National Black Child Development Institute Vice President, Development Remote · Full time Company website

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The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) seeks a strategic, forward-thinking, and entrepreneurial Vice President, Development (VP) to lead a bold and comprehensive fundraising program that fuels its mission to improve the quality of life for Black children and families. As a senior member of the executive team, the VP will be responsible for driving all aspects of development, including major gifts, institutional giving, annual fund, advancement operations, and donor engagement strategies that support both the national office and its affiliate network.

NBCDI is a preeminent voice and advocate for Black children and their families during the transformational early childhood years (Birth-8). For over 50 years, we have been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact Black children and families. Our work is centered in our Afrofuturist Systems Change Process which centers the expertise and experiences of our communities and includes rigorous policy research and publications, a national conference, two prestigious fellowships, convenings and programming that spans across the country through our affiliate network.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and innovative leader who understands the complexity of fundraising for think tanks, academic institutions, and/or advocacy organizations, and who can design and implement a strategy that engages both institutions and individuals, while supporting a network of mission-aligned affiliates.

JOB SUMMARY

The Vice President of Development is responsible for the strategic development and execution of all fundraising, marketing, and grant management activities for the organization. They are accountable for the development and implementation of an annual campaign, fundraising events and expanding donor engagement. This position is responsible for meeting the organization’s unearned income projections through direct fundraising and the supervision of all development department activities including NBCDI’s Annual Conference. Additionally, the Vice President of Development works to engage the Board of Directors in fundraising activities and serves as the staff lead to the Board for the Development Committee.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Strategic Fundraising Leadership

• Design and lead an integrated development strategy to grow national and affiliate-aligned revenue from individuals, foundations, corporations, and strategic partners.
• Provide strategic leadership of fundraising function, collaborating with Movement Building, Policy and Research and Communications.
• Expand a portfolio of major donors and institutional funders through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to lead high-level donor engagement, campaigns, and relationship management.
• Lead and develop a high-performing communications team through mentorship, professional development, and clear performance expectations to support organizational goals and foster a collaborative, inclusive team culture.

Affiliate Network Engagement

• Develop collaborative fundraising approaches that support both national and affiliate-level priorities.
• Build strong relationships with affiliate leaders to identify opportunities for shared funding, co-branded initiatives, and joint proposals.
• Create tools, guidance, and training to strengthen fundraising capacity across the affiliate network.

Advancement Infrastructure and Operations

• Build a best-in-class advancement operation, including systems for gift processing, donor stewardship, data analytics, and compliance.
• Oversee CRM/database management and ensure the effective use of data to inform fundraising strategies.
• Develop and manage the development budget and revenue forecasting in alignment with organizational goals.

Donor Engagement and Mission Integration

• Design campaigns and donor experiences around the organization’s signature work, including its national conference, publications and research, fellowships, and affiliate-led programming.
• Tailor cultivation strategies to align donor interests with mission impact at both the national and affiliate level.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS

• 10+ years of progressively responsible development experience with demonstrated success leading major gifts and institutional fundraising strategies.
• Experience fundraising for complex, mission-driven organizations such as think tanks, advocacy groups, or academic institutions.
• Proven ability to engage and steward high-level donors and institutional funders; experience with distributed or federated models is highly desirable.
• Deep understanding of advancement operations, fundraising systems, and best practices.
• Expertise managing donor CRM systems.
• Comfort navigating policy, academic, and civic spaces to cultivate cross-sector partnerships.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills with a commitment to collaboration and inclusion.
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term vision with day-to-day execution.
• Passion for the mission and values of The National Black Child Development Institute

COMPETENCIES

• Problem solver with a strong sense of ownership.
• Strong strategic, creative, and project management skills
• Ability to travel up to 30%
• Strict attention to detail is required
• Excellent communication, presentation, assessment, problem solving and time management skills.
• Results-oriented and able to effectively balance big-picture thinking with tactical execution and attention to detail.
• Ability to translate, via written and verbal communication, complex issues into understandable formats for a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate and hold self and others accountable especially as it relates to time sensitive issues.
• A commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
• Exceptional communication skills with commitment to quality of written and verbal materials.

Salary Range: Compensation for this role is between $145,000-$160,000 annually based on experience and is a part of a comprehensive benefits package.