Chief Development Officer

SEATTLE, WA

YouthCare envisions a community where no young person experiences homelessness, all young people have the opportunity to thrive, and the systems that oppress them are dismantled. YouthCare serves young people of many racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and religious beliefs, and we seek a workforce that reflects that diversity.

YouthCare works to end youth homelessness and to ensure that young people are valued for who they are and empowered to achieve their potential. Founded in 1974, YouthCare was one of the first programs to serve runaway and homeless youth on the West Coast. The goal was to help young people find safety today and build a future for tomorrow. Over four decades, we’ve defined best practices and developed programs that are a national standard for excellence. Using a youth-centered approach, we ensure that young people experiencing homelessness ages 12-24 have the hope, skills, and confidence to gain long-term stability.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Development Officer serves as a key leadership team member and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting YouthCare. This position is responsible for all fundraising from private sources and the execution of all communications strategies and activities. The Chief Development Officer will partner with the Executive Leadership to ensure a successful Capital Campaign during the next 3 years. This position will cultivate new relationships/donors to continue to build YouthCare’s visibility, impact, and financial resources.

The Chief Development Officer will expand and diversify YouthCare’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with other team members to secure funding for new initiatives. In addition, they will partner with the YouthCare Board of Directors and various board committees to set and achieve annual and long-range fundraising goals. The Chief Development Officer regularly engages with program staff to support funding needs and priorities and manages relationships with external communications and public relations contractors to ensure consistent branding and concise messaging. Development Committee of the board and provide leadership and support in creating a deeper engagement of the board in taking on a more active fundraising and donor cultivation role. It is expected that the revenue raised by YouthCare will increase in future years as the Chief Development Officer systematically and effectively strengthens the organization’s overall fundraising capacity.

YouthCare’s Fund Development Department is the mean machine supporting YouthCare’s mission from behind the scenes. The department and its members work diligently and creatively to acquire the funds that keep YouthCare mission focused on ending homelessness for youth and young adults and supporting the YouthCare team with the funding to successfully run its programs and services. The Development Team strategically targets and engages the community in YouthCare’s mission through fundraising, public relations & community engagement, marketing & external communications, public policy work, volunteer, and in-kind donation management, and much more. The efforts of this department are essential and indispensable.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Strategy and Leadership

Provide strategic guidance to integrate the department’s collective vision.
Working in collaboration with the CEO, the Development Committee, the Board of Directors as a whole and the Development team, create annual strategic goals for generating revenue and increasing awareness and support for the organization; oversee the creation and execution of an action plan to meet those goals.
Serve as a thought partner to the CEO, as a liaison to the board of directors and as an integral member of the executive leadership team which includes programs, human services and finance.
Serve, with the CEO, as a key external spokesperson for the organization, making public presentations to a wide variety of groups, companies and foundations, and leading tours of YouthCare’s facilities for a broad range of stake holders and potential supporters.
Support the Board of Directors in its efforts to engage in individual donor, major gifts, and corporate outreach strategies.
Encourage a culture of philanthropy, where each team member in the organization is equipped to be an ambassador for our programs and verbalize how each dollar is important to the mission of YouthCare.

Team Leadership

Lead a high performing team by setting clear and measurable goals and KPI’s with each team member to reach the annual fundraising goal.
Create strategic alignment on the leadership team and across the Development team to ensure the team understands organizational goals and the Leadership team understands Development team goals.
Lead engagement and stewardship strategies for YouthCare’s Board of Directors and volunteer leaders to encourage participation in YouthCare activities.
Implement and maintain systems and processes to organize resources and maximize operational efficiencies.
Participate in and encourage team participation in intentional learning efforts, including events and opportunities relating to understanding and dismantling institutional oppression.

Fund Development

In partnership with the Community Campaign Manager lead engagement and stewardship to support the community campaign’s fundraising efforts to achieve its $30 million goal within the campaign timeline.
Strategically grow the base of dedicated donors, and expand the major gifts program, to double the private fundraising budget from $5 million to $10 million.
Direct management of the annual luncheon and other agency events.
Build a solid platform (people, data, systems) to support the transformation of relationships, donor base and engagement activities.
Support management of key relationships and actively identify additional opportunities for valuable community partnerships.
Partner with YouthCare’s public funding team in support of revenue growth and opportunity.

Communications and External Affairs

Oversee that the organization uses clear, consistent, and compelling brand and communications strategy across a variety of fundraising channels, including direct mail/email appeals, grants, marketing materials and digital/social media.
Collaborate with the CEO and senior leadership to develop communications strategies that will broaden programmatic reach and deepen impact.
Develop and refine YouthCare’s Nonprofit’s “core” messages to ensure organizational consistency.
Oversee and write executive speeches and testimony.
Serve as public spokesperson for YouthCare.
Oversee organizational response to inquiries about YouthCare.
Oversee management of media through organizational crises.
Identify significant media and public policy issues that can be leveraged to support YouthCare’s work and create and implement plans to exploit them.
Serve as executive editor for the organization’s newsletter, website, op/ed pieces, and other similar communications collateral.

QUALIFICATIONS

10 or more years of professional experience in a nonprofit organization; demonstrated success in a leading a development department, including cultivating and managing relationships with multiple donor sources over time.
A track record of leadership and management is required.
Specific expertise in nonprofit settings with an understanding of human services is an asset.
A proven track record leading or facilitating a capital campaign and securing six and seven figure gifts is essential.
Impeccable communication skills with a natural affinity for relationship building and management are critical.

Experience and credentials must comply with program contractual requirements, including but not limited to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) background clearance process and must be at least 21 years of age. DCYF Clearance must be maintained for entirety of employment when working with under-18 clients.

COVID vaccinations are mandated at YouthCare. Employees will be required to submit proof of vaccination or have an approved request for medical or religious exemption and an approved accommodation at time of On-Boarding. Please note: Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.

COMPENSATION

The annual salary range for this role is $140,000 – 170,000.

YouthCare provides a competitive benefits package to full time employees including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, short-term disability, life insurance, 401(k), vacation, paid holidays, and sick leave after successful completion of the 90-day Introductory Period.

HOW TO APPLY

For more information about this position, please contact Nicole Leckband at nicole@diversityrecruiters.com. Otherwise, please complete the form below:

YouthCare is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Research shows that women and members of structurally marginalized groups often only apply if they have met all of the qualifications of the job, but in our experience, no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. YouthCare encourages you to apply if you’re interested! We look forward to your application.

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