Careers

Now Hiring: Director of Development

Position Title: Director of Development
Reports to: CEO
Position Status: Exempt, Salaried; 40 hours/week
Salary: $65,000-$75,000 with robust employee benefits package detailed below
Location: Position is based in Richmond, VA and Voices for Virginia’s Children is seeking a candidate residing in Virginia.  Hybrid work schedule with Wednesday in the office required.

To apply: Deadline to apply is January 31, 2024. The target start date is mid to late March. Apply here or submit the following in an email to megan@vakids.org.  “Director of Development” in the subject line.

  • Cover letter
  • Résumé
  • Three references (We will not contact references until later in the hiring process.)

About Voices for Virginia’s Children

Voices for Virginia’s Children champions public policies and legislation that achieve positive and equitable outcomes for young people. We envision a Virginia in which our systems center young people, ensuring their ability to realize their brightest potential is no longer predictable by race, socioeconomic status, or geography.

We are a talented team motivated by the significance and impact of our work. Voices values its employees, encouraging them to be their authentic selves, and works to maintain a flexible and supportive workplace. We create an environment where our team can thrive as it works to support a thriving Virginia.

DEIB Statement

We work to create a brave place that empowers others to be their authentic selves. We acknowledge and celebrate the differences within each other.

We recognize that the children and families of VA are unique in their backgrounds, beliefs, opportunities, and challenges. We strive to embody and embrace that in our work, believing that our unique identities allow us to create a brighter future for Virginia’s children. Through our efforts, we will engage diverse perspectives and inform equitable and just policy solutions that will transform children’s lives and may dismantle systems of oppression.

We are a group that learns and grows collectively. We value accountability and hold ourselves and others to high standards of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We also create opportunities for others to join us on this journey.

Values & Cultural Promises

Accountability: We act ethically and are good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. We hold ourselves and others to a high standard of performance and ethics. We clearly outline expectations of outcomes. We commit to being true to our word and following through on commitments. We accept responsibility for our actions and the effects they have on others and commit to always doing better next time

Collaboration: We actively seek opportunities to partner together to reach our goals. We work together through a sustainable pattern of sharing, creating, innovating, and learning. We recognize and utilize each person’s unique skills and viewpoints with the goal of complementing strengths and competencies to maximize our impact. We strive to create a balance of responsibilities, keeping equity at the center of our work.

Excellence: We strive to be leaders in our areas through holding ourselves to the highest levels of learning and performance. We refuse to take shortcuts at the cost of quality or relationships. We devote ourselves to being trailblazers and disrupting the status quo.

Honesty: We commit to being upright, candid, and sincere. We will be transparent and admit our mistakes. We will lean into hard conversations for the sake of growth. We choose to be authentic and to show up as our true selves in our conversations and interactions.

Kindness: We are generous and considerate in our interactions with one another, showing genuine concern for one another. Our eyes are open to the needs of those around us and we are willing to lend a helping hand when needed. We speak and act in empathy, understanding that every person has their own challenges.

Position Summary

The Director of Development achieves Voices for Virginia’s Children’s fundraising and development goals by growing individual and corporate contributions; expanding the donor base; and by managing key donor relationships. The position will collaborate with staff members and the board to fully support Voices’ mission through fund development. The Director of Development is committed to the mission, work, and values of Voices for Virginia’s Children, as well as to the principles of equity and inclusion.

Essential Functions

Development Strategy

  • Create an annual written fundraising plan that is clear in its objectives, goals, target audiences, timelines, and assignment of responsibilities.

  • Lead fundraising strategies to ensure that Voices’ fundraising goals are achieved through multiple fundraising approaches and channels that reach a diversity of donors, including leadership and major donors, grassroots and mid-level individual donors, and corporate donors.

  • Develop and grow the organization’s individual giving program as a critical element of the development plan.

