Vice President Major Gifts

Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana; Independence Township (OH); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana seeks a dynamic Senior Leader to guide the chapter’s Advancement strategy, lead the Major Gifts team, and collaborate with the President & CEO to accelerate funding and growth.

The role oversees donor care, stewardship, prospect research and reporting, while directly soliciting major gifts and pursuing transformational funding from diverse sources within and beyond the OKI chapter.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with a preference for a master’s degree, and 10+ years of successful development/marketing or equivalent.
• Ability to work autonomously in a changing environment while keeping senior leaders apprised of issues, problems, opportunities, and progress.
• A leadership style that inspires and motivates, while building strong teamwork, enhanced creativity, and consensus.
• Experience with database systems such as Salesforce; strong fiscal knowledge and data analysis ability.
• Ability to effectively manage staff teams, leaders, and stakeholders.
• Experience consolidating/enhancing infrastructure and administrative systems.
• The ability to collaborate and coordinate work across different departments of the organization while keeping each department’s priorities in mind.
• A positive attitude, creativity, and flexibility; ability to tolerate ambiguity and manage change.
• Experience with participatory, cooperative, program planning and execution.
• Experience leading and working with donors, Boards of Directors, committees, and community volunteers.
• Strong oral and written communication skills to produce excellent, effective written materials.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Strong executive presence in representing our organization locally and nationally. High degrees of customer service skills
• Position requires regular travel throughout the chapter and flexible hours, including overnight visits.
• Flexibility to travel overnight up to 40% of the time.

Responsibilities

• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, this position helps shape the organization's strategic direction, culture, financial strength, and overall health.
• The individual must be an accomplished fundraising leader, strategic advancement professional, and collaborative organizational partner.
• Lead and develop the Major Gifts team through regular coaching, communication, performance management, and professional development.
• Maintain a portfolio of major gift prospects to develop personalized engagement, solicitation and stewardship plans.
• Partner with the President & CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Governing Board, Advisory Boards, volunteers, donors, and other key stakeholders to advance the organization's mission and fundraising priorities.
• Working in close alignment with the VP of Administration on the stewardship and transition of potential major gift prospects generated from planned giving goals and systems.
• Collaborate with Sr. Leadership to establish annual major gift goals that support organizational growth and aspirational wish-granting objectives.
• Serve as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, helping establish organizational goals, policies, culture, and strategic priorities.
• Partner with Sr. Leadership to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate the organization's Strategic Plan.
• Maintain strong relationships with Make-A-Wish America and align advancement strategies to strengthen leadership giving, and major gifts support for shared mission goals.
• Collaborate with VP of Advancement to coordinate long-term strategies for governing board members
• Lead the chapter's major gifts, and Constellation Society strategies, driving a culture of philanthropy and major gift fundraising throughout the organization.
• Develop and execute team strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership and major gift donors, with a focus on sustainable revenue growth and long-term donor engagement.
• Provide visionary leadership in a complex fundraising environment, making sound decisions and effectively addressing organizational and development challenges.
• Lead the tracking of accountability and progress toward revenue goals and job-related expenses through proper use of Salesforce and chapter-specific processes.
• Uphold the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and accountability in leadership, governance, and advancement practices.
• Serve as a positive ambassador for the organization and the nonprofit sector.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Leadership

Donor relations

Strategic thinking

Communication

Team development

Project management

Ethics

Fundraising strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Major Gifts team

Type of position:

Full Time

Position Summary

Provides leadership for the chapter’s overall Advancement strategy and execution, working closely with the President & CEO and Vice President of Advancement to accelerate major gifts, board philanthropy, and revenue growth. Leads and manages the Major Gifts team to ensure fundraising activities align with the chapter’s Advancement priorities and growth goals. Partners with the Donor Care team to maintain effective fundraising systems and reporting, including donor and volunteer management, prospect research, cultivation, stewardship, gift processing, and recognition. This role is also responsible for the direct solicitation of major and leadership gifts and helping to secure transformational funding opportunities from sources both within and beyond the OKI chapter.

Essential Job Functions

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, this position helps shape the organization's strategic direction, culture, financial strength, and overall health. The individual must be an accomplished fundraising leader, strategic advancement professional, and collaborative organizational partner.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Major Gifts team through regular coaching, communication, performance management, and professional development.


• Maintain a portfolio of major gift prospects to develop personalized engagement, solicitation and stewardship plans.


• Partner with the President & CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Governing Board, Advisory Boards, volunteers, donors, and other key stakeholders to advance the organization's mission and fundraising priorities.


• Working in close alignment with the VP of Administration on the stewardship and transition of potential major gift prospects generated from planned giving goals and systems.


• Collaborate with Sr. Leadership to establish annual major gift goals that support organizational growth and aspirational wish-granting objectives.


