Senior Director, Development

About the David Lynch Foundation

The David Lynch Foundation (DLF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2005 by iconic film director David Lynch, to addresses the epidemic of trauma and toxic stress among underserved populations through the implementation of the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation ® technique. DLF has provided its programs to more than 1,000,000 children and adults worldwide, with a focus on veterans coping with PTSD, healthcare workers suffering from trauma, those challenged with substance use disorder, and women and children survivors of domestic violence.

The Opportunity

DLF has undergone a remarkable transformation, having earned broad public interest and support for its evidence-based work and proven impact. With levels of stress and trauma escalating in the daily lives of more and more people, the need for DLF programs is intensifying, not only among those considered to be “at-risk” adults and youth, but in the general population as well. This year, the collision of political unrest, unprecedented social justice issues, and a reality-shattering health pandemic have made the TM technique more vital than ever as the world searches for answers and solutions to grapple with the changing world around them and an uncertain and unknown future.

The Foundation has offices in New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, CA. With a staff of 60 nationwide, the Foundation is headed by CEO Bob Roth, whose 2017 New York Times bestseller Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation, has been featured in a wide variety of outlets, including Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Business Week, Dr. Oz, Ellen DeGeneres, and many others. The Foundation has enjoyed significant positive media attention since its inception more than 15 years ago and consistently produces high-profile fundraising campaigns, with the most recent being the launch of “Meditate America” on December 3, which featured Sting, Hugh Jackman, Katy Perry, Elvis Costello, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and other supporters of the Foundation. It was viewed by over 100,000 people across the country and around the world.

The Senior Director, Development will be responsible for a variety of functions. He/she is a key part of the Development team responsible for supporting the Major Gifts, Individual Giving, and the Auction and Events teams in driving a robust, multi-faceted fundraising program designed to significantly increase revenue over the next several years. In addition to maintaining a portfolio of donors and prospects for cultivation and solicitation, this position will also be responsible for creating and curating content for annual appeals, DLF newsletters, donor and corporate proposals, campaigns, and impact reports.

This role also manages all communication with DLF Board members and donors. He/she will direct the process and organization of committee calls and Board meetings for DLF, including working with key stakeholders to create working agendas and prepare staff reports.

Job Purpose

The Senior Director, Development will have primary responsibility for managing Board relations and will supervise all aspects of the Foundation’s Major Gifts pipeline. He/she will work closely with the CEO and other members of the Development and Marketing teams in service of an $8,000,000+ per year, organization-wide, revenue goal.

Key Metrics

Responsibilities & Duties

Individual Giving

Oversee prospect research to identify and profile prospective donors in New York and Washington, DC, with a focus on high net worth individuals. .

Prepare strategy briefings for the Development team, Corporate Partnership team, and other DLF leadership in advance of meetings and telephone calls with prospects and donors.

Work closely with the Head of Marketing to write content for donor mailings, e-solicitations, new donor welcome series, holiday communications, integrated direct response, impact reports, presentations, etc.

Oversee annual fundraising calendar.

Major Gifts

Lead the development of a robust culture of both short and long-term donor recognition, event conversion, stewardship, and engagement strategies to support the annual giving program, mid-level, and major gifts to diversify and grow individual contributions.

Maintain a portfolio of prospective donors with cultivation plans for each prospect.

Develop moves management strategies to increase annual giving by deepening engagement, providing ongoing communication, and showing programmatic impact and return on the donor’s investment.

Provide strategic and consultative support to staff for pipeline development, prospect management, solicitation strategies, proposal development, and effective stewardship practices for all development staff to employ a culture of philanthropy with a donor-centric approach.

Create tracking systems and ensure the accuracy of donor information to hold staff accountable for portfolio creation, calls, visits, and donor touchpoints in Salesforce.

Board

With the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, develop consistent Board and Donor Communications strategies and outreach to enhance Board engagement and communication.

Manage Board projects and requests, as assigned.

Prepare reports for Board and development committee meetings.

Coordinate monthly Development Committee Meeting calls and follow up, as needed.

Assist with Board meeting agenda development.

Partner with Finance and IT’s Salesforce Team to develop and implement an effective tracking system to evaluate and maintain DLF’s current board pledge system to document revenue growth from national and local Board members and their networks.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree.

Minimum of 10 years of experience in a development department or relevant work experience supporting the cultivation and stewardship of donor relationships.

Experience in writing campaigns, proposals, reports and marketing collateral.

Experience conducting prospect research using secondary source material.

Computer literacy; proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and their Google Suite components required (Mac product familiarity and donor database experience is preferable). Salesforce experience a plus.

Excellent organizational, research, and written/verbal communications skills.

Ability to multitask, initiating, prioritizing, and following through on concurrent projects while working in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.

Ability to think strategically and to anticipate and orchestrate next steps, while balancing big-picture thinking with attention to detail.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and the highest level of professionalism.

Strong work ethic and commitment to professional growth and learning.

Comfort working with basic financial data.

Ability to work as a team player.

Commitment to the David Lynch Foundation’s mission and the ability to translate that commitment into donor communications.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

To Apply

Please email cover letter and resume in pdf format with the job title in the subject area to:

careers@davidlynchfoundation.org