Vice President of Development

About DigDeep

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) organization serving the more than 2 million people in the U.S. who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home.

DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. They run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. DigDeep won the 2018 US Water Prize for their Navajo Water Project, which has brought clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water Project in July of 2020, which brings clean, running water into the homes of Appalachian families, starting in southern West Virginia. The project has already brought safe water to hundreds of homes through a public-private partnership with the McDowell County Public Service District which is helping families connect to new water lines.

DigDeep’s water projects expanded in 2022 when they launched Colonias Water Project. This project works to bring clean, running water to the residents living in communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas colonias are largely unincorporated, low-income communities that fall just outside city limits and often lack basic infrastructure. DigDeep’s work began in Cochran colonia near El Paso. DigDeep partnered with residents, housing nonprofits, and county officials to innovate a new model for public-private-partnership that brings these basic services to families for the first time. Now DigDeep is getting the water flowing in 5 more communities.

Impact Model:

1. Water Projects

Advance Community Led Solutions by deploying proven WASH* strategies to ensure that every person in America has clean, running water forever. (aka taps & toilets for every person in the U.S.)

2. Research

Develop an Evidence Base by collecting, sharing, and leveraging domestic WASH data to inform our progress toward universal access. (aka research on the problem and the solution)

3. Mobilization

Mobilize America by empowering people to solve this problem in their lifetimes (aka spread the word)

4. Sector Building

Build an Ecosystem of Change by facilitating high-impact collaboration to lead a diverse, sustainable movement. (aka enlist partners to make the work happen faster and more effectively)

To learn more about DigDeep, please visit the DigDeep website. 

The Opportunity

DigDeep seeks a committed fundraising leader and strategic tactician who has the curiosity and creativity to connect anyone’s interests to their work and is energized by ramping up an already powerful fundraising engine. Together, the CEO and the Vice President, Development, supported by our Board and a team of passionate changemakers, will be relentless in the pursuit of bringing clean, hot, and cold running water to every American.

As a key member of the executive team, the Vice President, Development will drive the direction and implementation of DigDeep’s partnership and fundraising efforts. This individual is responsible for the oversight and management of all aspects of the organization’s development functions, with a special emphasis on building and managing teams who interface with major donors, institutions, and grassroots audiences.

Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President, Development will manage a team of 5 including the Individual Giving Director; Strategic Partnerships Manager; Manager, Development Strategy & Operations; Development Officer, Data; and Development Coordinator. This leader will be supported by and collaborate closely with teams in Operations, Programs, Communications, Policy & Sector Building, and DigDeep Labs.

DigDeep is headquartered in Los Angeles with additional offices in Navajo Nation, Texas, and Central Appalachia, with an annual budget of $15.5 million and a total of 85 employees. 

Candidate Profile

Passionate about social justice and human rights issues and committed to the mission of DigDeep, the ideal candidate will be a strategic, entrepreneurial fundraising leader with a measurable track record of success soliciting and stewarding six-figure and seven-figure grants from foundations, as well as amplifying individual, corporate and grassroots fundraising efforts. The Vice President will demonstrate high emotional intelligence and will be a collaborative and hands-on leader with the vision and ability to diversify and grow the donor base, while enhancing the visibility of DigDeep at a national level.

The Vice President, Development will bring a minimum of 10 years of non-profit development experience and 6 years leading a development/fundraising department, as well as project & fundraising campaign management experience. Detail-oriented, this individual will be adept at juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced non-profit environment and have strong organizational, project management, and leadership skills.

Lastly, the Vice President, Development will ideally have experience working with a geographically dispersed organization in multiple time zones and will be willing to travel, including, but not limited to: Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas, DigDeep HQ, and additional locations as needed. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred. 

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, a successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

Passion for the Mission and Equity Mindset

The Vice President, Development will be passionate about the mission and will consistently promote the philosophy, mission, and values of DigDeep throughout every aspect of their role. A culturally sensitive leader, they will develop creative initiatives focused on recognizing the various dimensions of diversity to encourage and support the development of a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, where everyone experiences a sense of belonging. The Vice President, Development will bring a strong grounding in equity and justice with the ability to speak to and demonstrate these values based on their lived experience. This leader will be an individual of the highest degree of honesty and integrity.

