ABOUT UNITED WAY:
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley's mission is to reduce the obstacles preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. Focused on driving long-term systemic solutions that communities can embrace, it targets efforts in the areas of child and youth development, housing, and economic mobility. United Way is a locally governed and independently operated United Way-one of 1,400 across the country that together form a national movement to create sustainable systemic change. United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley currently evaluates, guides, and invests over $45 million annually in a portfolio of over 300 community-based organizations. It spearheads public policy initiatives tackling the most pressing community issues, making a direct and sustained difference in the lives of individuals.
United Way also mobilizes thousands of volunteers, philanthropists, and companies annually and raises funding through generous donors who understand that change cannot happen without significant investments. During the Covid-19 pandemic, United Way mobilized its deep partnerships with nonprofits, state and municipal leaders, and thousands of businesses to:
- Deploy over $25 million in Covid-19 relief and recovery funds
- Provide more than 400,000 people with emergency financial assistance, helping them to pay for food, housing, utilities, and other essential needs
- Field nearly 500,000 calls for assistance with Covid-19 resources, mental health support and other essential needs through United Way's 2-1-1 hotline
While the pandemic has left no one untouched, it also put a spotlight on the alarming disparities that have always existed throughout our region. Today, the United Way is making a purposeful shift to an equity driven vision to advance an economically-just region, where access to financial opportunity is universal and prosperity is shared across race and ethnicity.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is seeking a Senior Vice President, Development who will embrace the work of United Way of becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization. United Way is assembling a Development team of passionate and committed individuals to help build and implement a development operation that is as extraordinary as its mission at an exciting time for United Way. Following the 2020 arrival of a new CEO, who comes with deep experience of driving scaled and sustainable impact in the nonprofit sector, United Way is amidst a deep redesign of its strategy and operations. Building on its core strength of mobilizing the caring power of communities, it is undergoing an extensive effort to re-imagine the civic engagement and impact it can have in the region. Top organizational priorities include putting economic justice and racial and ethnic equity at the center of the region's future, leveraging strong nonprofit and government relationships, redesigning corporate partnerships, and leaning into core DEI values to optimize talent. United Way is confident that it can deepen investment in community-led strategies to achieve economic prosperity throughout the region. Join our team. Because together, we can do more than any of us can do alone.
THE ROLE:
The Senior Vice President of Development (Individual Giving) will serve as a senior leader on the Development team and lead United Way's individual giving programs. United Way currently partners with corporate, foundation, individual, and governmental funders to address the community's most pressing needs and drive systemic change and sustainable results. We aim to increase the number of new individual donors as well as deepen the relationships we have with current donors and constituents. We strive to do this through traditional channels and in new, innovative ways.
Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the SVP works collaboratively and creatively to lead staff and volunteers in planning, coordinating, and executing donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities of individual prospects and donors, with a primary focus on 5- and 6-figure gifts. This position will be proactive in developing and strengthening current and prospective donor relationships beyond United Way's traditional workplace campaigns. Responsibility and accountability for the development and achievement of annual individual giving fundraising goals is critical to the position and organization's success. In this role, the SVP will oversee major gifts and will strive to build synergy between United Way's key fundraising programs. The SVP will supervise a team of 4 individual giving staff and will be an active participant at community events and meetings to increase United Way's presence through networking, prospecting and relationship building. They will work closely with the CDO, the President and CEO, and with senior staff and key volunteers to raise United Way resources, visibility, and relevance in the diverse and vibrant communities we serve within the region. The SVP will join a dynamic Development team focused charged with generating close to $50 million per year.
