Job Description
The Chief Philanthropy Officer at the YMCA of Montclair reports to the President/CEO, serves on the CEO's senior leadership team, and provides strategic leadership in Financial Development to advance the YMCAs mission through annual giving, foundation and government grants, endowment bequests and gifts, special events and capital campaigns. The Chief Philanthropy Officer is responsible for developing and implementing the YMCA of Montclair's fundraising strategies and initiatives and will lead the growth of annual contributions to $2MM per year as well as a future capital campaign of $20MM. The incumbent will assist the CEO in developing an actively engaged fundraising volunteer board of directors and positions the Y as a community convener and collaborator to address critical social issues.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent; master's degree preferred.
- YMCA Organizational Leader certification preferred.
- 8+ years of professional experience with a background in fundraising in the YMCA or another non-profit preferred.
- Ability to relate to top community leaders and diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, organizational and analytical skills; project management skills.
- Working knowledge of giving and charitable vehicles.
- Ability to create interpretive materials to enable potential donors to understand the YMCA and how they contribute to the achievement of its mission.
- Knowledge of the media and its use in gaining exposure for YMCA events and programs.
- Commit time, including evenings and weekends, to actively participate in required functions throughout the state of New Jersey.
- Must have a CPR/AED and First Aid Certification OR get certified within 90 days of employment.
Essential Functions
- Develops organizational fundraising goals in concert with the CEO and drives the fundraising plan, strategy, policies and procedures for the Association.
- Works closely with the CEO and the Board's Financial Development committee to identify new initiatives and opportunities designed to increase the donor base.
- Lead partnership strategy and employee engagement programs, including cause marketing, match gift programs, employee volunteering, and sponsorship that increase revenue and amplify mission visibility.
- Oversee donor stewardship, recognition, and reporting frameworks to deliver exceptional donor experiences, retention, and transparency. Develop tailored stewardship plans for major donors, foundations, and institutional funders.
- Directs and coordinates association capital development, annual campaign and endowment programs.
- Develops briefings, letters, proposals and related materials for key volunteers, and Executive Leadership as it relates to prospects and donors.
- Oversees and directs grant writer work- plan for private foundation and government grant proposals.
- Actively identifies, cultivates, and solicits major gift prospects.
- Ensure all gifts and pledges are recorded properly by source and purpose.
- Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Financial Development Department. Mentor and cross-train the staff to build a resilient fundraising pipeline and reduce single-point dependencies in donor relationships.
- Oversees training in fundraising. Educates, motivates and provides feedback to volunteers and staff related to best practices in the fundraising process.
- Develops communication plans to ensure members, participants, and the community understand the case for support.
- Develops systems and manages resources needed to carry out the fundraising plans. Establishes and monitors the financial development department budget for the YMCA of Montclair.
- Cultivate a vibrant network of relationships with individual, corporate, and institutional funders, ensuring meaningful engagement and long-term loyalty.
- Fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
- Serve as an internal advisor on philanthropy-related ethics, reputational risk, and conflict-of-interest matters. Establishing policies and training to uphold high standards of philanthropic integrity.
- Attend required Abuse Risk Management training and adhere to procedures related to managing high-risk activities and supervising members and participants.
- Follow employee and volunteer screening requirements and use screening instruments to screen for abuse risk. Provide employees and volunteers with ongoing supervision and training related to abuse risk.
- Provide employees and volunteers with regular feedback regarding their boundaries with consumers and require them to adhere to policies and procedures related to abuse risk.
- Respond quickly to policy and procedure violations using the Y's disciplinary procedures and respond seriously and confidentially to reports of suspicious and inappropriate behaviors and follow mandated reporting requirements.
- Communicates to all employees and volunteers the Y's commitment to protect our members from abuse.
Cause-Driven Leadership Competencies
- Communication & Influence
- Philanthropy
- Program/Project Management
- Volunteerism
Required Certifications
Must have a CPR/AED and First Aid Certification OR get certified within 90 days of employment.
Ymca Careers
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