The Organization
We Don’t Waste believes nutritious food should be fed to people, not landfills. We
reduce food insecurity and waste by rescuing food from venues, caterers,
distributors, and restaurants, then delivering it free of charge to hunger-fighting
local agencies in the Denver Metro area. We Don’t Waste is a fast-growing and
high-impact nonprofit organization that addresses hunger and food waste through
an innovative recovery model.
The Opportunity
We Don’t Waste seeks a dedicated Vice President of Development to join our team
in a full-time, exempt position reporting directly to the Executive Director. This role
is crucial to ensuring that surplus food in our community feeds people, not landfills.
As a key leader within We Don’t Waste, the Vice President of Development actively
contributes to strategic decision-making and oversees all fundraising and
development strategies. This position aims to secure approximately $3 million in
operating revenue annually in partnership with the Executive Director,
Development Team, and Board of Directors. The Vice President of Development will
craft a comprehensive long-term development strategy, expand and diversify our
donor base, and foster a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
Supported by our Senior Development and Events Manager, Senior
Communications & Marketing Manager, and contract grant writer (with another
staff member to be added soon), the Vice President of Development collaborates
closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and various committees. The
ideal candidate will demonstrate a proven track record in achieving ambitious
fundraising goals. They will cultivate new relationships to enhance We Don’t Waste’s
visibility, impact, and financial resources.
We seek an exceptional leader who sets high standards and empowers their team
to exceed expectations. A strong commitment to sustainability, equity, and food
access is essential for success in this role.
Please note that this position was previously posted as a Director of Development
role. The position will now be a Vice President of Development position with the
aim of engaging high-level applicants with a proven track record of raising millions
of dollars through high-performing development teams.
Responsibilities
Development Strategy
● Create and execute a comprehensive strategic development plan and budget
for individual giving, major donor cultivation, foundation grants, corporate
engagement, special events, and government support.
● Enhance corporate giving and partnerships; elevate current sponsorships
and expand corporate giving prospects and programs, in collaboration with
the Sr. Development & Events Manager.
● Spearhead revenue forecasting projections and goal setting for fundraising
on an annual and ongoing basis, with an eye toward setting the
organization up for future growth in alignment with its five-year strategic
plan.
● Work collaboratively across the team to ensure seamless execution of major
gifts and campaign initiatives (including stewardship, cultivation, and
cultivation events) that build the donor pipeline.
● Remain informed of developments in philanthropy and fund development as
well as the general fields of management and the nonprofit sector; inform
the Executive Director, development committee(s), and Board of Directors on
current trends, issues, problems, and activities in order to facilitate policy
making. Recommend policy positions concerning fund development.
● Assist in assessing the viability and planning needed for new opportunities,
such as a Young Professionals Group, an endowment campaign, etc.
Development Operations
● Provide constructive coaching and guidance to a high-achieving team of
professionals to ensure personal and organizational success.
● Lead development team in an inclusive and collaborative manner to create
a culture of philanthropy and meet or exceed identified fundraising goals.
● Create revenue and expense budgets; identify, benchmark, track, and utilize
meaningful metrics to assess and improve donor retention, solicitations, and
stewardship and achieve goals.
● Provide direction, accountability, and insight into a robust moves
management system to track goals and progress.
● Track the progress of solicitations and ensure that proper records and
documentation are implemented across the team.
● Develop and fine-tune systems to ensure donor stewardship, deliverables,
recognition, and expectations are fulfilled for individual/corporate gifts and
grants.
● Work with Sr. Communications and Marketing Manager to create and
implement a multi-channel marketing and external communications strategy
that increases engagement.
● Work with Sr. Development and Events Manager to guarantee high-impact
fundraising events (including annual signature event) and stewardship
events.
● Partner with the Development team and Finance team to ensure all
donations and pledge processing are handled to the highest levels of
stewardship, accuracy, security and in a timely manner.
● Manage the fundraising budget, allocating resources effectively to support
fundraising priorities and initiatives.
Fund Development
● Oversee all fundraising initiatives such as corporate and workplace giving,
grants, major gifts, individual giving, events, and new fundraising
opportunities.
● Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts from foundations, corporations and
individuals for annual and capital campaign support. Develop and enhance
strong relationships to build long-term commitment and support.
● Accelerate foundation giving, build relationships with key foundations and
maintain and grow a robust grant calendar resulting in numerous successful
proposals.
● Ensure cohesion on strategy with all major gifts for the successful completion
of a current capital campaign and launching of future capital/comprehensive
campaigns.
● Work strategically across the organization to ensure that programmatic and
operational goals are represented in donor proposals and solicitations.
● Manage and personally solicit a portfolio of major gift donors and/or
corporate partners, and coordinate the cultivation of new prospects.
● Represent the organization at public speaking engagements and external
events, as needed.
Organizational Leadership
● Serve on the leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy and
leading reporting on the Development team’s annual plan both internally and
to the Board of Directors.
● Collaborate with the executive team, Board of Directors, and program staff to
integrate fundraising efforts with organizational priorities; communicate
effectively with internal and external stakeholders to convey the
organization’s impact and funding needs.
● Help board members, leadership team, other fundraising volunteers, and
staff identify, cultivate, and solicit charitable gifts.
● Work in a team-based environment where team members are supported
appropriately to meet their individual goals along with collective ones.
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree with at least eight years’ fundraising experience developing
strategies that include but are not limited to individual giving, corporate
partnerships, grant sources, and foundations.
● Proven record of raising at least $3M+/year (individually or in a high-level
team role).
● Experience developing and implementing successful capital and/or
comprehensive campaigns.
● Relationships with Colorado philanthropic community
● Strategic and analytical thinking, strong capability for project management.
● Experience creating and executing communication strategies.
● Experience developing and leveraging donor data from a donor relations
CRM (Bloomerang or a similar system) to drive donor strategy and to assist
with recognition, engagement, and stewardship.
● Experience building and managing high-impact teams, both direct reports
and cross-functionally, that deliver measurable fundraising growth.
● Ability to build, influence and engage a wide range of donors and long-term
relationships; extraordinary verbal and written communication skills.
● Experience in small- to large-scale fund development events.
● Demonstrated creativity in developing multiple successful philanthropic lines
of communication and donor stewardship.
● Extensive experience with grant strategy, administration, writing and
reporting for one-time and multi-year general operating and
program-specific funding.
Desired Traits
● Passion for We Don’t Waste’s mission
● Highly empathetic, collegial, and service-oriented
● Self-starter
● Good sense of humor
● Ability to be flexible with creative problem-solving skills