF brand
Strengthen stewardship and donor recognition program for all donor categories, and develop annual special events that boost institutional and individual fundraising efforts at the state and national levels
Develop human capital plans (including dedicated staff and external consultation) to achieve program objectives, then hire, deploy and support staff