United Way of Northeast Florida
Position Description
Position Title: Chief Development Officer
Department: Resource Development
Reports to: President & CEO
Reviewed: November, 2017 FLSA Status: Exempt
Vision and Mission:
At United Way of Northeast Florida, we envision a community of opportunity where everyone has hope and can reach their full potential. Our mission is to solve our community’s toughest challenges by connecting people, resources and ideas. Diversity and inclusion is a core value of our organization and is a fundamental part of our mission and strategies.
Purpose of Position:
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a strategic leader of the organization and a key member and thought partner of the Leadership Team and CEO. The CDO successfully plans, implements and monitors a comprehensive and integrated resource development strategy for United Way. The primary focus and responsibility of the CDO is to create and implement strategies, build relationships and lead a team to achieve aggressive fundraising and revenue targets to support the organization’s mission and strategic plan. S/he will build on UWNEFL’s traditional strengths in workplace giving campaigns while developing innovative strategies to strengthen strategic partnerships, individual giving, affinity group programs, planned giving, and major gifts. Essential elements of this position are to engage and excite our existing donor base, build loyal new donor markets and drive a mission-oriented sales culture. S/he will work in close alignment with the Leadership Team and across the organization to deepen and expand our relationships in the community and create new ways of engaging existing and new donors.
Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions:
Strategic Leadership
The CDO plays a key strategic leadership role in partnership with the CEO and the other Leadership Team members and articulates a strategic vision for the organization’s next fundraising chapter. This position not only builds funding partnerships with corporations and individuals and a wide-variety of partners, but also contributes to a well-integrated cross-functional strategic planning and leadership process.
Specifically, the CDO will:
- Set the large-scale strategy for development efforts and implement UWNEFL’s strategic plan that aims to increase the organization’s overall revenue and effectiveness of fund raising efforts
- Deepen partnerships with existing corporate partners and expand new relationships by developing and executing innovative development strategies for corporate engagement/workplace campaigns, major gifts & legacy, and for Tocqueville and leadership giving.
- Lead new partnership with Salesforce as well as drive an aggressive sales plan and organization integration.
- Build new strategic partnerships with corporate, foundation and other organizations.
- Review and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of resource development initiatives, and implement new techniques and plans to improve the effectiveness of these initiatives.
- In partnership with the Head of Marketing & Communications, support marketing research and data collection to keep abreast of opportunities and challenges that build competitive edge.
- Work closely with the Head of Strategic Impact & Community Investments to identify, approach, and partner with appropriate institutional and government agencies to fund targeted community programs
- Create and execute an integrated development plan in close collaboration with the marketing department to create new relationships with individual donors via social media and other online communities.
- Provide leadership in developing resource development department operating budgets, and assume responsibility for their administration
- Establish and develop appropriate operating policies and procedures affecting resource development activities to help ensure efficiency and effectiveness
Expert in Development - Results Focused & Data Driven
The CDO is an experienced leader in the field of development with a measurable track record of success across a range of fundraising channels. S/he is responsible for setting and meeting all fundraising and donor development outreach and partnership targets for the department in conjunction with the RD team. The CDO is also expected to create and manage department budgets and interface with UWNEFL’s finance function to effectively manage the department’s administrative processes. The CDO, in partnership with the CEO, is a “lead ambassador” and spokesperson for UWNEFL and will be expected to play a public role, particularly in cultivating and managing relationships with corporate, government, and other institutional partners.
Specifically, the CDO:
- Cultivates and sustains positive, productive relationships with volunteers, community and business leaders, donors, and staff
- Works to plan, organize, and implement new revenue streams to support community impact work
- In partnership with corporate engagement, leads the effort to plan, organize and implement the annual workplace fundraising campaign. Develops new and innovative techniques
- In partnership with major gifts, legacy giving and leadership giving, provides leadership to create and implement plans to cultivate, steward and solicit current and prospective donors.
- Leads a culture of performance and accountability that is data-driven and results-focused
- In collaboration with the Leadership Team and the Board, sets and communicates segmented fundraising and development goals that lead to effective budgeting
- Is responsible for the effective operations of the fundraising and resource development function, including budgeting, planning, and other internal administrative processes
- Conducts research, prospecting, and manage the application of grants to multiple donor sources
- Fosters effective and collaborative relationships with partner corporations, government agencies, major donors, and the community agencies we serve
- Makes formal proposals and presentations to corporations, government and community agencies, major donors, and other stakeholders
- Manages key board member and volunteer relationships
Personal Leadership
The CDO will be expected to inspire the trust and confidence of others on the team, in the organization, from the Board and stakeholder organizations with whom he or she interacts. The position requires the ability to lead a diverse team of professionals, provide strategic leadership to the organization as a whole, and balance, prioritize and integrate competing interests with limited resources.
Specifically, the CDO:
- Is a confident leader, anticipating obstacles and opportunities to instill best practices and proactively executes effective solutions
- Gains the confidence and trust of others through principled leadership, sound business ethics, and results
- Is a connector for UWNEFL, bringing new relationships acquired from professional contacts.
