Vice President, Development

Tides Network

18h•$191,200 - $286,400

About The Position

Tides seeks an entrepreneurial fundraising leader to serve as its inaugural Vice President of Development and launch the organization’s first dedicated Development office. Reporting to the Executive Director of Tides Foundation, the Vice President will design and implement fundraising strategies, cultivate and solicit individual and institutional donors, and lead fundraising activities carried out by Gift Officers and Philanthropic Strategists. The role partners with senior staff, board members, and key partners to build a contributed-revenue program aligned with organizational priorities. This is a build role: the Vice President will establish the systems, donor pipeline, and moves-management practices for a major and principal gifts program that does not yet exist. Working with a small team that includes a Major Gift Officer and Prospect Researcher, and indirectly with approximately 14 Philanthropic Strategists, the Vice President is expected to secure meaningful gifts in the first several months while building lasting fundraising infrastructure. The role focuses on three priorities: raising broadly restricted support for Tides itself (approximately 50% of time), raising philanthropic capital for Tides-led initiatives (approximately 35%), and building and leading the development team (approximately 15%). Portfolio size and revenue goals will be established with the Executive Director during the first 90 days. The Vice President will coordinate organization-wide fundraising, develop relationships with major and transformational individual and institutional donors, and help grow Tides’ donor-advised-fund and collective-action-fund work. They will partner with the CEO, Executive Director, executive team, Board, Program Officers, Philanthropic Strategists, and a new Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Communications. The role includes preparing senior leaders and board members for donor engagement, translating their networks into structured cultivation and solicitation plans, and strengthening Tides’ profile as a partner in power-shifting philanthropy. The Vice President will set fundraising targets, establish systems to monitor donor and portfolio progress, develop donor onboarding and engagement options, and mentor colleagues in cultivation and stewardship. They will collaborate across Marketing, Business Development, and Programs to activate prospects from Tides’ partner database and aim to grow the major-donor pipeline by at least 2x. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Vice President will contribute to organizational strategy, build and grow a high-performing team, and adapt fundraising approaches to changes in philanthropy and donor behavior.

Requirements

Deep alignment with Tides’ vision, mission, and values, and commitment to progressive social change.
Comprehensive knowledge of fundraising programs and a strong record cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and institutional funders.
Experience co-creating programmatic and campaign strategies to achieve ambitious fundraising goals in complex organizations.
Direct knowledge of and experience engaging donors of color, including understanding their philanthropic behaviors, motivations, and relationship dynamics.
Ability to create a results-oriented environment that balances high expectations with a collaborative and supportive culture.
High integrity, emotional intelligence, and political acuity.
Credibility and sophistication engaging major donors, foundation officers, and movement leaders across the progressive philanthropic ecosystem.
Entrepreneurial, self-directed approach, with the ability to prioritize, remain accountable, and sustain momentum in fast-moving, high-stakes environments.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport, navigate complexity, and strengthen partnerships.
Significant experience building, managing, and developing high-performing teams at organizations of comparable scale, including hiring, supervising, and growing talent.
Consistent ethical judgment, discretion, and trustworthy conduct.
Experience engaging board members and senior volunteers as fundraising partners.
Proficiency with Salesforce or a similar CRM platform.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in philanthropy, strategic partnerships, and/or major and principal gifts fundraising within a complex organization.
Track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals while advancing through increasingly senior roles.
Demonstrated understanding of nonprofit organizational structure, financials, and management.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with MS Office Suite and NetSuite.
Experience with multi-entity structures, including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities, strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Design and implement Tides-wide development strategy and build a sustainable operation for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors.
Set ambitious, data-informed fundraising targets and establish rigorous systems for tracking donor progress and portfolio performance.
Build, manage, and steward a pipeline of major and principal gift donors, with particular emphasis on donors of color.
Formalize onboarding for new donors, provide giving and engagement options, and develop relationships that encourage long-term retention and funder learning.
Develop, execute, and evaluate fundraising strategies for Tides-Led Initiatives in partnership with the Foundation’s Executive Director and senior leadership.
Mentor Philanthropic Strategists and Program Officers in effective donor cultivation and stewardship strategies.
Build relationships and secure revenue while maintaining donor and partner trust across the philanthropic ecosystem.
Collaborate with Marketing, Business Development, and Programs to activate prospects and grow the major-donor pipeline by at least 2x using Tides’ partner database.
Participate in the Senior Leadership Team and align revenue targets with organizational strategy and near- and long-term goals.
Foster cross-functional trust, alignment, communication, and collaboration.
Develop and lead a high-performing development team, cultivating existing talent and establishing roles to support long-term growth.
Keep current on fundraising trends and donor behavior and position the organization to respond to changes in philanthropy.
Prepare senior leaders and board members for high-value donor engagements and translate access and relationships into cultivation and solicitation plans.