Position: Director, Development

Location: Remote 

Employment Type: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt

Compensation Range: $100,000/year – $120,000/year DOE

Level: Director I

Reports To: Chief Development Officer

Manages: Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships; Manager, Foundation & Government Grants; Manager, Philanthropy

Supported By: Development team, Communications team, Operations team, Program team

Education/Experience Preferences: Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred

Start Date: ASAP

We Are DigDeep  

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) organization committed to closing the water access gap for the 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. We run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. We won the 2018 US Water Prize for our 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 2020, in McDowell County, WV. It has since brought clean, sustainable running water to hundreds of families in Southern West Virginia through public - private partnerships with the McDowell County and East Logan PSDs in Wyoming County. In addition to clean running water, the project is installing septic systems and connecting households to centralized sewer. The AWP is now expanding into neighboring states of Kentucky and Virginia to continue its quest of clean water for every Appalachian family. Our water projects expanded in 2022 when we launched our 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. Our 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 we're getting the water flowing in 5 more communities. 

The Opportunity

DigDeep is looking for an experienced, collaborative leader to join our growing Development team as the Director, Development. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director, Development will be responsible for leading DigDeep’s strategy, plans, and engagement with major & planned giving donors, corporate partners, foundations, and government funders. This position will supervise a team of frontline fundraising staff, and directly manage a small portfolio of the highest level supporters. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic strategist, active listener, engaging storyteller, and proactive problem solver with a deep commitment to water as a human right.  

Key Responsibilities

This is what you’ll do once you join the team: 

1. Manage and oversee major gifts, planned giving, corporate partnerships, foundation & government grant fundraising programs. Create clearly defined fundraising strategies with short and long-term plans to build strong donor relationships and drive toward revenue goals.
2. Supervise a team of frontline fundraising staff focused on building & managing relationships with major & planned giving donors, corporate partners, foundations, & government funders. Mentor & coach direct reports to support their goal attainment and professional development.
3. Personally manage a small portfolio of the highest level donors & funders, assuring they receive high quality engagement with the organization. Regularly meet with donors both virtually and in person.
4. Manage and oversee capital campaign and special project fundraising including developing and implementing comprehensive strategies and plans to drive toward revenue goals.
5. Partner with the Director, Development Strategy & Operations to drive fundraising best practices, including systems utilization, prospecting, grants management, proposals & reporting, data analysis, and donor experience. 
6. Partner with the Director, Annual Giving on pipeline development, securing matching gifts and other lead gifts for campaigns, and donor experience.
7. Promote high levels of donor engagement by working with event and development operations staff to support the planning and curation of virtual & in person cultivation & stewardship events, as well as site visits to DigDeep’s project sites across the United States. 
8. Work collaboratively with communications staff to create and implement a communications strategy for areas of oversight throughout the year, and work together to create engaging communications and materials.
9. Research, evaluate and create implementation plans for potential new strategies within areas of oversight that align with DigDeep revenue goals, strategic plan, and organizational mission.
10. Manage and oversee team expenses.
11. Build first-hand knowledge of the DigDeep model and impact by working collaboratively with other departments, participating in relevant programmatic discussions and activities, and traveling to visit project sites. Regularly engage programmatic staff in major and planned giving donor meetings.
12. Assist with ad-hoc projects and support other tasks/duties as assigned.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. As the organization continues to evolve, duties or tasks may change without impacting the overall job description. 

Competencies (Please reference our website for complete description of each competency below.)

1. Influence
2. Innovation
3. Leadership
4. Ownership
5. Personal Development
6. Strategic Planning
7. Technical Expertise

Skills and Qualifications

We want to hear from you if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred
• At least 7 years of professional fundraising experience required; experience with directly supervising staff and personally securing 6-figure gifts required
• Experience with major gifts, corporate partnerships, foundations, and/or government grant fundraising highly preferred; experience in securing 7-figure gifts preferred
• Demonstrated experience raising $5+ million, annually required
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite, Google Workspace required
• Experience with Salesforce, Slack, Asana, Zoom, Funraise, Mailchimp preferred

• High computer literacy, and tech savviness required
• Able to focus in the face of pressure, deliver against timelines and not be intimidated by tasks/time limitations
• Organized, trustworthy, dependable, and detail oriented

• Comfortable with autonomy, able to work independently and complete assigned tasks within established time frames required

• Willingness to travel for team retreats or other meetings, including but not limited to: DigDeep HQ in Los Angeles, Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas, and additional locations as needed
• Understanding of data security best practices preferred
• Experience/Willingness to work across various cultural contexts and communicating across cultural differences

Compensation and Benefits

At DigDeep, we believe that great work requires a great job. We understand that people thrive with rest and holistic support, which is crucial for our long-term success. We take pride in offering top-notch benefits to our team across the United States, prioritizing their health and wellbeing, as well as providing additional support for our employees' families. If you join us, here’s how we’ll support you in your work:

• Competitive wage to commensurate with level of position
• Generous vacation and sick leave
• 23 weeks paid Parental Leave
• Annual Professional Development Stipend
• Annual Wellbeing Reimbursement

• BrightPlan membership (Financial Wellness Benefit)

• Health Benefits
  • Employee Offering: Medical, dental, vision insurance, 100% employer paid
  • Spouse/Children/Family Offering: Employer covers up to $500 of the monthly cost for medical insurance for spouse/children/family; Employer covers 100% of the cost for dental and vision insurance for spouse/children/family
• One Medical membership 
• Life insurance, 100% employer paid
• Work laptop
• Monthly cell phone use allowance
• Monthly internet use allowance
• 15 paid holidays (including one week closure for Labor Day)
• Domestic travel 
• 401k retirement plan, with employer match 

Hiring Process

For candidates who are selected to move forward, the interview process involves: one 30-minute phone screen; and two 1-hour virtual panel interviews.

Interested? 

When applying, please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume. References should be available upon request. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No office visits. No calls please. Thank you.

In an effort to promote pay equity and transparency, DigDeep does not negotiate compensation outside of posted compensation ranges. DigDeep’s compensation is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to: internal budget analysis, external market value, internal pay alignment, and annual merit increases. A candidate’s compensation history will not be used in determining compensation at DigDeep.

Please note that DigDeep cannot provide immigration sponsorship for this position.

Members of the Navajo Nation are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.

DigDeep is a certified Great Place to Work®

#LI-DNI