Strategic Development and Fundraising Leadership

A trustworthy thought partner to the CEO and the Board, the Vice President, Development will be a strategic thinker with the vision, capacity, and experience to inform decision-making around development, including the creation of the long-term strategic plan for the division, in alignment with the overall goals of DigDeep. This leader will have demonstrated the ability to set priorities, develop and implement thoughtful, clear, action-oriented growth strategies, engage collaboratively, and secure buy-in with internal and external constituents.

This confident yet humble leader will partner with senior leadership and the team in co-creating and implementing a strategy for development and fundraising while finding new and creative ways to create donor engagement and move existing donors to higher giving levels. This individual will seek opportunities for ongoing learning. Using metrics and data to methodically create a pipeline, the Vice President, Development will excel at developing and stewarding relationships with donors, the Board, foundations, corporations, and other funding partners. An excellent team leader, this individual will be able to delegate appropriately, build a strong culture of teamwork, and be skilled at creating opportunities for mentorship and professional development for staff. The Vice President, Development will be a kind leader, able to foster an environment that promotes trust and cooperation among staff, community members and leaders, partner organizations, and the public.

Data Driven and Analytical Thinking Skills

The Vice President, Development will implement best-in-class systems and processes to streamline and increase capacity of the development function. With an analytical mindset, they will leverage techniques of advanced business and organizational analysis to identify and assess problem definitions and potential solutions and compare and contrast them against predetermined criteria. This leader will draw logical and objective conclusions from the data and validate them as the primary and/or contributing causes. This forward-thinking leader will have experience in modern-day fundraising practices and will anticipate the possible outcome of potential solutions, in collaboration with senior leadership. The Vice President, Development will also be highly organized and thorough, with the ability to diagnose critical areas for attention and develop and implement clear, action-oriented, innovative strategies that address challenging problems with effective solutions.

Excellent Communication and Influencing Skills

The Vice President, Development will be an excellent communicator with highly developed written, verbal, research, and editorial skills, with the ability to synthesize information and compose clear and effective proposals. This leader will partner internally to authentically share the stories of DigDeep’s impact in ways that are compelling, inspiring, and inclusive. The Vice President, Development will be highly responsive and possess excellent follow-through with the ability to build genuine and trusting working relationships across internal and external constituents.

With highly developed influencing skills, the Vice President, Development will "manage at the border", understanding the interplay between internal action and external impact. This leader will collaborate effectively with senior leadership on strategic direction, promote adoption across functional areas, predominantly considering company growth needs. This individual will use understanding and forward thinking to devise responses and integrated solutions to future situations cross-functionally.

Innovation and Change Management Skills

This innovative and intellectually curious leader will make decisions based on both sound reasoning and intuition. The Vice President, Development will encourage and promote the exploration of new ideas and creative thinking in themself and others. A solutions-minded individual, they will be open and willing to try new approaches and be flexible and adaptable to change.

With exceptional change management skills, the Vice President, Development will bring the strategic orientation and focus on driving positive change within the organization. This individual will think on a global/community impact level with the ability to identify opportunities for organizational growth. With oversight over multiple directives, this leader will understand strategy and adapt where necessary. The Vice President, Development will ideate towards positive change via understanding of the team and will leverage this knowledge to collaborate with executive leadership on strategic direction.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

