Director of Resource Development and Member Relations

As Wisconsin’s only Philanthropy Serving Organization, WPN is proud to play a meaningful role in advancing our state’s culture of philanthropy. We support charitable foundations (family, independent, community and corporate), corporate giving programs, donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, higher education, community health funders, and individual philanthropists who together represent more than $7 billion in assets and invest more than $600 million annually to advance the lives of Wisconsin residents.

Mission & Vision:

WPN supports and promotes effective philanthropy through philanthropic education, best practices, research, enhanced partnerships and thought leadership. Our vision is to foster a statewide culture of philanthropy with an emphasis on equity, while creating and demonstrating exemplary value to our more than 130 members.

The Director of Resource Development and Member Relations is an integral part of the WPN team and will serve as a key driver of WPN’s revenue and member retention strategies by directing membership cultivation, revenue generation and communication efforts.

This position regularly interacts with Wisconsin’s philanthropic community and will also focus on strategies designed to increase contributed revenue in support of the organization’s annual operating needs and established budget. Working closely with the President and CEO, the Director will oversee membership acquisition and retention strategies; sponsorship and grant funding opportunities; and communications outreach strategies. The Director serves as the primary staff liaison to the Membership Committee by coordinating meetings, performing prospect research, maintaining communication; prospective member identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship; and overseeing all other efforts to ensure its maximum effectiveness. This position develops plans and implements the organization’s revenue generation platform (membership revenue, sponsorships and grant proposals) including coordinating cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies designed to increase external institutional and individual contributed revenue.

Responsibilities:

• Promotes a Close to the Member mindset by articulating the value of WPN to current and identified new member prospects; coordinating and/or attending donor and prospective member meetings; identifying and implementing innovative strategies designed to attract new members statewide; orientating new members; and where appropriate promoting new member categories.
• Participates in multiple current member touchpoints to cultivate relationships with the goal of retaining existing members to established annual number/revenue goals by developing member satisfaction and stewardship strategies. 
• Manages existing and new sponsorship opportunities for a wide range of projects and events, including identifying, cultivating and soliciting sponsor prospects to expand WPN’s sponsorship revenue.
• Explores and manages existing and new external institutional and individual funding opportunities, including researching, developing and submitting proposals and funding requests to foundations, other grantmaking organizations and individual philanthropists, persuasively communicating the organization’s mission and programs to potential funders. 
• Assembles and submits funding requests including letters, proposals, reports, budgets, marketing materials, etc. 
• Tracks all details of grant submissions, approvals, denials, etc. 
• On a regular basis, forecasts progress toward established fundraising goals. 
• Shapes the Wisconsin Philanthropy Network and broader Wisconsin culture of philanthropy story by greatly contributing to the communication development of in person, print and online content such as our Wisconsin Gives Report, newsletters, member communications, reports and other promotional materials promoting WPN programming. 
• In addition, works within the WPN team to create invitations, flyers, news releases and other marketing collateral.

Core Competencies:

• Revenue Generation
• Best Practice Revenue Prospecting 
• Ability to demonstrate contribution and value on day one
• Highly Organized
• Strategic Thinking
• Relationship Building
• Engagement/Collaborator
• Customer Service Skills
• Writing & Editing Skills
• Asset Based Approach
• Team Player

Key Metrics of Success:

• Annual Membership and Revenue Goals
• New Member Recruitment and Retention Goals
• Member Outreach and Touchpoint Metrics
• Building on-going capacity in philanthropic professional development

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Incumbent will also be required to complete a background check.

Education and Experience:

• College degree base requirement. Advanced graduate degree in business administration, marketing/communications, or leadership a plus.
• Minimum of three to five years’ experience in a research, consulting, revenue prospecting, or management position in a relevant professional setting. 
• Experience with a charitable foundation or membership association a plus.
• Proven success in revenue generation and proposal writing. 
• Adept at building and maintaining relationships with various partners and individuals.
• A demonstrated ability to stay current with sector-based innovations and best practices. 
• Demonstrate a natural and authentic ability to inspire others to action and to effectively collaborate within diverse settings. 
• Ability to flawlessly communicate through excellent oral and written communication skills. This includes strong skills in proof-reading and editing. 
• Excellent time management capabilities. 
• Working knowledge of social media and tools for relationship building and resource development. 
• Strong project management skills. 
• Resourceful, opportunistic, creative, innovative, flexible, ability to work without micro-supervision. 
• Proficient use or willing to train on of Microsoft Office applications [Word, Excel, PowerPoint] and SalesForce fund development database. 
• Ability to adjust to crisis situations, motivate others, and utilize effective listening skills.

Our goal with this position as well as any open positions at WPN is to remain competitive to the marketplace and seek the best talent.

In the spirit of equity, we are listing a minimum salary range for this position. We do, however, encourage applicants who are interested in our organization to apply.

• Minimum Salary: $70,000 + performance bonus based on agreed upon metrics. Salary offer will be based on qualifications and experience.
• Benefits: WPN full time employees are eligible for health, dental, employee savings plan, disability insurance, minimum twelve paid holidays/PTO and an organizational emphasis on work-life balance.

Licenses Valid Wisconsin Driver’s License and insurance required.