Vice President, Development

Vice President, Development

DigDeep
Los Angeles, CA (Preferred), Remote

About DigDeep

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation,
and hygiene) organization serving the more than 2 million people in
the U.S. who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home.

DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. They run
several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to
build their own water and sanitation systems. DigDeep won the 2018
US Water Prize for their Navajo Water Project, which has brought
clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New
Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water
Project in July of 2020, which brings clean, running water into the
homes of Appalachian families, starting in southern West Virginia.
The project has already brought safe water to hundreds of homes
through a public-private partnership with the McDowell County
Public Service District which is helping families connect to new
water lines.

DigDeep’s water projects expanded in 2022 when they launched
Colonias Water Project. This project works to bring clean, running
water to the residents living in communities along the Texas-Mexico
border. The Texas colonias are largely unincorporated, low-income
communities that fall just outside city limits and often lack basic
infrastructure. DigDeep’s work began in Cochran colonia near El
Paso. DigDeep partnered with residents, housing nonprofits, and
county officials to innovate a new model for
public-private-partnership that brings these basic services to
families for the first time. Now DigDeep is getting the water
flowing in 5 more communities.

Impact Model:

1. Water Projects
Advance Community Led Solutions by deploying proven WASH*
strategies to ensure that every person in America has clean,
running water forever. (aka taps & toilets for every person in
the U.S.)

2. Research
Develop an Evidence Base by collecting, sharing, and leveraging
domestic WASH data to inform our progress toward universal access.
(aka research on the problem and the solution)

3. Mobilization
Mobilize America by empowering people to solve this problem in
their lifetimes (aka spread the word)

4. Sector Building
Build an Ecosystem of Change by facilitating high-impact
collaboration to lead a diverse, sustainable movement. (aka enlist
partners to make the work happen faster and more effectively)

To learn more about DigDeep, please visit the DigDeep website.

The Opportunity

DigDeep seeks a committed fundraising leader and strategic
tactician who has the curiosity and creativity to connect anyone’s
interests to their work and is energized by ramping up an already
powerful fundraising engine. Together, the CEO and the Vice
President, Development, supported by our Board and a team of
passionate changemakers, will be relentless in the pursuit of
bringing clean, hot, and cold running water to every
American.

As a key member of the executive team, the Vice President,
Development will drive the direction and implementation of
DigDeep’s partnership and fundraising efforts. This individual is
responsible for the oversight and management of all aspects of the
organization’s development functions, with a special emphasis on
building and managing teams who interface with major donors,
institutions, and grassroots audiences.

Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President, Development will manage a
team of 5 including the Individual Giving Director; Strategic
Partnerships Manager; Manager, Development Strategy &
Operations; Development Officer, Data; and Development Coordinator.
This leader will be supported by and collaborate closely with teams
in Operations, Programs, Communications, Policy & Sector
Building, and DigDeep Labs.

DigDeep is headquartered in Los Angeles with additional offices in
Navajo Nation, Texas, and Central Appalachia, with an annual budget
of $15.5 million and a total of 85 employees.

Candidate Profile

Passionate about social justice and human rights issues and
committed to the mission of DigDeep, the ideal candidate will be a
strategic, entrepreneurial fundraising leader with a measurable
track record of success soliciting and stewarding six-figure and
seven-figure grants from foundations, as well as amplifying
individual, corporate and grassroots fundraising efforts. The Vice
President will demonstrate high emotional intelligence and will be
a collaborative and hands-on leader with the vision and ability to
diversify and grow the donor base, while enhancing the visibility
of DigDeep at a national level.

The Vice President, Development will bring a minimum of 10 years of
non-profit development experience and 6 years leading a
development/fundraising department, as well as project &
fundraising campaign management experience. Detail-oriented, this
individual will be adept at juggling multiple priorities in a
fast-paced non-profit environment and have strong organizational,
project management, and leadership skills.

Lastly, the Vice President, Development will ideally have
experience working with a geographically dispersed organization in
multiple time zones and will be willing to travel, including, but
not limited to: Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas,
DigDeep HQ, and additional locations as needed. Bachelor’s degree
or equivalent work experience preferred.

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this
position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following
professional competencies and personal attributes:

Passion for the Mission and Equity Mindset
The Vice President, Development will be passionate about the
mission and will consistently promote the philosophy, mission, and
values of DigDeep throughout every aspect of their role. A
culturally sensitive leader, they will develop creative initiatives
focused on recognizing the various dimensions of diversity to
encourage and support the development of a diverse, inclusive, and
equitable workplace, where everyone experiences a sense of
belonging. The Vice President, Development will bring a strong
grounding in equity and justice with the ability to speak to and
demonstrate these values based on their lived experience. This
leader will be an individual of the highest degree of honesty and
integrity.

