Position Description: VP of Philanthropy

 Overview

Client: Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas
Current Location: 201 S Tryon Street, Suite LL100, Charlotte NC 28202
Future Location: Camp North End, 1701 N Graham Street, Charlotte, NC 28206
Founded:  1958
Reports To: President & CEO

Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas — Organizational Description

Purpose
Junior Achievement’s purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Overview: Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement has 109 local JA Areas across the nation, and together we are the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA’s programs – in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy – ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.

Nationally, Junior Achievement reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in 209,651 classrooms and after-school locations. JA programs are taught by volunteers in inner cities, suburbs, and rural areas throughout the United States, by 109 Area Offices in all 50 states. JA of Central Carolinas reached more than 44,000 students last year. Junior Achievement is one of a few nonprofits to use independent, third-party evaluators to gauge the impact of its programs. Since 1993, independent evaluators have conducted studies on Junior Achievement’s effectiveness. Findings prove that Junior Achievement has a positive impact in a number of critical areas. Additional information on outcomes can be found here: Programs Evaluation Results.

In-Depth: Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas

Established in 1958, Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (JACC) serves 53 counties in North And South Carolina, bringing work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to more than 44,000 Kindergarten through 12th grade students each year.  Of that total, more than 12,000 4th and 5th grade students pass through the JA BizTown facility currently located on Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte.

At a time when the Greater Charlotte region is focused on the Leading On Opportunity recommendations including increased educational supports for and a focus on upward mobility, JACC is well positioned with programming that is evidence-based and tested regionally across the Carolinas.

In 2018, JACC will be taking a huge step forward with a relocation to newly renovated facility at Camp North End off Graham Street just north of uptown. JACC, which is leasing 30,000 square feet, was announced in April 2017 as an anchor tenant in this mixed-use development upfitting industrial buildings just outside the urban core. JACC will be moving their headquarters to the new facility which will provide nearly three times the space in an all new and modern, innovative facility showcasing numerous state of the art technologies.

As noted by Sarah Cherne, JACC’s President & CEO, “joining Camp North End’s Graham Street building is not just a strategic relocation, but ultimately an alignment of our mutual visions for the future of our community.”

This bold relocation coupled with a 60-year organizational track record has served to spark the business community, reframing the organization’s value proposition in innovative and creative ways. JACC intends to double its local impact at the new facility, unveiling a larger and updated JA BizTown and JA Finance Park later this year. The future of JACC is bright.

The Role

Reporting to the CEO, the VP of Philanthropy is a newly-created role at JACC, responsible for implementing and managing an aggressive development program through a variety of revenue streams with a focus on the cultivation and expansion of new donors and stewardship of existing investor relationships. In addition, the VP of Philanthropy will provide oversight to JACC’s community outreach to strategically enhance and increase public awareness of our existence and the need for and relevance of our program in the community. Overall the VP of Philanthropy will personally drive fundraising solicitations, develop fundraising alliances, maximize revenue from current sources of income and develop new income sources, appeal to individual, institutional and corporate donors, and lead and direct all other fundraising efforts to include the public phase of a capital campaign.

The VP of Philanthropy will serve as key member of JACC’s leadership team.  The successful candidate will be responsible for crafting a development plan and budget that supports the strategic plan of the staff and Board leadership on an annual basis.  The VP will be responsible for the design and execution of a comprehensive written annual fundraising plan and goal revenue projection to include individual donors (identification, qualifying, cultivating, stewarding and solicitation), foundations, corporate partnerships, grants and events. The VP will be responsible for providing leadership and supervision to the development department as well as hire and train new staff as needed.

The VP of Philanthropy is an empowering opportunity for the right candidate to shape his/her development team, align with community initiatives and economic development efforts, launch a strategic resource development plan and help onboard the next phase of JACC’s service to Carolinas.

