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NRG Consulting Group · 1 day ago

Vital Impacts: Development Director

United States

Full-time

Remote

Director/Executive

$120K/yr - $120K/yr

7+ years exp

NRG Consulting Group is leading the search for a Development Director at Vital Impacts, a nonprofit focused on environmental storytelling and conservation. The role involves leading fundraising strategies, managing donor relationships, and developing innovative systems to support the organization's growth and impact.

Non-profit Organization Management

Responsibilities

Lead corporate outreach, pitches, and deal-closing with mission-aligned brands (e.g., creative, technology, youth education sectors)

Build, manage, and grow a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and major donors

Develop tailored sponsorship opportunities tied to Vital Impacts’ programs

Create compelling proposals, pitches, and donor materials in collaboration with leadership and marketing support

Take ownership of donor communications and stewardship, ensuring timely, thoughtful, and personalized engagement

Preserve and scale Vital Impacts’ “secret sauce”: fast, human, heartfelt donor follow-up

Develop strategies to increase donor retention, repeat giving, and average gift size

Translate program impact and storytelling into donor-facing narratives that inspire giving

Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with organizational growth goals

Lead revenue generation across: Major individual gifts, Corporate sponsorships and partnerships, New foundation and family foundation relationships

Design and manage fundraising campaigns (e.g., Giving Tuesday, program-specific campaigns)

Partner with the ED on donor strategy while independently managing and growing a donor portfolio

Select and implement a CRM to track donor relationships and fundraising activity

Build and maintain clear development systems, pipelines, and reporting processes

Bring visibility and structure to donor data currently spread across platforms and personal relationships

Partner with leadership to professionalize fundraising operations while maintaining flexibility

Support long-term fundraising planning, including exploration of sustained major donor growth and endowment strategies

Advise on future development staffing and team structure

Collaborate with leadership on organizational strategy as Vital Impacts scales

Help document and communicate impact to funders, partners, and supporters

Assess current fundraising efforts, donor base, and systems

Develop a donor segmentation and portfolio strategy

Identify priority corporate and/or major gift prospects and initiate outreach

Deliver a clear development roadmap with opportunities and next steps

Implement a CRM and migrate donor data with the help of other staff and contractors. Vital Impacts currently uses Donorbox

Growth in major individual and corporate revenue

A well-managed donor pipeline with consistent reporting

Strong donor retention and stewardship

Successful execution of fundraising campaigns

Qualification

Fundraising strategyMajor giftsCorporate partnershipsDonor stewardshipCRM implementationProposal writingSelf-directedRelationship buildingCommunication skillsAdaptability

Required

7+ years of senior-level fundraising or revenue leadership experience, with clear ownership of results; experience in small, founder-led, or early-stage organizations strongly preferred

Proven success securing and growing 5- and 6-figure gifts from major individual donors and/or corporate partners; candidates do not need equal depth in both, but must bring strength in at least one

Exceptional relationship builder with the ability to engage and steward a wide range of constituencies, including high-net-worth individuals, corporate partners, foundations, creatives, journalists, board members, and senior leaders

Demonstrated experience building fundraising strategy, relationships, and processes from the ground up, rather than inheriting a fully built development operation

Strong track record translating mission, programs, and impact into compelling proposals, pitches, and donor communications

Comfortable operating in a startup or growth-stage environment, with the judgment to prioritize, adapt, and move work forward amid evolving structures

Highly self-directed and accountable; able to own day-to-day fundraising execution while partnering closely with executive leadership

Experience fundraising across multiple channels or audiences, rather than working exclusively with a single donor type

Former Executive Directors, Deputy Directors, or senior leaders who have personally led fundraising for small or growing organizations are strongly encouraged to apply

Appreciation for journalism and storytelling, including an understanding of how high-quality reporting is developed, supported, and funded; experience working with journalists, media, or storytelling-driven organizations is a plus

Conservation or environmental background is not required