Vice President of Development

For more information about Let's Get Ready, visit www.letsgetready.org

About The Position:

The Vice-President of Development (VPD) will lead our national and regional efforts to engage stakeholders in securing financial resources needed to support Let’s Get Ready’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. The VPD is to develop and execute a robust and multi-faceted fundraising strategy and plan that engages individual, institutional, corporate, and government funding sources. 

The VPD will oversee the national fundraising portfolio, directly managing an inclusive portfolio of donors and partners at various levels (individuals and institutions) while providing strategic guidance to the Chief External Affairs Officer, CEO, and portfolio managers. The VPD will also lead and directly manage a growing team of fundraising professionals supporting the organization's operational and strategic success.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Drive Fundraising Strategy – 30%

• Construct, articulate, and implement a comprehensive short—and—long-term development strategy and implementation plan that includes individual, institutional, corporate, and government funders.
  • Effectively operationalize Let’s Get Ready’s vision and strategy
  • Align with Let's Get Ready’s marketing, storytelling, and communication strategy.
  • Refine and build national efforts to grow annual giving and major gift portfolios (institutional and individual).
  • Assess and improve event strategy that includes both corporate and individual donor events.
  • Evaluate the opportunity for government partners and public funding sources and structure a five-year plan to increase revenue from this model. 
• Provide direct oversight over the grants management and reporting process and evaluate its effectiveness quarterly and annually.
• Establish monthly/quarterly reporting mechanisms for the executive team and board members.
• Manage progress to goal, setting and evaluating performance goals annually with quarterly milestones.
• Oversee and ensure strong donor engagement, cultivation, and stewardship across portfolios. 
• Collaborate with the Chief External Affairs Officer, Senior Strategist of External Initiatives, and other external affairs team members to develop donor communications, digital content, and externally facing marketing assets.

Team Management and Leadership – 25%
 

• Model a growth- and results-driven mindset by proactively measuring and reporting on progress against transparent goals, assessing efficacy and productivity, and spurring learning and improvement.
• Serve as an active member of the external affairs leadership team.
• Hire, train, retain, and develop development team members
• Ensure the efficient and effective coordination of development workflows
• Ensure the development team has sound operational practices that ensure the organization can be responsive to requests, shifts, and opportunities.
• Build a strong team culture grounded in inclusivity, belonging, and fierce dedication to fueling the organization’s mission.
• Ensure team members have tools, resources, role clarity, and support to achieve ambitious portfolio goals. 
• Model and actively support building an inclusive culture that ensures all team members feel a sense of belonging.
• Ensure conditions for a culture of philanthropy across all networks, stakeholders, and partners, underscoring the interdependence and collaboration across all teams.
• Serve as an organizational model delivering direct and actionable feedback
• Maintain a “students first” perspective, actively building connections with colleagues on the program team to build an understanding of LGR’s model.
• Refine and maintain a fundraising culture aligned with our core values and commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.
   

Lead & Engage major gift and annual giving donor portfolios - 25%

• Build, manage, cultivate, and steward a portfolio comprising at least 75 individual, institutional, and corporate prospects with a giving capacity of $50,000+.
• Develop, lead, and manage effective strategies for obtaining donations and grants at varying levels, especially major gifts, that advance the organization’s goals and priorities and contribute to financial sustainability. 
• Directly manage a portfolio of top donors, focusing on institutional, individual, and corporate funders.
• Develop and execute individual strategies to engage top funders as a model of donor stewardship, retention, and cultivation for the organization.

Steward the Board of Directors & develop impactful external networks – 15%

• Work with the CEO, Chief External Affairs Officer, Board of Directors, and Development Committee to engage board members in fundraising strategy and advance individual board member giving potential.
• Support the CEO and Vice-President of Innovation & Strategy with board member recruitment, onboarding, and meeting coordination.
• Work with the annual Event Committee to meet and exceed event attendance, auction, and fundraising goals.

• Act as a liaison to the development committee, associates council, and regional networks, assuming leadership on key projects.
• Oversee corporate partnerships and build partnerships with existing and prospective corporations for career and industry pipeline development for students and coaches.
• Work closely with the Senior Philanthropic Advisor and Chief Partnerships Officer to coordinate meaningful engagements with regional networks, affinity groups, and sector convenings.
• Attend and represent LGR at key fundraising/stakeholder events, meetings, and conferences as needed.

