Vice President of Development

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County is seeking a visionary senior leader to lead philanthropic growth and deepen community impact.

Job Description

The Vice President of Financial Development (VPFD) is a strategic leader and a key member of the senior executive team, responsible for advancing the mission of the YMCA of South Palm Beach County by developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies. This position provides visionary oversight for annual and capital campaigns, endowment and planned giving, foundation and government grants, and donor engagement initiatives. The VPFD drives a culture of philanthropy across the Association and leads efforts to position the Y as a vital, community-impacting organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 7-10 years of experience in non-profit development, with a preference for experience in mission-driven, community-focused organization.
• Proven track record in fundraising leadership, including experience managing large-scale capital campaigns and securing major gifts.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing high-performing teams.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with the ability to engage and inspire donors, board members, and community partners.
• Knowledge of comprehensive campaign strategies, planned giving, and donor database management.
• Ability to align development efforts with the YMCA's strategic vision and mission.
  
  

The ideal candidate must have a proven ability to relate to top community leaders and to recruit and stimulate their participation and to participate in securing financial support. Additional experience in capital project implementation, and foundation proposal expertise is desired.

Essential Functions

• Strategic Fundraising Leadership
• Develops and implements long- and short-term fundraising strategies that support the Y’s strategic vision.
• Leads and executes association-wide annual campaigns, major gift cultivation, endowment building, capital campaigns, special events and key initiatives.
• Partners with CEO, Board, and senior staff to drive alignment between fundraising and organizational goals.
• Donor and Volunteer Engagement
• Identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards major donors and philanthropic partners.
• Oversees donor engagement efforts, ensuring timely acknowledgment, meaningful stewardship, and long-term relationship building.
• Builds and trains a strong corps of fundraising volunteers and donor champions.
• Capital Development & Major Campaigns
• Leads case development, feasibility planning, goal setting, and campaign execution for capital projects.
• Manages donor pipelines, tracking systems, and communications that support campaign transparency and progress reporting.
• Grant and Foundation Management.
• Provides leadership in foundation and government grant strategy, including prospecting, proposal development, and reporting.
• Supervises grant writing and compliance functions.
• Team and Organizational Development
• Recruits, trains, mentors, and evaluates a high-performing financial development team.
• Embeds fundraising best practices and performance metrics into team workflows.
• Leads cross-functional efforts to build a culture of philanthropy throughout all levels of the organization.
• Board and Committee Collaboration
• Serves as staff liaison to the Financial Development Committee and other Board leadership.
• Prepares reports, dashboards, and presentations to support Board engagement and strategic decisions.
• Data, Finance, and Communication Integration
• Ensures robust donor database integrity, pledge tracking, and analytics to inform decisions.
• Collaborates with marketing and communications to align campaign messaging and public storytelling.
• Oversees financial development budget and compliance, ensuring efficient and ethical use of resources.
• Community Representation & Advocacy
• Serves as a visible ambassador and spokesperson for the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, actively representing the organization at community events, philanthropic gatherings, civic meetings, and with local leaders and stakeholders.
• Promotes the Y’s mission and values across all sectors of the community, strengthening public awareness, cultivating strategic partnerships, and positioning the YMCA as a trusted, impactful leader in youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.