Senior Development Director

Vote Mama • New York, NY

4h • $130,000 - $145,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Senior Director of Development joins Vote Mama at an exciting moment in the organization’s history. Since its inception five years ago, Vote Mama has grown revenue annually and built a strong base of early supporters. Now, we recognize the need to diversify and expand our funding base to sustain and fuel future growth.
Vote Mama seeks a seasoned, strategic, and mission-driven Senior Director of Development to build on the foundation laid by the existing Development team, and create a comprehensive fundraising strategy for Vote Mama PAC, Vote Mama Foundation (501(c)(3)), and Vote Mama Lobby (501(c)(4)). As part of their role, the Senior Development Director will oversee revenue generation across Vote Mama, including personally managing a major donor portfolio, and supporting the development team to successfully lead their existing portfolios, including but not limited to individual donors, Mama Fund giving circles program, events, email fundraising, and institutional partnerships.
The Senior Development Director reports to the Chief Operating Officer and works closely with the CEO, staff, and Vote Mama’s Board of Directors to meet our fundraising goals. The Senior Director is also charged with managing the Individual Giving Director and the Development Operations Manager.
This role is responsible for designing and executing high-impact fundraising strategies, including donor acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship, and expanding revenue across multiple channels (individual, institutional, corporate, and mission-aligned donors), with a particular focus on HNW individual and political donors. We’re seeking someone who thrives in high-visibility, high-stakes environments, brings deep knowledge of the political fundraising landscape, and is excited to lead the charge in diversifying and growing our donor base.

Requirements

• 8+ years of political fundraising experience, including in supervisory roles, with at least some experience in national campaign fundraising;
• Demonstrated track record of cultivating and maintaining relationships with a large network of major donors, including national political donors.
• Experience building and executing political fundraising strategies;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated success in team leadership and management;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and on a variety of tasks simultaneously;
• Strong applied computer skills, with a deep understanding of CRMs (Salesforce, NGP);
• Demonstrated success in managing a substantial fundraising portfolio;
• Thorough understanding of, respect for, and adherence to professional and financial ethics;
• Ability to travel as needed for Vote Mama events.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing fundraising via a complex set of legal entities spanning 501(c)(4), hybrid PAC, and 501(c)(3) organizations;
• Experience building donor portfolios for start-ups or a growing organization.
• Experience managing fundraising events;
• Experience in managing external stakeholders, advisors, or vendors;
• Demonstrated ability working with remote employees, in a fully remote work environment;
• Successful experience managing budgets.

Responsibilities

• Create and execute a long-term strategic fundraising plan for Vote Mama PAC, Foundation, and Lobby, and achieve annual and multi-year fundraising goals for all three entities.
• Work closely with the Leadership team (CEO, COO) and the Board of Directors on fundraising opportunities and priorities, with support from development team members;
• Design and drive a comprehensive political fundraising strategy to fortify candidate support services and fuel increased candidate contributions.
• Build upon funding strategies to drive continued impact in Vote Mama’s research and advocacy programs;
• Establish and scale a fundraising model that is characterized by strategic, long-term, major-gifts-focused relationship development;
• Provide alignment between Vote Mama’s fundraising strategy and organizational priorities in partnership with the Leadership team.
• Strategically increase the organization’s fundraising capacities, developing new, high-dollar, long-term donors through deep, meaningful cultivation efforts.
• Personally manage a portfolio of major individual donors and achieve annual fundraising targets;
• Expand portfolio of HNW individual donors, with particular focus on high-impact national political donors;
• In partnership with the CEO, cultivate and manage relationships with HNW individual donors, ensuring their continuous engagement.
• Diversify institutional funding, cultivating and securing new funding prospects while supporting stewardship of existing major funders in partnership with leadership.
• Oversee overall portfolio management and pipeline-building, ensuring strategic donor prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across the development team;
• Oversee the Development team in growing the Mama Fund's political giving circles program, executing political fundraising events, and other efforts to build support from grassroots and mid-level donor base and increase overall donor pipeline.
• Provide strategic guidance on Vote Mama’s donor communications and materials, including email communications, case for support, proposals, reports, and other materials.
• Oversee the infrastructure, systems, and processes supporting organizational fundraising, ensuring data integrity, efficiency, and alignment with organizational goals;
• Guide key workflows and build operational excellence in key functions, such as gift processing and acknowledgments, event production, and supporting compliance reporting as needed;
• Lead prospect development and portfolio-building efforts through strategic, systems-driven donor prospecting and moves management.
• Supervise the Development team (Individual Giving Director and Development Operations Manager), providing daily management and guidance to continue their growth in the organization;
• Conduct performance reviews of direct reports, identifying areas for improvement, and offering constructive feedback and tailored development plans to ensure the ongoing success and advancement of individual skill sets;
• Participate in and lead team and project meetings, all-staff meetings, and leadership meetings as needed;
• Set a high standard for completing administrative tasks and attention to detail, such as organizing files, scheduling meetings, and maintaining documentation, particularly within the Salesforce CRM.
• Follow organizational standards and ensure timely completion of administrative responsibilities, including managing expenses and timesheets.
• Seek opportunities for professional growth through training, workshops, networking, and self-directed learning. Contribute to the team's success by continually improving your skills and staying informed about industry trends and best practices.

Benefits

• Employer-funded medical, dental, and vision insurance (75% employer-paid)
• Unlimited PTO and sick leave, paid federal holidays, and six months of paid family leave
• 401(k) with 3% employer contribution after three months of employment
• Fully remote with employer-provided laptop and home office stipend
• Summer and winter office shutdowns
• Early-close Wellness Fridays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed