The Denver Public Library Friends Foundation is the supporting organization for the Denver Public Library. The Denver Public Library’s mission is to create welcoming spaces where all are free to explore and connect. Denver Public Library (library) has a budget of ≈ $100 million, has 27 branches, and employs almost 800 staff. The library has ≈ 2 million in-person visits annually, making it one of the most-visited cultural attractions in Denver.
The mission of the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation (Friends Foundation or Foundation) is to enrich our community by building support and raising money for the library’s programs and services. The Friends Foundation has ≈ $10 million in assets, has ≈ $3 million in annual budget, currently employs 9 staff and utilizes numerous volunteers. Key Foundation activities include fundraising, membership, book sales, events, endowment management and distribution, and advocacy. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that traces its roots to 1940 and is currently governed by a 19-member Board of Trustees.
Job Description
The Senior Director of Philanthropy is a producer/manager role with four primary
responsibilities:
1. Planning for and ensuring execution of plans so that desired goals are
achieved or exceeded in:
● Annual Giving,
● Membership,
● Major Giving,
● Planned Giving,
● Corporate Giving, and
● Special Events.
2. Achieving or exceeding annual revenue & activity goals from an assigned personal portfolio of constituents.
3. Managing the development team and Development and Events Committee (DEC) and ensuring each contributing member meets or exceeds their
revenue goals through membership, events, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.
4. Working as an individual contributor, team member, and team leader (depending on the project or situation) to help the Foundation achieve short-,
medium-, and long-term goals.
Responsibilities and duties related to Annual and Membership Giving:
● Supervising the Manager of Philanthropy so that Membership, Annual Giving, and database goals are met or exceeded. This includes ensuring that:
○ Direct mail activity occurs to renew and acquire donations to achieve revenue, expense, and stewardship goals.
○ Other annual gifts (Memorial and Tribute Giving, unsolicited, etc.) are managed to achieve acknowledgment and stewardship goals.
○ The database system is maintained and enhanced so that the business and reporting needs of the Foundation are met.
○ Other databases for events, donor prospect research, peer-to-peer fundraising, etc. are managed and maintained to drive fundraising efforts.
● Assisting in Membership management with the Executive Director and Philanthropy Manager in membership goal setting and acquisition and
renewal strategies and process planning.
Responsibilities and duties related to Major Giving include:
● On own and through the management of team activity – cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors/prospects in-portfolio to achieve or exceed annual
revenue targets.
● Develop moves management plans for key donors and prospects.
● Writing, calling, and meeting in-person with donors and prospects in-portfolio throughout the identification, discovery, cultivation, ask, and stewardship
development cycle.
● Inviting Board and Committee members, library staff, and other Foundation staff to assist with donor interaction throughout the development cycle.
● Offering a range of opportunities to donors and prospects that match their interests in the Library. These opportunities may be restricted or unrestricted
funding and include annual gifts, multi-year gifts, capital gifts, planned gifts, sponsorships, and program support.
● Evaluating and renewing the portfolio on an as-needed basis.
● Documenting activity with donors and prospects in the Foundation’s donor database.
Responsibilities and duties related to Planned Giving include:
● Developing and executing an annual planned giving plan.
● Identifying in-portfolio planned giving prospects and submitting proposals to achieve annual planned-giving commitment goals and assisting other staff in
the same.
● Leading and ensuring the execution of at least one planned giving-focused event annually.
● Stewarding planned giving donors to ensure retention.
Responsibilities and duties related to the development team and Development and Events Committee (DEC) management include:
● Supervising the Corporate and Special Events Director so that corporate giving and event sponsorship goals are met or exceeded. This includes ensuring that:● The prospect pipeline is up to date and used for DEC meetings to complete outreach.● Ensuring the Corporate and Events Director actively manages and solicits their portfolio for sponsorships and corporate support.
● Assisting in the development and implementation of the Foundation’s annual operations plan & budget. Creating goals and metrics for the development
team that will help support and reach annual income goals.
● Developing and delivering reports to track progress toward goals.
● Tracking the development activity of the development team and ensuring the team is on track to meet or exceed revenue targets in annual, membership,
major, planned, corporate, and event giving.
● Set weekly meetings with other development team members to discuss development metrics and ensure the number of meetings and activities are
converting to realized income.
● Collaborate with the Executive Director to set weekly agenda, discussion, and training sessions that align with the events calendar and fundraising goals and
priorities for the following month/quarter.
● In partnership with the Marketing and Communications Director lead the end-of-year appeal and Colorado Gives Day strategies and activity in
alignment with the strategic and operating plans.
● Staff all DEC meetings and help support and drive fundraising efforts and success with the individual committee members.
● Meet regularly with DEC leadership to set priorities and agendas for upcoming meetings and develop talking points.
● Work with the director of events to track all gala sponsorships and pending asks through the committee, provide regular updates to committee members
about secured sponsorships, and track progress toward corporate and event revenue goals.
● Provide library updates and context so DEC committee members understand how they are supporting Denver Public Library’s vision and mission.
Responsibilities and duties related to working as an individual contributor, team member, and team leader to help the Foundation achieve short-, medium-, and
long-term goals include:
● Joining other Foundation and Library staff on in-person donor and prospect meetings.
● Staying current on the Library’s programs & services, and the Foundation’s practices, to accurately represent opportunities to, and build comprehensive
relationships with, donors and prospects.
● In conjunction with other staff:
○ developing and/or assisting in the development of collateral to be offered to donors and prospects;
○ developing and/or assisting in the development and execution of events; and,
○ advising on overall development, marketing, event, and other strategies.
● Attending and participating in library and Foundation events to advance the cause of the library and Foundation.
● Representing the Foundation and the Library so that others view the organizations positively.
● Enhancing the team experience so that the overall goals of the foundation are achieved.
● Partnering with library staff on external foundation-related work. This includes engaging with external foundation leaders in relationship building; and
reviewing grant requests and reports done by library staff.
The following experience, skills, personal characteristics, and qualifications are desired:
● Direct experience related to the summary above.
● The ability and desire to develop and execute strategies to accomplish goals. This role is both that of a thought leader and a producer.
● Project and Process management skills and experience to deliver desired outcomes on time and on budget.
● Excellent relationship-building skills with the ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
● Ability and desire to work as an individual contributor, a team member, and/or a team leader, depending on the project and situation.
● An operating style that enhances both the achievement of desired results and the team experience.
● A track record of achieving tangible financial results through fundraising and donor relations.
● An interest and/or affiliation with the library field and the missions of the library and Foundation.
● Strong written and verbal communication skills.