Executive Search

Senior Director of Philanthropy – Riverside County (Remote)

Sterling Search Inc. has been exclusively retained to recruit the Senior Director of Philanthropy (SDP), Riverside County for Voices for Children (VFC).

Founded in San Diego in 1980, Voices for Children is a private, $9.8M nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers (CASAs) who advocate for the needs and well-being of children in foster care. In early 2015, VFC was approached by the local juvenile court system to rebuild the CASA program in Riverside County and expand its services in the region. In June 2015, the Riverside County CASA program was launched to serve foster children in Riverside County. With the support of local child welfare stakeholders, community leaders, and donors, VFC in San Diego and Riverside Counties has the opportunity to provide CASAs to 13% of all youth in foster care in California.

As the only agency designated by the courts to provide CASA volunteers in San Diego and Riverside Counties, VFC recruits and trains volunteers to serve as CASAs. Each CASA is appointed by a judge to get involved in the life of a child, spend time with them, and report back to the court about the child’s progress and needs. Unlike the high caseloads other foster care and juvenile justice professionals face, a CASA is able to focus on just one child or on one sibling group at a time. By building a trusting relationship with that child, a CASA is able to help the judge understand not only their situation but also what they like to do, what their favorite subject is in school, or why they are struggling in a certain foster care placement. This individualized advocacy plays a crucial role in helping judges make the most informed decisions for each child’s future.

VFC is led by President and CEO Jessica Muñoz, who also previously served as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Riverside County CASA program. Jessica is an attorney and practiced law for more than seven years, including four years as a trial attorney in juvenile dependency courts in both Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. Jessica is responsible for the growth of the Riverside program from 70 children when she joined to now serving up to 700 children. VFC has 1,222 dedicated CASA volunteers who provide critical advocacy to children who have experienced trauma and need the support of a caring adult. During FY24-25, VFC CASA volunteers and staff advocated on behalf of nearly 700 children in Riverside County through the CASA program. The program continues to grow as it celebrates its tenth anniversary of serving children in foster care in Riverside County. The Riverside County program, which is one of the fastest growing CASA programs in the state, maintains offices in the cities of Riverside, Murrieta, and Palm Desert.

Our Mission

We transform the lives of abused, abandoned, or neglected children by providing them with trained, volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs).

Vision

Voices for Children believes that every child deserves a safe and permanent home and, to that end, will provide a trained CASA volunteer to every abused, abandoned, or neglected child who needs one, and advocate to improve the lives of children in the foster care system.

Purpose

• We provide the highest-level training, supervision, and continuing education for volunteers in San Diego County and Riverside County who advocate for the best interests of children in foster care and provide vital information to judges.
• We annually review and monitor the case files of every child in foster care in San Diego County.
• We increase public awareness about the foster care system; and
• We advocate for legal policies and practices that enhance the quality of life for children in foster care.

The Opportunity

The Senior Director of Philanthropy is a new position reporting directly to the Chief Philanthropy Officer and managing one remote employee. The successful candidate will provide strategy and leadership to generate necessary program and operating funds and oversee cohesive marketing and communications to achieve donor and volunteer support. It is anticipated that he/she will grow a portfolio of individual supporters with the capacity to give a minimum of $2,500 as an outright gift. He/she will also have the seasoning and experience to form moves management strategies to support revenue growth in the region. Riverside County’s VFC is responsible for $2.5M of the overall organization budget and currently secures about $250k from individual supporters. Government funding represents about 60% of funding and Foundations and Corporations make up the remaining 30%. The successful candidate must handle matters confidentially and with the strictest security, whether the items are labeled confidential or not.

VFC is seeking a SDP who will have oversight of elevating annual fund gifts, building a pipeline of mid-level and major gift donors, help manage and steward members of the Board of Directors located in Riverside County as well as further develop strategies for stewardship, campaigns, donor salons and other contributed income streams. This is ideal for an entrepreneurial spirited and passionate individual who can form and manage-up donor moves management strategies with the CEO and CPO. The SDP will also represent VFC at community-based events.

