Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development

Posted on April 06, 2019

For the past 11 years, the mission of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has been to advance innovative solutions to challenging problems. SVCF has engaged donors, corporations, government and community partners in efforts to make the Silicon Valley region and the world a better place. Under CEO Nicole Taylor’s new leadership, the organization returns to its community foundation roots - focusing its resources on communicating and collaborating with local leaders and helping philanthropists who work with the foundation to be their most effective at accomplishing their charitable giving and community investment goals. She has begun her tenure by focusing on the community foundation’s core work as a solid partner to philanthropists and local community organizations, and working with staff to develop ways to better connect donors and communities and bring creative ideas and solutions front and center. Based in Mountain View, California, SVCF partners with families, individuals and corporations to manage and facilitate their philanthropy by connecting donors to communities’ most pressing needs.

SVCF works to improve people’s lives in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and partners with donors, companies and other foundations to address regional concerns that affect local communities. Despite the area’s great wealth, residents are challenged by so much – dearth of affordable housing and accessible transit, financial instability and the precarious safety and security of immigrant residents, regional planning on these issues, among other issues. The community foundation addresses these and other challenges, including early education and empowering community voices to effect change.

SVCF works closely with donors to understand their philanthropic goals and the best ways to accomplish them. From accepting complex assets and establishing giving vehicles, to facilitating grantmaking and other types of investments, SVCF is committed to ensuring donors make the impact they seek.

SVCF partners with community and government leaders to address public policy issues, advance the best ideas and direct its resources swiftly and strategically toward critical issues. The foundation serves as a resource for nonprofit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations.

There are several ways SVCF contributes, including:

• Research: commissioning research to identify emerging issues, monitor trends and provide analysis
• Public forums: bringing people together to engage in discussion and problem-solving
• Advocacy: taking positions on critical issues and advocate for policy outcomes
• Initiatives: launching initiatives and special projects, partnering with other foundations, corporations, nonprofits, donors and government agencies on topics or issues of regional importance

The new leadership team, including new additions, is building on the good work of SVCF staff to bolster organizational culture, and of the board of directors to improve its governance. In a 2018 initiative, staff identified its core values as courage, collaboration, inclusion, respect and accountability – and these form the bedrock of SVCF’s approach to working internally, partnering with donors and collaborating to improve communities.

The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will play a pivotal role in the overall resource development and sustainability of SVCF. The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development is responsible for developing new business (e.g., donor advised funds, field of interest funds, and supporting organizations) and for relationship development representing the exciting and rapid changes in the region. The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development serves as a resource for corporate charitable planning and employee giving for the array of growing companies in the region.

As the broader Bay Area economy continues to evolve, SVCF builds relationships with the thriving tech sector and other leading actors in Silicon Valley. In this region, endowed with dynamic enterprises and unparalleled talent, important social issues remain. The Foundation’s deep relationships with leaders among donors, non-profit organizations, and government officials position it well to convene philanthropic forces and engaged civic partners in the community to address, mitigate and solve these very real problems. The wealth of the region is no secret; the opportunity and the challenge for the Foundation is to bring all of these players together to promote an even more thriving – and equitable – region that works collaboratively with other parts of the Bay Area to identify long-overdue solutions. Along with other members of the resource development team, the new Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will develop and maintain a portfolio of clients to steward and solicit for unrestricted gifts throughout the year. The position will also interact with the Foundation’s Board of Directors, senior management, other Foundation staff, and the Foundation’s external constituents.

The resource development role and function very much need to be tied to community and donor priorities; raising money for its own sake is of less interest to the Foundation.

Specifically, the Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will be responsible for:

• Serve as a member of the executive management team responsible for organizational policy development and planning, including the CEO and other department heads
• With the Executive Vice Presidents of Finance and of Operations, as well as the President and CEO, develop the Foundation’s annual operating budget Provide mentorship and leadership for the professional growth of the resource development team
• Remain current and knowledgeable about legal, accounting, tax, and public policy matters related to community foundations and philanthropy
• Understand gift and fund options available for donors and assist in evaluating proposed gifts for adherence to SVCF’s policies and its ability to administer a proposed gift appropriately

