YWCA of the City of New York is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
As a member of the senior team, focused on developing sustainable support for the YWCA of the City of New York, the Director of Events and Major Giving will report to and work hand-in-hand with the CEO and work closely with the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Institutional Giving, the Board of Trustees and other stakeholders, to drive fundraising efforts.
The YW is at a key moment in its history. The ideal candidate must be process oriented, yet have a dealmaker’s creativity and speed. Succeeding in this environment will require taking a hands-on approach to connecting with a broad array of donors, beyond the current YWCA network, in order to rapidly expand the YW’s current base of support.
The Director of Events and Major Giving will partner closely with the Director of Institutional Giving to develop sustainable best-fundraising practices, to implement the infrastructure required for developing sustained annual stewardship and support, and to help the organization’s leaders, staff and board members to integrate a fundraising perspective into all aspects of the YWCA’s programs and operations.
This position will report directly to the CEO.
Responsibilities
Fundraising
• Thoroughly understand and articulate the values, history, traditions, communities, programs, and governance structure of the YWCA of the City of New York; understand its base of financial support and the short and long-term funding requirements.
• Working in close partnership with the executive leadership, identify funding sources, secure new streams of income, support efforts to connect donors to programs, assist with board development and board fundraising.
• Spearhead the development, communication, and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes for major gifts and event-driven fundraising.
• Develop strong relationships with key funders, board members, staff, influencers, and community members.
• In partnership with the Director of Institutional Giving, evaluate current processes and systems that support fundraising initiatives and donor recognition and ensure that information systems are scaled to need and are properly managed.
• Assist with the preparation of annual operating plans and budgets, incorporating fundraising projections into the budget of the organization and developing key risk indicators.
Major Giving
• Develop and execute a plan for developing a major gifts pipeline with aggressive targets and implement a structured program for fostering strong, long-term relationships with targeted individual donor constituencies.
• Develop strong relationships with, and secure the trust and confidence of the CEO, key funders, board members, staff, and influencers.
• Specifically strengthen the stewardship and donor recognition program for individual donors, with the objective of establishing a lifelong, planned giving relationships with major donors.
• Undertake direct individual donor solicitations and guide the efforts and strategies for Board members, volunteers, advisors and committees in the solicitation process by providing research briefings, wealth screening and network identification, and identifying areas of commonality between the YWCA and prospective donors.
Events and Stewardship
• Reimagine the YW’s approach to new and established annual special events that boost institutional and individual fundraising efforts, and significantly expand the YW’s events revenue and prospect donor base.
• Secure corporate sponsors and individual donors for signature fundraising events including the annual YW Academy Salute Luncheon and Girls Symposium.
• Manage and drive all aspects of YW events including overseeing event promotion (social media, press outreach); managing guest lists; hiring and managing vendors coordinating day-of logistics; conducting post-event evaluations; and making recommendations for future improvements.
Board Development & Support
• Support the Nominating Committee Chair in identifying candidates for committee and Board membership.
• Support development of Board reports for both the Fundraising + Communication Committee and the Nominating and Board Development Committee.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7-10 years fundraising experience, required.
• Success at soliciting individual donors and securing major gifts.
• Demonstrated experience with event planning and management, and with converting guests into donors.
• Experience with establishing giving programs and board development is valued.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and analytical ability.
• Solid computer skills; Microsoft Office Suite, internet research, and fundraising/relationship management database.
• Strong work ethic and professional values.
• Fiercely detail oriented with ability to prioritize short-term needs with long-term planning.
• Desire to learn and grow as part of an expanding organization; team player with a flexible, creative, and analytical approach to problem solving.
• Ability to handle a variety of constituencies, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a complex environment with multiple priorities.
• Commitment to promoting YWCA’s social justice mission, educational and youth development philosophy.
• Support the YWCA CEO & COO in various ad hoc projects.
Position is Full-Time, Exempt.
Position is based out of Manhattan’s Financial District.
The YWCA of New York City is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin. This policy also includes the handicapped and all disabled Vietnam-era veterans. The YWCA of New York City utilizes only job-related criteria in making decisions concerning applicants and employees.
Please send a resume, thoughtful cover letter, and recent writing sample to [email protected]