Senior Vice President (SVP) of Development
Title: Senior Vice President (SVP) of Development
Department: Development
Status: Exempt
Reports To: President
Positions Reporting To This Position: VP of Development Partnerships, VP of GiveGreen, VP of Membership & Direct Response Fundraising, VP of Membership & Development Operations, VP of Marketing and Engagement, Special Assistant to Development
Location: Washington DC preferred. Other locations considered.
Union Position: No
Job Classification Level: M-V
Salary Range (depending on experience): $140,000-$250,000
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) believes our Earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections.
For more than 50 years, LCV has grown into a potent political force for protecting our planet and everyone who inhabits it. We work to elect climate and democracy champions, and hold elected officials accountable to deliver on the ambitious change the public wants and science demands. We have built a powerful national movement with 30 state affiliates, with highly effective and impactful grassroots and community organizing programs across the country. Core to all of this work is our commitment to advance racial justice and equity.
At LCV, we approach our work through our organizational values -- accountability, anti-racism, community, innovation, learning, and sustainability -- and we are seeking a leader who will help us maintain and expand our fundraising efforts with a deep commitment to these values.
The SVP of Development is a key leadership position that reports to the President, works closely with the Board of Directors and serves on the Executive Team. The SVP of Development will have the exciting opportunity to lead the largest department at LCV in raising over $100 Million+ annually through a combination of membership, major gifts, institutional giving, and special events fundraising.
The SVP is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of our fundraising efforts, ensuring that we set ambitious yet achievable goals by providing leadership, vision, and evaluation of the Development department's performance, as well as managing relationships with some of our most important donors. The SVP will lead a skilled and growing team of over 40 development professionals in achieving the organization's revenue goals, increasing income, and engaging more individuals and institutions in the work and values of LCV (501c4) and related entities, including LCV Education Fund (501c3), LCV Victory Fund (SuperPAC), LCV Action Fund (PAC), GiveGreen (Candidate fundraising), and the broader network of 30 state affiliates collectively called the Conservation Voter Movement (CVM).
The ideal candidate will bring a strong track record of overseeing sizable fundraising departments with varied and complex revenue streams, be a creative and thoughtful leader with demonstrated skills as a strong manager of people and systems, and have the ability to plan for and respond to growth. The SVP will need to have a deep commitment to protecting the environment and democracy and a dedication to centering racial justice and equity in all aspects of their work.
Development Department Management
- Set and drive a clear vision for the Development department that advances organization-wide strategies, goals, and change processes.
- Provide leadership, strategic direction, oversight, and the efficient coordination for the development team to execute the development plan and to monitor progress toward these goals.
- Lead the fundraising team's creation of a strategic vision for advancing our deep commitment to anti-racism.
- Manage, develop, and retain a growing team of 40+ development professionals and actively cultivate a culture of collaboration, openness, trust, equity, inclusion, and support within the department, and in its work with other departments.
- Lead the building, implementation, and adoption of systems and practices that support intra- and inter-departmental collaboration, integration, communication, and relationship building. Across functions, programs and campaigns, promote a fundraising culture of trust, support, resource sharing, and transparency.
- Prepare yearly and mid-year budgets in collaboration with the Development department leadership team and Finance department, sign invoices and contracts for the department, monitor revenue and expense budgets.
Fundraising Strategy and Implementation
- Plan and direct a comprehensive, complex fundraising operation that includes maintaining and growing annual revenues of $100M+ from membership, mid-level donors, major donor principal giving, planned giving, foundations and other institutional funders.
- Lead the department's focus on expanding the racial diversity of the donor and activist base at all levels, and ensure fundraising strategies foster inclusion of donors and activists of color.
- Own, manage, and grow a select portfolio of principal gift individual donors, institutional funders, and prospects.
- Develop a vision and practices that increase integration and coordination of fundraising across the CVM, which is our network of 30+ state affiliates.
- In coordination with NRDC Action Votes & NRDC Action Fund PAC, ensure that GiveGreen, a multi-million dollar candidate fundraising program, is staffed, resourced, and set up to succeed.
- In collaboration with the Executive Team, Communications Department, and other senior development staff, create unified and inclusive messages and marketing frames to motivate and inspire individual and institutional donors and prospects at all levels to support LCV and LCVEF's missions.
- Coordinate with operations and campaigns teams to boost the use of data to inform goals and priorities. Work with the development team on short-and long-term revenue forecasting for membership, mid-level and major donor (individual and institutional) programs.
Executive Team Leadership and Organization-wide Goals
- Instill a culture of philanthropy throughout LCV.
- In collaboration with the Board of Directors and other senior leaders of the organization, help to develop and execute the overarching organizational direction, goals and strategies.
- Cultivate strong relationships with the Boards of Directors to drive deeper engagement in stewardship and the fundraising process. Collaborate on recruitment of new Board members with an eye towards creating more age, race, and gender diversity.