United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), founded in 1948, is one of the largest health nonprofits in the United States today. The UCP mission is to promote the independence and inclusion of people with cerebral palsy, intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities through our network of affiliates and partnerships. By harnessing innovation—from adaptive technologies to our affiliates' ingenuity and pioneering spirit—we are advancing independence and productivity for people with disabilities.
To support continued growth, UCP seeks a Director of Development to shape, grow, and sustain the organization’s operations in an exciting time, the 75th Anniversary of this storied organization. The Director of Development will provide strategic leadership in the creation and execution of a comprehensive development plan focused on major gifts, foundation grants, individual donors, planned giving, and corporate giving that includes fundraising goals and metrics and serves as a thought partner in collaboration with the CEO, staff, development committee, consultants, and volunteers bringing essential strategy and solutions to ongoing challenges and opportunities within UCP and its affiliate network.
The Director of Development will lead the team to think creatively, ambitiously, and openly about UCP’s development program and organizational sustainability relative to our day-to-day operations, goals, plans, and collaboration with affiliates, donors, and supporters. This position is 100% remote.
Roles/Responsibilities Fundraising Strategy and Program Development • Oversee development and management of fundraising programs, including donor solicitation strategy, communications, donor selection and appreciation, and special events. • In partnership with the CEO and leadership team, create, refine, and execute a bold annual fundraising strategy and calendar inclusive of prospect development, institutional giving, individual giving, planned giving, and digital and grassroots fundraising. Update and refine this plan as needed. • Guide on establishing a balanced mix of donor sources and fundraising programs to attract and retain major donors, foundations, and funds for multi-year grants. • Continuously evaluate and adjust fundraising strategies to maximize revenue generation and donor engagement. • Evaluate the effectiveness of events and campaigns, identifying areas for improvement and implementing best practices. Strategic Planning and Collaboration • Work with the CEO, development committee, staff, consultants, and UCP Board of Trustees to facilitate short and long-term strategic plans, focusing on philanthropic investment in the organization's growth. • Work closely with the newly established Development Committee to further advance UCP’s culture of philanthropy and ensure that philanthropic development is executed in keeping with the organization's values, vision, and mission. • Participate with the CEO and team to plan the organization's development course, donor events, briefings, and programs. • Collaborate closely with the CEO and other staff members to align fundraising efforts with organizational priorities. • Represent the organization at external events, conferences, and meetings to promote awareness and support fundraising objectives.
Donor Cultivation and Stewardship • Develop appropriate cultivation and solicitation strategies, including stewardship touchpoints, appeal and renewal messaging, email newsletters, direct mail campaigns, stakeholder updates, etc. • Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of donors and stakeholders. • Engage with the communication team on the development of template collateral materials that best support donor cultivation. Provide personalized communication and engagement opportunities to strengthen donor relationships and foster long-term commitment. Event Planning and Execution • Plan, coordinate, and execute fundraising events, campaigns, and initiatives to engage donors and raise funds. • Collaborate with staff, volunteers, and vendors to ensure successful event execution, including logistics, marketing, and donor cultivation.
Data Management and Analysis • Provide leadership and hands-on input in ensuring data cleanup/integrity and create policies and procedures for data entry, reporting, stewardship as it relates to donor data management. • Utilize SalesForce & donor management software (Classy) and other tools to identify prospects, track donations, analyze fundraising data, manage relationships, and track progress towards goals. • Establish performance measures, monitor results, and evaluate the efficacy of the development program.
Staff Supervision and Development • Supervise and mentor development staff, providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities.
• Senior leadership development, and/or philanthropic experience in a nonprofit or healthcare space is preferred, for at least 8-10 years. • A strong track record of achieving tangible fundraising outcomes and meeting KPI’s. • Experience with devising and implementing fundraising strategies with a focus on Moves Management and organizational sustainability. • Successful experience converting donors/prospects into major donors, and experience soliciting special, multi-year campaign commitments and planned gifts. • Experience with donor database management and systems to track goals, metrics, and progress across the development team and a commitment to setting and achieving aggressive fundraising goals. • Experience working across departments to create communication/marketing plans for donor communication that result in donor cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation. • Experience successfully growing and building grants, major gifts, corporate giving, planned gifts, and individual giving programs. • Must be self-motivated, results-oriented, persistent, and able to set priorities and work on numerous projects simultaneously. • Proficient computer skills and ability to manage fundraising database programs. • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal. • Demonstrate and support a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills. • Demonstrated success of major gift solicitation, with proven ability to secure five and six figure gifts. • Ability to gather and analyze data and provide sound strategic recommendations based on data. • Highly proficient with the Lightning version of SalesForce, Classy (fundraising platform integrated with Salesforce) and data analysis.
Education • Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in non-profit management, finance, marketing or a related field • CFRE Certification or ACFRE Preferred
United Cerebral Palsy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to be the indispensable resource for individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, their families, and their communities.
Founded in 1949 as a grassroots organization, United Cerebral Palsy was created to develop services for people with disabilities that previously did not exist. Today, UCP continues to work closely with its affiliates nationwide on issues that open doors for people with disabilities. From home ownership to health care reform, inclusive education to competitive employment, UCP has established itself as a leader in the disability community and as a strong voice for individuals with disabilities and their families. Our vision is a life of inclusion for individuals with disabilities.
