Vice President, Development

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children•Alexandria, VA

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the President and CEO, the Vice President, Development leads NCMEC’s private philanthropy strategy and translates the organization’s five-year growth direction into an integrated, measurable fundraising plan. The role refines and operationalizes the strategy, tests assumptions, identifies gaps, sets priorities, and builds capabilities to increase sustainable private revenue. This is an enterprise leadership and frontline fundraising role. The Vice President partners with leaders across programs, operations, communications, finance, legal, and executive leadership, and coordinates fundraising relationships held throughout the organization. The position leads a disciplined Development operation spanning individual giving, foundations, corporate partnerships, digital fundraising, events, and third-party partnerships. The role also personally cultivates and closes significant gifts, develops the team, and ensures timely follow-through. The position is located at NCMEC headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and requires a hybrid in-office presence. The schedule is generally Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with a minimum of 37.5 hours over five days per week. Flexibility is required for additional hours, after-hours and weekend response, travel, and collaboration with staff and stakeholders. Travel is approximately 25% or as needed. The Vice President oversees the Development department and manages four direct reports: the Senior Director, Digital Fundraising; Director, Major Gifts; Director, Corporate Partnerships; and Manager, Development Operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 10 to 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 working in a complex, matrixed, or mission-driven organization where significant funder relationships are held by leaders outside the Development department.
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, identifying gaps, and shaping execution strategies and tactics.
Ability to build trust, align colleagues, clarify roles, and create shared accountability without relying solely on direct authority.
Exceptional relationship management and stewardship skills, including follow-through, responsiveness, and sustaining trust over time.
Business development and sales acumen, including identifying mutual value, developing tailored value propositions, negotiating effectively, and advancing opportunities with appropriate urgency.
Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution, team management, and direct donor engagement.
Demonstrated 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 use of 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 to meet position requirements.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, refine, and implement NCMEC’s multi-year private philanthropy strategy, translating enterprise goals into annual priorities, revenue targets, portfolio strategies, investment requirements, and progress measures.
Serve as senior private philanthropy strategist and business partner to the President and CEO and leaders across NCMEC, integrating fundraising across the organization.
Assess the existing strategy and operating model, identify blind spots and capability 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 funders and partners receive timely, relevant engagement and that ownership and next steps are documented.
Coordinate NCMEC relationships led by executives, program leaders, board members, or other staff; clarify roles, prepare internal partners, and provide relationship strategy, coordination, documentation, and follow-up.
Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 40 principal and major gift relationships across individuals, foundations, and corporations, 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 and strengthen leadership, mid-level, major, and principal giving pipelines, including donor retention, upgrade, and reactivation programs.
Partner with Communications to convert NCMEC’s national reach and mission engagement into donor acquisition, stronger donor journeys, and sustained philanthropic relationships.
Partner with corporate, program, and operational leaders to develop value propositions for prospective and current partners and support transitions from new business development to ongoing relationship management and renewal.
Establish Salesforce as the system of record for donor and partner activity; ensure timely documentation and use CRM data to drive decisions and accountability.
Set and review team members’ revenue goals, portfolio assignments, activity measures, and development plans; monitor monthly progress and coach staff.
Report to the President and CEO and designated leaders on revenue to goal, pipeline health and movement, forecasts, retention, and key risks or decisions, reconciled with Finance.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a talented Development team, 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 actions such as introductions, stewardship, and relationship-building.
Work with the President and CEO and Committee Chair to support the Development and Marketing Committee, including quarterly meetings, projections, and progress updates.
Respond directly and 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.