Development

• Provide oversight and management of development activities for all audiences in our development portfolio
• Serve as the overall lead in strategic relationship management with a range of funders and donors, working closely with the Development team to execute tactical plans for specific audiences and segments within the broader portfolio
• Major Gifts: Manage staff and contractors who are focused on growing and deepening relationships with major donors, including prospecting, recruitment, and engagement; Execute and implement strategic moves management processes for major donors/major gifts
• Institutions & Corporate Partnerships: Oversee the research of and application for grants (leveraging Development staff and contract grant writers, as needed); ensure management of grant monitoring, reporting, and compliance
• Leverage the CEO, Board Members, and other senior leaders to maximize donor cultivation and stewardship opportunities, ensuring that they are staffed by the appropriate team members
• Collaborate with the DigDeep’s Communications team and external corporate partners to design creative and meaningful ways to support our work that creates shared value for their companies and organizations (ex. cause marketing campaigns and branded products)
• Provide guidance and insight in the development of donor communications, engaging with the CEO, VP, Communications to ensure our content is compelling, clear, and resonates with a range of audiences

Strategy & Operations

• Oversee the implementation and management of best practices in development operations including systems, processes, and tools to ensure effectiveness and accountability across fundraising functions
• Develop and implement fundraising strategies and processes that increase the organization’s support from all funding sources
• Work with the CEO to develop benchmarks for fundraising effectiveness and to implement processes for tracking and analyzing giving gains and losses.
• Responsible for ongoing oversight of processes and systems to understand donor trends, raising areas of opportunity, flagging areas of concern, and innovating new strategies for both
• Develop the annual fundraising expense budget; manage and monitor expenditures to ensure compliance with budget and that all expenses fall within funding and organization guidelines and policies
• Develop annual revenue targets, based on analysis of revenue trends and growth opportunities, capacity of fundraising team, and understanding of external environment and conditions
• Ensure high-level functioning of development operations systems and processes
• Provide oversight and guidance to the Development team in compiling information for annual audit and compliance reports, as needed
• Establish and manage relationships with contractors including but not limited to grant writers, fundraising consultants, researchers, and direct mail companies, execute bidding processes, monitor contract compliance, and ensure projects stay on time and on budget
• Work closely with the Communications team, provide context and guidance on the creation of key DigDeep communications including the annual report and collateral materials related to fund development

Leadership

• Lead functional area and cross-functional processes independently
• Garner buy-in and support from senior team
• Direct, provide guidance to, and lead the team through a long-term strategic plan for the division, as it relates to the organization
• Engage with internal and external constituents to ideate a vision, strategy, and goals for each functional area
• Seek a consensus within organization leaders
• Actively engage with other department and functional leaders at the organization to share information, collaborate on long-term planning, and ensure integration of functional areas within the org
• Act as the key representative and leader of Development functions at Board of Director meetings, supervising the preparation of appropriate reports, materials, and presentations
• Uphold the unique culture of DigDeep by implementing values-aligned development and management strategies

Strategic Planning

• Influence organizational status quo in order to effectively improve alignment with its goals
• Establish directives with leadership with consideration to both functional and cross-functional area capabilities and organization goals
• Revise direction of functional areas when out of alignment with company goals
• Ensure functional area objectives and performance are consistent with strategic plan.
• Source information from direct-reports and cross-functional specialists, integrate into strategic approach and direction

Compensation & Benefits

At DigDeep, we believe that great work requires a great job. We pride ourselves on creating industry-leading employment opportunities for our team across the United States. We’re a supportive environment that values creativity, diversity, and quick-thinking.

The salary range for this role is $180,000-$200,000 with a generous benefits package including but not limited to:

• Generous PTO and sick leave
• 23 weeks paid Parental Leave
• Annual Professional Development Stipend
• Annual Wellbeing Reimbursement
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, 100% employer paid
• One Medical membership
• Life insurance, 100% employer paid
• Work laptop
• Monthly cell phone allowance
• Domestic travel
• 401k retirement plan, with employer match

DigDeep has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the health of our employees and community at large. Candidates applying to work at DigDeep should be ready to demonstrate proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination and booster as a condition of their employment.

DigDeep is a certified Great Place to Work®

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile, or email [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

DigDeep is deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. DigDeep is built on the principles of equity, transparency, and the power of human experience. Your work will improve the daily lives of real people. We believe everybody should have the clean, running water they need to thrive. Join us, and we’ll close the US water gap in our lifetimes.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Learn more about how we can help you with your search on the Koya Partners website.