Director of Development
The United States Navy Memorial Foundation:
As a Navy embassy, the US Navy Memorial tells the stories of the men and women of the sea services, represented by the iconic Lone Sailor, through thought provoking programs, unforgettable events, and immersive exhibit experiences that are unique and easily accessible in our nation's capital and beyond.
The Navy Memorial Foundation's (Foundation) vision is "to be a lifelong connection for the men and women of the sea services and a gateway for the public, through understanding and engagement, to foster a greater appreciation for their service," created by a team that works in an "employee-owned environment."
The mission of the Foundation is "to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future, and to Inform the public about their service." With a $5M+ annual budget, the Foundation completes our mission with a Visitor Center, 230-person Arleigh Burke Theater, Navy Log, Ship's Store, and office spaces located adjacent to the United States Navy Memorial (Plaza).
Nature of the Position:
The Development Director reports directly to the Vice President of Development and will partner closely with the VP and CEO in all aspects of Development, with an emphasis on individual giving. The Navy Memorial development effort is heavily relationship based and requires strong interpersonal skills - we build relationships rather than transactions. The Director will be responsible for managing and cultivating relationships with existing donors and identifying new prospects. An understanding of the United States Navy and an ability to engage and empathize with donors and clearly communicate the Navy Memorial's mission and programs is key. This is a full-time position based in Washington, DC. While remote work is not a guaranteed right at the Navy Memorial, we do support partial remote work based on meeting goals.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Partner with the Vice President of Development on all aspects of fundraising to meet total Development fundraising goal of approximately $2.5M
- Maintain portfolio of current major donors and grow the portfolio using significant number of current but not fully engaged donors and prospects.
- Lead and perform all aspects of major individual donor programs including Major Gifts, Individual Donors for Lone Sailor Awards Dinner, Commemorative Plaques, Constellation, and Theatre Chairs.
- Lead and perform all aspects of the planned giving program, to include John Paul Jones Society, bequests, trusts, charitable gift annuities, and other planned giving programs.
- Manage a portion of the portfolio of our corporate sponsors and develop new corporate sponsor relationships.
- Work with the VP of Development to fulfill sponsor and partner benefits and acknowledgments.
- Assist in organizing events including the Lone Sailor Awards Dinner, Bridge Wing Chats, Fantail Breakfasts, SITREPs and the Delbert D. Black Leadership Award Dinner.
- Initiate and provide content for the development of print and digital marketing materials by the Engagement team.
- Maintain accurate records in donor database systems and monthly reporting metrics.
- Work collaboratively with others on Team.
- Other duties as assigned.
Budgetary Responsibilities
- The Director of Development will work with the VP of Development to propose annual budgets and goals for all Development Programs. While the Director will participate in all fundraising efforts, the Director will be specifically responsible to meet the fundraising goals for the following programs currently totaling $955K.
- Major Gifts program- ($700,000 goal)
- Individual Donors for Lone Sailor Awards Dinner ($80K goal)
- Commemorative Plaques ($91K goal)
- Constellation Program ($69K goal)
- Theater Chairs ($35K goal)
- Other programs as created.
Measures of Performance
The Navy Memorial's cash compensation program includes Performance Based Supplementary Income (PBSI), currently 5% of employee's total cash compensation. Receiving PBSI is based on the team meeting organization goals and the Development Director achieving the following goals:
- Meet or exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue goals in totality and, if possible, for each program assigned
- Continued growth, year-over-year, in number of donors in portfolio and overall revenue.
- Strength of personal engagements and relationships with donors and prospects, based on donor and prospect feedback.
- Work collaboratively with the team, be appreciated by team members, and maintain a positive and constructive attitude, based on feedback from the team
- Advance the mission, goals, and values of the Navy Memorial, based on familiarity with programs and ability to explain them.
- Execute best-in-class donor stewardship, including gracious appreciation, timely written acknowledgments, and positive and optimistic responses to donor requests.
Key Qualifications
As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of the Foundation and be driven by its mission.
The successful candidate will most likely have at least three to five years of Development experience. Experience working with the Navy is helpful. This is an organization driven by the values of its people, so experience working in a "values-driven" organization will be highly prized.
Additional requirements
- Experience in an M365 environment including proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel required, knowledge of Salesforce or similar databases is desirable.
- Undergraduate degree strongly valued.
- Ability to pass a pre-employment background check.