Vice President of Advancement

Vice President of Advancement

About the Vice President of Advancement

Commonweal is seeking a Vice President of Advancement to take overall responsibility for generating and increasing consistent, enthusiastic financial support for Commonweal’s work, and for articulating its mission and impact in compelling ways to Commonweal’s board, donors, and potential supporters.

Vice President of Advancement Key Responsibilities:

• Developing strong personal relationships with Commonweal’s board of directors and key major donors, and in the process, increasing the number of major annual and one-time gifts in support of Commonweal’s work. This work will include active solicitation of major gifts.
• Building the annual fund through solicitation of subscribers and Associates (committed donors), board giving, and foundation support
• Working closely with the board and donor base to expand Commonweal’s universe of potential board members and donors
• Build on the bequest/planned giving program to increase the endowment
• Collaborating with Commonweal’s senior leadership team to set long-term goals for Commonweal’s growth, including planning fund-raising, events, and other strategic priorities for its centennial in 2024
• Designing and developing a (multi-million dollar) centennial campaign to strengthen the financial foundation of the organization for the longer-term future
• Setting goals for and managing a Development Director who oversees Commonweal’s Associates program, planned giving outreach, and a biennial fund-raising dinner
• Producing useful, actionable reporting on the effectiveness of our development programs and to identify areas needing improvement

In addition to the full-time Development Director already in place, other part-time and free-lance resources (for event management, creative efforts, and special projects) are contracted as needed and as budgets permit.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• 10+years of experience in a successful development environment, or in a senior nonprofit leadership role
• Knowledge of non-profit organizations and non-profit Boards
• Exposure to most of the key areas of Commonweal’s current development program (major gifts, individual donor memberships, events, planned giving, campaign conceptualization, planning, and communications)
• Project management experience
• Leadership and management experience
• Familiarity and experience with a sophisticated donor database environment would be a major plus (Commonweal currently uses salesforce.com)
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Willingness to engage on a personal level with Commonweal’s donor community
• Ability to travel ~20% of the time
• Capital campaign experience a plus

While one does not need to be Catholic to work at Commonweal, an enthusiasm about representing its work, and a basic understanding of the religious, political, and cultural topics it deals with, are mandatory.

Traits and Characteristics

• Passion for Commonweal’s mission
• Self-starter with strong execution mindset and high-level organizational skills
• Flexible, outgoing, a positive attitude and strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to articulate and present Commonweal’s mission, programs and needs in large public events, small gatherings and one-on-one meetings
• A team player
• Dynamic, entrepreneurial outlook.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. Benefits include fully paid health insurance for the employee, paid vacation and generous holidays, and participation in a retirement plan including employer contribution. The Commonweal office is open Monday through Thursday, although senior staff are often engaged in work at home on Fridays as well.

Applications and Inquiries

Please submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments.

Commonwealis an equal opportunity employer that welcomes any qualified applicant and values diversity of all kinds.

To apply please visit www.commonwealmagazine.org

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• Fundraising or nonprofit management: 10 years (Required)
• fundraising in a faith based organization: 5 years (Preferred)

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Work Location:

• One location

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Retirement plan