Professional Responsibilities

The VP of Philanthropy is tasked with leading resource development activities toward generating $2 million annually. Key responsibilities include:

Culture Development

  • Establish a first-class stewardship program that effectively engages all constituents (alumni, staff, board, volunteers, donors) in supporting our mission and in creating a culture of philanthropy

Development Planning

  • In partnership with the CEO, craft annual development plans outlining strategies to sustain and increase annual support from corporations, events, foundations and individuals.
  • Create multi-year strategies for implementing a moves management model of resource development, prospecting, recruiting, engaging, soliciting and stewarding donors and sponsors

Sponsorship

  • Lead efforts to secure $900,000 in annual sponsorship from corporations and businesses in JACC’s service area, building relationships inside companies and creating win-win, business-centered partnerships
  • Facilitate sponsor fulfillment to include human resources, marketing and public relations
  • Help translate recent capital campaign sponsors into ongoing operational sponsorship

Event Management

  • With project management support from a Marketing & Events Manager, design and implement annual events including golf events, Bowl-a-Thons, the JA Business Hall of Fame and 5k for JA to raise $550,000 annually
  • Utilize event platform as acquisition and stewardship for individual and business relationships, deepening understanding and buy-in to JACC’s mission and impact
  • Continually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of events and provide recommendations for revising and/or restructuring them in the future

Grant Seeking

  • With project management support from a part-time grants specialist, identify institutional sources of grant support and submit requests securing $350,000 in funding annually
  • Ensure strong grant-maker engagement to include relationship development, ongoing updates and outcome reporting

Individual Fundraising

  • Work with and through JACC’s governing board members to pursue support from groups and individuals
  • Lead efforts to engage retiring C-Suite executives and business owners in community engagement roles through JACC’s programming and outreach
  • Deepen relationships with event participants to understand JACC’s value proposition and support its mission personally

Team Management

  • Create a rewarding and exciting work environment that is collaborative and supports full growth and development of the team by establishing goals and expectations

Professional Development

  • Maintain fluency of trends in philanthropy
  • Actively participate in professional fundraising associations and industry groups to stay abreast of new practices and innovations in the development field, employing appropriate best practices at JACC

Required Qualifications & Competencies

The ideal candidate would have the following capabilities and qualities:

  • Bachelor’s Degree required, with a preference for candidates with an advanced degree and/or continuing education in advancement, fundraising and philanthropy; CFRE designation is strongly preferred
  • 10 years + experience in roles relevant to the position (e.g. resource development, business development, community relations)
  • Evidence and a track record of success in cultivating and stewarding corporate and individual investors
  • Management experience, particularly building and leading teams
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Application and Customer Relationship Management donor software
  • Ability to articulate the JACC mission with passion, inspiring others to invest in our cause, this requires superior public speaking skills and superior ability to present JACC impact in an informed and persuasive way
  • Highly professional and ability to engage with various community, state and national leaders
  • Superior ability to demonstrate vision as well as plan and execute strategy to achieve desired results
  • Must be an excellent “listener” and possess a high level of emotional intelligence and perceptive at reading people with the natural talent to adapt discussion based on varying audiences
  • Ability to translate various program information and concepts into easily readable language and investment opportunity meeting both the needs of JACC and the potential investor
  • Ability to work in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment managing multiple tasks in a timely and efficient manner as well as flexible to accommodate the varying schedules of all JACC investors and supporters
  • Exceptional written and oral communications skills and strong interpersonal interaction skills.
  • Resourceful, results oriented, team-player with a positive can-do attitude
  • Ambitious, goal-oriented leader who can execute and implement a vision to support overall growth and development of JACC

Compensation
Compensation will be highly competitive and commensurate with experience. Health and retirement benefits offered.

To Apply

Junior Achievement is the recognized leader in “empowering young people to own their economic success®” through volunteer-led, experiential learning. We are dedicated to providing a positive, enriching learning experience free of bias. Junior Achievement welcomes K-12 students, volunteers and potential staff regardless of race, religion, age, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other legally protected characteristic.

All inquiries, nominations and applications are to be directed via email to Next Stage Consulting: search@nextstage-consulting.com.  Applications must include a custom cover letter and CV.  Please indicate in the subject line of your email the position and organization to which you are applying and where you learned of the opportunity. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Please note that only those candidates invited for screening will be contacted.