Fundraising and Business Development

• With the resource development team, spearheading strategies and efforts to raise resources for SVCF initiatives, community impact efforts and the Foundation’s endowment, increasing the level of assets available for philanthropic giving among local donors, companies and employees
• Identifying and engaging new donors who are committed to the region flourishing and helping them to understand SVCF’s role in doing so
• Maintaining existing profitable business streams and developing new business sources to meet annual business development targets
• Assisting donors, companies and employees in establishing funds, and facilitating transfer of gifts to the Foundation
• Working with the resource development and finance teams to establish appropriate and attractive pricing for accounts, when needed
• With resource development colleagues, developing and maintaining relationships with professional advisors (wealth advisors, CPAs, estate planners) to deepen their knowledge of SVCF’s services and encourage establishment of donor-advised and/or testamentary (e.g., bequests, CRTs, CLTs) funds by their clients
• With Consulting and Management Services (CMS) colleagues, developing new business and fee for service offerings such as strategy redesign for corporate clients, back office services for nonprofits, and board placements Engaging in ongoing professional development to deepen philanthropic knowledge and fundraising skills
• Work closely with the community investment and donor services teams to engage donors deeply in the work of the Foundation; for example, this could include deploying program experts to work with donors or their advisors

Corporate Responsibility

• Identifying companies as attractive prospects for a philanthropic relationship with SVCF
• Leveraging relationships with Board members, other SVCF staff, professional advisors and current SVCF clients, target specific individuals within these companies with whom to initiate and cultivate relationships, leading to new corporate-advised funds, philanthropic support for specific SVCF initiatives, or fee-for-service philanthropic counsel or service agreements
• Preparing and making persuasive presentations about philanthropy and SVCF’s role as a partner
• Regularly networking within groups of corporate engagement professionals (convening them, as needed and appropriate) to further initiate and develop relationships in this sector

Management of Development Efforts

• Ensuring that fund agreements, gifts, and gift liquidations comply with applicable gift standards, SVCF policies, and state/federal laws, obtaining legal counsel where appropriate
• Maintaining complete and current contact reports for all work in central donor database
• Working with other SVCF staff to create a cohesive, coordinated annual calendar of events and event implementation for both advisor and donor communities
• Managing and developing a talented team of fundraisers in a collaborative, team-oriented fashion

SVCF is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and seeks to continue to build a diverse and inclusive workforce to promote effective work in partnership with all communities and population groups in the region. The Foundation seeks a leader with a demonstrated track record of resource development; commitment to the power of community philanthropy and the common good; strong curiosity and the desire to continue learning; a collegial work style; a sense of humor; and the dedication to work hard toward the foundation’s mission of promoting philanthropy and improving the quality of life in the region.

Within this framework, SVCF seeks an Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development with the following attributes:

• Minimum of ten years with senior-level management experience within a development, fundraising or sales function, non-profit experience preferred
• At least five to seven years of business-to-business sales or business development experience; cross-sector (private sector/non-profit sector) experience is desirable
• Strong, demonstrated facility with business modeling and analysis
• Professional experience in working with corporate donors, either as a donor, grant recipient, or fundraiser
• Interest in and/or experience with the Silicon Valley high tech economy, its corporate culture, and its priorities
• Familiarity with employee engagement programs as a part of corporate philanthropic involvement
• Ability to connect SVCF’s programmatic goals with donor interests, and vice versa
• Ability to multi-task, prioritizing work to ensure consistent, high quality service in a competitive external environment
• Well-honed ability to listen to donors and professional advisors and respond to their needs
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, providing encouragement to team members and support of others in the performance of their responsibilities
• Facility with business software systems and the ability to adopt new systems easily
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills

Additionally, the successful candidate will likely have:

• An undergraduate and/or advanced degree in a related field
• A passion for community philanthropy
• Strong operational and implementation experience, demonstrated through positions that require action, rather than the provision of counsel
• Marketing savvy

We seek to have someone in place by early Summer 2019.

This position offers a competitive salary and includes a comprehensive benefits package. We actively welcome all candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who have the skills to fulfill this role – regardless of compensation history.

All applications are held in strict confidence. Please submit your credentials and a letter of interest through our private applicant portal to The 360 Group at  . 

Applications should be directed to the attention of Vincent Robinson, Managing Partner. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Earlier applicants may receive priority consideration. To be considered, The 360 Group encourages all interested candidates to submit their applications promptly, via the confidential applicant portal linked above.

At The 360 Group, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes organizations more effective. Using that principle as our “North Star,” we make diversity a hallmark of our firm, and all of our search engagements.