Hybrid Director, Development bei Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Description

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 140,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Under the direction of the vice president of development, the director, development provides strategic leadership to drive the growth, innovation and effectiveness of the public fundraising development programs for Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The director is responsible for the day-to-day management of the development team, ensuring high performance and accountability in achieving planned and major gift goals, annual fund growth and mass public fundraising initiatives. This role coaches and guides a team of professionals to build strong donor relationships, implement effective fundraising strategies and achieve ambitious revenue goals to advance the Foundation’s mission. The director, development works closely with members of the marketing and development team to develop a comprehensive fundraising program that strengthens the donor base and drives philanthropic impact and cooperates as a peer with the Wendy's development and corporate partnerships teams to meet department goals.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Lead and oversee the Foundation’s development team

• Provides strategic leadership of the development team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement; conduct regular check-ins, annual reviews, coaching and career planning 
• Oversee the growth of a public facing fundraising program at all giving levels while enhancing engagement strategies including but not limited to digital fundraising, direct mail, planned giving, cryptocurrency and gift administration to advance stewardship across the development team

2. Cultivate and scale a sustainable major gift program, ensuring donor strategies align with the Foundations long-term fundraising goals 

• Manages an active portfolio of 100+ major donor prospects ($10,000+), building relationships to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward their support
• Develop strong personal connections with donors and oversees cultivation, solicitation and stewardship activities through events, visits, calls and written communication
• Guides the team in identifying and building a robust pipeline of major donors using data analysis, research and strategies in collaboration with the Development Operations team, to advance the Foundation’s fundraising objectives 
• Drives strategic cultivation efforts to advance major and principal giving priorities
• Leads special project fundraising initiatives and works with board members, as identified by the CEO, and staff to drive participation and achieve project goals

3. Provides strategic leadership in developing and implementing the annual cultivation and stewardship strategy for all donors, including digital supporters, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s mission and goals

• Oversee and guide the annual giving campaigns, including digital fundraising, direct mail appeals and integrated donor communications in collaboration with marketing, development and agency teams
• Monitors industry trends, innovations and best practices within the philanthropic landscape to strengthen the Foundation’s leadership in the sector

4. Contribute to shared department efforts, including mailings, donor experiences, phone calls and appeals as appropriate

5. Performs other duties as necessary or assigned

Requirements

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The following qualifications are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required to serve in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Strong leadership and project management skills, with the ability to effectively lead and inspire a team; strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization
• Proven experience managing a portfolio of major donors; proactively building and maintaining positive relationships internally and externally; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and in different situations
• Demonstrates high emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, ensuring successful and empathetic engagement with team members and donors
• Extensive experience solicitation and closure of major and planned gifts (including wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts) with strong verbal presentation skills and responsiveness to donor and public inquiries 
• Excellent people and communications skills, with an ability to work independently and on a collaborative team; personal qualities of integrity, credibility and commitment to the mission
• Flexible and able to multi-task in a fast-moving environment, while maintaining a strong attention to detail; drives towards clarity and solutions through resourcefulness in setting priorities, goals and evidence-based activities
• Experience in training and developing team members to enhance performance and build an inclusive culture; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, delegate effectively and provide constructive feedback
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality with privileged information
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office products, Wealth Engine, CRM or other fundraising  applications

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Undergraduate degree required 
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in non-profit development fundraising, with at least 5 years’ direct fundraising experience focused on major and/or mid-level giving required 
• Managerial experience required, including supervising and developing staff and/or teams
• Experience with data analysis, reporting and monitoring industry trends required 
• National non-profit knowledge a plus

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

Moderate travel required

 The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, religious beliefs, political affiliation, creed, HIV/AIDS status, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, familial status, veteran/military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, prior arrest or any other category protected by applicable law. Any employee who engages in such conduct is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.