  • Ensure that processes, procedures, and assignment of responsibilities are designed to meet fundraising goals in an efficient, manageable, and effective manner.

  • Evaluate fundraising activities annually to ensure quality, productivity, and relevance toward meeting goals.

  • Work collaboratively with the Board Development Committee by involving them in the planning and execution of the engagement and fundraising plan.

  • In collaboration with the Communications Manager, convey Voices’ work in advocacy, equity, and justice through effective creative storytelling in support of fundraising strategies and efforts.

Donor Acquisition, Cultivation, and Stewardship

  • Foster deep relationships with current and prospective donors through strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

  • Research, manage, and maintain a portfolio of top corporate, leadership, and individual donors and prospects, developing and implementing strategies for engagement in Voices’ advocacy and fundraising activities

  • Work with Voices’ staff and volunteers to develop a functional and effective donor pipeline of individuals and corporations.

  • Advise the CEO on relationship building and fundraising opportunities that are strategic and of the highest priority to ensure that the CEO’s time is scheduled effectively in fundraising and donor cultivation processes and events.

  • Train Board members in stewardship, cultivation, and fundraising activities.

Organizational Collaboration

  • Actively support the goals of Voices overall by executing responsibilities, as assigned, within and outside of the scope of fundraising. Through this, participate in the development of a high-performance team culture focused on leadership and accountability at all levels, continuous learning, collaboration, measurement, and goal achievement.

  • Serve as a passionate and informed advocate for Voices, clearly communicating the impact of our work, verbally and in writing, throughout corporate and community networks.

  • Represent Voices in the community on boards, panels, commissions, and events that support Voices’ community and fundraising goals.

  • Contribute to the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic plan in collaboration with the CEO.

  • Assist in the creation and monitoring of the organization’s annual budget, working collaboratively with the Operations Director and CEO by providing accurate information and forecasts.

  • Develop a thorough knowledge of the founding, history, major accomplishments, challenges, and significant events that affect Voices.

  • Stay informed and up to date on community, state, and national issues that have a bearing on the work of Voices.

  • Apply a trauma-informed, healing centered & equity-informed lens to all responsibilities.

Data Management, Reporting, and Donor Acknowledgment

  • Ensure that accurate and updated records of all communications and donor information are maintained in Little Green Light. Ensure that customized donor data is imported, exported, and edited in a variety of digital platforms and tools.

  • Oversee gift processing, donor recognition, and timely acknowledgments.

  • Assist the board Finance Committee in collecting and reporting data necessary for funder and other external requirements.

  • Keep the Board informed of fundraising activities, providing data relevant to tracking fundraising progress and planning.

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of fundraising experience, preferably in policy and advocacy environments

  • A deep commitment to Voices for Virginia’s Children’s mission, work, and values, as well as the principles of equity and inclusion

  • Proven history of high-level, high-return fundraising

  • Experience building strong, lasting relationships with a diverse donor base, including individuals, corporations, and government agencies

  • Proven experience utilizing, analyzing, and managing donor databases

  • Collaborative cross-sector experience and a demonstrated competence in public, private and philanthropic partnerships

  • Proven experience creating and executing development plans

  • Ability to comprehend and analyze financial and statistical data and donor databases

  • Ability to critically evaluate processes and suggest improvements to assess development needs and meet goals

  • Excellent written and oral communication and networking skills with the ability to engage, inspire and educate in personal meetings, group settings and in written form

Compensation and benefits

The salary for this position is $65,000-$75,000. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance (with fully covered employee premiums); 30 days of PTO and 11 paid holidays; paid parental leave; a retirement plan with 3% contributions from employer; professional development stipend; a hybrid work environment.

Voices provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

To apply: Deadline to apply is January 31, 2024. The target start date is mid to late March. Apply here or submit the following in an email to megan@vakids.org.  “Director of Development” in the subject line.

  • Cover letter
  • Résumé
  • Three references (We will not contact references until later in the hiring process.)