Director Leadership Development Jobs in Reston, VA

Organization Overview

Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. CDF’s mission is to build community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. CDF core values are Justice, Compassion, Equity, Trust, and Love.

We serve and advocate for the largest, most diverse generation in America: the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25, with particular attention to those living in poverty and communities of color. CDF partners with policymakers, aligned organizations and funders in this service. The Children’s Defense Fund is the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice by wielding the moral authority of programmatic proximity and community organizing to inform public policy. For more information visit www.childrensdefense.org.

Position Summary

The primary responsibility of this national leadership position is ensuring enterprise-wide coordination and evaluation of resource generation efforts to advance the mission. The Development Director supports the President & CEO in crafting fund development strategy for institutional support with integrated workplans and manages the team staffing these efforts. The leader provides and/or assures mentoring, supervision, and professional development for Development team members and support for State and Regional Directors for fund development. The secondary responsibility of the Development Director is managing a dedicated portfolio of high-net-worth individual donors and national funders in partnership with the President & CEO, Managing Director, Executive Office, and Chief Strategy Officer.

The ideal candidate will have a successful track record of philanthropic relationship management fundraising and campaign success, superior proposal and professional writing skills, a well-informed knowledge of the funding landscape, an orientation to servant leadership in their managerial posture, and excellent organizational skills.

Key Responsibilities

Management and Strategy

• Serve as a member of CDF’s National leadership Team, collaborating with other business unit leaders
• Lead the coordination CDF’s fundraising efforts to align with the organization’s overarching vision
• Develop and manage annual budget for CDF Development team
• Directly supervise Advancement/Development Associate to build their skills and confidence to mentor, encourage, and motivate staff and volunteers
• Synthesize data and inputs effectively and communicate results so that others easily understand
• Develop and advance strategies aimed at improving overall organizational and revenue performance, efficiency and process improvements, and enhanced donor experience
• Deploy resources efficiently and effectively to achieve goals while balancing workload and effort and providing regular feedback to improve performance
• Nurture a high performing culture aligned with CDF’s values: Justice. Equity. Compassion. Trust. Love.
• Develop a team-based environment to motivate and inspire staff to work collaboratively toward CDF’s vision
• Establish annual department and staff goals to track results against accountabilities and compensation philosophy
• Lead fund development efforts through cultivation and communication with institutional and high-net-worth donors and prospects
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of external economic conditions, philanthropic trends and long-term financial needs impacting the sustainability of CDF

Fundraising and Development

• Identify, cultivate, and solicit gifts and grants from foundations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals, aligned with CDF’s Gift Acceptance Policy
• Manage Grants consultancy on prospecting, grant submissions, and reports to funders
• Steward high net worth donor, funders, and prospects, keeping them abreast of programs of interest, CDF trends and engagement opportunities
• Write concept papers, proposals and create presentations, as necessary to close grants and report fulfilment of partnership agreements
• Collaborate on strategy with program leads on ways existing and potential work could align with donor interests and how to position our work
• Communicate with program leadership to stay informed of priorities, activities, and impact to support, advise, and collaborate on funding opportunities
• Foster strategic connections and communications with donors, including keeping donors informed of CDF’s activities relevant to their interests and preparing talking points and background for CDF leaders prior to meetings with donors
• Ensure follow-up pertaining to all assigned grants and sponsorship solicitations

Development Oversight and Evaluation

•  Work with President & CEO and Managing Director of the Executive Office to set annual objectives
• Implement appropriate fund development support workflows and infrastructure
• Support CEO to develop and agree upon annual fund, unrestricted and restricted giving, capital campaign and endowment targets
• Oversee the coordination, integration, and execution of revenue generation strategies to ensure the expectations of funders, donors, volunteers, and prospects are consistently met
• Define and continually improve solicitation protocols that address the questions and concerns of each prospective donor, segmented by type, level, and fund
• Oversee the involvement, identification, training and support of fundraising staff (National Leadership Team members) to coordinate solicitation activities
• Work with Strategic Communications team to establish standards for stewardship, donor recognition, and institutional sponsorship, with particular emphasis on the proper use of logos, brands, naming and other recognition opportunities
• Ensure successful adherence to grant and restricted giving agreements
• Implement basic guidelines for sponsorship to preserve the integrity of the CDF brand
• Strengthen stewardship and donor recognition program for all donor categories, and develop annual special events that boost institutional and individual fundraising efforts at the state and national levels
• Develop human capital plans (including dedicated staff and external consultation) to achieve program objectives, then hire, deploy and support staff

Education and Experience 

A minimum of seven years of relevant experience working within the nonprofit sector. Bachelor’s degree required. Years of education may be considered for experience. Years of experience may be considered for education. 

• Proven track record of success stewarding campaigns and securing six and seven-figure commitments from institutions or individuals. 

• Experience developing and implementing institutional and individual funding strategies. 

• Successful supervision and mentorship of the work of others to ensure timely funding of submissions and reports. 

• Proficiency in using Office 365, relationship management software and foundations databases. 

• Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or RE NXT; Foundations Online. 

• Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s degree preferred. 

• CFRE certification. 

• Experience securing funds for national organizations with regional structures. 

• Personal Characteristics 

• Orientation to and background of servant leadership 

• Passion for CDF's mission and purpose with ability to communicate this passion to others 

• Ability to serve as an advocate and exemplar for the vision, values, and mission of the Children’s Defense Fund 

• Demonstrated strong relational skills 

• Self-starter capable of working independently and under tight and sometimes competing deadlines. 

• Ability to work effectively and maintain positive relationships with internal staff members and external constituents. 

• Commitment to continuous learning and professional development; keeping pace with philanthropic landscape and best practices. 

Competencies 

• Superb written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills 

• Preference for and comfort within diverse, inclusive environments and organizations 

• Community awareness and prioritization of proximity to inform decisions 

• Relationship and consensus building with diverse stakeholders 

• Ability to build and successfully navigate in a fast-paced, outcomes-driven, and entrepreneurial environment 

• A well-organized individual with high ethical standards 

• A self-directed individual who is an independent thinker and a team player 

• Analytical ability is required to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to business challenges 

Work Environment 

• Indoor, office setting (4 days/week); Indoor, from home (1 day/week). 

• Regular in-person (and/or virtual) meetings with prospects (3-4/week). 

•  Travel within the US required (approximately 2 – 8 times per year). 

• Some evenings and weekends may be required. 

Additional comments 

Children's Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, economic status, or status as an individual with a disability. Consideration will be given to qualified candidates on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. 

A background check and/or pre-employment assessments will be performed in compliance with local, state, and federal law on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. 

Salary commensurate with experience. Attractive benefits package. 

Note: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of all responsibilities required and does not restrict management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 

Questions regarding the role or position description may be submitted to Human Resources at humanresources@childrensdefense.org.