Vice President of Development

Lincoln Park Zoo inspires communities to create environments where wildlife will thrive in our urbanizing world. The zoo is a leader in local and global conservation animal care and welfare learning and science. A historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868 the not-for-profit Lincoln Park Zoo is a privately-managed member-supported organization and is free and open 365 days a year.

Position Summary

The Development Department at Lincoln Park Zoo oversees all fundraising board relations and government affairs for the institution. The department supports the CEO in advancing the Zoos mission vision and values within the organization and the greater community.

The Vice President of Development will be a senior member of Lincoln Park Zoos administrative team working cohesively with senior leadership and departments across the zoo. They should have a passion for wildlife conservation and experience leading a large department that raises $20-$25MM in annual revenue comprised of membership annual giving major and planned giving corporate foundation and board relations including the Board of Trustees Womens and Auxiliary Boards. The new leader in collaboration with the CEO will take the zoos development department into a new era with enhanced board and donor engagement sophisticated data and financial management and identifying new sustainable sources of revenue. The Vice President of Development will lead all aspects of the department and serve as the chief strategist and ambassador for all fundraising initiatives including future campaigns to support programmatic capital and endowment needs. The Vice President will manage the team of approximately 20 professionals to meet annual revenue and donor engagement goals. They will work closely with other leaders to advance the Zoos fundraising to achieve short- and long-term goals and support the Zoos ability to fulfill its mission both locally and globally.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides strong creative energetic and strategic leadership for all fundraising activities including major gifts annual giving membership planned giving corporate and foundation relations government relations special events and capital campaigns.
• Support the CEO and members of fundraising leadership team in donor and prospect management through prospect research prospect strategies and recommended engagement plans.
• Lead a strategic approach to enhancing the Zoos fundraising and donor engagement strategies with emphasis on diversifying and growing sustaining revenue sources for the organization.
• Work closely with the CEO and CFO and other members of the senior leadership team to set and review annual Development Department revenue projections.
• Collaborate with Vice President of Marketing and Communications to plan promote and execute an integrated and effective external engagement strategy for the Zoo. Ensure alignment across all messaging platforms to support increased engagement between the Zoo and its donor base.
• Support the Lincoln Park Zoo Board of Trustees in their fundraising roles with an emphasis on engaging their networks as well as soliciting and stewarding key donors. Manage a personal portfolio of donors and prospects related to the Board.
• Serve as Development staff liaison to Board committees as appropriate. Provide regular reports on key fundraising metrics
• Assemble and nurture diverse teams. Proactively recruit hire train supervise coach and mentor the leaders and members of the department. Work creatively to ensure appropriate staffing levels for all projects. Evaluate design and implement professional development plans for staff to demonstrate growth and improvement in identified areas.
• Oversee the management of the Zoos robust database (Salesforce) that drives identification tracking and next steps around prospective donors. Ensure that the database is providing strategic actionable data.
• Provide leadership to and cultivate relationships with members of the Zoos Womens and Auxiliary Boards as they work to advance and support the mission of the institution.
• Support Senior Director of Government Affairs to ensure zoo departments government issues are addressed and advocacy priorities are advanced.
• Represent the Zoos fundraising programs locally regionally and nationally to build widespread commitment for the institutions mission and programs.
• Track industry wide philanthropic trends and best practices to inform strategy and process for the organization
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree required. Masters degree with emphasis in business or non-profit administration a plus. Note: A comparable combination of education experience or training that would provide the level of knowledge skills and ability required may qualify an individual.
• Requires a minimum of ten years of experience in fundraising donor and board relations stewardship and events with proven success in six and seven-figure solicitations. At least seven years in management roles with increasing responsibilities.
• Previous experience partnering with c-suite and volunteer leadership to set strategies establish priorities and goals for both annual and capital campaigns.
• An experienced manager with a passion for building diverse teams and coaching individuals to their greatest potential. Expert skills in building relationships with internal partners across the institution.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Chicago philanthropic community.
• Extensive campaign experience including development of timelines budgets and goals in addition to managing the day-to-day operations and progress of the campaign.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and reasoning abilities.
• A passion for conservation wildlife and the mission of the Zoo.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills public speaking ability.
• Experience with Salesforce desirable.
• A strong track record and commitment to principals of inclusion and belonging in the spirit of our tagline- For Wildlife. For All.

OUR PROMISE

Lincoln Park Zoo is committed to an environment that is inclusive and welcoming. We celebrate the diverse qualities perspectives values and experiences of all people. For Wildlife. For All.

LINCOLN PARK ZOO BENEFITS

In addition to such standard benefits ( Blue Cross Blue Shield) as medical dental vision life and disability coverages and a 403(b) savings plan with an institutional match benefits of working at the zoo include (benefits are for regular full time employees):

• Free admission to many other Chicago cultural institutions
• Free on-site parking anytime with access to Lincoln Park Lakeshore Trail and North Avenue Beach
• Discounts on event tickets (free admission to select events) attractions dining and retail at the zoo
• Quarterly staff mingle events and LPZooU training and educational sessions about the zoo wildlife ecology and related subjects
• Company contribution to Health Savings Account (Medical PPO only)
• A working environment with green spaces and regularly available visits with wildlife!

Salary: $00/ annually