Vice President of Development

Fahrenheit Advisors is assisting our client, Maymont Foundation, in the hiring of their next Vice President of Development.

Maymont is a 100-acre historic estate and park located in Richmond, Virginia, with many unique experiences for all to enjoy, including the historic Maymont Mansion, The Robins Nature Center, arboretum, formal gardens, and habitats for native Virginia wildlife and farm animals. Since 1975, Maymont has been maintained and operated by the nonprofit Maymont Foundation, committed to creating experiences that delight, educate, and inspire its guests.

Maymont Foundation is seeking a Vice President of Development who will lead the organization's fundraising and advancement efforts, connecting institutional and individual giving opportunities to Maymont's mission through annual and capital priorities. This role carries expanded scope beyond traditional development leadership — serving as the lead development officer responsible for fundraising strategy, board engagement, grants oversight, corporate partnerships, and local government relationships. This position reports to the President and CEO.

Leadership Expectations

Provide leadership for your team and the larger organization. Engage in strategic planning, analysis and decision making as a member of the senior leadership team committed to achieving organizational goals and budgetary needs. Communicate thoroughly and regularly with all of your staff to share senior level directon and cross-departmental information. Coach and guide your staff to understand and focus on achieving organizational goals and objectives.

• Focus on strategic goals, likewise aligning staff through coaching and guidance on the big picture
• Communicate and collaborate in forthcoming, open, fact-based and collaborative manner
• Develop and propose activities and initiatives for consideration that are aligned with goals and sustainability
• Pursue data-based planning, tracking, analysis and reporting of results
• Lead through purposeful, deliberate, directive management (lead from the front)
• Practice judicious, firm and steady human resource and financial oversight

Essential Functions

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement annual and multi-year fundraising strategy inclusive of diverse revenue streams including individuals, corporations, foundations, and government sources; set, monitor, analyze and report on results. Establish measurable goals for revenue sustainability and growth
• Lead and manage development team members across individual giving, institutional giving, and advancement services
• Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of leadership and planned giving programs
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects for both capital and annual priorities
• Oversee the advancement team’s planning and management of donor journeys through solicitations, stewardship, and special experiences
• Work closely with the development and marketing teams to forecast annual revenue goals, perform regular revenue reporting and analysis, and manage donor reports to maintain accuracy and financial accountability

Major Gifts & High-Capacity Relationships

• Manage a portfolio of the organization's high-capacity individual, corporate, and foundation funders — both current and prospective
• Create and manage cultivation and solicitation strategies for promising major gift prospects, partnering with the Board of Directors, senior leadership, and key stakeholders
• Identify opportunities for deeper donor engagement
• Communicate timely, regularly and appropriately to cultivate and steward donors, prospects, and external stakeholders

Grants Management

• Supervise the Grants Manager overseeing the full philanthropic grants process for foundations and corporations, including prospect identification, alignment of funding opportunities with strategic objectives, grant application submissions, award management, and post-award reporting
• Manage stewardship for current and prospective grant-related funders
• Stay informed about local, state, and national funding trends and actively seek out new grants and funding opportunities

Board & Stakeholder Engagement

• Manage Board of Directors’ giving, including creation of annual engagement plans for each member and building board members' philanthropic impact
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community organizations, and stakeholders; represent Maymont at community events and meetings to enhance visibility and foster mission-aligned partnerships
• Actively seek out and develop relationships with government officials, agencies, and civic groups alongside the President/CEO and senior leadership

Brand Partnerships & Corporate Engagement

• Work with the development, special events and marketing teams to align opportunities for corporate funding, sponsorships and volunteer engagement with Maymont's priorities and initiatives
• Work with teams across Maymont to organize special donor engagement experiences that align with new and existing initiatives and programs

Advancement Integration

• Serve as the senior point of integration between development and marketing, ensuring fundraising and communications strategies are unified and mutually reinforcing
• Collaborate with the marketing team to integrate annual fundraising strategy with overall communications goals
• Partner with the marketing team and development team to create case statements, collateral, and campaigns for fundraising priorities; ensure staff and board members have the tools to communicate consistently and impactfully to external audiences
• Grow the membership program and build Maymont's base of support through collaboration with marketing on campaigns focused on donor retention and increased commitment levels

Cultivation Events

• Serve as a primary presence in the planning and delivery of cultivation events, programs, and activities, including the annual gala, to provide opportunities for new and renewed supporter engagement
• Engage fully in the life of the organization, serving as a visible and hands-on presence at Maymont's special and community events

Data & Operations

• Oversee database structure, processes, workflows and training to ensure ongoing accuracy of data management and progress-tracking in the donor database, ensuring completion of donor/funder/sponsor contacts, actions and cultivation efforts from initial discovery through acquisition and stewardship
• Report progress on fundraising goals and key performance indicators to the President/CEO and Board
• Use data-driven metrics to monitor, analyze, synthesize and evaluate development efforts, modifying or realigning strategies that are not optimally productive
• Assist with other duties and tasks as assigned

Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to present effectively to donors, board members, community partners, and media
• Ability to manage others including goal setting, prioritization, delegation, and team building
• Skilled in interpersonal relationship development with the discretion and judgment required at a senior leadership level
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with strong project management skills
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of extremely sensitive data, records, and conversations
• Proficient in Microsoft Office with prior experience using fundraising software; experience with Blackbaud a plus
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external stakeholders
• High level of adaptability and flexibility to connect and respond to people of various backgrounds in a variety of settings

Education & Experience

• Minimum Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in nonprofit management, fundraising, business, or related field preferred
• Minimum 7–10 years of experience in development, fundraising, or advancement, with a nonprofit or cultural institution preferred
• Demonstrated track record of building, growing, and maintaining major donor relationships
• Demonstrated success in prospecting, cultivating, and securing individual and institutional gifts
• Experience managing grants from prospect identification through post-award reporting
• Experience building stewardship programs that align with organizational mission
• Experience with donor database management and gift entry processes
• Working knowledge of the Richmond region, area attractions, and the philanthropic community preferred

Salary range for this role is $120-135K.