Position Profile

Position Filled

MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION

OF

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

www.eastncwish.org
Director of Development
Raleigh, NC

 

The Organization

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Wishes can provide hope, strength and joy to children and families during one of the most difficult and frightening times of their lives. Children are empowered by a wish – by imagining it, describing it, planning, and anticipating it. A wish can encourage a child to have hope for the future and strength to take on incredible challenges.

The first Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter started in Phoenix in 1980. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America was created in 1983 to oversee the growth and development of the organization and establish consistent policies and guidelines. The national organization has evolved into a central service office that provides a myriad of services to the 66 active chapters in the United States and its territories and 27 international affiliates spanning five continents.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina serves children who live in the 49 counties in North Carolina east of the Orange/Alamance county line, and granted its first wish in 1986. Since then, the chapter has granted more than 1,700 favorite wishes of children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 with life-threatening medical conditions throughout eastern North Carolina. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina operates solely on contributions from individuals, corporation donations and sponsorships, foundation grants, and special events, and does not receive funding from federal or state government.

The benefits of wish fulfillment are many and varied. Though it is difficult to measure the effect a wish has on a child, doctors provide the medicine, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation provides the magic.

THE AREA

The Triangle area of North Carolina includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Located within the area are the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park, home to corporate giants and the destination for many corporate relocations.

Geographically, Raleigh is located in the center of North Carolina with only short drives to both the beaches and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The climate is mild with an average high of 88 degrees in mid-summer and 52 degrees in mid-winter. North Carolina is noted for its beautiful countryside, rivers, sounds and forests. Eastern North Carolina is populated by comfortably-sized communities where the cost of living is low, the lifestyle is relaxed, the winters are mild, the golf season stretches year-round, and the beaches are plentiful and varied.

The Triangle is an area of outstanding educational resources offering seventeen universities and colleges. For residents, tuition to the acclaimed UNC-affiliated universities, many of which are located in eastern North Carolina, is held to a minimum by the State’s Constitution.

The Triangle is an area of tremendous resources where cultural and performing arts organizations thrive. Major institutions include the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of History, Marbles Kids Museum, Ackland Art Museum, Nasher Museum of Art, Museum of Natural Sciences, Morehead Planetarium, Carolina Ballet, the Opera Company of North Carolina, North Carolina Theatre and American Dance Festival.

THE CANDIDATE

The Director of Development, reporting directly to the Executive Director, is responsible for building and leading a world class Development team to advance the Make-A-Wish Foundation mission and to build the support base for new and expanding programs. The successful candidate will oversee all aspects of fundraising, including developing strategies and initiatives for increasing funding.

The successful candidate will be a self-starter who thrives in a hard-working environment and who enjoys taking charge and achieving results. This person must present a professional image coupled with excellent verbal and presentation skills, and understand the dynamics involved in successful fundraising. He or she must be a strategic thinker with strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

The work environment at Make-A-Wish Foundation is cultivated by the leadership of individuals passionate about the mission. The Director of Development plays a key role in the organization which requires that the individual have a confident, polished professional approach. The successful candidate will be smart and entrepreneurial, with a strong sense of integrity. Their ability to manage multiple priorities with tight timelines and limited resources is essential.

The close-knit staff is sociable and friendly. The successful candidate must be approachable, personable and genuine. He or she must be have high energy with a creative orientation to infuse new ideas and new ways of accomplishing results.

THE POSITION

This is a great opportunity for the new Director of Development to grow this position and organization and create a legacy.  In this role, the Director of Development will be part of the leadership team responsible for strengthening and enhancing the current organizational mission.  This high-energy position serves as a primary representative for Make-A-Wish Foundation, requiring an individual who is familiar with and well-connected to the community and able to communicate the passion for the mission.

Key fundraising responsibilities of the position include:
Priority #1: Annual Development Plan

• Develop an overall annual development fund raising plan to achieve $2.0 million+ in revenue. With the growth in wishes it is expected that this revenue number will grow substantially over the next few years.
• Identify additional sources of funding and take an active hands-on role in soliciting individuals, clubs/civic organizations and businesses.
• Approximately 50 -60% of time will be directly devoted to contacting and meeting with established and potential individual and corporate donors to increase donations.

Priority #2: Leadership Councils

• Establish leadership councils (advisory boards) in high potential metro market areas within the eastern North Carolina area for the specific purpose of fund raising. Develop the relationships to build and sustain the councils into high performing fund raising groups.

Priority #3: Fundraising Initiatives

• Oversee fund raising initiatives and programs ensuring that time invested has a high ROI. These may include: Adopt-a-Wish, Kids for Wish Kids, Workplace Giving, Direct Mail, Corporate Partnerships, Major Gifts and Sponsorships for Major Events.

Priority #4: Donor Management Processes

• Oversee effective donor management processes that comply with the performance standards established by Make-a-Wish Foundation of America and meet internally defined standards:
  -- Acknowledgement and recording of gifts
  -- Recognition and communication to donors
  -- Analysis and reporting to measure results
  -- Coordinating with MAWFA on national programs

Key management responsibilities of the position include:

• Supervise Development staff (Events Manager and other positions added as Chapter grows), which includes work allocation, training, and problem resolution; evaluate performance and make recommendations for personnel actions; motivate employees to achieve peak productivity and performance.
  
• Coordinate and produce financial, budget, and other special reports, proposals, and analyses for management including tax information requested by donors and ensure compliance with tax regulations.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

• Proven track record of 5 – 7 years of fund raising success and established contacts within the Triangle community and eastern North Carolina. Candidates who have experience with nonprofits generating revenue of $1.0 million or more per year preferred.
  
• Bachelor's degree in related field preferred.
• Extensive major donor, annual campaign, prospect research techniques, and donor tracking systems experience. Knowledge and expertise in principles of philanthropy and fundraising.
  
• A professional image coupled with excellent verbal and presentation skills.
  
• Ability to mobilize others to achieve results, both direct reports and colleagues.
  
• Work requires continual attention to detail. Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.
  
• Must believe in working as a team and take a collaborative approach in engaging and working with staff, volunteers and Board to achieve desired results.
  
• Employee development and performance management skills.
  
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and Power Point.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina has retained Capability Company, an executive search firm serving nonprofits, to conduct the Director of Development search. Submit your cover letter, resume, list of three professional references and salary requirements to:

Sherry Heuser, Senior Consultant
Capability Company
MAWFDD@capabilitycompany.com
Telephone: (919) 926-0746

Submission of resumes by e-mail is preferred. Please include only your last name in the subject line.