Vice President of Development

What We Need 

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, is seeking a Vice President of Development, who will, together with the CEO, Vice Presidents (VPs), and Board of Trustees (Trustees), be responsible for ensuring the Foundation fulfills its mission and vision in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The VP of Development will be the lead fundraiser of the organization and will own the philanthropic strategy that will fulfill the Foundation’s vision to inspire, connect, and educate about the importance of ocean and Great Lakes conservation and its direct impact on communities, the environment, and the global economy. The VP of Development will be a strategic thought leader who will ensure a modern approach to philanthropy that is inclusive, donor-centric, and makes use of all channels to engage donors and sustain giving with an experienced and motivated team.

The VP of Development will have the mandate to partner with institutional donors, individual donors, and corporate partners to build the capacity of the organization to support sanctuaries.  The VP will have the opportunity to guide the design and development of campaigns targeting the entire donor funnel, including annual giving, year-end campaigns, Capital Campaigns, and the 25th Anniversary of the foundation campaign. The VP will guide and lead the team in executing several fundraising events each for the national foundation and support foundation chapter events, including our 25th anniversary year gala, Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW), Ocean Awards Reception at CHOW, and other small events with a highly engaged Board of Trustees. This key role is an opportunity to join a collaborative and growing organization and exceptional staff working at a high level with leaders, major donors, and supporters in the marine conservation space across foundations and partners, and with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and several other divisions at NOAA and the Department of Commerce, as well as coalitions in the ocean and Great Lakes communities.

Founded in 2000 by America’s most influential ocean conservation leaders, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation works with coastal communities and the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to inspire the conservation of nationally significant protected areas in our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, The National Marine Sanctuary System is comprised of 17 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments that encompass more than 620,000 square miles of our waters, including the newest sanctuary, Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The Foundation is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, working with communities to conserve and expand those special places for a healthy ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. Working together, we safeguard species and the places they call home and preserve America’s maritime and cultural history.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is committed to a culture of inclusion, equity, and belonging. We are dedicated to attracting and retaining a diverse staff. We honor experiences, perspectives, and unique identities, and welcome the contributions that you can bring to the dedicated team. With a diverse team of employees, we can grow and learn better together and achieve our mission to protect the health of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes for current and future generations.

What You’ll Do 

The Vice President of Development will serve as a core member of the Foundation’s executive leadership team, including the Senior VPs of Program Operations and Workforce Development, External Affairs, and the Chief Financial Officer; lead a team that includes a Major Giving Officer, Director of Corporate Relations, Grant Writer, Development Operations Manager, Development Coordinator, and two chapter directors at local sanctuaries; advise on organization-wide vision and strategy for the transformation of Foundation giving and operations. The VP of Development reports to the organization’s President and CEO. The VP also works closely with the CFO to set targets and fundraising goals, and with Trustees who are working on fundraising initiatives at the board-level.

The VP will oversee and manage the Foundation’s fundraising strategy, development, and execution. They will develop high-level donor relations with an enviable list of major donors, new fundraising streams to drive revenue growth in support of multiple fundraising channels, including annual targets, and a framework for regular reporting to the CEO, CFO, and trustees.

The VP role requires an individual who is a compassionate, collaborative, entrepreneurial leader. Working with the CEO, Board, and staff support, the VP serves as the organization’s lead fundraiser with foundations, individuals, and corporations.

• Oversees diversifying revenue streams, increasing major and individual giving, corporate partnerships, and foundation support and attracting new funding for the Foundation’s programs and operations.
• Maintains strong relationships with partners and attracts new funding for the Foundation’s programs and operations.
• Reports regularly on fundraising performance and owns target-setting and team education and performance.
• Coordinates with the Executive Leadership Team on shared initiatives and federal and state awards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Apply a philanthropic lens to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, strategic planning, and advise on the opportunities to build a support base for planned or potential initiatives for impact.
• Lead the effort with your team and identify key support roles that will develop and implement an omnichannel fundraising plan annually to manage annual goals while also building long-term opportunities.
• Manage a growing fundraising team and make staffing and operations recommendations, utilizing experience and best-in-class consultants to support plans, including strategic investments in data and analytics, and CRM.
• Lead fundraising and sponsorship development for major events including Capitol Hill Ocean Week, Ocean Awards Galas, 25th Anniversary Gala, trustee-led peer-to-peer fundraising events.
• Working in partnership with the leadership team, lead with the team in the creation of annual fundraising campaigns, including year-end giving, annual and sustainer giving; institute best practices in Development, educate the organization, own fundraising messaging and own donor marketing strategy, and ensure the team has the right operational and compliance infrastructure, department strategic plan, and budget. 