- Inspires respect from the sector
- Learns and develops from personal experience and from others
- Embraces the opportunities in change and lead others to a place of clarity and commitment
- Fosters a sense of energy, ownership, and personal connection to the work of UWNEFL, the communities we serve, and our staff
Team Leadership
The CDO actively recruits, develops, and manages the full range of specialized fundraising professionals required to staff a large fundraising team. Building team cohesiveness by establishing, communicating, and reinforcing shared values and norms, both within the department as well as cross-functionally, will be essential to the organization’s success. Accurately assessing the skill sets of the department is a leadership role of the CDO, so that professional development can be offered to staff.
Specifically, the CDO:
- Measures team and strategy effectiveness, properly assessing areas for growth and realignment or removal
- Recruits, manages, and develops a high-functioning fundraising team that supports the development and implementation of the strategic plan
- Recruits and manages a volunteer Resource Development Council to oversee and drive revenue-generation strategies across all categories
- Creates an environment of innovation and creativity
- Builds organizational capability by identifying skills needed in the department and recruiting and developing staff in alignment with strategic priorities
- Builds talent by establishing and communicating performance standards and developing staff to meet those standards
- Facilitates effective cross-functional teamwork with members of UWNEFL’s programs and marketing functions
- Sources and manages external resources as needed for events and special campaigns and operations
Experience / Position Requirements:
(Includes education, certification, experience, specific knowledge and technical expertise)
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible positions in fundraising and resource development, and or sales (Experience in large nonprofit organizations preferred)
- Comprehensive experience in all fundraising domains, including major gifts, corporate, leadership giving and legacy/planned giving with a demonstrated track record of success
- Demonstrated experience managing large workplace giving campaigns, including planning, implementation and account management
- Demonstrated experience creating wins in declining markets
- Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and results
- Experience building, leading, and mentoring a team of fundraising and resource development specialists, both internal and external
- Experience with events
- Excellent writing, editing, verbal, and presentation skills
- Strong quantitative analysis skills; ability to target the right metrics and to clearly communicate complex data
- Demonstrated skill and comfort in building relationships with board members, major donors, corporate giving managers, and government and community agency leaders
- Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution
- Superior management skills, including the ability to advocate for and manage to budget priorities
- Presence and confidence to project credibility to the Board, media, and strategic stakeholders
- A passion for UWNEFL’s mission, vision, and accomplishments
Professional Core Competencies Required:
(Represents abilities and behaviors essential for all team members to support United Way of Northeast Florida mission)
- Mission Focused: Creates real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities. This drives performance and professional motivations.
- Relationship Oriented: Places people before process and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
- Collaborator (includes teamwork and communication): Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial & human) through meaningful engagement. Strong supporter of a team environment.
- Results Driven: Dedicates efforts to shared and measurable goals for the common good; creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.
- Brand Steward: Understands role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network.
(Represents abilities and behaviors essential for the Chief Development Officer to support United Way of Northeast Florida resource development initiatives)
- Talent Management & People Development: Builds and leads a diverse team that enables the organization to succeed; open to new ideas and coaches and mentors employees and teams.
- Business Acumen & Strategic Direction: Understands business of the organization and effective strategy.
- Operational Planning and Execution: Aligns departmental priorities with the greater organization goals, strategy and mission.
- Outward Turning: Develops strategic relationships to benefit United Way and the community. Knows key players in the community and maintains and expands network of partners.
- Drives revenue: Is results driven, with a relentless focus on gaining the resources to support our mission and community impact-focused strategic objectives.
- Strategic Relationship Building: Develops and maintains strategic relationships that generate the resources necessary to support United Way’s mission.
- Effective and Engaging Communicator: Articulates the United Way message in a way that inspires others to act in service to the organization and the community.
General Physical Requirements for Essential Functions of the Job:
x Sitting 6 hours per day
x Standing 1 hours per day
x Walking 1 hours per day
x Lifting 25 pounds
x Bending/Stooping: (Describe): Frequently required to bend/stoop handling meeting materials.
x Long Hours (Describe): Sometimes necessary to work longer than 8 hours a day and/or 40 hours a work week, including weekends.
x Unusual hearing or visionary demands (Specify): Long hours viewing a computer monitor screen.
x Manual dexterity (Describe): Continual use of hands with wrist movement on keyboard and/or while using the telephone.
x Working conditions: May need to work outside normal office environment occasionally.
x Travel: Travel using personal vehicle is required occasionally.
Other Physical Requirements (Describe):
This description is not designed to contain a comprehensive inventory of all responsibilities and qualifications required of all team members assigned to this position. It is intended only to describe the key elements relative to each section. Also, duties and/or requirements of this position may be modified, added or deleted at any time. This supersedes all descriptions previously written for the same position. Unique equivalent skills and experience may possibly substitute for required position requirements.
United Way of Northeast Florida welcomes applications for open positions from candidates across the spectrum of diversity. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Drug Free Work Environment.