Vice President of Philanthropy

OVERVIEW

Do you appreciate a commitment to something larger than yourself? Are you passionate about helping others no matter who gets the credit? Are you visible in the community and have the interpersonal skills required to build strong relationships? Are you a skilled communicator and master storyteller adept at building emotional connections with all organizational constituencies? If you have considerable professional experience that can demonstrate “yes” to all of these questions, and you desire to be a thoughtful and loyal member of our executive management team, then we look forward to reading your application. Leadership, vision, critical thinking, initiative, optimism and a can-do attitude are key to success in this position. Our mission is to harness the caring power of the community to advance the common good. We need someone who believes that education, financial stability, health and basic needs are the building blocks for a good quality of life and a strong community. In the end, we are not offering just a job, but a purpose; we are not just looking for a candidate, but we are in search of commitment.

A philanthropist is defined as a person or company “who makes an active effort to promote human welfare” usually by a donation of time, money, expertise, experience or skills. Anyone can be a philanthropist, and we believe that the spirit of philanthropy runs deep in south central Kansas. We are looking for a leader who can unlock the philanthropy that exists in the Wichita metropolitan region to help us build a stronger community. We are looking for a leader who can provide purpose, direction and motivation to an internal team of seven game-changing teammates to achieve more as a group than as individuals. We are looking for a leader who can build a donor-centric culture in a cross-functional organization that delivers financial results to enable us to help others. We are looking for a leader that possesses the executive functioning skills to manage a data-driven operation that engages with nearly 1 million people in raising over $10 million every year. We are looking for a leader who is entrepreneurial, innovative, fearless, confident, and extremely motivated in exceeding organizational objectives and achieving long term goals. In short, the successful applicant will be a leader who possesses the technical skills to connect with the full spectrum of philanthropists, shares our passion in serving others, and derives personal satisfaction in helping their teammates succeed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES/ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The major responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with the executive team to develop plans and strategies and help oversee the execution of year‐round fundraising, community building, impact programs, and special events.
• Effectively lead and inspire a multi-skilled team of fundraisers and support staff to succeed in achieving their goals.
• Relentless in the planning, diversification, and implementation of a fundraising strategy that successfully supports strategic goals and objectives of the United Way of the Plains.
• Strengthen and expand the workplace giving strategy that has been the foundation of United Way charitable giving for over 100 years.
• Build trust and commitment with high net-worth donors that leads to significant gifts and eventual planned giving.
• By collaborating with other departments, succeed in managing various initiatives in direct mail, email, social media, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and event planning to meet fundraising goals.
• Non-stop development and training of internal team, while researching industry leading tactics and trends, to implement relevant and effective strategies that engage our donor base, foster loyalty, cultivate future donors, and promote evangelists for our mission.
• Develop and cultivate professional relationships with key volunteers, business leaders, individual donors, community leaders, funded partners, and like-minded professionals.
• Be visible, engaging, and active in the community. Speak/write publicly on behalf of the organization; educate volunteers, businesses, donors, and others about our mission and impact.
• Research trends in development and fundraising, monitor the local community regarding charitable giving, and make suggestions on how the United Way can improve or try new strategies.
• Track, monitor, and analyze data and results of fundraising initiatives to understand ROI. Must curate the internal database with extreme attention to detail.
• Prepare department metrics and publish routine reports for the CEO and executive team.
• Develop and manage department budget.

Minimum requirements and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field can be helpful in the role; a graduate degree can also be an advantage. Expertise in sales, business development or fundraising is a must.
• Professional judgment, maturity, leadership, and outstanding interpersonal skills honed over several years of progressive work experience.
• 10+ years of technical experience in sales, business development, or fundraising with demonstrated success.
• Successfully led and inspired a team of people to pursue collective goals and achieved organizational results.
• Past experience as a member of an executive leadership team that helped create and implement organizational strategy is a plus.
• Experience in event planning for groups up to 400+ is a plus.

Non-Negotiable Hiring Criteria:

• Effective, articulate, and persuasive public speaking and presentation skills.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel and PowerPoint).
• Naturally curious and self-motivated in a never-ending pursuit of continuous improvement.
• Ability to interact in a positive way with individuals and groups.
• Can work independently and responsibly while managing numerous projects simultaneously.
• Dependable and reliable to meet deadlines; remains calm under pressure.
• Lead by personal example; your word is your bond.
• Possess servant leader traits by delegating and supervising tasks in ways that make other successful.
• Is a humble leader who can positively influence others not under their control.
• Willing to challenge the status quo in entrepreneurial ways; possess creative problem-solving skills.
• Helps create a work environment that embraces and appreciates diversity.
• Above all, is optimistic in nature in ways that makes those around them better.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your cover letter and resume via email to careers@unitedwayplains.org with “Vice President of Philanthropy” in the subject line.

Application Deadline: The position will remain open until filled.

Learn more about what it means to work at United Way: 

The United Way of the Plains is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment, to all applicants and employees regardless of, race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, handicap, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.