Vice President, Development
24 days ago
Arlington
Job Description Reports to: Chief Executive Officer Supervisees: Yes Location: Arlington, VA; onsite five days a week Travel: Yes, up to 30% Position Summary: Are you looking to make a difference in the world by helping to save and improve lives? Are you energized by working at the intersection of US national security, private philanthropy, and global impact? Spirit of America (SOA) seeks a dynamic and mission-driven Vice President, Development to significantly grow and diversify our fundraising program. The VP, Development will be responsible for setting and surpassing ambitious revenue targets by cultivating a robust base of high-net-worth donors, while also building strong relationships with foundations. This includes identifying and qualifying new prospects, designing tailored cultivation strategies, and creating compelling opportunities and events that inspire engagement and sustain investment. You will be joining a collaborative, high-performing team that operates with urgency, creativity, and purpose. SOA has a strong culture of trust, accountability, and shared success. In this role, you will partner closely with International Operations, Marketing, Communications, and other executive colleagues to ensure fundraising efforts are fully integrated, mission-aligned, and positioned for maximum impact. This is more than a development role; it is an opportunity to shape a growing organization, leverage SOA’s unique value proposition to engage America’s most influential philanthropists and institutions, and deliver a fundraising strategy that advances America’s role in the world, increases the safety and success of US troops and diplomats abroad, as well as the local people and partners they support. Responsibilities: • Set and exceed ambitious revenue targets by understanding SOA’s full fundraising potential. Assess current capabilities, identify gaps, and implement a comprehensive, multichannel strategy to grow annual philanthropic revenue, • Personally manage a portfolio of high-met-worth donors ($100k+), foundations, and aligned institutions. Drive all stages of the fundraising cycle—identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship—resulting in meaningful, sustained commitments, • Recruit, lead, and mentor a high-performing development team. Establish clear goals, accountability, and professional growth pathways that enable the team to consistently achieve and surpass fundraising objectives, • Partner with the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior leadership to ensure development priorities are fully integrated and aligned with SOA’s mission, operational goals, and long-term strategy, • Work closely with International Operations, Marketing, and Communications to develop compelling cases for support, design high-impact donor experiences and events, and build broad awareness of SOA’s mission., • Partner with Finance and Legal/Administration to ensure rigorous compliance with fundraising laws and regulations, manage grants effectively, and maintain the highest standards of ethics and accountability in all fundraising practices, • Achieve or surpass annual fundraising goals, including multiple six- and seven-figure gifts from new and existing donors, • Expand the high-net-worth donor and foundation base by at least 20%, • Launch at least six donor engagement opportunities (briefings, events, or field experiences) that strengthen relationships and inspire continued investment, • Build a development team with clear roles, measurable performance expectations, and demonstrated results within six months of hire, • Implement improved systems, pipelines, and reporting processes that provide transparency, accountability, and actionable insights across the development function, • 10+ year of a strong mix of fundraising, national security, international affairs and international development experience, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role, • Demonstrated success in security six- and seven-figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and institutions, • Proven ability to recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing fundraising team, • Experience in building fundraising operations and systems (CRM, donor pipelines, and prospects research), • Knowledge in national security, international affairs, or related fields strongly preferred, • Mission-driven and entrepreneurial mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, growth environment, • Intellectually curious and able to communicate complex issues clearly to donors, • Authentic, trustworthy, and naturally builds relationships at the highest levels, • Collaborative team player who works effectively across functions and with external partners Spirit of America: Spirit of America is a nonprofit founded in 2003 to engage citizens in preserving the promise of a free and better life. For over two decades, Spirit of America has united the American people with our troops and diplomats in common cause: to defend freedom, strengthen the frontlines of democracy, and secure a free and better life for those who seek it. We work with US troops and diplomats to identify places where America’s help is needed most. Then we deliver assistance with flexibility and speed through our troops and a network of local partners around the world. We are recognized by Congress and have an agreement with the Department of Defense that allows US troops to collaborate with us to build goodwill and deliver assistance at scale. We fill the gaps between what government can do and what is needed. Our work saves and improves lives, prevents conflict, and strengthens America’s security. In the world’s toughest places, people experience the best of who Americans are and what we stand for. Spirit of America is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed service member status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics) or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all people involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and coworkers.