• Serve as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, helping establish organizational goals, policies, culture, and strategic priorities.


• Partner with Sr. Leadership to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate the organization's Strategic Plan.


• Maintain strong relationships with Make-A-Wish America and align advancement strategies to strengthen leadership giving, and major gifts support for shared mission goals.


• Collaborate with VP of Advancement to coordinate long-term strategies for governing board members


• Lead the chapter's major gifts, and Constellation Society strategies, driving a culture of philanthropy and major gift fundraising throughout the organization.


• Develop and execute team strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership and major gift donors, with a focus on sustainable revenue growth and long-term donor engagement.


• Provide visionary leadership in a complex fundraising environment, making sound decisions and effectively addressing organizational and development challenges.


• Lead the tracking of accountability and progress toward revenue goals and job-related expenses through proper use of Salesforce and chapter-specific processes.


• Uphold the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and accountability in leadership, governance, and advancement practices.


• Serve as a positive ambassador for the organization and the nonprofit sector.


• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth.


• Perform other duties as assigned

Core Competencies

Reliable

- As reliable employees, we are consistently kind and respectful. We earn the confidence and trust of those we work with. We navigate our work with honesty and integrity by being accountable for the commitments we make.

Communicator

-We own our roles as communicators by being authentic and consistent in our communications with each other. We foster open dialogue and encourage giving and receiving feedback. We share respectfully and listen carefully.

Inclusive-

We are employees who strive to be inclusive, we invite the perspectives and insights others share. We value collective problem-solving and the shared success of every member of the chapter team toward our common goals.

Humble-

Humble employees seek to continuously become more self-aware and assume best intentions in others. We are willing to consider how we show up to our work, seek clarity from others, and take responsibility for our words and actions.

Planful-

We show respect for our work and others by being planful. We are organized in the management of our daily work. We are on time and prepared for meetings. And we embrace changes that create more effective and efficient ways to work together.

Energetic-

We are excited about working with others who believe in the future of our chapter and take our functional and cultural roles seriously. We are resilient and supportive of each other through wins and challenges.

Pathfinder-

People leaders are clear on the direction of the chapter and work hard to ensure there is clarity for our staff. We hold our teams and each other accountable. We collaborate with our peer leaders to remove barriers and maintain regular communication with each other to create unity within our teams.

Influencer-

As leaders in this organization, we can create impact, shape decisions and effect outcomes. We take this responsibility seriously and commit to the hard work it takes to be unified and consistent for the success of this mission.

Mobilizer-

We are leaders who align ourselves and our teams as changes happen in our chapter. We model adaptability, resilience, and positive culture during strategic shifts. We believe that we grow stronger by staying agile and pursuing continuous learning and growth for ourselves and the people we lead.

Partner-

As leaders, we understand that we have an obligation to foster unity within chapter leadership. We are concerned for the wellbeing and success of each of our peers and their teams. We show up as capable, confident, and strategic so that every leader has the internal support needed to be successful.

Visionary

-As visionaries we craft a vision for the future of our chapter and turn it into a thoughtful and inclusive strategy. We lead our teams in a way that is consistent with the whole plan and make decisions that are in line with accomplishing chapter goals. We can communicate the vision and the plan effectively to internal and external stake holders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with a preference for a master’s degree, and 10+ years of successful development/marketing or an equivalent of work experience


• Ability to work autonomously in a changing environment while keeping senior leaders appropriately appraised of issues, problems, opportunities, and progress.


• A leadership style that inspires and motives, while building strong teamwork, enhanced creativity, consistent interpersonal communications and builds consensus.


• Experience with database systems such as Salesforce; strong fiscal knowledge and data analysis ability.


• Ability to effectively manage staff teams, leaders, and stakeholders.


• Experience consolidating/enhancing infrastructure and administrative systems.


• The ability to collaborate and coordinate work across different departments of the organization while keeping each department’s priorities in mind.


• A positive attitude, creativity, and flexibility; ability to tolerate ambiguity and manage change.


• Experience with participatory, cooperative, program planning and execution.


• Experience leading and working with donors, Boards of Directors, committees, and community volunteers.


• Strong oral and written communication skills to produce excellent, effective written materials.


• Excellent planning and organizational skills


• Strong executive presence in representing our organization locally and nationally. High degrees of customer service skills


• Position requires regular travel throughout the chapter and flexible hours, including overnight visits.


• Flexibility to travel overnight up to 40% of the time.

Physical Demands

While performing this job, employees may be required to talk, stand, or sit for long periods of time, walk, climb stairs, key data, stoop, twist, bend, crawl, speak and hear. Employees may drive a motor vehicle and may be required to travel during business hours. Person must also be able to move/lift 20 pounds. While performing this job employee is exposed to weather prevalent at the time with varying noise levels. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable a person with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.