Job Description

Job Title: Director of Philanthropy

Department:Development

Reports To:SVP of Development

Classification:Regular Full-Time

FLSA Status:Salary Exempt

Work Location:Colchester, Vermont

Cellular Phone Reimbursement Eligible: Yes

Prepared Date:January 2025

Application Deadline Extension:Complete applications are due by Friday, November 14th, 2025.

Application Process:Applications should be accompanied by a resume and cover letter. Applications missing a cover letter will be considered incomplete and thus not reviewed.

Summary

Oversees and directs strategic major giving efforts for Vermont Public, including annual major giving, planned giving, capital, grants and special project fundraising programs. Leads and manages the team to help meet the revenue needs of the organization. Manages a personal portfolio of top donors and prospects. Responsibility for a strategic approach to all individual giving efforts of the organization. May assist the Senior VP for Development and/or President on various issues within or outside of functional area of responsibility as requested. Contributes to the general management of Vermont Public as a member of the Management Team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Provides strategic direction and oversees the execution of the following revenue programs:
- Annual Major Giving and Special Campaigns - directed, capital and endowment
- Planned Giving
- Grants
Provides supervision of staff
Serve as a resource for the Board of Directors
Develops and successfully executes all major giving plans to reach prospective major donors to Vermont Public and help meet institutional funding objectives.
Manages a personal portfolio of prospects and donors and participates in all aspects of the gift cycle.
Enlists the involvement of members of Vermont Public staff, the President, the Board of Directors, and others as necessary to successfully implement the major giving plans. Designs and provides training for staff and volunteers as necessary.
Supervises the annual major gift program including the solicitation, stewardship, research, and record keeping of Vermont Public’s major gift donors and prospects.
Identifies opportunities for special campaigns to help ensure that Vermont Public is able to carry out its strategic plans and vision. This could include endowment campaigns and capital campaigns as well as membership drive challenges and special projects.
Oversees institutional giving for the development department and the organization at large to ensure a strategic and coordinated approach to institutional and foundation outreach, funding requests and reporting.
Recruits, manages, evaluates, and develops the Philanthropy staff consistent with Vermont Public’s values.
Establishes budget goals for major, planned and capital giving in consultation with the Senior VP of Development and develops strategies to meet them.
Supervise the preparation of written materials, including marketing and promotional materials, correspondence, solicitation materials, acknowledgements, and regular communications as part of the stewardship program for all major, planned and special gifts.
Oversee the planning of major gifts cultivation and recognition events. Develop a program for recognition, involvement and stewardship of major, planned and special gift donors.
Responsible for the consistent and effective use of CRM with respect to the major donor program, including planned giving and campaigns.
Ensures Vermont Public’s Gift Acceptance Policy and any other pertinent Vermont Public policies are followed, with a special emphasis on ethical standards for soliciting and reporting.
Serves as a member of Vermont Public’s management team, sharing responsibility for the ongoing operation of the whole organization.
Involved in ongoing professional development for the benefit of Vermont Public.

EXCELLENCE IN THIS ORGANIZATION

A high level of commitment and dedication to the mission of the organization and public media.
Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with co-workers and audience, supporting and enhancing a culture of belonging.
Preserving confidentiality appropriately.
Serving as an excellent ambassador for the organization, both formally and informally. Helping audience and potential audience members, donors, and potential donors connect with the organization.
Facilitating excellent communications across departments, among employees, and with the public. Fostering open and candid relationships with Vermont Public audience and donors. Managing conflict constructively.
Demonstrating a commitment to the continuous improvement of the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission and vision.
Demonstrating and encouraging creativity and enthusiasm for this work.
Expressing consistent, high-performance expectations for themselves, their department, the leadership, and the organization itself.
Developing a broad understanding of the organization’s departments, programs, and services to assist donors, collaborate effectively with peers, ensure respectful communication and teamwork among departments.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Associate Director of Philanthropy
Manager of Philanthropic Advancement and Operations

Position Requirements

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree preferred and a minimum of five years of experience in development and/or major gifts management and fundraising or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Working Conditions

Work is normally performed in a climate-controlled office environment with moderate noise levels (computers, telephones, etc.). No known environmental hazards are encountered in the normal performance of job duties.

Physical Demands

Work involves standing and walking for brief periods, bending, and filing, but most duties are from a seated position. There is potential for eyestrain from reading detailed materials on a computer screen. Deadlines, workloads during peak periods, and changing priorities may cause increased stress levels. Work requires finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination to operate computer keyboards at a moderate skill level.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Please note: This is not an all-encompassing statement of this position’s responsibilities. While it attempts to be comprehensive, new responsibilities may be assigned to this position at any time.

Vermont Public is a proud equal-opportunity employer. We work diligently to recruit a broad pool of candidates and to hire and promote qualified individuals whose personal experiences, characteristics, and talents reasonably reflect the diversity of the communities served by Vermont Public. Our equal employment opportunities apply to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. We encourage applications from women, minority groups, veterans, and people with disabilities.

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