Director of Development

Position Summary

Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring a passionate and strategic Director of Development to engage donors and prospects in protecting the natural environment and Western communities. The Director will lead WRA’s development efforts and a team of eight to secure significant financial resources from individuals, foundations, and corporations during an exciting period of growth. This senior-level position is a new one established to support the Vice President of Development and Communications in strategically increasing the long-term fundraising capacity of the organization. The Director will create the vision for relevant areas of responsibility, identify and address key challenges, develop and undertake a plan of action, and evaluate and adjust as needed to deliver targeted outcomes. Development functions will include annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, prospecting, and foundation relations and grants. Reporting to the Vice President of Development and Communications, the Director will also work closely with the Vice President and the President on principal gifts to secure increased philanthropic revenue to support a new three-year strategic plan.

With the Vice President, the Director of Development is accountable for an annual fundraising goal in the range of $10 to $15 million. The Director contributes to strategic and annual plans, effectively allocates resources, drives outcome-oriented collaboration, and the evolution of the development team and its functions. To do this, the Director leads, manages, and works closely with a growing team of eight development staff, five of which are direct reports, to set and meet specific objectives and financial goals. The Director of Development is also responsible for a select group of prospects and donors. The size of the portfolio, and associated individual fundraising goals, will be determined with consideration of the substantial leadership and supervisory responsibilities of this position. The Director serves on the Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for representing development issues, needs, and capacities with the President, Vice Presidents, Board of Directors, and other senior leaders.

About Western Resource Advocates

WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. We respect the different needs of diverse people and partner with them to develop a shared vision for progress—one that advances communities while protecting biodiversity.

Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decisionmakers accountable. This on the ground work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife—and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.

Location

This position has the option to work remotely anywhere within our seven-state region, or from one of WRA’s six offices; or a hybrid of the two with easy access to a major airport as travel (30%) is required. Our seven-state region includes Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. WRA has offices located in Boulder, CO; Carson City, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM.

Responsibilities and Activities

STRATEGY

• Drive the evolution and growth of a comprehensive development program, leading core functions to secure increased financial resources from individuals, foundations, and corporations consistent with WRA’s needs and goals.
• Design and direct complex and diversified projects, coordinating the work of other professionals, managing budgets, and ensuring program accountability.
• Work with the President and Vice President to shape and achieve the fundraising growth necessary to meet the objectives of a new three-year strategic plan and secure principal gifts for its implementation.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Lead a team of eight development staff to set and meet goals and provide an internal operational presence, coaching, and management to the team.
• Provide guidance and decision-making that builds clarity and consensus around goals, informs the growth and management of the department and development staff, and establishes and monitors benchmarks and measures of success.
• Develop and implement budgets, systems, functions, work plans, projects, and metrics consistent with goals and best practices for philanthropy.
• Ensure that programmatic commitments, policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are met and managed.

DONOR RELATIONS

• Grow WRA’s major gift donor base, design strategies for meaningful prospect and donor engagement, and help build infrastructure to identify and cultivate large individual and foundation donors.
• Manage a select portfolio of major gift donors/prospects and associated fundraising goals.
• Work closely with the Director of Marketing and Communications to engage and communicate with a constituency of donors and prospects and promote a culture of philanthropy across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• History of progressively responsible experience driving fundraising results and leading a team in setting and meeting financial goals.
• Proven success in asking for and closing major gifts, and building and maintaining long-term relationships with individuals and foundations.
• Strong management skills, marked by a collaborative leadership style, a desire to innovate, and the ability to motivate, develop, lead, and manage the performance of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience conceiving and implementing fundraising initiatives, using proactive analysis and analytics to set strategy, and planning and delivering on financial goals.
• Staff management responsibility for a department and/or professional staff, including recruitment, retention, professional development, establishment of clear directions and “stretch” objectives.
• Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, including the ability to articulately, persuasively, and effectively communicate with varied audiences.
• Understanding of best practices of fundraising and non-profit management, and knowledge of current and evolving trends in philanthropy, including major gifts, planned giving, and fundraising campaigns.
• Experience working across departments/teams to engage, solicit, and steward donors.
• Experience using technology and applications such as Zoom, Asana, Microsoft Word, Excel, Raiser’s Edge, etc.

Physical Requirements

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer, ability to physically travel and meet in-person with donors and prospects, ability to help set up and attend public events and functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $100,000-$128,000 annually; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. WRA’s excellent benefits package includes a 401(k) retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receive three weeks paid vacation leave to start, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, one paid birthday off, 12 paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for additional paid time off. After one-year employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave with the first six weeks paid, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. Staff in the Denver/Boulder metro area also receive an RTD EcoPass. Position is full-time exempt.

Deadline to Apply: Open until filled with priority review beginning Monday, April 25, 2022

Diversity and inclusion are a critical component of our business strategy, mission and vision. We welcome candidates from an array of backgrounds and experiences to join our team. Learn more about our commitment here: https://westernresourceadvocates.org/#commitment-to-diversity.

Western Resource Advocates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.