City Kids Wilderness Project (CKWP/City Kids) is seeking an action oriented, organized, strategic, and engaging Director of Development (DoD) to join our dedicated staff in Washington, DC. The DoD oversees all aspects of fundraising to support an organizational budget of $1.8 million. The DoD supervises the Senior Development Manager and a part time, Jackson, WY based, Development Advisor, and works closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to ensure City Kids’ stability and growth.

About City Kids Wilderness Project

City Kids is a nonprofit organization founded (1996) on the belief that providing enriching life experiences for DC youth can enhance their lives, the lives of their families, and the greater community. We strive to provide extraordinary wilderness and community-based experiences that inspire youth to dream, see beyond their current circumstances, and ultimately succeed in building a healthy, happy, and productive life.  Our goals include that our youth graduate from high school or earn their GED, that they enroll in a postsecondary education program or obtain a job, and that they are involved and connected members of their community. Programs take place throughout the year in and around Washington, DC and during the summer at our ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Youth enroll as sixth graders and continue their engagement with City Kids through middle school, high school and beyond.

Position Overview

This position will be responsible for managing and executing City Kids annual development plan, stewarding an existing portfolio of individual and foundation major donors and building an individual giving pipeline that will sustain the organization for decades to come. The ideal candidate has a clear grasp of all core components of development and fundraising, including: individual and major contributions, gold-standard stewardship practices, annual and online giving campaigns, corporate partnerships and funding, special event fundraising and sponsorship, and grant writing.

In addition, this position will need to have experience in, and a passion for, a data driven approach to fundraising that will include a commitment to entering, maintaining and analyzing revenue data using Salesforce NPSP that will drive City Kids annual fundraising and programmatic goals. The Director of Development will manage a Senior Development Manager and a Jackson-based part time development staff.

Qualities of Successful Candidates

The ideal candidate is eager to grow resources and support for CKWP to achieve the goals of the organization’s DC weekend outdoor adventure programming, job training and college preparation programming and Jackson, WY based summer camp, career exploration and job training programming for our older youth. This individual is a seasoned development professional adept at supporting the fundraising work of a Board of Directors and Executive Director. This candidate is also excited to deepen connections with current donors and engage new ones, is eager to implement the development plan, and maintains a high level of flexibility in managing and collaborating with foundation founders, board of directors, staff, consultants, and volunteers. They communicate effectively and professionally across all platforms and accomplish their work with diplomatic finesse. Additionally, they have the management capabilities to direct and lead a team of development professionals located in DC and Jackson, WY.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Management, Leadership and Development Strategy (ongoing)

• Serve as a member of the leadership team and participate in strategic and operational planning; Work with the ED and leadership staff to craft and present annual budget with revenue projections to the Board. Act as thought partner to the ED and Board in developing new revenue areas and long-term sustainability.
• Continually manage and update existing annual development and donor stewardship plans to meet aggressive and long-term fundraising goals.
• Serve as the main point of contact for the Board of Directors, DC Associate Board and Jackson Advisory Committee regarding development support and inquiries.
• Advise on strategy adjustments, keeping City Kids efforts focused on the highest ROI

Individual Donor Relations, Grants and Event Management (45%)

• Serve as the primary owner of donor cultivation and stewardship, managing a portfolio of 100+ individual relationships.
• Cultivate, steward, and solicit individual, corporate, and foundation supporters. 
• Manage and develop a series of annual appeal campaigns focused on donor prospecting and stewardship.
• Design and execute an annual stewardship and moves management process.
• Cultivate relationships with Founder, Board of Directors, DC Associate Board, Jackson Advisory Committee and Executive Director to:
  • Support their development efforts
  • Identify, cultivate and solicit individual donors for major gifts
  • Provide direction on follow up and next steps from major donor meetings and events
• Solicit board for annual giving.
• Define strategy and support the management of the DC Associate Board, Jackson Advisory Committee and Board Development Committee.
• Design a strategy for, and identify and pursue, corporate, foundation and individual donor opportunities.
• Work in coordination with Members of the City Kids Grant Management team to identify development role in all grants.
• Manage foundation grant writing process and required reporting once grants are secured.
• Support the Senior Development Manager in their efforts to secure cause marketing partnerships.
• Create an overall event strategy and provide guidance for the Senior Development Manager in their efforts to execute upon annual DC and Jackson based fundraising and cultivation events.

