Vice President, Development

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children•Alexandria, VA

2d•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Development leads NCMEC’s private philanthropy strategy, translating the organization’s five-year growth direction into an integrated, measurable plan. Reporting to the President and CEO, the role refines and operationalizes the strategy, tests assumptions, identifies gaps, sets priorities, and builds the capabilities needed to increase sustainable private revenue. This is an enterprise leadership and front-line fundraising role. The Vice President partners with leaders across programs, operations, communications, finance, legal, and executive leadership, and leads fundraising through influence and shared accountability. The role oversees a disciplined Development operation across individual giving, foundations, corporate partnerships, digital fundraising, events, and third-party partnerships. The Vice President manages a personal portfolio of approximately 40 principal and major gift relationships and personally cultivates, solicits, negotiates, and closes significant gifts and partnerships. The position also leads and develops the Development team, strengthens donor pipelines and stewardship, establishes Salesforce as the donor and partner system of record, engages the Board in fundraising, and reports on revenue, forecasts, pipeline health, retention, and risks. The position is based at NCMEC headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, with a hybrid in-office presence, approximately 25% travel, and flexibility for after-hours and weekend response.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 10–12 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including at least five years directly supervising fundraising staff.
Demonstrated success building, transforming, or materially growing a fundraising program.
Demonstrated success managing a six- to seven-figure portfolio and personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts from individual, foundation, and corporate supporters.
Experience in a complex, matrixed, or mission-driven organization where significant funder relationships are held by leaders outside Development.
Experience building or strengthening donor stewardship, retention, upgrade, reactivation, and pipeline-development programs.
Experience translating an organizational growth strategy into executable fundraising plans, staffing, systems, budgets, and performance measures.
Strategic judgment and ability to work within an established direction while constructively challenging assumptions and shaping execution strategies.
Ability to build trust, align colleagues, clarify roles, and create shared accountability without relying solely on direct authority.
Exceptional relationship management, stewardship, follow-through, responsiveness, and trust-building skills.
Business development and sales acumen, including identifying mutual value, tailoring value propositions, negotiating, and advancing opportunities with appropriate urgency.
Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution, team management, and direct donor engagement.
Ability to coach, develop, and retain fundraising staff and create a collaborative, accountable team culture.
Strong knowledge of fundraising practices across individual giving, foundations, corporate partnerships, digital fundraising, events, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and other giving vehicles.
Strong proficiency with Salesforce, including reports and dashboards for forecasting, pipeline management, segmentation, and performance measurement.
Strong analytical, planning, prospect strategy, written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Ability to represent NCMEC and its mission with credibility, discretion, enthusiasm, and respect.
Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information with integrity.
Adaptability, sound judgment, and ability to prioritize multiple demands in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to work additional hours and travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, refine, and implement NCMEC’s multi-year private philanthropy strategy, translating organizational goals into annual priorities, revenue targets, portfolio strategies, investment requirements, and progress measures.
Serve as the senior private philanthropy strategist and business partner to the President and CEO and leaders across NCMEC.
Assess the fundraising strategy and operating model, identify gaps, and recommend adjustments based on experience, data, market conditions, and results.
Lead the Development team across individual giving, foundation support, corporate partnerships, digital fundraising, events, and development operations, establishing goals, decision rights, handoffs, and accountability.
Build a culture of stewardship, responsiveness, and follow-through, ensuring funder and partner engagement is timely and documented.
Coordinate NCMEC relationships led by executives, program leaders, board members, and other staff; clarify roles and provide strategy, preparation, documentation, and follow-up.
Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 40 principal and major gift relationships, with an annual solicitation goal established with the President and CEO.
Personally cultivate, solicit, negotiate, and close significant gifts and partnerships.
Grow sustainable and unrestricted private support and develop programmatic opportunities with appropriate cost recovery, cash flow, and organizational alignment.
Build leadership, mid-level, major, and principal giving pipelines, including donor retention, upgrade, and reactivation programs.
Partner with Communications to support donor acquisition, donor journeys, and sustained philanthropic relationships.
Work with corporate, program, and operational leaders to develop partner value propositions and support transitions from business development to relationship management and renewal.
Establish Salesforce as the system of record and ensure donor and partner activity is documented; use CRM data to drive decisions and accountability.
Set and review team revenue goals, portfolio assignments, activity measures, and development plans; monitor progress and coach staff.
Report to the President and CEO and other designated leaders on revenue, pipeline health, forecasts, retention, and risks or decisions, in coordination with Finance.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain Development staff, including supporting managers who are supervising others for the first time.
Partner with the President and CEO and Board leadership to engage the Board of Directors in fundraising through practical, individualized actions.
Work with the President and CEO and Committee Chair to support the Development and Marketing Committee, including quarterly meetings, projections, and progress updates.
Respond constructively to ideas, opportunities, and concerns, communicating decisions and rationale when an idea should not advance.
Manage work in accordance with NCMEC policies and perform other duties as assigned.