Executive Director

Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP-DC) Washington, DC Metro Area Chapter; Fredericksburg (VA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

RIVERE Ecological Center in Fredericksburg, VA seeks an Executive Director to guide strategic direction, fundraising, and operational growth during a critical transition from startup to expansion. You will lead capital campaigns, build earned revenue streams through coworking, and oversee staff and partnerships.

The role demands strong fundraising, governance, and financial management skills, with collaboration across the board and external advisors to scale the center’s impact and occupancy

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
• Proven track record in major donor cultivation, capital campaigns, grants, and institutional development.
• Experience with earned revenue strategies for nonprofit organizations.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, accounting, CRM (DonorPerfect) familiarity, and governance.
• Familiarity with startup/nonprofit infrastructure, coworking concepts, and partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Direction & Startup Execution: lead growth from startup to full facility operation and regional presence.
• Board governance: prepare packets, track metrics, support board expansion and committee charters.
• Capital campaign leadership: drive readiness, solicit major donors, and cultivate funding partnerships.
• Fundraising & grants: oversee strategy and relations across federal, state, and private funders.
• Donor infrastructure: ensure donor pipelines, moves management, and multi-year pledges.
• Staff supervision: mentor staff, set performance goals, and delegate day-to-day operations.
• Regional engagement: act as chief spokesperson to regional coalitions, governments, and partners.
• Marketing & PR: supervise strategic communications and public announcements.

Skills

Executive leadership

Fundraising

Earned revenue strategy

Financial & operational acumen

Startup & coworking ecosystems

Staff leadership

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Executive Director

RIVERE Ecological Center - Fredericksburg, VA

Salary: $105,000.00 - $125,000.00 Annually

Application Deadline: Sep 25, 2026

Nonprofit

Position Summary

The Executive Director (ED) serves as the chief executive leader of RIVERE, driving strategic direction, financial growth, operational development, and stakeholder mobilization. Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will lead RIVERE through a critical transition from its foundational startup phase into rapid organizational expansion.

Key priorities include co‑leading the capital campaign alongside the Board of Directors, overseeing startup nonprofit infrastructure development, supervising staff and operational systems, establishing the center's earned revenue coworking model, and managing complex public‑private partnerships. The Executive Director works in close collaboration with project leads, the Operations Manager, board leadership, and key institutional partners.

Core Responsibilities

• Strategic Direction & Startup Execution

(In partnership with the founder and board of directors)

• Organizational Scaling: Define and execute strategic growth plans that transition RIVERE from initial startup planning to full facility operation and regional presence.
• Board Governance & Collaboration: Partner closely with the Founder & Chairperson of the Board and the Board of Directors; prepare board packets, track governance metrics, support board expansion, and implement board committee charters.
• Consultant & Advisory Management: Lead direct collaboration with external advisory teams, including CIMA Consulting (project leadership, financial modeling, campaign strategy) and architectural/engineering partners.
• Capital Campaign Leadership: Drive campaign readiness and execution in partnership with the Board and campaign consultants; cultivate, solicit, and steward major individual donors, family foundations, and corporate partners.
• Institutional Funding Pipeline: Oversee grant strategy, proposal development, and funder relations across federal, state, and private foundation sources.
• Donor Infrastructure: Ensure robust utilization of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (DonorPerfect) to maintain active donor pipelines, moves management tracking, and multi‑year pledge fulfillment.
• Coworking Space Model Execution: Operationalize RIVERE's earned revenue strategy based on the Gather Workspaces, LLC coworking membership model; manage facility space allocation across private offices, dedicated desks, and floating memberships.
• Ecopreneurial Hub Development: Build an active community of environmental technology start‑ups, academic researchers, non‑profit partners, and corporate tenants to achieve 70% to 80% occupancy targets.
• Event & Space Rental Management: Establish pricing models and operational procedures for renting conference rooms, auditorium facilities, and event spaces to external organizations.

(Supported by development consultants)

• Budgeting & Financial Modeling: Maintain primary financial oversight; develop annual operating budgets, monitor cash flow projections, track burn rates, and ensure alignment with multi‑year capital construction financial models.
• Fiscal Accountability & Audits: Oversee financial management together with contracted external accounting firm; oversee procurement policies, contracting, and compliance audits in accordance with 501(c)(3) standards.
• Risk Management & Compliance: Maintain organizational insurance, lease agreements, risk registers, and legal compliance across all operations and property management activities.

(Supported by external contracted accounting firm, development consultants, operations manager)

• Staff Supervision & Team Leadership
• Team Building & Management: Direct, evaluate, and mentor RIVERE personnel, beginning with direct supervision of the Operations Manager and expanding to future program leads, grant writers, and administrative staff.
• Performance Reviews: Establish structured 3‑month, 6‑month, and annual performance goals; cultivate a collaborative, accountable, and mission‑focused work culture.
• Operational Delegation: Eliminate administrative bottlenecks by establishing clear operational protocols and delegating day‑to‑day logistics to the Operations Manager.

(In partnership with Operations Manager)

• Regional Ecosystem Engagement: Serve as the chief spokesperson for RIVERE across regional coalitions, local governments within the Rappahannock watershed, state agencies, environmental education groups, tribal partners, and community members.
• SmartRiver & Partner Initiatives: Provide support to academic and technology partners in advancing the Rappahannock SmartRiver Initiative and local educators conducting environmental education at the RIVERE Ecological Center.
• Marketing & Public Relations: Oversee strategic communications, public announcements, and press relations to build regional visibility and brand awareness.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Executive Leadership: Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in non‑profit executive management, startup administration, or regional project management.
• Fundraising Track Record: Demonstrated success in major donor cultivation, capital campaign execution ($5M+ campaigns preferred), grant acquisition, and institutional development.
• Earned Revenue Strategy: Leading expertise in earned revenue strategy for nonprofit organizations.
• Financial & Operational Acumen: Proficient in multi‑year budget management, financial statement review, CRM systems, and business model execution.
• Startup & Coworking Ecosystems: Experience or strong familiarity with innovative space‑sharing concepts (e.g., coworking membership models), facility operations, or business incubator frameworks.
• Staff Leadership: Proven ability to manage, mentor, and build staff teams in dynamic, fast‑paced environments.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional public speaking, written messaging, and inter‑organizational negotiation abilities across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Business Administration, Non‑Profit Management, Environmental Science, Public Administration, or a related field preferred.

Attachments

RIVERE Job Description_ Executive Director.pdf