Strategic Development and Fundraising Leadership
A trustworthy thought partner to the CEO and the Board, the Vice
President, Development will be a strategic thinker with the vision,
capacity, and experience to inform decision-making around
development, including the creation of the long-term strategic plan
for the division, in alignment with the overall goals of DigDeep.
This leader will have demonstrated the ability to set priorities,
develop and implement thoughtful, clear, action-oriented growth
strategies, engage collaboratively, and secure buy-in with internal
and external constituents.

This confident yet humble leader will partner with senior
leadership and the team in co-creating and implementing a strategy
for development and fundraising while finding new and creative ways
to create donor engagement and move existing donors to higher
giving levels. This individual will seek opportunities for ongoing
learning. Using metrics and data to methodically create a pipeline,
the Vice President, Development will excel at developing and
stewarding relationships with donors, the Board, foundations,
corporations, and other funding partners. An excellent team leader,
this individual will be able to delegate appropriately, build a
strong culture of teamwork, and be skilled at creating
opportunities for mentorship and professional development for
staff. The Vice President, Development will be a kind leader, able
to foster an environment that promotes trust and cooperation among
staff, community members and leaders, partner organizations, and
the public.

Data Driven and Analytical Thinking Skills
The Vice President, Development will implement best-in-class
systems and processes to streamline and increase capacity of the
development function. With an analytical mindset, they will
leverage techniques of advanced business and organizational
analysis to identify and assess problem definitions and potential
solutions and compare and contrast them against predetermined
criteria. This leader will draw logical and objective conclusions
from the data and validate them as the primary and/or contributing
causes. This forward-thinking leader will have experience in
modern-day fundraising practices and will anticipate the possible
outcome of potential solutions, in collaboration with senior
leadership. The Vice President, Development will also be highly
organized and thorough, with the ability to diagnose critical areas
for attention and develop and implement clear, action-oriented,
innovative strategies that address challenging problems with
effective solutions.

Excellent Communication and Influencing Skills
The Vice President, Development will be an excellent communicator
with highly developed written, verbal, research, and editorial
skills, with the ability to synthesize information and compose
clear and effective proposals. This leader will partner internally
to authentically share the stories of DigDeep’s impact in ways that
are compelling, inspiring, and inclusive. The Vice President,
Development will be highly responsive and possess excellent
follow-through with the ability to build genuine and trusting
working relationships across internal and external
constituents.

With highly developed influencing skills, the Vice President,
Development will “manage at the border”, understanding the
interplay between internal action and external impact. This leader
will collaborate effectively with senior leadership on strategic
direction, promote adoption across functional areas, predominantly
considering company growth needs. This individual will use
understanding and forward thinking to devise responses and
integrated solutions to future situations cross-functionally.

Innovation and Change Management Skills
This innovative and intellectually curious leader will make
decisions based on both sound reasoning and intuition. The Vice
President, Development will encourage and promote the exploration
of new ideas and creative thinking in themself and others. A
solutions-minded individual, they will be open and willing to try
new approaches and be flexible and adaptable to change.

With exceptional change management skills, the Vice President,
Development will bring the strategic orientation and focus on
driving positive change within the organization. This individual
will think on a global/community impact level with the ability to
identify opportunities for organizational growth. With oversight
over multiple directives, this leader will understand strategy and
adapt where necessary. The Vice President. Development will ideate
towards positive change via understanding of the team and will
leverage this knowledge to collaborate with executive leadership on
strategic direction.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Development
• Provide oversight and management of development activities for
all audiences in our development portfolio
• Serve as the overall lead in strategic relationship management
with a range of funders and donors, working closely with the
Development team to execute tactical plans for specific audiences
and segments within the broader portfolio
• Major Gifts: Manage staff and contractors who are focused on
growing and deepening relationships with major donors, including
prospecting, recruitment, and engagement; Execute and implement
strategic moves management processes for major donors/major
gifts
• Institutions & Corporate Partnerships: Oversee the research
of and application for grants (leveraging Development staff and
contract grant writers, as needed); ensure management of grant
monitoring, reporting, and compliance
• Leverage the CEO, Board Members, and other senior leaders to
maximize donor cultivation and stewardship opportunities, ensuring
that they are staffed by the appropriate team members
• Collaborate with the DigDeep’s Communications team and external
corporate partners to design creative and meaningful ways to
support our work that creates shared value for their companies and
organizations (ex. cause marketing campaigns and branded
products)
• Provide guidance and insight in the development of donor
communications, engaging with the CEO, VP, Communications to ensure
our content is compelling, clear, and resonates with a range of
audiences

