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Vice President of Development 

Job Title: Vice President of Development 

Department: Development 

Classification: Exempt; Full-time 

Location: Washington, D.C., Hybrid 

Supervisor: President & Executive Director 

About APIA Scholars: 

Based in Washington, D.C. and founded in 2003, APIA Scholars is the nation’s leading non-profit organization devoted to the academic, personal, and professional success of our Scholars and all students, with a focus on those who are most in need. Through Scholarships, Student Success Programs, Research and Applied Partnerships, APIA Scholars carries out its mission to educate, elevate, and empower our Scholars and the next generation of students. 

For more information about APIA Scholars, please visit www.apiascholars.org.  

About the role: 

Reporting directly to the President & Executive Director, the Vice President of Development is responsible for the visioning, leadership, and management of the Development Team (1 Associate VP, 1 Sr. Director, 1 Manager, and 1 Sr. Associate), as well as providing oversight of all fundraising efforts for the organization across all streams of revenue (corporate, foundations, individual giving, etc.). This role will lead and oversee all aspects of building and operationalizing a fundraising strategy, providing a clear vision in line with the organization’s Strategic Plan regarding fundraising outcomes and will serve as a subject management expert on fundraising best practices, stewardship of donors, management of a corporate and foundations portfolio, and diversification within a fundraising portfolio for future sustainability. They will work in close coordination with the Marketing and Communications and the Student Success Department to support, inform, and reach fundraising outcomes. The role will need to demonstrate a consistent and growing return on investment through quarterly reporting. This role is a hybrid position based out of Washington, D.C. that may require travel throughout the U.S., Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands.  

Duties and Responsibilities 

Leadership and Management 

  • Provide oversight, training, management, and leadership to the Development Team, and inform structure and hiring decisions regarding positions within team when necessary 
  • Supervise one (1) Associate Vice President of Strategic Giving and one (1) Senior Director of Development Operations 
  • Oversee and advise the AVP of Strategic Giving on the successful development and execution of a responsive high-net worth (HNW) individual giving strategy 
  • Develop consistent performance expectations across the team regarding work outcomes, departmental best practices, and fundraising related standing operating procedures  
  • Lead department strategy in relation to the organization’s Strategic Plan 
  • In partnership with ED, liaise with the Board of Directors Development Committee on a quarterly basis regarding department goals, progress, and challenges  
  • Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) providing high-level visioning and development related updates and insights to peers to inform organization wide decisions 
  • Manage and provide oversight of Development Team budget and coordinate annual budget inputs to meet budgeting needs in alignment with organization’s budgeting cycle 
  • Lead the management and structure of Development Team meetings, setting the cadence, agenda, expectations regarding outputs and updates, and format 
  • Provide mentorship to Development Team members regarding their work, professional development, and fundraising related skill building and growth within the industry 

Strategy, Fundraising, & Stewardship 

  • In close collaboration with the Executive Director (ED) lead year to year revenue goal setting, with clear quarterly targets and strategy for each funder within portfolio  
  • Develop and manage a Development Strategy to set fundraising objectives and produce activities to support the organization’s year on year revenue goals as set  
  • Provide oversight in the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycles for current and prospective donors to ensure timely solicitation, renewals, acknowledgement, and delivery of return on investment. Lead these efforts for key donors within portfolio 
  • Oversee the submission, renewal, and compliance of all foundation grant proposals 
  • Provide expertise in shifting market trends within fundraising and philanthropy, ensuring department is agile and responsive to changing donor environment and practices 
  • When requested by AVP of Strategic Giving, meet with and support in the stewardship of HNW donors, and funders at the $250K-$Million contract level 
  • Work with CFO and COO to prepare internal fundraising reporting for ED, Board of Directors, and staff including presentations, weekly updates, and Board reports 
  • Work with CFO to steward and manage the organization’s relationship with CapTrust Investment Firm (CFO to manage primary day to day relationship) 
  • Manage the Board stewardship strategy to ensure new members are aware of expectations around fundraising and giving. Manage progress towards goals for Board fundraising 
  • Participate in organization wide-special projects, such as the roll out of a Transformative Gift Strategy, to innovative pathways for fundraising 

Cross-Departmental Collaboration 

  • Work closely with VP of Marketing and Communications (MarComm) to conceptualize, plan, and implement all digital fundraising-related activities on web and social media 
  • Oversee the development of fundraising-related collateral and electronic communications to raise awareness about program areas in need of support to align with fundraising targets 
  • Set direction for collaborative work with MarComm (Annual Report, Development collateral, Funder Book, Funder events, etc.) and successful output of deliverables 
  • Work collaboratively with the VP of Student Success to ensure continuous alignment on fundraising and Student Success strategy and goals. Frequently calibrate to ensure lock-step partnership in fundraising and student success communications and approaches. 
  • Provide consistent communication with departments regarding donor activity needs (volunteering, events, etc.) and ensure timely reporting to departments as needed 

Qualifications 

  • Master’s or other advanced degree within non-profit management, communications, business, or related field required 
  • 10+ years of demonstrated progressive experience within development and fundraising required, 8+ years as a people manager and in a supervisory role preferred 
  • Proven track record of managing teams to achieve $15M+ revenue goals, with high level of expertise in pipelining, stewardship, cultivation, and donor relationship management 
  • Demonstrated success in securing major corporate and foundation gifts of $500K+ 
  • Strong knowledge and expertise of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PPT) required; experience with Salesforce or other CRM strongly preferred 
  • Strong written and verbal communications skills required, with displayed ability in grant proposal writing, donor communications, and developing fundraising appeals 
  • Excellent project management capabilities, and ability to prioritize various competing deadlines across internal and external deliverables individually and departmentally 
  • Ability to manage and inspire a fundraising team and key fundraising stakeholders (Board, partners, volunteers, etc.) to contribute and work to achieve ambitious revenue targets 
  • A passion and devotion to APIA Scholars’ mission and a commitment and care for the success of our Scholars, and for students who are most in need 

What We Offer 

Salary range: $160,000 – $200,000  

Salary offer will be commensurate with experience of final selected candidate. 

Key Benefits: The organization operates within a four-day work week to support a holistic approach to work and life for its staff. APIA Scholars provides a comprehensive benefits package including 100% premium coverage for base plans of health, vision, and dental. Up to a 3.5% employer match on 401k. A disability and life insurance offering. Generous paid leave including 15 vacation days, 10 sick leave days, federal holidays, and an additional two-week winter closure. 

How to Apply 

To apply submit a cover letter, and resume to Poulami Banerji, AVP of People and Culture at pbanerji@apiascholars.org. Please provide both documents in PDF format and utilize the following naming convention: 

  • For cover letter: [Last Name, First Name_Cover Letter] 
  • For resume: [Last Name, First Name_Resume]  

Our Commitment to Equitable Hiring Practices 

EEO Statement 

APIA Scholars is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an equitable environment for applicants and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. Should you need to request accommodations for this recruitment process you may reach out to Poulami Banerji at pbanerji@apiascholars.org.