Senior Director of Development and Executive Initiatives

National Council For Adoption has partnered with the recruiting firm Big Fish on this search.

Please contact Angel Fimbres-Barcelo (angel@recruitbigfish.com) for any questions or referrals regarding the role.

Position Title: Senior Director of Development and Executive Initiatives

Reports To: President and CEO

Supervises: None

Employment Status: Full-time

Position Overview

This position would be primarily responsible for development donor strategy and execution while also

providing high-level support to the President and CEO on selected organizational priorities. The CEO

would remain NCFA’s primary frontline fundraiser and senior donor relationship-builder. This person

would create the structure, materials, preparation, and follow-through needed to make those efforts

successful.

This is not an executive assistant position, although the role would help the CEO stay organized and

move important priorities forward.

Key Responsibilities

The following are the primary responsibilities of this position, including major areas of work, recurring

responsibilities, and important projects or functions that this position owns or supports.

• Develop and manage an annual development strategy and revenue plan.

• Establish fundraising goals, forecasts, and performance measures.

• Draft grant proposals, reports, letters of inquiry, appeals, donor communications, and other

fundraising materials.

• Conduct donor and prospect research and prepare the CEO for donor meetings, cultivation, and

solicitations.

• Manage the development pipeline, fundraising calendar, donor records, acknowledgments, gift

processing, stewardship activities, and follow-up.

• Develop relationships with selected donors and funders while supporting the CEO as the primary

frontline fundraiser.

• Lead conference sponsorship and exhibitor reenue, including prospecting, recruitment,

solicitation, tracking, benefit fulfillment, and ongoing stewardship.

• Help translate the CEO’s ideas and organizational priorities into actionable plans, written

materials, and next steps.

• Track selected cross-organizational initiatives and help ensure that commitments, decisions, and

follow-up items move forward.

• Prepare briefings, talking points, presentations, and other materials for important external and

internal meetings.

• Coordinate special projects led by the CEO that may extend beyond development.

Qualifications

NCFA recognizes that not every candidate will bring all of the knowledge, skills and experiences listed below,

and welcomes candidates with a variety of experiences.

• Seven or more years of progressively responsible nonprofit development experience, including

demonstrated success with institutional and individual fundraising, plus experience managing

complex organizational initiatives

• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding significant foundation and individual gifts.

• Excellent grant writing, donor communication, and case-development skills.

• Experience managing a fundraising pipeline and CRM.

• Strong project-management skills and the ability to move work across organizational boundaries.

• Excellent judgment, discretion, and ability to work closely with a CEO.

• Experience in a small or mid-sized nonprofit, where senior staff combine strategy with hands-on

execution.

• Adoption, child welfare, or family-services experience preferred, but not required.

Collaboration & Relationships

Internal: President and CEO, NCFA staff, and other leadership as needed to advance fundraising and

selected organizational priorities.

External: Donors, prospective donors, foundations and other funders, partners, and other external

contacts relevant to development and CEO-led initiatives.

Other Duties: This position may be asked to perform other duties and responsibilities that are

reasonably related to the position and support NCFA’s mission and organizational needs.

Salary range: $90,000-$110,000

National Council For Adoption AdoptionCouncil.org

431 North Lee Street 

Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 299-6633