Chief Development Officer

Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer

About the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas (YMCAVP)

Located in southeastern Virginia, the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas exists to support communities. Chartered in 1896, this effort was spearheaded by a group of dedicated citizens who believed in the values promoted by the Y and wanted to make a positive difference in their community.

As their mission to increase service coverage to neighboring counties developed, they have continued to grow and collaborate with schools, government agencies, and various nonprofit organizations.

Today, they have 13 center locations and three program sites, and they proudly serve numerous cities and counties in their 120-mile-long service area.

The YMCAVP is open to ALL, responsive to community needs, and committed to building character, wellness, and fellowship through programs that build spirit, mind, and body.

They focus on four areas that make a profound difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities :

• Help Kids Succeed
• Prepare Teens for Life
• Prevent Drowning
• Help People Grow Healthier in Spirit, Mind, and Body

Position Summary

Under the director of the President & CEO and in harmony with the established policies and goals of the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) serves as a member of the President & CEO’s senior leadership team, providing strategic leadership in financial development to advance the YMCAs mission through annual giving, government and foundation grants, endowment requests, and gifts and capital campaigns.

The CDO partners with the President & CEO in developing an actively engaged fundraising volunteer board of directors, and in positioning the YMCA as a charity of choice for the investment of donations within the local community.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the mission, vision, and goals of the YMCA.
• Promote character development and the values of caring, honesty, respects, and responsibility in all areas.
• Lead in a manner that advances the cause to strengthen the foundations of community through programs that focus on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
• Lead, direct, and coordinate association capital development, annual campaign, and endowment programs.
• Develop, manage, and monitor annual department budget.
• Actively participate in Association task forces, committees, and / or cabinets to promote Association unity.
• Collaboratively partner with President & CEO, COO, and key stakeholders to develop and implement a fund strategy that aligns and supports the long-term fundraising needs of the organization.
• Provide subject matter guidance and education.
• Inspire and influence an environment conducive to success in fund development. Champion and create a culture of philanthropy.
• Serve as a peer and partner of the President & CEO in representing the Y out in the community with a goal of building strategic relationships.
• Ensure proper tracking of all gifts and pledges by source and purpose and provides reports as needed. Work with finance, accounting, IT, and data management teams to ensure the receipting of contributed revenues are according to approved practices and data integrity processes are followed.

Through indirect supervision of the development support team, ensure thank you letters and acknowledgements, billings, tax letters, capital pledge payments, etc.

are accurately produced and mailed in a timely and efficient manner. Ensure proper maintenance of database resource files on all donors and prospects.

• Strategically guide the association’s key special events to ensure quality and consistent messaging.
• Serve as primary staff to the Philanthropy Committee and other assigned committees of the Board of Directors. Develop strategies to increase volunteer involvement at all levels of financial development.
• Develop processes and actively identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects.
• Prepare and coordinate proposals for grants from government sources and private foundations.
• Develop systems and manage resources needed to carry out fundraising plans. Establish and monitor the financial development department budget for the YMCAVP.
• Develop appropriate fundraising policies and procedures for the association.
• Provide training in fundraising. Educate, motivate, and provide feedback to individuals related to best practices in the fundraising process.
• In coordination with the marketing department, develop communication plan to ensure members, participants, and the community understand the case for support.

Candidate Qualifications

• BA / BS from an accredited college or university in business, nonprofit management, public relations or related field, or equivalent experience required.
• Minimum of five years of experience in fundraising, annual campaign, capital campaign, planned giving, major gifts, moves management, and grant management required.

Proven experience in cultivating and soliciting combined donations of at least $1M.

• CFRE or equivalent preferred; YMCA Organizational Leader certification (or equivalent) required within two years and must being working towards certification within 6 months.
• Experience in staff supervision / development and volunteer development required. Desire and proven ability to provide strong leadership to inspire, influence, develop, and motivate staff and volunteers.
• Highly motivated with the consistent ability to meet or exceed goals, cultivation and retain donors and volunteers, and drive change.
• Ability to quickly build rapport and develop effective relationships with members, volunteers, donor prospects, and others to achieve goals.
• Consistently self-driven and goal-oriented with the ability to set effective team and individual goals and take ownership for results.

Demonstrated ability to multi-task and adapt to changing contexts and priorities.

• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills with the ability to identify and leverage relevant data to use in planning and decision-making.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to understand, adapt to, and interact with diverse people, teams, perspectives, and cultures. Ability to relate and interact with top community leaders.
• Proficient in using email, Internet, and other PC-based applications (e.g. Microsoft Office, customer service / tracking applications) with the ability to learn and adapt to new technology.
• Certification in CPR / First Aid / AED / O2 required within 60 days of hire.
• Complete and maintain required trainings to include New Employee Orientation (NEO), Bloodborne Pathogens, Child Abuse Prevention (CAP), and Sexual Harassment.
• Satisfactory completion of a criminal background check, credit check, and Child Protective Services check.

POLICY ON PLACEMENT AND RECRUITING

The Batten Group and YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas are equal opportunity employers committed to the principles of non-discrimination in the workplace.

Candidates will not be discriminated against on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis that is prohibited by federal, state, or local law.