Specific responsibilities include:
Restricted and Unrestricted Fundraising 

The VP of Development will Develop and oversee all solicitation efforts, with an emphasis on their own major donor portfolio; oversee with the team the coordinating of non-federal grant funding opportunities, donor targeting, fundraiser event planning, major and planned giving, endowed giving, and bequests with a focus on increasing sustainable unrestricted, private revenue to meet the strategic funding needs of the new 3-year strategic plan. The VP will develop and implement a robust plan to attract individual, institutional, and corporate support for the following:

• Sanctuary programs like Mission: Iconic Reefs, Goal: Clean Seas, Marine Debris Removal, National Marine Sanctuary Day (to learn more visit www.marinesanctuary.org)
• Capital Campaign: within the next 2-3 years in partnership with the Board of Trustees
• Unrestricted Revenue Diversification: including direct response digital campaigns with premiums, calendar campaign, year-end, annual board gifts
• Major Giving: donor circles and sustainer (monthly) giving
• Utilizing CEO and Board in effective donor management and gift solicitation with a “donor first” approach

Donor Stewardship, Operations, Systems, and Database Management  

• Oversight and leadership of a team to ensure timely acknowledgment of gifts and donors.
• Lead team to produce donor-facing reports, pledge reminders, and donor recognition materials.
• Ensure team is leveraging data and metrics to measure results and adjust development strategies and tactics accordingly. Identify and hire a lead on CRM, fundraising data and other donor engagement systems like Fundraise Up, wealth scoring data, ensuring the organization’s donor and prospect information is current and accurate.
• Collaborate with the CEO to co-manage the Board of Trustees fundraising activities and progress toward goals; evaluate and provide training as necessary.
• Collaborate with the CFO to develop and produce regular analytic reports for staff and Board that synthesize the financial progress and trends of fundraising activities and measure progress towards the goals outlined in the new 3-year strategic plan.
• Oversee Development operations to ensure the effective use of systems and the proper maintenance of all grant portfolios and monitor compliance with funding agency, audit, and programmatic guidelines, including timely submission of grant applications and reports utilizing funders’ online systems.
• As appropriate, engage the President and External Affairs Committee members in cultivating and closing gifts; co-lead to the External Affairs Committee for fundraising and lead for the Development Ad-hoc committee.

 Campaign Planning and Fundraiser Event Management 

• Ensure campaigns are adequately researched, planned, executed, monitored, and reported.
• In collaboration with External Affairs, lead the planning, management, and execution of the annual Ocean Awards Gala, CHOW, and Blue Beacon sponsorships; design, plan, and implement new fundraising events based on Foundation goals.
• With Communications and Program Operations Departments, co-produce regular impact reports and support impact storytelling, ensuring major donors are present in Foundation messaging.
• In collaboration with the Communications Department, and best-in-class consultants, evaluate and drive the use of new technology funding vehicles, including social media and electronic platforms aligning the organization’s website and online tools for supporters.

 Supervisory Responsibilities 

• Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging;
• Assist in the development of annual SMARTIE performance and professional development goals, support and monitor progress towards goals, and conduct annual performance evaluations;
• Approve travel requests, timecards, and time off requests.

Who You Are  

The VP of Development will be an entrepreneurial highly skilled development professional who is conversant in the latest fundraising technologies and best practices focused on strategic leadership and management. Qualified candidates will bring significant experience and an impressive track record in fundraising or other revenue-generating roles. They will demonstrate best practices around recruitment, cultivation, stewardship, and relationship building.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 5-7 years of experience in a senior nonprofit position, managing a Development team, preferably in a senior, Director or Chief role.
• A proven track record of effectively building and leading a fund development, outcomes- based operation with a strong development cycle and pipeline management.
• Proven ability to integrate development strategy with the organization’s overall strategy.
• Experience with and an ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders, including high net- worth individuals.
• Excellent grasp and up to date knowledge with donor technologies; capable of scoping, budget, and implementing donor technologies.
• Excellent presenter, capable of creating and making polished presentations for executives and C-suite utilizing MS Office and MS Teams and Zoom.
• Persuasive, credible, and polished communication skills with stellar interpersonal skills.
• An unwavering commitment to quality and excellence, and inclusion.
• Sound judgment, high emotional intelligence, deeply collaborative, and detail oriented.
• Experience mentoring and supporting staff members across all levels, fostering growth and driving excellence within the development team.
• Integrity, confidence, positive attitude, sense of humor, mission-driven, and self-directed.
• Appreciation for the coastal lifestyle and aquatic outdoor recreation (diving, snorkeling, surfing, fishing, boating, paddling/kayaking, marine wildlife, and or maritime heritage and history, etc.)
• Ability to travel up to 30%. (Travel to all Board of Trustee meetings, the annual Gala, donor events and meetings, chapter and national fundraisers, and to national marine sanctuaries on occasion to cultivate a broad network and understanding of the system).

 Preferred Qualifications: 

• Graduate degree or comparable experience at a conservation, environmental, or science-based organization, foundation, or NGO in a fundraising management role.
• Accredited fundraising professional (for example, CFRE)

Why You Will Love Us

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (“Foundation”) is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, working with communities to conserve and expand those special places for a healthy ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. The Foundation works in close partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to increase stewardship of our ocean and Great Lakes through on-the- water conservation projects, and education and public outreach activities, and by support for research. Together, we safeguard species and the places they call home, and support coastal communities and economies.

• Deep bench of experienced professionals (over 110 staff with over 60 embedded in sanctuaries), dedicated and passionate staff committed to marine and Great Lakes marine conservation, and maritime heritage preservation, educating the public and nurturing coastal communities around and in sanctuaries.
• Generous leave policy, plus paid time off the week between December 25 and January 1; and 12 paid holidays
• Health benefits: Medical with an FSA option; dental, and vision
• Foundation paid Life and Disability Insurance
• Preparing for the Future: 403(B) with employer contribution after one year of service
• Commuter Benefits
• Partial telework options available 

Compensation and Benefits: $175K – $225K annually based on experience. The Foundation offers a competitive benefits package.

Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and at least three professional references. Applications received by December 20, 2024 will be preferred.