Vice President of Development

Summary

The Vice President of Development serves as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for providing strategic vision, leadership, and oversight for all fundraising, donor relations, stewardship, philanthropic partnerships, and advancement initiatives. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President develops and executes comprehensive fundraising strategies that support the organization's mission, long-term sustainability, and growth objectives.

The Vice President partners closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior leadership team to cultivate major donors, strengthen community relationships, increase philanthropic support, and expand the organization's visibility and impact. This position is accountable for achieving annual fundraising goals, advancing campaign initiatives, building a culture of philanthropy, and developing strategic initiatives that expand and sustain the organization's contributed income portfolio.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Executive and Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and contribute to organizational strategy, growth initiatives, and decision-making.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising and advancement strategy aligned with organizational priorities and strategic goals.
• Advise the CEO and Board of Directors on fundraising trends, philanthropic opportunities, donor engagement strategies, and campaign planning.
• Establish annual and long-range fundraising goals, objectives, performance metrics, and revenue projections.
• Identify opportunities to diversify and expand funding sources to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization by engaging leadership, staff, volunteers, and board members in fundraising efforts.

Fundraising and Revenue Development

• Lead and oversee all fundraising activities, including annual giving, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, foundation support, planned giving, special events, capital campaigns, and endowment initiatives.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors, foundations, corporations, and community partners.
• Build and maintain a robust donor pipeline and moves-management process.
• Develop strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, engagement, and philanthropic investment.
• Identify and pursue new grant, corporate, and philanthropic funding opportunities.
• Lead campaign planning and execution to ensure achievement of fundraising goals and revenue targets.
• Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategies to maximize results.

Donor Relations and Stewardship

• Develop and implement a comprehensive donor relations and stewardship strategy that strengthens donor loyalty, retention, and long-term engagement.
• Ensure meaningful and personalized stewardship of individual, corporate, foundation, and planned-giving donors.
• Oversee donor recognition programs, stewardship events, impact reporting, and acknowledgement processes.
• Create systems to measure donor satisfaction, retention, engagement, and lifetime value.
• Partner with program and executive leadership to demonstrate the impact of donor investments and communicate organizational outcomes.
• Ensure donor communications reflect gratitude, transparency, and mission impact.
• Build lasting relationships that encourage increased philanthropic commitment and advocacy for the organization.

Board and Community Engagement

• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to strengthen fundraising capacity and philanthropic leadership.
• Support and engage board members in donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and relationship-building activities.
• Recruit and cultivate volunteers and leadership groups that support fundraising and community engagement efforts.
• Serve as a visible ambassador and spokesperson for the organization within the nonprofit, business, and philanthropic communities.
• Represent the organization at community, professional, and fundraising events.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community stakeholders, partners, and funding organizations.

Department Leadership and Operations

• Provide strategic leadership, supervision, coaching, and professional development for development staff and volunteers.
• Establish departmental goals, performance measures, and accountability standards.
• Create a collaborative, high-performing, and mission-driven team culture.
• Oversee donor database management, gift processing, acknowledgements, reporting, and stewardship activities.
• Ensure compliance with fundraising ethics, regulations, and organizational policies.
• Collaborate with finance, marketing, communications, and program departments to maximize fundraising effectiveness and organizational impact.

Financial Management and Reporting

• Develop and manage the annual development department budget.
• Monitor fundraising performance and provide regular reports, forecasts, analyses, and recommendations to the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Utilize data and performance metrics to evaluate effectiveness and inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of donor records, fundraising reports, and revenue projections.
• Maintain accountability for meeting annual philanthropic revenue goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervise development staff and volunteers.
• Recruit, hire, train, mentor, evaluate, and retain high-performing team members.
• Establish performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching and development opportunities.
• Conduct performance reviews and support professional growth.
• Address employee concerns and resolve issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Develop succession planning and departmental capacity to support organizational growth.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) credential is preferred.
• Minimum of 10-12 years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of senior leadership and management experience.
• Demonstrated success in securing major gifts and achieving significant fundraising goals.
• Proven experience leading comprehensive fundraising programs and capital campaigns.
• Experience working effectively with executive leadership, boards of directors, and community stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of fundraising principles, donor engagement, stewardship, planned giving, corporate partnerships, and grant development.
• Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with major donors, foundations, corporations, volunteers, and community leaders.
• Exceptional leadership, strategic planning, and organizational management skills.
• Strong financial acumen and budget management experience.
• Outstanding verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to analyze fundraising data and translate findings into actionable strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and influence staff, volunteers, board members, and donors.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with donor management systems, fundraising software, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed to support organizational and fundraising activities.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership: Develops and implements long-term strategies that advance organizational growth, sustainability, and philanthropic success.
• Relationship Management: Builds and maintains meaningful, productive relationships with donors, board members, community partners, and stakeholders.
• Fundraising Excellence: Demonstrates expertise in donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and revenue generation.
• Financial and Business Acumen: Understands budgeting, forecasting, performance metrics, and nonprofit financial management.
• Communication and Influence: Communicates effectively and persuasively with individuals and groups at all levels.
• Results Orientation: Maintains focus on achieving measurable fundraising outcomes and organizational objectives.
• Change Management: Successfully leads teams through growth, change, and evolving organizational priorities.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates integrity, accountability, sound judgment, and commitment to the organization's mission and values.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Frequently required to stand and walk.
• Continually required to sit, talk, hear, and utilize hand and finger dexterity.
• Occasionally required to bend, stoop, kneel, balance, or reach.
• Continually required to utilize visual acuity to operate equipment, read information, and use a computer.
• Occasionally required to lift, push, or carry items up to 25 pounds.
• May occasionally be exposed to outside weather conditions during events and community activities.

Join us in this energizing role where your strategic vision will elevate our development efforts! We value proactive leaders who thrive on building relationships and creating impactful campaigns that advance our mission. This paid position offers an inspiring environment where your expertise will directly contribute to meaningful community change.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $120,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 403(b)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Morristown, NJ 07960