Director of Philanthropy and Communications

The Director of Philanthropy and Communications is an established professional with superior communication, relationship building, and strategic thinking skills, leading all fundraising and communications activities for Judi’s House and JAG Institute. This individual must have a proven track record overseeing development and communications in a non-profit setting, as well as strong management skills. They lead the development and implementation of the fundraising and communications strategy for the organization, and manage all components including but not limited to major and planned gifts, grant writing and management, fundraising and donor appreciation events, annual giving, branding, messaging, social media, and communications to all constituents. The Director of Philanthropy and Communications partners with the Executive Team, Board Chair, Board Members, and staff to best position the organization for effective donor cultivation and stewardship. As such, this individual must have experience in the successful solicitation of high net-worth donors, securing of corporate and foundation gifts and grants, and engagement and motivation of stakeholders at the local and national level to help maximize the organization’s current impact and future growth.

JUDI’S HOUSE ATTRIBUTES AND COMPETENCIES:

Judi’s House expects to achieve its vision by adhering to three core values: COMPASSION, ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPECT. Nothing is more important than having a team of people that incorporate these values and hold each other accountable for living this culture every day at Judi’s House:

• 
  Respect – Demonstrates, through behavior and communication, a respect for the work environment and for fellow colleagues. Takes care of communal space and considers how actions will affect others. Helps coworkers when able to make the jobs of others easier or more productive.
• 
  Accountability – Accountable to others, and effective in promoting an accountable culture when working in teams. Willing to make appropriate sacrifices to meet team goals.
• 
  Compassion – Exhibits compassion towards the children and families who seek our help and for fellow staff, trainees, and volunteers. Sensitive to the nature of Judi’s House work.
• 
  Integrity – Maintains high ethical standards. Exemplifies honesty with strong moral principles. When situations are ambiguous, is inclusive and collaborative when making decisions. Earns trust and maintains confidences.
• 
  Positive Attitude – Consistently looks for the good in coworkers and workplace. Maintains enthusiasm for the work they do and the larger mission.
• 
  Adaptability – Demonstrates an ability to learn quickly and adapts to changing environments.
• 
  Organization – Able to work in a systematic manner; documents key processes as needed to allow transparency across other team members.
• 
  Efficiency – Prioritizes tasks appropriately and focuses on higher priorities to produce key results with minimal wasted effort.
• 
  Persistence – Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to take initiative and contribute to departmental and team goals.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES SOUGHT:

• This is a senior level position with a minimum of 10 years of experience in philanthropy and communications leadership.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in major gifts fundraising.
• Experienced and skilled in hiring, staffing, managing, and developing direct reports.
• Exceptional capacity for leading and motivating people; a team builder with the ability to connect on an individual level and in large groups.
• Exceptional skills in relationship building, with a demonstrated track record of success in raising funds from major donors and through corporate giving.
• Strategic thinker skilled and tactical in making direct requests for financial support.
• Excellent oral communication, presentation, listening, and interpersonal skills; able to tell a story with passion and make complex ideas and topics understandable.
• Equally comfortable talking with high net-worth individuals, corporate leaders, grassroots volunteers, and other constituents.
• Excellent writing and editing skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Understanding of social media and how it can be leveraged for donor acquisition and cultivation.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully prioritize and manage multiple projects and deadlines’completing projects on time and on budget’including coordinating teams of professional staff, board members, subcontractors, and volunteers.
• Known for executing projects at a high quality level, on time, under pressure, and with diplomacy.
• Experience successfully collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrates flexibility during organizational growth and change.
• Respectful and thoughtful about bereavement counseling and the impact of this process on the constituency served at Judi’s House.
• Familiarity developing and implementing planned giving strategies.
• Experience and skill in budget development and execution.
• Ability to work independently and seek guidance as appropriate.
• Proven ability to manage and resolve conflict to enhance organizational learning and outcomes.
• Experience in Raiser’s Edge strongly preferred.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead efforts to raise funds and awareness in support of the organization’s three core strategic initiatives: Direct Service, Evaluation and Research, and Training and Education.
• Direct ongoing development and implementation of fundraising and communications strategic plan.
• Manage all staff in the Development and Communications department, including those responsible for Raiser’s Edge database management, grant writing and reporting, volunteer coordination, event coordination, website management, and social media communication.
• Oversee the planning, budgeting, and execution of all fundraising events, including the annual speakers series luncheon.
• Work with founders, board members, volunteers, and other staff to continually steward our core donor base, as well as to identify prospective donors and introduce them to Judi’s House/JAG Institute.
• Implement a strategy for enhancing and solidifying relationships previously established and maintained by the founders to ensure sustainability.
• Oversee major gift stewardship plan, including targeted communication, collateral, and recognition.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of individual and corporate donors. Record and detail meetings and phone calls/email exchanges with individual donors, corporations, and foundations in database.
• Promote multi-year pledges that contribute to financial stability and long-term sustainability for the organization.
• Continue cultivation of the Capacity Building Campaign launched in 2016 to secure multi-year funding for the expansion of reach through JAG Institute.
• Work with the Executive Team and Development and Communications staff to cultivate opportunities for increased awareness, grants, and sponsorships at the local and national level.
• Develop planned giving strategy with detailed understanding of bequests and other planned giving vehicles.
• Manage the development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic collateral including, but not limited to, newsletters, brochures, reports, invitations, press releases, and websites.
• Proofread and coordinate delivery of correspondence, stewardship and recognition related communication, as well as prospect inquiries and donor gift proposals.
• Ensure integration of marketing and social media strategies with donor cultivation.
• Attend team and organizational meetings, activities, and events as required.
• Present to the Board of Directors at quarterly meetings and serve on relevant board committees.
• Assist CEO and Board Chair in supporting each board member to accomplish their annual goals.

SUPERVISORY DUTIES:

• Supervision and management of all staff within the Development and Communications Department.

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. We are an organization where everyone pitches in to get done what needs to be done.

It is the policy of Judi’s House to prohibit discrimination against any person or organization based on age, race, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, gender, veteran status, political service, affiliation or disability.

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

Judi’s House is a community-based, nonprofit bereavement center for children and families located in Denver, Colorado. Co-founded by former NFL quarterback Brian Griese, who lost his own mother to cancer when he was 12, and his wife, Dr. Brook Griese, a child clinical psychologist, the vision of Judi’s House is that no child should be alone in grief. In order to achieve this vision, Judi’s House is committed to providing comprehensive, innovative services for bereaved youth and families at Judi’s House as well as in school- and community-based bereavement groups throughout Metro-Denver and beyond. Judi’s House is also committed to contributing scholarly knowledge about the diverse needs of the bereaved and the impact of varied grief support services. Towards this effort, Judi’s House established JAG Institute, a center of learning, focused on expanding the evaluation, research, training, and technology initiatives necessary to successfully disseminate trauma-informed bereavement programs. JAG Institute now houses the large-scale research initiative conducted in collaboration with the University of Colorado for over a decade. The integration of research and practice in our community-based setting has uniquely positioned Judi’s House to create social change around the issue of childhood bereavement and serve as a national leader in the effort to increase access to effective, whole-family care for bereaved children and families.