Senior Director of Development
Hybrid in Irvine
(4 days in office or out donor-facing and one day remote)
About Human Options
The mission of Human Options is to ignite social change by educating Orange County to recognize relationship violence as an issue that threatens everyone, advocating for those affected by abuse, extending a safe place for victims, and empowering survivors on their journey of healing.
It all began in 1981, when four women founded Human Options and gave life to a vision focused on ensuring people could feel safe in their own home. Forty years later, the organization is at the forefront of a collective county-wide response to those threatened by abuse in Orange County.
One in four women and one in seven men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Today, Human Options is committed to a future in which every person and family in Orange County experiences safe, healthy relationships and lives free of fear.
Human Options has impacted the lives of more than 500,000 people affected by relationship violence. The team of professional staff are prepared and ready to listen. Ready to offer a safe place to escape a dangerous situation through services including:
A safe-haven and a place to heal for individuals and families experiencing and fleeing relationship violence. 90% of survivors who completed their program have moved forward towards safety and healing.
Support services including case management, legal advocacy, support groups, 24-hour hotline, counseling, and children’s programs.
Housing services, including Transitional and Rapid Re-housing.
Human Options Family Resource Center locations.
Specialized Programs for seniors, military families, and teens.
Healing is at the heart of what we do. It takes courage, perseverance, and a strong support system. We are humbled to share these lived experiences as told by survivors to empower others on their journey. There is no one that knows this better than survivors – and that is why we share their empowering stories.
Human Options is led by 17-year tenured CEO Maricela Rios Faust, MSW-LCSW who is a leader in the field and recognized in 2021 as one of Orange County’s most influential for her leadership on increasing awareness of impacts of the pandemic on domestic violence survivors. She has taken the organization's revenue to $8 million annually and built a committed and impactful Board of Directors and dedicated staff.
One of the key initiatives driving new funding is the Innovation Lab, thanks to a transformative innovation grant. Human Options has implemented design thinking through an innovative lab framework which allows the team to engage with individuals affected by relationship violence to understand the best way to increase victim safety, strengthen empowerment, and drive better outcomes. To date, through this framework, the organization has designed and tested five prototypes, which have the potential to transform the HO therapeutic model and to align their best intentions and create the best outcomes for survivors and their families.
These innovative solution outcomes together with staff required to provide testimonial stories as part of their goals, provide the new SDoD with a wealth of information to share with donors to acquire investments.
This presents an exciting opportunity for a new Senior Director of Development (SDoD) to join a well-established nonprofit organization in Orange County. The ideal candidate will possess a deep commitment to the organization's mission and demonstrate strategic fundraising expertise to further strengthen Human Options' philanthropic efforts and revenue generation. This role offers a fulfilling chance for individuals interested in championing social justice initiatives within the Orange County community.
The Development Department
One of the key objectives in Human Option’s 24/25 Development Action Plan is to expand its philanthropic program, by growing revenue and diversifying its funding streams. They have built a strategic framework outlining the implementation of industry best practices, leveraging data-driven approaches to achieve tangible results. It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing and nurturing meaningful relationships that contribute to sustained organizational growth and success.
Human Options has a strong Board of Directors with a give/get of $10K and a very active advancement committee, which all contributes to its annual philanthropic goal of approximately $2 million.
The new SDOD will be joining Human Options at an exciting time as they can be a part of building a newly restructured development department. The Sr. Director of Development will report to the Chief Executive Officer and be a key member of the leadership team. As a result of the restructure, the SDOD will manage 3 full-time staff including a grant coordinator, a development coordinator and a third position to be identified by the SDOD. In addition, the SDoD will manage two contracted event production companies.
Human Options traditionally has three signature annual events: the Fall Luncheon, Annual Meeting (for donors, board of directors and community partners), and the Serious Fun Gala. Additional revenue streams include an annual appeal, major gifts, corporate and foundation gifts/contracts.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Direct and oversee the growth of the development revenue, with a primary focus on implementing a comprehensive plan to expand and diversify the organization's funding sources in both the short and long term.
Support and encourage the Board of Directors and Advancement Committee in their Development responsibilities. Engage, motivate, and align volunteer leadership and the CEO with prospects. Serve as a resource for cultivation and stewardship efforts and track relationship progress in the database.
Manage existing portfolio of donors to capture identified renewal gifts, upgrade asks and recapture new donors.
Use moves management to engage individuals, foundation program officers and corporations, moving relationships through the donor cultivation cycle, ultimately presenting compelling presentations with appropriate gift strategies and comprehensive fundraising proposals to secure new and renewed support.
Recruit, hire, support, train, coach, assess, and supervise fundraising staff.
Coordinate fund development marketing and communications efforts, ensuring that all messaging aligns with core fundraising priorities, campaigns, and the Human options brand.
Oversee the implementation of a comprehensive schedule of grant inquiries, proposals, and reports managing and monitoring the preparation of all materials and other servicing activities on all foundation grants and awards and ensure timely delivery in accordance with granting guidelines.
Oversee all events; manage outside events management vendor(s), volunteers and promotion; create budget, develop agenda, solicit sponsors and auction items. Develop a strategy for stewardship events and salons.
Provide strategic leadership and implementation for year-end direct mail campaign.
Work collaboratively with program and financial staff to gain assistance with identifying funding opportunities, assistance with grant writing and reporting outcome data.
Fundraise for project campaigns and other programs as assigned.
Oversee the implementation of acknowledgment, stewardship, and recognition programs with feedback and follow up systems.
Create, monitor, and report on fundraising plans and budgets that include, but are not limited to reviewing financial statements for accurate reporting, ensure receipt, acknowledgement, and allocation of grants according to the requirements of the IRS and donor.
Assure timely utilization of donor and prospect records, gift management systems, and informational reports within the donor database. Create a systemized schedule of donor prospect research.
Continue to develop systems and best practices for a sustainable annual fundraising program.
Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and laws, maintain accountability standards to donors, and ensure compliance with code of ethical principles and standards of professional conduct for fundraising executives.
Execute all other reasonable duties as assigned by the CEO.
We are seeking candidates offering the following qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree and/or equivalent work experience
10+ of development experience with an emphasis on major gifts
3+ years in a supervisory role
Proven track record in successfully establishing and growing long-term relationships with donors.
Demonstrated management skills in motivating, directing and managing staff and consultants, and in coordinating and supporting the fundraising activities of others.
Must be a self-starter who can produce results with limited oversight.
Broad-based knowledge of various development activities including: proposal and grant development, direct solicitations, leveraging fundraising databases and support systems for donor segmentation, research and volunteer management.
Ability to navigate a complex fundraising environment with nuanced strategies and initiatives, while building an effective group of volunteer fundraisers and gaining respect of community and business leaders and the advisory committee.
A track record as an exceptional communicator, in writing as well as verbally; adept at writing proposals, solicitation letters, donor correspondence, and other materials.
Compensation:
A salary range of $140,000 - $165,000, plus comprehensive benefits
Please contact Vanessa Petersen for a confidential conversation and to learn more about this opportunity.
Phone: (917) 670-1555
Email: Vanessa@SterlingSearchInc.com
Please direct all correspondence, emails, and telephone calls to Sterling Search, Inc. Any communication with Human Options will be redirected back to Sterling Search.
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