Executive Director, Advancement and Alumni Relations

Position Overview

Joining TWC at a pivotal moment of transformation and growth,
the Executive Director (ED), Advancement and Alumni Relations will
be an aspirational leader, combining vision with strategy to set
goals and motivate toward achievement of them. The ED will be a
change agent, able to effectively guide others in a dynamic
environment with seasoned judgment, analytical thinking,
problem-solving, and ethical practices for development.

Reporting to TWC’s President, Kim Churches, the ED
serves as a key leadership team member and an active participant in
strategic decisions affecting The Washington Center (TWC).
This position is responsible for the fundraising
and partnership activities to achieve annual and multi-year
financial goals for the organization. The ED ensures TWC’s ongoing
sustainability and growth via building and maintaining strong
pipelines and loyal partner relationships, including in leveraging
the President for meetings and engagements.

The ED will establish and implement a robust advancement plan
needed to meet the goals of the strategic plan, growing and
diversifying through the cultivation and solicitation of gifts and
partnerships from individuals, corporations, government and
foundations. In collaboration with the President, the ED will
expand TWC’s donor base/pipeline and will work closely with other
team members, Board members and partners to secure funding for new
strategic initiatives while carefully stewarding relationships at
all stages.

The ED oversees the Alumni Relations function that advances the
goals of TWC with a focus on building a strong alumni pipeline of
future advocates, volunteers and donors through programming and
annual/multi-year giving opportunities. The ED will directly
supervise a team of 3-4 advancement professionals, leading and
developing the team in a way that empowers growth and inspires
trust.

 

Duties & Responsibilities

Advancement & Partnerships (65%)

• Actively work with the President to develop and implement a
  comprehensive advancement plan
• Lead team responsible for meeting annual advancement and
  partnership goals.
• Develop strong relationships with prospects and donors to
  TWC.
• Attend as a senior leader in key events and programs to build
  partnerships in the greater Washington, DC region.
• Support and partner with the President and Board members on
  major advancement and partnership initiatives, particularly focused
  on Strategic Plan priorities.
• Drive primary responsibility for development and execution of
  all proposals; write and archive all proposals with a long-term
  relationship-management approach.
• Oversee research of funding sources and trends, with foresight,
  to help position TWC ahead of major funding changes or trends.
• Ensure the accuracy in monitoring all donor information;
  provide and present dashboards and analysis to Board and senior
  leaders.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive stewardship program.
• Attract and retain strong staff talent in the interest of
  advancement and organizational goals.

 

Alumni Relations & Development (20%)

• Oversee the strategy development for the network of 65,000
  alumni in concert with staff.
• Create annual and multi-year giving programs for alumni. Engage
  alumni and friends to actively contribute back to TWC through
  philanthropic support, fostering strong relations with alumni by
  engaging them in the life of TWC and its mission, including through
  the Alumni Leadership Council.
• Develop, test and scale engaging programming, including
  lifelong learning, for alumni leading to stronger engagement and
  ties to TWC.
• Travel as needed to attend key alumni events or programs.

 

Organizational Leadership (15%)

• Serve as member of the leadership team of the organization via
  strong participation in all senior leadership team meetings and
  discussions bringing a partnership lens to decision-making, while
  maintaining an overall organization-wide strategic outlook.
• Advise the President and senior leadership team on partnership
  and philanthropy trends and best practices.
• Serve as the key staff member for the Board’s Advancement
  Committee.
• Develop strong relations with the Board of Trustees and work
  with the Office of the President in developing Board meetings and
  events.
• Establish key performance indicators and reporting tools to
  measure the progress and/or success of advancement and alumni
  efforts.
• Manage fiscal and staff resources within an established budget.
  Work closely with the CFO on critical forecasting for revenues and
  expenses.
• Develop relations and work closely on a regular basis with TWC
  departments.
• Lead and manage staff with an eye towards robust staff
  engagement, development, collaboration, and a strong positive TWC
  culture that allows team members to fulfill their potential.