Strategy & Operations
• Oversee the implementation and management of best practices in
development operations including systems, processes, and tools to
ensure effectiveness and accountability across fundraising
functions
• Develop and implement fundraising strategies and processes that
increase the organization’s support from all funding sources
• Work with the CEO to develop benchmarks for fundraising
effectiveness and to implement processes for tracking and analyzing
giving gains and losses.
• Responsible for ongoing oversight of processes and systems to
understand donor trends, raising areas of opportunity, flagging
areas of concern, and innovating new strategies for both
• Develop the annual fundraising expense budget; manage and monitor
expenditures to ensure compliance with budget and that all expenses
fall within funding and organization guidelines and policies
• Develop annual revenue targets, based on analysis of revenue
trends and growth opportunities, capacity of fundraising team, and
understanding of external environment and conditions
• Ensure high-level functioning of development operations systems
and processes
• Provide oversight and guidance to the Development team in
compiling information for annual audit and compliance reports, as
needed
• Establish and manage relationships with contractors including but
not limited to grant writers, fundraising consultants, researchers,
and direct mail companies, execute bidding processes, monitor
contract compliance, and ensure projects stay on time and on
budget
• Work closely with the Communications team, provide context and
guidance on the creation of key DigDeep communications including
the annual report and collateral materials related to fund
development

Leadership
• Lead functional area and cross-functional processes
independently
• Garner buy-in and support from senior team
• Direct, provide guidance to, and lead the team through a
long-term strategic plan for the division, as it relates to the
organization
• Engage with internal and external constituents to ideate a
vision, strategy, and goals for each functional area
• Seek a consensus within organization leaders
• Actively engage with other department and functional leaders at
the organization to share information, collaborate on long-term
planning, and ensure integration of functional areas within the
org
• Act as the key representative and leader of Development functions
at Board of Director meetings, supervising the preparation of
appropriate reports, materials, and presentations
• Uphold the unique culture of DigDeep by implementing
values-aligned development and management strategies

Strategic Planning
• Influence organizational status quo in order to effectively
improve alignment with its goals
• Establish directives with leadership with consideration to both
functional and cross-functional area capabilities and organization
goals
• Revise direction of functional areas when out of alignment with
company goals
• Ensure functional area objectives and performance are consistent
with strategic plan.
• Source information from direct-reports and cross-functional
specialists, integrate into strategic approach and direction

Compensation & Benefits

At DigDeep, we believe that great work requires a great job. We
pride ourselves on creating industry-leading employment
opportunities for our team across the United States. We’re a
supportive environment that values creativity, diversity, and
quick-thinking.

The salary range for this role is $180,000-$200,000 with a generous
benefits package including but not limited to:

• Generous PTO and sick leave
• 23 weeks paid Parental Leave
• Annual Professional Development Stipend
• Annual Wellbeing Reimbursement
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, 100% employer paid
• One Medical membership
• Life insurance, 100% employer paid
• Work laptop
• Monthly cell phone allowance
• Domestic travel
• 401k retirement plan, with employer match

DigDeep has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the
health of our employees and community at large. Candidates applying
to work at DigDeep should be ready to demonstrate proof of
receiving a COVID-19 vaccination and booster as a condition of
their employment.

DigDeep is a certified Great Place to Work®

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in
mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this
engagement. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile,
or email DigDeep_VPDevelopment@koyapartners.com.
All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly
confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to
individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified
individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing
interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com.
If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional
information regarding how to request an accommodation for the
interview process.

DigDeep is deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and
belonging. We believe social change happens when people with a wide
range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together
with a common purpose. DigDeep is built on the principles of
equity, transparency and the power of human experience. Your work
will improve the daily lives of real people. We believe everybody
should have the clean, running water they need to thrive. Join us,
and we’ll close the US water gap in our lifetimes.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading
executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to
connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven
clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right
Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with
nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education,
responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities
and around the world.

Learn more about how we can help you with your search on the
Koya Partners
website.

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