VP Communications & Giving

The mission of The Good Dog Foundation, Inc. is to ease human suffering from anxiety and trauma, support childhood learning, and assist people overcoming disability and disaster – using Animal Assisted Intervention.

To do this, we train volunteers with especially loving, well-mannered pet dogs to be Certified Therapy Dog teams, and we deploy them for hour-long visits to hospitals, schools, nursing homes and workplaces across the Greater NYC / Tri-State Area. We are the only therapy dog organization in the area offering authentic Certification, which requires annual re-evaluation. We also provide Professional Certification training for educators and others intending to use their dog in a professional practice.

Good Dog services are underwritten by earned and donated income. Donations come from individuals, foundations, the annual Appeal and Gala, and from Board of Directors and Corporate Partnership Council annual dues. Earned income is derived from fees for Volunteer Training, Professional Training, and Workforce Wellness Visits to businesses.

A multi-year effort to significantly increase earned and donated income is underway.

The VP Communications & Giving, a new position, plays a lead role in this effort, focusing on donated income (including grants). This position reports directly to the Executive Director-Chief Advancement Officer, and works closely with:

• Founding President-Chief Science Officer (in major gifts and in building a modest endowment)
• VP for Business Development (who is responsible for earned income from Good Dog services – and who shares responsibilities with the VP Communications & Giving for Gala success)
• Board members, as appropriate
• Marketing & Communications Associate (who supports both the VP for Business Development and the VP Communications & Giving)
• Finance Manager (in setting budget goals and monitoring results)

Key Responsibilities

1. Communications – In collaboration the Executive Director (ED) and VP for Business Development, and with input from the Founding President and select board members, create and execute an annual Organization Communications Plan to achieve Good Dog’s branding, mission and revenue goals. The plan should include:
   • Promotion and appeals that drive giving
   • Website refreshment, as needed to update news and strengthen Good Dog’s public image
   • Helping the ED develop a strategy for publishing data from Good Dog’s new Mobile Portal
   • Helping to promote and grow Good Dog’s mission-central Volunteer Corps – including the benefits of our unequaled training certification and fielding programs, working closely with the Director of Community Engagement and Director of Training
2. Giving – Working closely with the ED, and with input from the President, VP for Business Development and select board members, develop and implement Good Dog’s annual philanthropic solicitation plan – with a specific goal of increasing annual donated revenue by at least $250,000 over its current level by the end of year two your employ through:
   • Finding new grant funding opportunities via philanthropic research
   • Completing and submitting grant applications, meeting deadlines, writing/submitting interim and final reports, grantor cultivation
   • Helping the Founding President and board find Major Gifts via donor targeting, cultivation and solicitation
   • Assisting the Founding President and board in building a modest endowment to ensure organizational sustainability
   • Creating and producing the Annual Appeal (leveraging the popularity of The Good Dog Calendar with its art-photo portraits of therapy dogs) – requires coordination / logistics from our Director of Community Engagement
   • Co-produce the annual Gala (with the VP for Business Development) and participate in new event conception/planning, as opportunities arise
   • This position participates in and presents results at Board meetings

Qualifications

• Interest in or familiarity with Therapy Dogs and the ability to galvanize donors behind our mission
• A clear record of successful fundraising accomplishments
• At least five years of fundraising experience, including two years in senior management/leadership role, as this is a senior level position
• A portfolio of compellingly clear, persuasive written and creative material for effective fundraising, donor communications, grant writing, marketing communications, proposals, press releases, brochures, website updates / enhancements, and integrated social media
• Bachelor’s degree required plus additional education credits helpful
• Accreditation from Certified Fundraising Executive International and/or from the Public Relations Society of America – helpful, but not required
• Demonstrated facility to interpret and use data, to perform online research, and to develop ideas for use in communicating and fundraising.
• The ability and willingness to handle multiple assignments and deadlines – print and electronic, creative and even administrative, given our small staff
• Mastery of the MS Office suite (especially Excel, Word, Power Point) as well as fundraising software and willingness to master the Salesforce CRM, GiveSmart and Classy data management / nonprofit giving platforms

Please, no calls. Submit your resume and cover letter with references for consideration to:

jobs@thegooddogfoundation.org

Resumes without cover letters will not be reviewed.

Location: Greater NY Metro / Tri-State area; work from home; frequent in-person and Zoom meetings

The Good Dog Foundation strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, age, color, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, marital status, or veteran status.