The successful candidate will be a generalist fundraiser with the ability to work cross-stream, securing investments from individual prospective donors and possessing the ability to compellingly engage stakeholders from corporations and foundations. While the SVP is accountable to the individual giving revenue stream and goals, they are also able to engage all types of donors and contribute to the Development team's overall goals. They will have a demonstrated capacity for leadership, should possess significant experience in environments of change, and have a track record of accomplishment, credibility, and respect. They will bring a recognized degree of strategic clarity, operational excellence, fundraising ability, relationship building, and practical experience within and/or working across nonprofit, governmental, and business sectors.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Staffing various Board and volunteer committees that support Development, managing a portfolio of major donors, overseeing the development and implementation of events and fundraising assets that support the individual giving program, integrating the individual donor work in support of and in complement to the work of the workplace campaigns that yield 30,000 donors per year, and supporting initiatives that target programs of highest priority for the United Way.
Key Responsibilities:
- Direct individual giving strategies and expand the major gifts program, working closely with the CDO, CEO, and Board
- Work cross-functionally with the SVP, Corporate Partnerships and the Corporate Partnerships team to maximize and deepen relationships with individuals and companies
- Develop cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to support individual giving programs including, but not limited to, Tocqueville Society, Emerging Leaders, Women United and other giving circles throughout the year
- Create new strategies for cultivating and stewarding donor constituencies such as retirees, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and others
- Manage a major gift portfolio of 100+ prospects and maintain accurate and detailed donor records in order to analyze deployment of resources against objectives; assign relationship management responsibilities throughout the Individual Giving team; assess and evaluate areas of responsibility and adjust resources across all portfolios as needed.
- Manage progress towards revenue goals throughout the year, providing monthly projections against goal, with a strong emphasis on pipeline development and management
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of 4 professionals to deliver outstanding relationship management and growth
- Partner with Marketing & Communications on development of collateral materials
- Direct major giving events plan, inclusive of cultivation and stewardship events, in partnership with the VP, Development Systems and Stewardship & Engagement teams
- Collaborate on cross functional teams and serve on the Development leadership team
- Manage volunteer committees (board and non-board) as assigned by CDO
- Invest time and focus in helping to develop and implement new norms for utilizing our CRM for managing portfolio activity, donor outreach, donor research, event attendance, communications, etc.
- Actively contribute to and support our ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work
- Consult with other United Way major markets on best practices in individual giving
- Attend and participate in community events to strengthen United Way's presence and establish relationships
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 15 years of professional fundraising experience within a nonprofit organization or relationship management experience within the private sector; minimum of 7 years of experience in a management role
- Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and to the vision of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley to build an economically just region.
- Expertise in strategic and operational planning for both short- and long-term impact
- Strong leadership and management skills that include the ability to motivate, influence, and hold staff accountable to high standards and goals; experience coaching and developing team members on a Development team
- Demonstrated track record of success in the areas of project management, budget analysis and goal setting, and revenue generation
- Advanced knowledge of fundraising strategies and portfolio management practices
- A track record in setting and executing a fundraising strategy that includes major gifts of at least $100,000; experience working with a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and closing 6- and 7-figure gifts; candidates with experience in corporate and foundation giving a plus
- Exceptional reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical skills, including an ability to translate ideas and concepts into clear actionable initiatives
- Excellent writing, editing, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with an emphasis on the ability to persuade and influence others around ideas, decisions, and financial support
- Ability to leverage and communicate effectively with multiple audiences including executive leaders, board members, donors, and staff
- Well-connected network and willingness to open doors to new investment opportunities
- Ability to manage multiple programs, people, resources, partnerships, and directives
- Demonstrated success in collaborating both within a department and across an organization
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience constructing sales pitches, presentations, and demonstrations
BENEFITS:
- Health and Dental coverage - individual and family - premium cost share
- Paid Time Off - 15 vacation days, 15 sick days, 11 paid Holidays, Floating Holidays
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- 401(k) with match and an additional base contribution depending on years of service
- Group Life and Long-term Disability
- Serve United time off for volunteering
- Optional employee-paid vision insurance
- Alternative work arrangements/hybrid work
For more information, or to apply now, you must go to the website below. Please DO NOT email your resume to us as we only accept applications through our website.