Vice President of Philanthropy

Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc. – Bethesda, MD

Posting Date: January 30, 2012 –  Closing Date: Until filled

Employment Opportunities

The Vice President of Philanthropy for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of the Mid-Atlantic (“chapter”) reports to the President and CEO. He/she is a key member of the Foundation’s senior leadership team, working closely with the President and CEO, Vice President of Administration and COO, Vice President of Program Services, the Board of Directors and the development staff to secure the funds needed to advance the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the Mid-Atlantic region. As lead strategist for the chapter’s fund development, he/she will create and execute a multi-year plan for increasing voluntary revenue, which informs and supports the chapter’s plans for aggressive growth in the next five years.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

· Oversee the chapter’s development team, which includes fundraising, marketing and events;

· Expand the existing development program by further diversifying revenue sources;

· Develop and steward donor relationships to increase the base of support from current and potential donors;

· Work with the President and CEO as well as with individual Board members, as appropriate, to best cultivate relationships;

· Design and implement a comprehensive development plan and fundraising program , including benchmarks and evaluation procedures, focusing on a continued evolution toward major donor driven fundraising and including an optimal combination of annual giving, multiple-year sustained giving, planned giving, workplace giving, endowments, individual and corporate giving, grants and events;

· Reach fundraising goals employing economy while maintaining an appropriate quality level to maximize ROI;

· Foster a culture of philanthropy;

· Assure the chapter’s culture, systems and procedures support fund development;

· Identify, cultivate and maximize cause-related marketing opportunities;

· Serve as chapter liaison to National Office regarding development issues and opportunities and comprehensive donor stewardship;

· Supervise the creation of all written and electronic promotional materials, including, but not limited to: advertising and marketing campaigns, general promotional collateral materials, special event and fundraising collateral, speeches/scripts and the chapter’s Web site and social media accounts;

· Work with senior leadership team and pro bono media relations/PR firm to develop and execute targeted communications strategy and outreach;

· Identify and build relationships with all sources that are viable for developing partnerships, including the business community, media outlets, hospitals, clinics/healthcare centers, medical associations, elected officials and other charitable organizations;

· Protect the brand by ensuring proper use and protection of Make-A-Wish® marks in the local market and ensuring chapter-wide adherence to approved identity standards;

· Develop the next generation of high performance professionals by providing comprehensive leadership, accountability and mentoring to the development team as a group and individually;

· Provide strategic direction to overall fundraising and marketing strategies and ensure consistency and coordination of campaign efforts within the region;

· Manage staff efforts to ensure that annual fundraising goals are met;

· Identify, cultivate and solicit personally or prepare President and CEO or Board members to solicit large major gifts;

· Work in concert with appropriate volunteer community leaders and professional staff to coordinate successful strategic and tactical plans;

· Collaborate with the President and CEO and Board members to manage and encourage Board member individual development plans and to leverage members’ networks and experience;

· Work with COO to oversee the management of an accurate and up-to-date donor database to ensure acknowledgments, recognition and proper stewardship;

· Assist in the development of an annual operating budget and maintain timely reports on budget to actual for the President and CEO and Board of Directors;

· Attend all major chapter events and appropriate volunteer and donor recognition/stewardship events;

· Identify and communicate to chapter leadership all potential opportunities and/or relationships that will increase the chapter’s ability to raise funds and grant wishes;

· Identify challenges and recommend solutions to senior leadership team, balancing competing priorities and working collaboratively with colleagues;

· Adhere to all Make-A-Wish Foundation of America performance standards and chapter internal controls, policies and procedures;

· Perform other duties as assigned.

Employment Opportunities

The Vice President for Philanthropy receives supervision from the President and CEO, and supervises:

· three Regional Directors (Delaware, Baltimore and Northern Virginia/Western Maryland),

· Director of Events and Marketing,

· Annual Fund Manager, and

· Community Events Manager.

Employment Opportunities

· Bachelor’s degree or higher in Marketing, Business, Nonprofit Fundraising or a related field;

· 10 or more years of experience in business development with a background in marketing, public relations and nonprofit fundraising.

Employment Opportunities

As with the rest of the senior leadership team, the Vice President for Philanthropy must believe in the mission and vision of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He/she must model integrity, work to inspire colleagues and contacts and strive to build a great team.

The Vice President of Philanthropy should have experience and a high level of comfort with:

· Dealing with a diverse group of individuals (i.e., corporate leaders, community leaders, government officials, agency leaders and volunteers);

· Team-based, cross-functional work environments with communication as a top priority;

· Design and management of multi-level investment systems that measure results;

· Negotiating partnerships, strategic alliances and collaborations especially with unusual or first-time partnerships.

The Vice President of Philanthropy should be:

· A visionary thought leader who can productively leverage contributions of others;

· Entrepreneurial, creative and a critical thinker;

· Passionate about citizen mobilization and community change;

· Highly professional and able to work successfully with a wide variety of constituents including donors, Board members, volunteers and professional consultants;

· Flexible, compassionate and possess a strong sense of humor to address the practicalities of a growing nonprofit, along with the creativity and persistence required to elicit new thinking and change;

· Able to work with minimal supervision, to manage multiple priorities and to work in a deadline driven environment;

· Proficient in Microsoft Office and Raiser’s Edge database management software.

Submit resume and cover letter stating the position you’re applying for to:

   EOE/M/F/H/V