National Development Director

The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS, the League) is a nonpartisan political organization that has fought for more than 100 years to improve American systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education, advocacy, and litigation. The enduring vitality and resonance of the League as a trusted force for change and good government comes from its unique decentralized structure: a national organization with strong partnerships at the grassroots level with more than 800 state and local Leagues across the country including the District of Columbia. At the national level, League activities are coordinated and staffed by two distinct but complementary organizations: The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF).

POSITION SUMMARY

As the National Development Director at the national League of Women Voters, you will play a pivotal role in managing the Development Department. This position requires strategic planning, organization, and direction of all fundraising activities, including major gifts programs, annual funds, planned giving, special events, and capital campaigns. Reporting directly to the Chief of External Affairs, you will work closely with the CEO and the Board of Directors to drive development and fundraising initiatives.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Team Management:
• Manage the Development team on a day-to-day basis, fostering independence, leadership and supporting team growth and collaboration.
• Monitoring and Assessment:
• Have the ability to master the revenue streams that are important to the League, have a strong sense where the revenue numbers are, have been, and ideally, should be.  Understand as market and development forces change, how to develop and strategically alter strategy & tactics to ensure strong League funding.
• Strategic Planning:
• Collaborate with the team to develop and update a comprehensive strategic development plan, aiming to grow League resources across existing and potential revenue streams.
• Donor Relationship Building:
• With the team, meet prospective donors and supporters to establish effective relationships, reputations, and communications.
• Grant Management:
• Work with the Chief of External Affairs to understand an plan for strategic giving and philanthropic trends for the purposes of supporting League growth.
• With Chief of External Affairs and Development leadership, build strong relationships with donors and field.
• Oversee the grant application and reporting process(supported by staff), including strategy, positioning, research, proposal writing, and reporting requirements.
• Planned Giving Program:
• Collaborate with the team to build a planned giving program, emphasizing deferred gifts such as bequests.
• Fundraising Programs:
• Support and coach senior leadership in the Development department as they lead, execute & grow complex direct mail, digital, major donor and other donor programs.
• Develop and direct capital campaigns and other major fundraising initiatives.
• Lead the team and manage across LWV in coordinating fundraising special events and high priority events with donors present.
• Research and Oversight:
• Work with the team to develop prospective research for fundraising opportunities.
• Work closely with the Chief of External Affairs, CEO, and Board.
• Public Engagement:
• Make public appearances and accept speaking engagements to share information about the League of Women Voters with the community—with an eye towards development and revenue. Determine how to build League wins and leadership into a comprehensive story that supports the growth and donations to LWV.
• Committee Involvement:
• Staff League Board Finance, Budget & External Affairs Committee meetings.
• Database Management:
• Ensure proper oversight of fundraising databases and tracking systems, such as Salesforce.
• Supervision and Collaboration:
• Supervise and collaborate with other fundraising staff and League team members. Ensure that staff on the team are supported in their own expertise and are growing as leaders within the organization.
• Publications and Recognition:
• Oversee the creation of publications to support fundraising activities.
• Ensure that the League has regular gift recognition programs.
• Additional Responsibilities:
• Perform other related duties as requested.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING

• Mission Alignment: Embrace the mission and vision of the League of Women Voters.
• Experience: Possess a minimum of 7 years of progressively expanded knowledge, skills, and abilities in development roles. This includes a deep understanding of managing complex, multi-strategy fundraising campaigns encompassing philanthropy, major gifts, direct mail, digital, legacy, and other revenue streams. Having an understanding of where the organizations stands- and should stand- from a revenue and financial progress perspective is essential.
• Communication Skills: Demonstrate strong interpersonal and writing skills.
• Adaptability: Have knowledge and experience in understanding the dynamics of different funding or revenue streams. Ability to develop and shift strategies to accommodate changes in donor behavior.
• Leadership Skills: Possess the skills to effectively work with and motivate staff, board members, and volunteers.
• External Engagement: Exhibit a desire to build external relationships, including initiating donor visits, philanthropic outreach, and fundraising calls.
• Proactiveness: Be a self-starter with a goal-driven approach to fundraising efforts.
• Strategic Exploration: Explore existing systems and opportunities to position the League optimally and leverage available resources effectively. Be willing to think creatively to grow resources using different tactics and tools.
• Organization and Follow-through: Be highly organized, displaying follow-through on tasks and goals.
• Positive Attitude: Display a positive attitude, demonstrate concern for people and community, and exhibit presence, self-confidence, common sense, emotional intelligence, and good listening ability.
• Presentation Skills: Ability to present information effectively to senior staff and the Board of Directors, communicating essential strategic information. —to move from the details to the strategic mindset.
• Problem-solving Skills: Ability to solve problems with good judgment and tact, along with supervisory skills and experience in developing and managing budgets.
• Quantitative Skills: Strong quantitative skills and the ability to collaborate with the Operations team to understand past trends, current needs, and future financial goals of the organization.

LOCATION

The ideal candidate should be located in the Washington, DC, area, but exceptions may be made for highly qualified candidates.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please see the League of Women Voters’ website or click here to apply directly.  Candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No phone calls please.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The person in this position is primarily sedentary and needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery. The person must also be available to travel and walk longer distances to offices and events. Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, computer, and computer printer.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION 

The League of Women Voters of the United States is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace based on equal opportunity. The League is committed to hiring staff that reflects this country's full range of racial, ethnic, cultural, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic identity; a workplace where true diversity is fostered, and different perspectives are valued and freely exchanged. We actively seek and encourage women, minorities, persons with disabilities, immigrants, including DACA recipients and individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. 

The salary for this position is $180,000. We have a generous benefits package that includes 95 percent employer –sponsored health insurance, dental and vision insurance, paid holidays, vacation days, sick days, pre-tax transit benefits, and the opportunity to contribute to a 401(K) plan.