Collaborate in pursuit of organization-wide goals – 5%
 

• Work collaboratively with various teams within the organization, key stakeholders, and other affinity networks on shared projects and opportunities relevant to events and donor communications.
• Represent Let's Get Ready at relevant internal and external programs and events and engage in public issues that help increase the visibility of Let's Get Ready’s mission.
• Serve on organizational-wide leadership committees as needed.

Education and Experience:

Qualifications:
 

• The VPD is a seasoned fundraising and external affairs professional with a proven ability to create and achieve the goals of a multi-year, multi-strategy development plan.
• At least eight years of fundraising experience
• At least four years of experience as a senior leader and people manager on a fundraising or other revenue-driven team
• Direct experience as a frontline fundraiser, ideally responsible for raising $4MM+ in revenue from diverse funding sources.
• Strong Development operations background (including knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM, moves management, data analysis, etc.)
• Proven success in leading solicitations from institutional, corporate, individual, and public (government-aligned) funders.
• Strong relationship management and proven success cultivating new and diverse donors and increasing giving of existing fundraising community.
• Experience in the education sector (K-12, Higher Education, Post-Secondary Success, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral).
• Experience developing creative approaches to donor engagement.
• Demonstrated experience with a development team's recruitment, training, supervision, and coaching.

Required Skills/Abilities:

Initiative, Personal Development, Analytical thinking, Ownership 

• Identify challenges on working teams, intervenes to prevent further complications.
• Attend workshops, development seminars, and external events in order to better develop understanding of the role and its relation to the organization's and job function's ecosystem.
• Fully understands the department and many cross-functional teams. Addresses gaps in development to benefit collaboration.
• Establishes clear department goals and priorities in order to benchmark progress and performance, recommends solutions if necessary.

Communication, Collaboration, Support, Leadership

• Engages in discussions with senior leaders and external partners in ways that support strategic planning and decision-making.
• Understands personal bandwidth, effectively delegates tasks in accordance with priority, employee ability, and necessary outputs.
• Supports others in achieving deliverables by efficiently allocating resources and providing common organizing systems, techniques, and disciplines directs the team to close specific knowledge and skill gaps in order to see org vision through.
• Always reflective and leads by example. In the face of challenges, exhibits emotional self-control, adaptability, and optimism.

Adaptability, Strategic Planning, Challenge the Process, Decision Making

• Promote and steward an adaptive culture focused on strong employee performance and engagement.
• Develop budget, forecasting, including budget, people, role, for functional area.
• Devises, facilitates buy-in, makes recommendations, and guides implementation of corrective and/or preventive actions for complex issues that cross department boundaries and are unclear in nature.
• Makes timely, informed decisions that take into account the organization-wide facts, goals, constraints, and risks.

People Management 

• Supports team members in learning from each other, being self-directed, and being responsible for their own assessment and learning 
• Recognizes employee potential and work with direct reports on leadership development
• Ensures that all department members have equitable access to development opportunities.

Location & Hours:

This is a remote, full-time position that requires employees to be available for work and collaboration between standard work day hours (Eastern time). Employees will be issued a work laptop and an initial work-from-home stipend (see below).

Compensation and Benefits: 

$110,000 - $115,000 with excellent benefits and a flexible working environment. 

Salary commensurate with work experience and skill level. 

Benefits include national medical, dental, vision (100% covered)  plans, free therapy via Talkspace, access to Kindbody - a fertility health company, HSA/FSA, IRA retirement plan participation with 3% employer match, 20 days paid time off, 11 paid holidays plus the week between Christmas and New Years Day, $300 work from home stipend for new employees, pre-tax transportation options, and more! 

How to apply:

Complete application, submit resume and a cover letter that introduces yourself and why you are interested in the position. Applicants applying by December 13, 2024 will be strongly considered. All others will be considered on a rolling basis. Please do not contact the job poster.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Let’s Get Ready is unable to sponsor visas. 

Let’s Get Ready is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.