Chief Development Officer

Organizational Leadership

• Participates as a member of the Senior Management Team to provide a united, visible, and strong leadership presence across the organization, help instill new thinking, focus and prioritize efforts, and operationalize the organization’s strategic plan.
• Assists the CEO, COO, and Senior Management Team in promoting the long range plans and goals of the organization to the community.
• Manages the relationships with Resource Development, vendors, volunteers, and other key stakeholders to endure a quality experience.
• Works closely and collaboratively with Donor and Volunteer Engagement, Marketing and Communications.

Strategic and Organizational Structure

• Responsible for managing and leading all RD lines of business including: Corporate Relations, Major and Planned Gifts, New Business/New Partnerships, Donor Relations and RD Operations. 
• Leads Resource Development Team in the creation of a resource development strategy aligned to the organizational strategy with defined operating plans for each year.
• Analyzes the progress of annual operating plan goals and metrics and makes recommendations as needed.
• Works with the COO and CFO in developing the Resource Development budget and assumes responsibility for its administration.
• Reviews and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Resource Development initiatives.
• Researches, tests, and implements new techniques and materials to improve the effectiveness of these initiatives.
• Assists the COO in establishing and developing appropriate operating policies and procedures affecting resource development initiatives and their impacts on other departments and their resources.
• Works with the CEO and COO to develop goals and objectives for United Way’s Resource Development initiatives, and develops and directs the implementation of long and short-range plans to meet those goals and objectives.  

Fundraising for Impact

Plan, organize, and implement the annual workplace fundraising campaign for the United Way within the guidelines established by the board of directors and the CEO.

• Ensures that we create and implement a plan to cultivate, steward, and solicit our current and prospect donors.  Ensures that financial issues for gifts are handled with complete integrity and transparency.
• Builds and supports a discipline of relationship management within the Resource Development Department and within areas providing critical support to the Resource Development area.
• Cultivates and sustains positive, productive relationships with volunteers, community and business leaders, donors, fund recipients, and staff.
• Educates staff, volunteers, and members of the business and financial community about United Way’s resource development initiatives.
• Evaluates Resource Development results; recommends changes, organizes and develops an appropriate volunteer structure through which the community-wide support for the fundraising appeal is achieved; provides support and assistance to the volunteer leadership and Resource Development staff.
• Works with the COO to plan, organize, and implement new revenue streams to support community impact work.  This includes, but is not limited, to online giving campaigns, endowment campaigns, planned giving, fundraising events and the addition of affinity group programs.  

Volunteer Leadership

• Assumes primary staff responsibility for Fundraising Committee meetings, overseeing the activities of the committee and providing expertise to volunteers in organizing and developing successful campaign strategies.
• Provides goal-setting, visioning, leadership, and strategic direction for Resource Development volunteers.
• Works directly with and supports the Fundraising Committee Chair in the execution of the chair responsibilities as outlined in the Chair job description, including the identification and recruitment of Fundraising Committee volunteers.
• Plans and executes donor and volunteer involvement in affinity group programs.
• Ensures a system of continuity of volunteer leadership.  

Functional Competencies/Accountabilities:

• Generates Revenue Through Appropriate Asks: Identifies new ways to drive and generate revenue; Identifies strategies and opportunities to best engage donors; Proactively identifies and qualifies individuals and groups to give to/support United Way; Asks for money and closes the deal.
• Is Ambitious and Focused on Winning: Sets ambitious yet realistic goals; Persists when facing obstacles and comes back with a new approach and strategy to succeed; Conveys energy and passion about United Way’s work and mission; Is self-directed; Holds oneself accountable.
• Manages Prospects: Gathers and uses data that supports requests for donations and other types of support; Connects donors’ and prospects’ interests directly to United Way’s work; Creates a strong case for support and successfully “sells” the idea, program, or funding opportunity to donor and/or supporter; Inspires commitment and support for United Way.
• Persuades and Influences Donors: Listens to the needs, interests and passions of the donor with an eye towards connecting them with United Way community work; Expresses empathy and consideration for donor/partner needs; Identifies, engages with, adapts to and influences various types of people and organizations; Promotes an idea or vision effectively.
• Builds Donor Loyalty and Retention: Develops and executes year-round engagement and retention plans for donor segments; Builds donor loyalty through personalized engagement, increasing average gift, and increasing involvement in giving, advocating, and volunteering with United Way.
• Is Visible with Donors and Community Leaders: Continuously builds and expands the network of donors; Is visible and known in the community; Recognizes and pursues new opportunities and engages key leaders in the organization to create and support plans.
• Engages Donor Segments Appropriately: Understands differences between types of donors (e.g., workplace donors, corporations, foundations, government entities, etc.) and specific strategies needed to reach each segment; Behaves appropriately, effectively, and in alignment with donor type and donor needs.
• Exhibits Business Acumen: Identifies, anticipates and adapts to changing market trends and business needs; Understands challenges and opportunities in the business environment; Has solid understanding of United Way products and services.
• Focuses on Continuous Improvement: Stays current in the technical aspects of their field (e.g., tax law, employee engagement); Attempts to apply latest information on trends and best practices to continuously improve the work; Encourages and supports new ideas and new ways of doing things.
• Takes Calculated Risks: Recognizes and acts on opportunities; Establishes criteria for taking risk; Challenges status quo when appropriate; Knows when to cut losses and change course.
• Stewards Donors: Recognizes the power of effective stewardship (thanking donors, informing them about the impact of their gift, keeping them apprised of progress on the community work it is intended to address and deepening the relationship) and develops and implements plans to steward donors of all giving levels.
• Takes Initiative: Recognizes and capitalizes on emerging opportunities; Recommends new ways of doing business; Meets donor needs in new ways; Stays current and anticipates market trends and technology that improve knowledge, communications and interactions.
• Assesses and Conveys Donor Interests for Product Development: Understands donors’ interests and aligns them to existing organization mission and products; Informs and guides conversations with CI to develop products and investment opportunities; Works with Marketing to inform collateral materials, strategies for promoting, and reporting on products/investment opportunities.
• Manages Data, Analytics, and Research: Manages donor data efficiently and accurately such as inputting donor visit notes, updating annual donor roster names and contact information, resolving conflicting data and information, producing ongoing donor and prospect research, recording donor communications as well as contact, biographic and preference information in donor database; Identifies and researches lapsed and potentially-lapsing donors and works to re-engage these donors.  Works collaboratively with Information Technology team to establish and abide by data protocols to ensure highest quality of donor data.
• Builds Donor Desire: Using donor data, identifies the best way to contact prospective donors; Uses donor interests, needs, and values to engage them so that they have a strong desire to work with United Way; Creates donor options, using specific donor information, for giving, advocating, and/or volunteering for the United Way; Creates a strong case for support and successfully “sells” the idea, program, funding opportunity to donor and/or supporter; Is a great negotiator and uses persuasive techniques to mobilize and engage people to support the United Way.
• Presents to the Donor: Creates and presents written or verbal information about donor options in a professional and compelling way; Leads and navigates discussions that result in mutual satisfaction and benefit; Addresses donor questions and objectives; gains donor commitment in a timely manner.
• Manages and Grows the Donor Relationship: Delivers on donor expectations; Does what it takes to satisfy the donor; Maintains donor relationship after the donation process is completed; Continuously looks for new needs and opportunities for that donor and their community.
• Manages Strategic Volunteer Engagement / Committees: Recruits and staffs volunteer leaders’ committees and ensures committee volunteers are trained and engaged in work (i.e., campaign cabinet or Tocqueville cabinet); Achieves annual and multi-year revenue and donor engagement goals through leveraging a volunteer development force to open and create peer-to-peer engagement; Provides information to MKTG/COMM and other stakeholders to create different types of communications that will connect with different types of volunteers.
• Recruits Volunteers: Uses multiple approaches and channels that are aligned with donor and community needs and interests to attract and identify prospective individuals and groups of volunteers; Approaches prospective volunteers using high-tech and high-touch methods; Assesses volunteers against goal and/or project criteria; Selects and notifies volunteers.
• Prepares Volunteers for Their Roles: Provides written and oral information to volunteers that help them understand the goal and their specific role in achieving the goal; Trains volunteers on United Way policies, knowledge and skills they will need for the specific goal on which they are working; Answers questions needed to best position volunteers to make a specific ask for the organization. Ensures volunteers receive an onboarding process around all departments and team members they will work with around the entire organization.
• Manages Volunteer Performance and Impact: Sets and communicates expectations to volunteers through clearly stated goals and metrics used to measure the state goals; Follows-up regularly on the status of volunteer efforts; Provides performance feedback to volunteers that recognizes their strengths and helps them develop in areas in which they have opportunities.