Development Operations (15%)

• Develop and execute an annual and long-term fund development plan to meet organization goals.
• Develop metrics, measurement and dashboard strategy for tracking progress towards development goals and organizational budget needs.
• Participate in strategic planning for CKWP and provide strategic direction for all fundraising initiatives.
• Deftly use Salesforce, CKWP’s CRM system, to maintain all donor and prospect information and build reports.
• Supervise staff with gift-processing and data entry, and ensure all systems are accurate and up to date.

Communications (15%) 

• Coordinate the creation and production of collateral materials related to fundraising events, programs, and activities, including regular donor communications. Manage marketing for all fundraising initiatives.
• Lead the ideation, creation and publication of fundraising communications, including year-end appeal, giving days, event ticket sales, annual reports, Campfire Circle packets, camper thank you and birthday postcards, form thank you letters and notes, impact reports, etc.
• Design and project manage social media and e-appeals.

Staff Supervision (10%)

• Responsible for management, evaluation and review of one full-time staff member, the Senior Development Manager and one part-time staff member the Jackson based development staffer including supervision, training and coaching.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (Required)

As Development Director, you will: be action and results oriented, inspire confidence and excitement about this work with our donor community, be able to connect authentically with our donors and donor prospects, and inspire and support our Board in being strong champions and fundraisers for this work. Other required characteristics include:

• Flexible, entrepreneurial spirit with a demonstrated ability at achieving fundraising goals.
• Masterful project management skills with a determination to exceed expectations.
• Polished, warm and able to build relationships throughout the community, from CEO’s to foundation program officers to program youth and their families.
• Excellent analytical skills with proficiency in data analysis and/or business intelligence tools (Excel, etc.).
• Excellent working knowledge of donor database CRMs and their capabilities.
• Independent worker with the ability to manage up with grace and respect.

Work Experience

• At least 8 years of development and fundraising experience with substantial time spent in leadership and supervisory roles having managed other fundraising staff and/or volunteers.
• Experience holding fiscal responsibilities with proven track record of maintaining fiscal integrity and budget compliance.
• Experience in a data driven work environment where measurement and metrics were prioritized.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; Master’s degree preferred.

Other Qualifications and Attributes

• Demonstrated capacity to work independently without close oversight, while also operating as a team player in a flexible, creative, and evolving environment.
• Passion for with organizations serving youth and love of the outdoors.
• A personal commitment to and deep understanding of City Kids’ mission and demonstrated skills in cultural competence and a commitment to social justice.
• Communications and marketing experience a plus, particularity digital marketing and social media.
• Energetic, outgoing, flexible, and able to thrive in a collaborative, evolving environment.
• Availability to work some evenings and weekends, with ability to travel 15-30 days a year in support of CKWP programs and events in Jackson, WY.

Salary and Benefits

Salary is competitive for the role with similarly sized nonprofits in the city. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision plan with 100% employer contribution, 10 paid holidays, 20 days paid time off, and on-going professional development opportunities.

To Apply

Candidates should send the following to [email protected] with “City Kids Director of Development” in the subject line:

• Resume;
• Cover letter with salary range expectations and available start date; and
• A writing sample solely authored by the candidate that is relevant to fundraising work, such as a follow-up email post donor meeting, or a campaign report constructed to give strategic counsel.

Only applicants who follow this process will be vetted. No direct calls please. Target start date is Fall 2019.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by the individual assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required.  Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties as necessary. Minimal heavy lifting and no strenuous activity required, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. City Kids Wilderness Project is an equal opportunity employer.