Chief Philanthropic Officer

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent; master’s degree preferred.
• YMCA Organizational Leader certification preferred.
• 8+ years of professional experience with a background in fundraising in the YMCA or another non-profit preferred.
• Ability to relate to top community leaders and diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, organizational and analytical skills; project management skills.
• Working knowledge of giving and charitable vehicles.
• Ability to create interpretive materials to enable potential donors to understand the YMCA and how they contribute to the achievement of its mission.
• Knowledge of the media and its use in gaining exposure for YMCA events and programs.
• Commit time, including evenings and weekends, to actively participate in required functions throughout the state of New Jersey.

Essential Functions

• Develops organizational fundraising goals in concert with the CEO and drives the fundraising plan, strategy, policies and procedures for the Association.
• Works closely with the CEO and the Board’s Financial Development committee to identify new initiatives and opportunities designed to increase the donor base.
• Lead partnership strategy and employee engagement programs, including cause marketing, match gift programs, employee volunteering, and sponsorship that increase revenue and amplify mission visibility.
• Oversee donor stewardship, recognition, and reporting frameworks to deliver exceptional donor experiences, retention, and transparency.
• Directs and coordinates association capital development, annual campaign and endowment programs.
• Develops briefings, letters, proposals and related materials for key volunteers, and Executive Leadership as it relates to prospects and donors.
• Oversees and directs grant writer work-plan for private foundation and government grant proposals.
• Actively identifies, cultivates, and solicits major gift prospects.
• Ensure all gifts and pledges are recorded properly by source and purpose.
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Financial Development Department.
• Mentor and cross-train the staff to build a resilient fundraising pipeline and reduce single-point dependencies in donor relationships.
• Oversees training in fundraising.
• Educates, motivates and provides feedback to volunteers and staff related to best practices in the fundraising process.
• Develops communication plans to ensure members, participants, and the community understand the case for support.
• Develops systems and manages resources needed to carry out the fundraising plans.
• Establishes and monitors the financial development department budget for the YMCA of Montclair.
• Cultivate a vibrant network of relationships with individual, corporate, and institutional funders, ensuring meaningful engagement and long-term loyalty.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Serve as an internal advisor on philanthropy-related ethics, reputational risk, and conflict-of-interest matters.
• Establishing policies and training to uphold high standards of philanthropic integrity.
• Attend required Abuse Risk Management training and adhere to procedures related to managing high-risk activities and supervising members and participants.
• Follow employee and volunteer screening requirements and use screening instruments to screen for abuse risk.
• Provide employees and volunteers with ongoing supervision and training related to abuse risk.
• Provide employees and volunteers with regular feedback regarding their boundaries with consumers and require them to adhere to policies and procedures related to abuse risk.
• Respond quickly to policy and procedure violations using the Y’s disciplinary procedures and respond seriously and confidentially to reports of suspicious and inappropriate behaviors and follow mandated reporting requirements.
• Communicate to all employees and volunteers the Y’s commitment to protect our members from abuse.