The Opportunity

The Oregon Food Bank (OFB) believes that no one should be hungry. OFB has been fighting hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Washington for over 30 years. OFB believes in an abundance of resources and that communities thrive when people are nourished. Last year, OFB distributed 44.2 million pounds of food to nearly 950 hunger relief agencies with the assistance of volunteers who donated 163,000 hours at four OFB branches. Embedded in the mission to eliminate hunger and its root causes is OFB’s commitment to advocate for public policies and programs that address hunger, as evidenced by the successful passage of 2013 legislation that made significant investments in food and nutrition programs. OFB’s own nutrition and garden education programs further deepen ties with communities, businesses and educational institutions as OFB seeks to increase self-reliance and improve the health of our region’s communities.

OFB’s approximate annual operating budget totals $17 million which includes about $13 million in contributed income. Opportunities to expand OFB’s funding base abound through corporate, major donor, volunteer, and educational relationships as well as established events such as the Portland Blues Festival and food drives. The organization is equally poised to broaden its reach using innovative communications and storytelling. 

The Oregon Food Bank is committed to equity and inclusion, expressed in building and nurturing a highly competent, diverse workforce.

Learn more about the Oregon Food Bank at http://www.oregonfoodbank.org! 

Position Responsibilities

Reporting to the CEO, the Oregon Food Bank’s Director of Development, Marketing and Communications will lead the organization’s fund development, marketing, and communications department, and will manage the 30-person team that implements its strategy. The Director will partner closely with the Leadership Team to ensure overall organizational health and effectiveness, while delivering the departmental goals to secure charitable contributions. As the organization operates under a newly adopted strategic plan, the Director will provide vision and outline strategy to ensure adequate and growing financial resources, brand management and leverage, and a high level of community engagement. 

Specifically, the Director of Development, Marketing and Communications will provide leadership in the following areas:

• Vision: Collaborate with OFB’s CEO, Leadership Team, Trustees and Staff to define, clarify and build consensus around the vision for OFB’s development mission. Emphasis will be on clarifying priorities, developing operational plans, and aligning organizational resources to meet those priorities. Expanding and sharing the vision with staff and stakeholders will be key to success.

• Funding: Meet long-range philanthropy goals as well as near-term development goals. Develop, plan, and implement specific strategies and tools that expand OFB’s donor pipeline. Steward the OFB brand by using a research-based focus that increases OFB’s use of competitive advantages and market differentiation. Guide a paradigm shift that empowers development operations and community engagement to set goals, increasingly rely on measures and metrics to achieve goals, and grow professionally.

• Relationship Management: Cultivate and nurture strong relationships with Board members, staff, donors, and volunteers. Develop and implement entrepreneurial strategies for expanding OFB’s donor pool across a variety of demographics. Work closely and creatively with internal and external stakeholders to imagine possibilities, solve problems, innovate, and ensure the overall health of the organization. Partner internally at the senior level to communicate clearly and positively, set and manage expectations, develop and define the CEO and Board roles in fundraising, and provide assessments based on realistic data and feedback. 

• Administration/Management: Provide vision, inspire and manage the Development, Marketing and Communications Department team and the Board’s Development and Marketing Committees. Use strong organizational skills to implement comprehensive systems for departmental activities. Build healthy, transparent organizational culture with emphasis on creating a team atmosphere and mentoring staff. Bring fresh approaches to problem solving and challenge staff by posing questions, thinking broadly and providing focus on strategy. 

Profile of the Successful

Candidate OFB seeks a professional who is curious in nature, analytical in approach, diplomatic and strategic in developing and managing relationships, and committed to the organization’s mission. The successful candidate will have at least seven years of relevant work history demonstrating senior-level leadership and management experience as well as non-profit development, gift planning, financial management and donor relations. The successful candidate will be an individual who builds collaborative relationships with the widest variety of people. This professional will be well equipped to develop, refine and articulate a vision for what the Department will accomplish, define strategy, and build relationships by employing strong organizational management, communication, implementation, problem-solving and mentoring skills.

The Director of Development, Marketing and Communications will have a proven track record in managing a professional staff and leading organizational change that will focus on measurable outcomes. The ability to enjoy and nurture a highly collaborative and professional environment within the organization is essential. While based in the Portland office, the Director of Development will have significant travel throughout the region, working with other OFB sites, and developing prospect and donor relationships.

The selected candidate will join an energetic, empowered, intelligent team that derives joy from the work and is wholly dedicated to OFB’s mission. While possessing the highest level of personal and professional integrity, leadership experience, success in developing strategy, experience overseeing a professional staff and motivating volunteers, and an authentic heart for the mission, an inspirational development leader who is joyful in spirit and adept at creating and implementing plans will honor OFB’s successful history while building an energetic effort that meets OFB’s aspirations.

More specifically, OFB seeks a professional who reflects the following:

• A commitment to ending hunger

• Strong and effective interpersonal, communication and management skills, with the ability to engage a team in strategy design and decision-making

• Outstanding relational, interpersonal, and collaboration skills, both internally and externally; a communication style that reflects clarity, authenticity, transparency, and approachability

• Demonstrated experience working effectively with a broad and diverse range of stakeholders

• Experience in raising funds from a variety of sources

• Excellent written and oral communication skills; effective, engaging facilitation and presentation skills

• Excellent organizational and project management skills

• A strong work ethic, with high standards of accountability and a bias toward getting things done

• Working knowledge of best, promising, and emerging practices and innovations in the philanthropic field regionally and nationally; experience with grantmaking would be beneficial

• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information effectively and confidentially

• The ability to iterate a strategy and approach, take risks, course-correct, and “be silly,” using humor as often as possible to work with colleagues

• A willingness to challenge conventional thinking coupled with the ability to collaborate effectively and encourage dialogue

• Ability to travel on an as-needed basis; an appreciation of and enthusiasm for community presence as an integral part of this role

Additionally, the successful candidate will likely have:

• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification

• Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge software

• Fluency in a language other than English

Start Timeframe

We seek to have the successful candidate in place by fall 2015.

Compensation

This position offers a compensation range of $80-100k along with OFB’s excellent benefits package.

To Apply

All applications are held in strict confidence. Please submit your credentials and a letter of interest via email to The 360 Group at: [email protected]

Applications should be directed to the attention of Vincent Robinson, Managing Partner or Melissa Ulum, Of Counsel. No calls, please. To be considered, The 360 Group must receive applications no later than 5:00pm Pacific time on Monday, August 31st, 2015.

At The 360 Group, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes organizations more effective. As such, we make demographic and experiential diversity a hallmark of all our work, including search engagements.