Director of Donor Impact

Job Title: Director of Donor Impact
Department: Philanthropy
Reports to: Vice President of Philanthropy
Effective Date: April 2024
Salary Range: $90,000-$115,000

Working at the Vermont Community Foundation

For more than 35 years, the Vermont Community Foundation has served Vermonters and their families through philanthropy and building stronger communities. Our mission—Better Together: inspiring giving and bringing together people and resources to make a difference in Vermont—provides the bedrock for our workplace culture. Our employees are passionate about making a difference every day. We approach our work with curiosity, respect, and integrity and believe in collaboration, equity, and diversity. When you join our team, your work will matter.

Position Overview

The director of donor impact at the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) is responsible for leading stewardship activities for fundholders and donors, to expand the VCF’s charitable impact in Vermont by doubling the dollars sustainably active in the community by 2027. The director’s primary responsibilities include:

• Providing high-quality stewardship and customer service to existing donors and fundholders
• Enhancing the connection between fundholders’ philanthropy and their impact
• Analyzing fundholder interests and donor behavior to develop growth strategies
• Contributing to the VCF’s impact through revenue and product analysis
• Working closely with marketing and communications to identify and define campaign targets

The director oversees the donor impact strategy, which supports and inspires fundholders to utilize their full charitable capacity with VCF. This includes developing effective fundholder stewardship strategies, measuring success in delivering donor services, and using data to continually enhance the stewardship program and inform product innovation. The director collaborates closely with the Philanthropic team, Grants and Community Impact (GCI) team, Finance team, and Communications team, to develop processes, proposals, and content that align with fundholder and donor interests. They utilize technology and data systems to track donor preferences and inform stewardship plans and product development.

The VCF is on a growth trajectory and is looking for leaders with a growth mindset. As a member of the leadership team for VCF, this position models VCF’s core values and serves as a positive role model for change. This position also sits on the Philanthropy department’s leadership team. In this capacity, the director helps to set department goals and targets for success and commits to personal and professional development.

This position is full-time and  manages a full-time donor impact specialist. The director reports to the VP for Philanthropy.

Essential Responsibilities

Donor Impact Strategy

• Oversee the donor impact plan to support and inspire fundholders and donors to utilize their full charitable capacity with VCF and to make a difference with their giving in Vermont and beyond
• In close partnership with colleagues on the Philanthropy team, develop targeted stewardship plans for fundholders and professional advisors
• Work closely with the Marketing and Communications team to define and generate leads, refine campaigns, and analyze outcomes
• Develop benchmarks of success for donor stewardship and customer service
• Leverage software to continually enhance the stewardship program, inform marketing, and generate opportunities for business development and product innovation
• Oversee the administrative workflow of all funds and the new fundholder orientation process
• Lead organization-wide customer service training for communicating and working with donors, fundholders, and prospects

Knowledge and Data Management

• Collaborate with the GCI team to generate landscape scans, grant slates, and other stewardship needs for fundholders
• Serve as primary liaison with the Marketing and Communications team to leverage Insight Hub content that inspires and supports fundholder and donor interests
• Track donor interest areas, grantmaking styles, and charitable needs to inform stewardship plans and product development
• Work closely with the GCI team and the Marketing and Communications team to:
• Identify topics and content that grow the relationship between the VCF and its key stakeholders (fundholders, professional advisors, and nonprofits)
• Create presentations, reports, and material that support the philanthropic advising team in their engagement of professional advisors (tax, legal, and financial)
• Leverage software (primarily Salesforce and Pardot/MCAE) for client management, marketing, and business development
• Analyze customer data including product use and fee revenue and identify emerging trends and opportunities

Leadership, Learning, and Innovation

• Establish key performance metrics for impact and innovation
• Set department goals and targets for success
• Stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in philanthropy including the values of equity and racial justice
• Work with the marketing and communications team to develop new approaches to inspire giving and stay abreast of emerging practices in prospect and donor engagement, philanthropic advising, and family philanthropy and multi-generational giving
•  Maintain and expand technical awareness and knowledge of current federal and state regulations related to VCF’s charitable products and services

Key Competencies

The VCF’s culture inspires and empowers employees to do their best work every day, and we are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and positive workplace. In keeping with our core values, we are seeking team players who value collaboration, diverse perspectives, and community.

Suitable candidates will have:

• Demonstrated curiosity, integrity, and initiative
• Research skills and ability to organize large volumes of information to communicate clearly with fundholders, and donors
• Ability to exercise discretion and demonstrate good judgment with sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to coach and develop others, carry out performance reviews, and work with staff on career development
• Demonstrated ability to delegate effectively
• Proven ability to interact respectfully and effectively with a diverse range of existing and prospective donors, fundholders, community leaders, professional advisors, and representatives from nonprofit organizations
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to gather, distill, organize, and communicate clearly
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and manage multiple competing assignments, projects, responsibilities, and clients
• Enthusiasm for the best interests of Vermont and Vermonters, including a commitment to working towards equity, justice, inclusion, and belonging for all Vermonters
• Proficient in Microsoft platform and database management tools – ideally Salesforce and  Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) – and other CRM and automation platforms

Education

Bachelor’s degree and at least seven years of professional experience in the foundation or trust services field with familiarity with cultivation, development, and donor/client services and/or stewardship. (Five or more years of active experience in a growth and impact role can substitute for a bachelor’s degree.)

Location

This position may be based in Burlington or Middlebury. Hybrid schedule is an option.

Instructions for Applying

To apply, please follow the instructions on our website. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Vermont Community Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, age, marital or civil union status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, place of birth, citizenship, military or veteran status, HIV status, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected status as defined and required by state and federal laws.