Director of Development & Engagement

Position Summary

Leadership Greater Washington (LGW), the DC area’s premier leadership incubator, seeks a Director of Development & Engagement to support and grow its fundraising initiatives, as well as to cultivate and sustain an engaged member base. LGW is a nonprofit established in 1986 with the mission to bring leaders together to make a positive community impact in the Washington Metropolitan region. It is a membership organization at its core, with over 2,000 members representing a range of senior executives across the region’s business, public, and nonprofit sectors. To learn more about Leadership Greater Washington, please visit: www.lgwdc.org.

The Director of Development & Engagement leads all of LGW’s external relations, including fundraising, member services, and communications, and is responsible for approximately 60% of the organization’s annual revenue (currently ~$1.7 million). As the single staff member on the development team, this position creates and implements annual fundraising strategies to advance LGW’s mission, including the annual Celebration of Leadership gala, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and special individual giving campaigns. The Director is also responsible for managing member services and communications, which includes spearheading the annual membership renewal campaign, publishing the member directory, overseeing excellent customer service, and finding new ways to foster meaningful connection with LGW’s growing community of members. This position envisions creative approaches to generating revenue and takes those ideas through to implementation with detailed, organized project management.

The successful candidate will have passion for making a difference in the greater Washington region, excellent interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate LGW’s mission with clarity. They will bring expert organizational and administrative skills to ensure functional and sustainable development and communications operations. They will be an eager ambassador for the organization, forging new relationships to build LGW’s visibility and financial resources. They will understand how to raise LGW’s influence and visibility, while also deepening member engagement and leveraging their investments in the organization’s mission, programs, and partnerships.

The Director of Development & Engagement reports to the President & CEO and supervises the Communications Manager and the Member Services Coordinator.

Position Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy

• With LGW staff and board leadership, craft and evolve fundraising strategy and set appropriate fundraising goals to assist with annual budget projections.
• Create actionable development plans from strategy. Set metrics and monitor and report regularly on the progress of the development plan.
• Liaise with the Development Committee and work with the President & CEO to set and monitor board members’ annual giving commitments and overall fundraising engagement.
• Manage the host committee that fundraises for the annual Celebration of Leadership gala, along with the President & CEO and the host committee chairs, including tracking sponsors throughout the fundraising cycle and giving regular status updates to the committee.
• Assess donor relationships and create plans to increase number of donors and gift size.
• Conduct prospect research for potential foundation support. Cultivate relationships and develop applications for foundations, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking entities.
• With the Development Committee, continue implementation of legacy giving program.

Donor Relations

• Develop and implement creative appeals and campaigns that engage LGW members, corporate sponsors, and other major donors.
• Support donor stewardship efforts of the President & CEO and Board, including prospect research.
• With Development Committee, design compelling sponsorship benefits and packages.
• Identify potential sponsors and make solicitations in coordination with LGW leadership. Grow personal portfolio of donor relationships over time.
• Coordinate with Events & Programs team to implement sponsorship benefits in programming, and create new programming for sponsors.
• Serve as LGW ambassador at networking and community events held by partners.

Development Operations

• Create and maintain development calendar to ensure a coordinated and timely approach to all communications, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Maintain CRM (EveryAction) to ensure the integrity of donor information, analyze pertinent data, and process appropriate gift acknowledgments.
• Create and distribute invoices, receipts, and acknowledgement letters to sponsors and donors.

Marketing & Communications

• Supervise and direct Communications Manager.
• Work with Communications Manager to set communications and social media strategy for LGW, develop copy and content, and edit all communications.

Member Services

• Supervise and direct Member Services Coordinator.
• Work with the Member Services Coordinator to set strategy and implement annual membership renewal campaign to engage both current and inactive members.
• Support development, distribution, and analysis of annual membership survey and provide recommendations to increase membership renewals.
• Lead, strategize, and implement the Class Connectors membership engagement program.
• Lead and support the work of the Rising Leaders Membership Steering Committee.
• Support the Member Services Coordinator as they manage a variety of Board Committees, such as reviewing minutes and agendas.

Events & Programs

• Work closely with Events & Programs Manager to design and execute a successful annual Celebration of Leadership gala.
• Support LGW events and programs in partnership with the programming team, including on-site support at all program days and events.

Ideal Qualifications

This position is a challenging and rewarding opportunity that benefits from a diverse set of skills and experiences. While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas for this position:

Skills & Experience:

• A proven record as a nonprofit fundraising professional.
• Experience growing individual giving and/or membership campaigns.
• Experience designing and fulfilling innovative corporate sponsorship packages.
• Strong written communication and editing skills. Ability to draft compelling fundraising proposals, pitch documents, and presentations.
• Experience with prospect research and developing strategies and plans from findings.
• A successful track record with supervising employees.
• Experience liaising with a Board of Directors in a fundraising setting.
• Highly organized and able to multitask, prioritize and make efficient decisions.
• Ability to balance a strategic mindset with administrative duties and project management.
• Technology-oriented, with experience in digital marketing, social media campaigns, and online solicitation strategies.
• Experience with a membership-based organization is preferred but not required.

Qualities:

• Passion for LGW’s mission with an ability to inspire and persuade people to support it.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and a good sense of humor. Appreciates the value of working in a hybrid, small team environment.
• Self-motivated, driven, with the ability to operate with significant autonomy.
• Positive and outgoing personality. Comfortable engaging and soliciting senior executives and high-net worth individuals.

Working Arrangement & Compensation

Compensation for this role has been budgeted in the $110,000-$120,000 range. LGW offers employees health, dental insurance, short- and long-term disability and life insurances, paid vacation, sick leave, all federal holidays, expense reimbursement, and a matched contribution retirement plan.

The LGW staff is a small full-time team of six who work closely with a 32-person Board of Directors. LGW’s administrative headquarters is in downtown DC. The position is primarily remote but is expected to go to the office at least once every 1-2 weeks to process paperwork, and the entire team is expected to be present for in-person events and meetings within the DC region (approx. 3-8 per month). Some evening and weekend work will be required to support events and programs, but notice will be given well in advanced of the events.

Application Process

LGW is conducting this search in partnership with Good Insight, an executive search firm serving the nonprofit sector. Interested applicants should upload a resume and a detailed cover letter to www.good-insight.org/careers. Resume reviews begin immediately. For best consideration, please apply by mid April. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search. Please direct confidential inquiries to Ana Chapa at LGW@good-insight.org.

Equal Employment Opportunity

LGW is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. It bases employment decisions on each person’s performance, qualifications, and abilities. All employment offers are contingent upon satisfactory proof of eligibility to work in the United States.

Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.