Senior Director of Advancement (SDA)

Job Title: Senior Director of Advancement (SDA)

Compensation: $145,000 (This salary is non-negotiable and in line with our pay standards.)

Location: US-based (Remote, prefer someone based in DC or NY)

Union/Non-Union: This is not a bargaining unit position.

Exempt/Non-Exempt: Exempt

Reports To: Executive Team

Collaborates with: Executive Director, Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Director of Advocacy and Policy, Senior Director of Grantmaking, Compliance, & Partnerships, and Senior Director of People Operations and Administration

Team: External Affairs

Position Overview:

The Senior Director of Advancement (SDA) leads the organization’s fundraising efforts, external relations, and communications. Reporting to the Executive Team and working directly with the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the SDA works to create and implement strategies that drive revenue, enhance the organization’s visibility, and engage stakeholders. The SDA ensures that all fundraising, communication, and outreach efforts are aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic goals.

This position will be responsible for raising the organization’s annual budget with the support of the Individual Giving and Institutional Giving teams and supervising the organization's external relations efforts with the support of the Communications and Marketing team. Additionally, this role will incorporate learning and evaluation processes to continuously improve and adapt strategies for greater impact. This position directly supervises the team leads for the Individual Giving, Institutional Giving, and Communications and Marketing sub-teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fundraising Strategy Development: Collaborate with the Executive Director (ED) and the CSO to develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies that align with the organization’s mission and financial goals. Hold responsibility for raising the organization’s annual budget through oversight of the Individual Giving and Institutional Giving teams.
• Donor Relations and Institutional Funder Stewardship: Cultivate and maintain relationships with major donors, foundations, and corporate partners. Develop and implement stewardship strategies that ensure long-term engagement.
• Thought Leadership: Act as a spokesperson and thought leader, driving public awareness and engagement across programmatic areas. Shape messaging, including communicating our program strategies to a diverse network of stakeholders.
• External Relations and Communications: Lead the organization’s external relations and communications efforts from a development perspective. Oversee the creation of compelling messaging and outreach materials that align with the organization’s mission and resonate with key audiences.
• Public Relations and Media: Manage public relations efforts, serving as one of MADRE’s primary points of contact for media inquiries. Build and maintain relationships with media outlets to increase the organization’s visibility.
• Campaign Management: Plan and execute integrated fundraising and communications campaigns.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the COO on budgeting and financial planning to ensure alignment between fundraising, communications, and organizational needs. Collaborate with other Senior Directors on cross-functional initiatives that require development-focused communications.
• Board Relations: Serve as a key liaison to the Board of Directors on matters related to fundraising and development. Prepare regular reports and presentations on fundraising progress and strategies and engage board members in fundraising activities. Collaborate with the Executive Director to support the board’s involvement in fundraising and external relations initiatives.
• Learning and Evaluation: Develop systems to track and report on the effectiveness of fundraising and communications efforts and create strategies to communicate the impact of the work in MADRE’s four program areas—Grantmaking, Capacity Bridging, Advocacy, and Policy.
• Budget Management and Planning: Alongside the COO, lead quarterly budget vs. actual reviews to track team spending. Lead quarterly conversations with the Finance Team to plan/modify work and spending in accordance with approved team budgets. Streamline the annual budgeting process, ensuring collaboration across advancement and communications sub-teams and departments at MADRE.
• Team Culture and Management: Directly manage the Director of Individual Giving, the Director of Institutional Giving, and the Communications & Marketing team. Focus on trust building and team building and creating clarity around individual team members' roles. Foster accountability, clean lines of communication, and transparent decision-making. As organizational changes arise, determine how and when to communicate them internally and externally.

Qualifications:

• 10-12 years of experience in both individual and institutional fundraising, donor relations, and communications, with a proven track record of securing major gifts and raising annual budgets of at least $10M.
• A strong background in external relations and public relations, with demonstrated experience in implementing successful communications campaigns.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple functions and teams, specifically managing teams of 10 or more.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling messages and represent the organization effectively.
• Experience with learning and evaluation processes, using data to inform and improve strategies.
• Collaborative leadership style, with a focus on cross-functional teamwork and strategic alignment.
• Demonstrated commitment to and alignment with MADRE’s mission and vision, with a deep understanding of and dedication to advancing social justice, human rights, and gender equity.
• Fluency in English is required, and Arabic, Spanish, or French is preferred.