This is an opportunity for the SDP to put their stamp on the expansion of a relatively new fund development program that has already seen significant traction, with an organization whose volunteer leadership all give and play an integral role in the fundraising goals of their development plan.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Development

• Develop and oversee portfolio of major and medium-sized gifts, from identification, to engagement, to cultivation, to solicitation, to stewardship, to securing upwards of $1,000,000 in individual donor revenue for the VFC.
• Increase and expand individual donor base each year by 10 to 20% to accommodate needed growth in services for children in foster care.
• Supervise various giving campaigns including year-end and spring appeals, reoccurring gifts, stock transfers, planned giving, and one-time events.
• Oversee a Philanthropy Manager responsible for small to medium-sized gifts, third party events, some corporation giving, and other relationships as assigned.
• In collaboration with the CEO and Chief Philanthropy Officer, prepare solicitations for planned gifts and endowment.
• Work in tandem with VFC’s San Diego counterpart to design, implement, and evaluate an organization-wide and comprehensive donor relations and stewardship system that appropriately recognizes and promotes interaction with all donors at all levels.
• Oversee all CRM activities for the Riverside County program including donor lists for specific solicitations, donor giving analysis, and reporting and data extraction for future giving.
• Make recommendations for revenue goals for direct mail, online giving, special campaigns, and major gifts.
• Consistently identify new and diverse sources of individual funding and some corporate funding opportunities.
• Ensure data accuracy and reporting as well as evaluate and recommend future software and systems upgrades.
• Responsible for actively and effectively stewarding all individual/event donors at all levels.
• Draft campaign materials, annual appeals, and other print and e-correspondence as needed.
• Create and implement systems that ensure the successful and effective implementation of annual development plans.
• Must be nimble in adjusting to shifting priorities and balancing multiple tasks efficiently and effectively as well as anticipate and analyze complex problems and achieve sustainable, creative solutions.
• Mission-oriented, data and process driven environment; must be energized by the prospect of developing, prioritizing, designing, and implementing new strategies and fundraising best practices.
• Able to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with a broad group of stakeholders.
• Critical to success in this role, the Sr. Director of Philanthropy must be an individual with strong relationship-building abilities and the capacity to work effectively with San Diego and Riverside Counties’ diverse political, philanthropic and community leaders. This individual must be adept at sustaining excellent relationships and harnessing their personal and professional networks to support the organization’s mission.
• Advocate for the organization as well as engage and mobilize individuals to advance advocacy efforts in Riverside County. The Sr. Director of Philanthropy acts as a thought partner to the Chief Philanthropy Officer and serves as a role model in cultivating a culture of high expectations and collaborative support.
• Embrace and exemplify the values of Voices for Children and have an authentic passion for the mission and vision of the organization.

Qualifications/Competencies:

• · BA or BS degree from an accredited institution preferable.
• · Minimum of 5 years of fundraising experience in major giving, donor relations and special events in a non-profit organization.
• · Knowledge of current trends in fundraising and understanding of motivation for charitable giving and donor retention.
• · Excellent communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills.
• · Demonstrated competency in computer applications including Microsoft Office and donor database software.

Supervision 

• Provides direct supervision and oversight to the Philanthropy Manager responsible for small to medium-sized gifts, third party events, some corporation giving, and other relationships as assigned.

Conduct written, annual performance goals and evaluations for direct reports.

Other Duties

• Complete mandated training and other training assigned on time.
• Continually work to further the Mission and Vision of Voices for Children.
• All other duties as assigned by the President/CEO.

This position demands an entrepreneurial thinker with a can-do, positive attitude, perfect for the fundraiser who is confident and experienced in strategies that inspire growth in charitable giving. Qualified candidates are highly motivated development professionals who possess a minimum of 5 years’ experience in personally soliciting and stewarding donors and who have a deep knowledge and understanding of leveraging CRM platforms as a development resource; knowledge of Blackbaud platforms is advantageous. The SDP should be an individual who thrives in a collaborative team environment.

Compensation:

A salary range of $115,000 to $140,000 with a competitive compensation package will be offered to attract an outstanding candidate.

Please send resumes to:

Sterling Search, Inc

julie@sterlingsearchinc.com

Phone: (310) 9090 4897

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Direct all correspondence, emails, and telephone calls to Sterling Search Inc.

Any resumes sent or telephone calls made to Voices for Children will be redirected to Sterling Search Inc.

Voices for Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer