Development Director

Sep 19

REPRO Rising Virginia
Alexandria or Richmond, VA

Anticipated Start Date: Winter 2024/2025

Description

REPRO Rising Virginia (RRVA) is pleased to seek applications and nominations for the position of Development Director. As Virginia’s only independent, state-based reproductive freedom advocacy organization, RRVA plays a pivotal role in protecting and advancing reproductive rights and fighting for increased access to reproductive healthcare throughout the Commonwealth. With a dedicated team and strong community partnerships, RRVA is at a critical moment of transformation and growth as it seeks to focus its impact and adapt to the evolving post-Roe landscape. The Development Director is an essential strategic leader within RRVA and is responsible for driving fundraising initiatives that support the organization’s mission and programs.

This role is instrumental in mobilizing resources to protect reproductive rights and healthcare access in Virginia, particularly in the post-Roe era, where advocacy and support are crucial. The Development Director will have at least 5 years of development experience, along with 2 or more years of supervisory experience managing staff or consultants, and they will engage with donors and foundation funders, telling RRVA’s story and galvanizing support for the organization’s critical and timely work.

With the balance of power in the Virginia legislature and access to reproductive freedom at stake in the 2025 election, the Development Director will play a crucial role in advancing RRVA's advocacy, organizing, political, and electoral efforts. This involves spearheading comprehensive fundraising strategies for RRVA’s 501(c)(4), 501(c)(3), and PAC programs. The Development Director will leverage membership drives, major donor cultivation, online campaigns, foundation grants, and special events to secure the resources needed to advance RRVA’s mission.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Director will oversee all aspects of fundraising and donor communications, collaborating closely with the Development Associate, Executive Director, and grant-writing contractor. The Director will ensure that RRVA secures consistent and adequate funding to fulfill its mission of protecting and expanding reproductive freedom in Virginia. This role requires a dynamic leader with a passion for reproductive freedom, exceptional communication and management skills, and a proven track record in development and fundraising.

REPRO RISING VIRGINIA'S DEVELOPMENT WORK

The Development Director will play a pivotal role in expanding support for the REPRO Rising Virginia Foundation, which is dedicated to safeguarding and advancing fundamental freedoms related to bodily autonomy, reproductive decision-making, and access to the full continuum of sexual and reproductive health care. Centered in racial and gender justice, the Foundation is committed to education, leadership training, and other programs to advance Reproductive Freedom, combat stigma, and advocate for sound public policy.

RRVA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. A major focus is the multi-year effort to pass a Constitutional Amendment for Reproductive Freedom, which involves strategic legislative and electoral engagement over the next two years. The Development Director’s role is crucial in collaborating with the team to raise the necessary funds and ensure that Virginia remains a safe haven for reproductive healthcare access.

TO APPLY

More information about REPRO Rising Virginia may be found at: reprorisingva.org.

A Note to Potential Candidates:

Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described. This search is being led by Cara Pearsall, Alejandra (Ale) Villa, and Danielle Higa of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit a cover letter outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume.

REPRO Rising Virginia is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or family status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application and interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Responsibilities

Rising Virginia (RRVA) is at a critical moment of opportunity. The Development Director will provide key leadership to significantly impact organizational strategy and fundraising initiatives and build meaningful relationships with supporters who share our values and vision. This role will involve developing and executing comprehensive plans to cultivate relationships with current and prospective members, drive impactful fundraising, manage grants, and collaborate with senior leadership to achieve organizational goals.

Key responsibilities include:

Membership Engagement & Stewardship: Develop and implement strategies for regular and engaging communication with RRVA’s members through direct mail, online messages, and the sustaining member program. Partner with the program and communications teams to craft compelling messages that educate, inform, and inspire current members to renew their support while also attracting new members. Manage the member database and online contribution platform (NGP EveryAction), ensuring effective donor acknowledgment and engagement.
Prospect Identification & Cultivation: Work closely with the Executive Director and Board members to identify and engage a growing pool of individual prospects capable of making transformative investments. Facilitate opportunities for the Executive Director to build relationships with major donors and prospects (contributions of $500+) and ensure timely follow-up. Enhance communication with existing funders, strengthening their connection to and commitment to RRVA’s mission. Lead efforts to cultivate mid-level donor ($250-$1,000) relationships that yield increased and regular support.
Fundraising Events: Collaborate with the Executive Director, Development Associate/Special Events Coordinator, and event consultant to plan and execute RRVA’s annual gala. Supervise the Development Associate in organizing smaller and mid-sized fundraising events, such as house parties, salons, and happy hours. Ensure thorough follow-up and evaluation of these events to engage new supporters and maximize impact effectively.
Grants Management: Oversee the grants management process, including identifying new institutional funding opportunities, setting proposal budgets, and establishing grant reporting metrics. Track proposal and reporting deadlines and manage a consultant to support proposal and report writing. Collaborate with the Executive Director and consultant to steward foundation funders and maintain strong communication.
Strategy: Work with the Executive Director and Development Associate to set annual fundraising goals, strategies, and plans. Identify and explore innovative opportunities for engaging, cultivating, and stewarding the community of funders and members. Ensure that plans are strategic, informed by current fundraising assessments, and aligned with organizational objectives.
Organizational Leadership: Supervise, manage, and mentor the Development Associate/Special Event Coordinator, fostering their growth and development as a leader. Act as a liaison to fundraising consultants, ensuring effective coordination and communication across the team. Contribute to the strategic direction, annual goal, and budget setting for the team. Uphold and exemplify organizational values in all relationships, ensuring that fundraising efforts align with RRVA’s mission, vision, and values.

Requirements

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Relationship Building and Leadership Experience: You recognize the dedication, time, and creativity required to engage individuals and secure financial support in a busy world. You bring at least 5 years of development experience and are adept at cultivating relationships that foster financial contributions to a mission or candidate. While experience with foundation granting processes and grant writing is beneficial, it is not required. Additionally, 2 or more years of supervisory experience managing staff or consultants is required, and an eagerness to continue developing supervisory skills is a must.
Strong Communicator: You articulate ideas, thoughts, and feedback clearly, both verbally and in writing. You are proactive in asking questions and keeping others informed with timely updates. Comfortable using various communication channels—phone, email, and text—you adjust your tone to suit your audience. You understand the importance of precise communication and diligently proofread your work to ensure accuracy, consistency, and clarity that upholds our credibility.
Strategic and Organized: You excel at planning at both a macro and micro level, anticipating obstacles, and organizing tasks effectively. You enjoy enhancing systems and processes and are skilled at managing relationships and projects involving diverse stakeholders, including team members, board members, major donors, and funders.
Proactive: You take initiative and excel at problem-solving, always thinking ahead to anticipate potential challenges and developing contingency plans. You often foresee needs before they are explicitly identified and demonstrate resourcefulness in solving problems creatively.
Values and Mission Aligned: You embody RRVA's core values of integrity, transparency, trust, equity, compassion, and appreciation. You foster a supportive work culture, promote multi-faceted growth and progress, and empower the collective. You strive to uphold these values in your work and extend grace to yourself and others as the organization collectively learns and grows.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

ROLE SPECIFICATIONS AND BENEFITS

Position Details: The Development Director reports to the Executive Director and ideally is based in either Northern Virginia or Richmond. The role requires some non-traditional work hours, including Virginia-based travel to visit with donors and evening and weekend availability for special events. This is a full-time, exempt position (35 hours per week).

Compensation: The starting salary range is $75,000 - 85,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Benefits: RRVA provides comprehensive benefits, including medical insurance with 70% employer coverage, vision and dental insurance with 80% employer coverage, life insurance, and short-term and long-term disability insurance with 100% employer coverage. A retirement plan with a 3% employer match is also offered, along with a $2,500 professional development stipend to support growth and advancement.

Time Off: Recognizing the prevalence of burnout in advocacy and nonprofit spaces, RRVA currently offers every other Friday off outside of critical programming periods, such as March-May for gala planning and November to January for End-of-Year fundraising. The organization supports a balanced work environment with 7-hour workdays, extended time off for federal holidays—including three days for Thanksgiving, a week off over the December holidays, and 4-day weekends for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day—and generous paid time off for sick, personal, parental, and vacation leave.

Additionally, Responsive Time Off (RTO) is provided to staff with marginalized identities who may need time off during periods of public or community crisis.

How to Apply for this Job

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About the Organization

Rising Virginia is a strong and trusted leader in the fight to establish laws and policies that ensure real, reliable, affordable, and timely access to abortion, contraception, and other reproductive health services for every person in Virginia. We work with community and state-based partners to connect this work to a broader reproductive health, rights, and justice agenda. In our efforts, we seek to center the needs and voices of those most affected by reproductive injustice and to deepen our understanding and practice of intersectionality and justice, in both our internal practice and external programs.

Ultimately, we seek to ensure that every person in the Commonwealth of Virginia has access to comprehensive and high-quality reproductive health information and services free of stigma or coercion. We are an independent, community-based, advocacy organization leading the charge for reproductive rights and freedom across the Commonwealth.

As of January 2022, we are no longer affiliated with NARAL Pro-Choice America. As part of that transition, our partners, staff, Board members and community members helped us to outline our core values and vision. We have also considered the core elements of our organizational culture, recognizing that we are a team of progressive people deeply committed to reproductive rights and freedom.

Our team is collaborative and supportive; we encourage asking for help when it is needed and often pitch in across teams when things get busy. We are diverse and visionary thinkers. We value diversity of lived experience, and we welcome bold and creative ideas. We own areas of work and decisions within a collaborative team. We believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace makes us a more creative and more resilient organization.

RRVA is made up of three entities: our main 501(c)(4) policy and political arm; the 501(c)(3) REPRO Rising Virginia Foundation, which oversees our issue advocacy, culture change and education programming; and the REPRO Rising Virginia Political Action Committee (PAC) which works to elect pro-reproductive freedom candidates. Our staff of 12 is located across our offices in Alexandria, Richmond, and Hampton Roads.

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