Director of Development Partnerships – West Coast

Title: Director of Development Partnerships - West Coast

Department: Development

Status: Exempt

Reports To: Managing Director of Development Partnerships

Positions Reporting To This Position: None

Location: San Francisco Metro, Los Angeles Metro, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Boise, ID, Salt Lake City, UT  or Washington, DC

Travel Requirements: Up to 20%

Union Position: Yes

Job Classification Level: F

Salary Range (depending on experience): $96,418 - $144,627

General Description:

LCV believes our earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections.

For more than 50 years, LCV has grown into a potent political force for protecting our planet and everyone who inhabits it. We have built a powerful national movement with 30+ state affiliates, and grassroots and community organizing programs across the country. 

LCV is hiring a Director of Development Partnerships focused on major donor engagement in the West Coast region, who will be a part of a fundraising team with ambitious revenue and program goals. The Development department’s fundraising program engages major donors for the LCV family of organizations including LCV, LCV Action Fund, LCV Victory Fund, and LCV Education Fund, and raises money for political candidates through our GiveGreen program. 

The Director of Development Partnerships joins an extremely skilled, hard-working and growing development team, which is building the budget, power, and effectiveness of our family of organizations. This position is responsible for raising funds from individual and small foundation donors at four-, five-, and six-figure levels. Responsibilities include strategically identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors. The Director of Development Partnerships will cultivate and solicit donors on their own and support the work of key senior staff and board members in their respective regions. Qualified candidates will have significant experience with methods and approaches to major gifts fundraising that encourages philanthropic involvement among communities of color. 

Responsibilities:

• Manage and develop a portfolio of up to 120 current, lapsed and prospective donors across the region, deepening relationships in person or virtually, over the phone, and in writing.
• Work with the Director of Prospect Research and Portfolio Management to expand the Major Gifts portfolio of prospective donors to include more people of color; broaden our current methods of identifying, cultivating and soliciting such donors.
• Educate our current and prospective donors about the racial justice and equity work that is central and core to all the work we do at LCV to confront the inextricably linked climate and democracy crises.
• Hold at least 85 visits with donors and prospects in the region, renewing and upgrading gifts from current donors and soliciting gifts from new donors. Varying degrees of coordination and collaboration with state affiliates in the region is required. To that end, the Director must be oriented toward and motivated by nurturing and growing these relationships. 
• Develop and support cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for LCV’s President and other key staff and board members.
• Recruit donors and prospects to a variety of LCV fundraising and cultivation events, playing a key role in meeting the event and engagement objectives and key results for the Major Gifts team.
• Contribute to organizational and department efforts to infuse racial justice and equity into all aspects of our work, including our fundraising as well as service on committees or working groups.
• Write persuasive and personalized emails, letters and proposals to donors and prospects including in depth descriptions of our programs and role in environmental advocacy and politics, ensuring racial justice and equity is centered in our messaging.
• Participate in high-level planning to help set both fundraising and programmatic goals.
• Work collaboratively with development, communications, and program staff, along with state partners, to develop compelling materials and talking points to maximize fundraising results, while maintaining our commitment to organizational values of racial justice and equity.
• Engage donors as advocates by recruiting them to join program calls and meetings and encouraging their own lobbying on priority environmental issues.
• Ensure donor portfolio records are current with all necessary and pertinent information, and input contacts and actions into the database in a timely manner.
• Travel up to 20% of the time for in-person work in respective regions, Washington, DC and elsewhere for staff site visits, conferences, and donor visits.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Work Experience: Required - 4 years of experience in fundraising, including a successful track record of personally meeting with donors and closing five- and six-figure gifts. Significant experience directly qualifying, cultivating and soliciting major gifts prospects, including developing solicitation strategy from identification through stewardship. Significant experience contacting prospects and holding 10 donor visits per month. A deep understanding of and experience talking with donors, peers, colleagues and other stakeholders about the critical importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Preferred - Issue advocacy, organizing and/or political fundraising experience.
• Skills: Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; self-motivated; exhibits strong judgment; and able to work independently and as part of a team. Must be creative, proactive, disciplined, and able to think strategically. An active and curious listener with a knack for building relationships and the ability to speak with authority as an organizational representative. Well organized and detail-oriented. Motivated to meet goals, produce results and exceed expectations, and enthusiastic about metrics driven goals. Politically savvy, with an eagerness for continued learning. Professional, honest, and trustworthy; capable of handling confidential information with the utmost discretion. Optimism and a proven interest in politics, passionate about protecting the environment, racial justice and equity, and meaningful social change.
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity, views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms. A commitment to the complex understanding of racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity within philanthropy. Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture. Awareness of systemic racism and knowledge of environmental issues impacting communities of color.
• Working Conditions: This job operates in a professional office environment, and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and audiovisual systems. This position is largely sedentary, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods. The person in this position frequently communicates with major donors and must be able to exchange accurate information. The person in the position will frequently be expected to move between sites.  Applicants need to be located in and legally authorized to work in the United States. LCV requires all employees working from our offices or participating in in-person meetings or events to be fully up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, subject to reasonable accommodation as required by law.

LCV offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes vacation, sick and parental leave, personal days, paid holidays, health insurance (two plan options for staff to choose from), dental and vision insurance, life and disability insurance (short- and long-term), Flexible Spending Account, 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contribution, commuter benefits program, sabbatical, and student loan assistance.

To Apply: Send cover letter and resume to hr@lcv.org with “Director of Development Partnerships - West Coast” in the subject line January 4, 2024. No phone calls please. 

LCV is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a racially just, equitable and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other protected status. LCV is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact hr@lcv.org.

Website: https://www.lcv.org/careers/director-of-development-partnerships-west-coast/

To Apply: Send cover letter and resume to hr@lcv.org with “Director of Development Partnerships – West Coast” in the subject line January 4, 2024. No phone calls please.