Posted on December 13, 2012

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Chief Development Officer

An exciting opportunity exists for an exceptional individual to turbocharge IAVA’s efforts to serve our nation’s heroes. IAVA is at a critical moment in its life cycle; the Chief Development Officer will help launch the organization from start-up to sustained growth.

Overseeing a team of eight, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) will have the opportunity to shape and lead IAVA’s fundraising and partnership strategy. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the CDO will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team and work closely with the CEO and IAVA’s highly distinguished Board of Directors.

The ideal candidate will be ambitious, energetic and entrepreneurial, as well as:

• Possess outstanding interpersonal skills; able to build and maintain effective working relationships, with the energy and dynamism to inspire others;
• Able to work both independently, but also as a team player who will productively engage others at varying levels of seniority both within and outside of IAVA;
• Adept at planning, prioritizing, organization and follow through;
• Able to construct, articulate, and implement an annual strategic development plan;
• Have exceptional attention to detail;
• Have a positive attitude and great sense of humor;
• Committed to and enthusiastic about the mission and programs of IAVA.

ABOUT IAVA Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the nation’s first and largest organization dedicated to serving the 2.4 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, from their first day home to the rest of their lives. IAVA strives to build an empowered generation of veterans through programs in four key impact areas: Health, Education, Employment and Community.

Health IAVA makes it a priority to ensure that both mental and physical health needs are being effectively addressed in our community, and has provided support to over 20,000 returning veterans nationwide.

Education With nearly a million new veterans headed back to school under the New GI Bill, IAVA has provided over 500,000 with the tools and support needed to make informed decisions about their education.

Employment No veteran should come home from Iraq or Afghanistan to an unemployment check. To fight shockingly high joblessness rates, IAVA’s Combat to Career initiative helped over 270,000 veterans in their transition to civilian careers in 2011.

Community Less than 1% of the country served in Iraq and Afghanistan – a stark contrast to the 12% that served during WWII. Building community, both online and on-the-ground, is a critical factor in fulfilling IAVA’s mission, which means bridging geographical divides to create a united, supported and proud movement of new veterans.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:The Chief Development Officer will build on the success of the past 8 years and:

• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy focused on leading, maintaining, and expanding funding from the following sources:
• Corporate relationships
• Government and foundation support
• High-net worth individuals
• Online campaigns
• All major fundraising events (including IAVA’s cornerstone Annual Heroes Gala in NYC, and Heroes Celebration in Los Angeles);
• Lead all fundraising and corporate partnerships / corporate philanthropy initiatives for the organization;
• Lead and mentor a team of Development and Strategic Partnership professionals as one resource-generating team within the organization;
• Monitor and maintain all donor and partnership information, expand tracking infrastructure and systems, and provide and present statistical analysis to board and senior leaders;
• Oversee the creation and distribution of all revenue-focused internal and external resource documents, including IAVA’s Annual Report;
• Oversee research of funding sources and trends, with foresight, to help position IAVA ahead of major funding changes or trends;

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will be a creative and analytical leader with the following characteristics and experience:

• 7-plus years of professional experience in a nonprofit organization and management; demonstrated success in a fundraising/development function;
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and expand donor relationships over time, as well as forge and manage relationships with multiple donor sources (corporate, foundation, individual);
• Deep understanding of the complex relationship between multiple giving channels, including social media;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral;
• Ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term, sustainable relationships;
• Strong organizational and planning skills;
• Experience with large, high-profile fundraising events;
• High energy and passion for IAVA's mission;
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Start Date: Immediate.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Salary: Competitive; commensurate with experience.

To Apply: Please send a resume, cover letter and salary history to shilla@iava.org, with “Chief Development Officer” in the subject line. Include a cover letter that concisely explains how your experience could be applied to IAVA. Examples of work products are welcomed. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. No phone calls, please.

IAVA is an equal opportunity employer. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are highly encouraged to apply.