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, VT. Hybrid schedule is an option.