Vice President, Development

Vice President, Development 

Full-Time

The Cancer Support Community (CSC), an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., is seeking an ambitious and detail-oriented individual who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of people impacted by cancer for our Vice President, Development  position.  

JOB SUMMARY:

The Vice President, Development serves as the chief architect of Cancer Support Community’s (CSC) comprehensive fundraising strategy and team structure. This visionary and hands-on leader will oversee the planning, execution, and scaling of a dynamic fundraising program that includes major gifts, annual and leadership giving, donor events, data analytics, peer-to-peer campaigns, and sponsorship development.

Reporting to the Executive Vice President, External Relations, the Vice President will lead and mentor a team of high-performing fundraisers focused on corporate and foundation giving, donor relations and signature events, database operations, and annual & leadership giving. The Vice President will drive innovation, analytics, and cross-functional collaboration while providing strategic fundraising support to both the Executive Vice President, External Relations and CEO. This includes ensuring they are equipped with cultivation plans, donor intelligence, and materials to deepen relationships with high-level donors and philanthropic partners.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING & REVENUE GROWTH:
•    Design, implement, and monitor a bold, multi-year development plan focused on sustainable revenue growth through diversified channels.
•    Oversee and refine the organization's individual giving strategy, including major gifts, annual giving, monthly sustainers, and mid-level donor engagement.
•    Ensure seamless collaboration between annual campaigns, sponsorships, and major gift strategies to advance donor journeys and fundraising ROI.

TEAM LEADERSHIP & CAPACITY BUILDING:
•    Lead, mentor, and evaluate the performance of a highly skilled fundraising team, including newly created roles focused on donor events, analytics, and annual giving.
•    Support direct reports in the development of innovative, goal-oriented fundraising strategies, with a focus on donor-centered storytelling, pipeline development, and data-informed decision making.
•    Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, creativity, and professional growth across the development team.
 
EVENTS, STEWARDSHIP, & DONOR EXPERIENCE OVERSIGHT:
•    Provide strategic direction for the planning and execution of donor engagement events, including the Sunburst Gala and regional celebrations.
•    Ensure high-impact stewardship strategies are implemented organization-wide, from new donor onboarding to leadership-level recognition and cultivation.
•    Work closely with the Director, Donor Relations & Signature Events to maintain standards of excellence across all development-related donor experiences.

BUDGETING, DATA OVERSIGHT, & FINANCIAL ALIGNMENT:
•    Lead the development and management of the Development department’s annual budget, ensuring alignment with organizational revenue goals and strategic priorities.
•    Collaborate with the Finance department to ensure timely and accurate revenue forecasting, reporting, and reconciliation for all fundraising streams.
•    Oversee CRM system strategy and performance, ensuring data accuracy, tracking of donor behavior, and effectiveness of segmentation and performance reporting.
•    Ensure Finance receives appropriate data for reconciliation, fund designation, and gift reporting, supporting alignment and accuracy across departments.
•    Partner with team leaders to set revenue and expense targets for key initiatives and monitor progress toward financial goals throughout the year.

DONOR PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT & MAJOR GIFT CULTIVATION:
•    Personally manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals, major donors, and institutional supporters with the capacity to make transformational gifts.
•    Develop and implement individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for top prospects, with a focus on deepening relationships and long-term engagement.
•    Ensure the Executive Vice President, External Relations and CEO are equipped with strategic donor intelligence, briefing materials, and cultivation plans to support their high-level fundraising efforts.
•    Partner with the Manager, Annual & Leadership Giving and Director, Donor Relations & Signature Events to identify and elevate promising annual donors into the major gift pipeline.
•    Lead regular prospect review sessions with development team members and support moves management processes that align with donor interests and organizational priorities.
•    Leverage CSC’s board and senior leadership to expand networks, secure introductions, and support cultivation efforts for top prospects and institutional partners.

CORPORATE & FOUNDATION GIVING:
•    Provide oversight and support for foundation grants and corporate sponsorship efforts in collaboration with the grant writing and donor engagement staff.
•    Drive strategic engagement of corporate partners with tailored sponsorships, employee engagement opportunities, executive visibility, and long-term partnership development.
•    Collaborate with communications and digital teams to align corporate messaging with organizational impact priorities and campaign themes.
•    Identify and cultivate new corporate partners across industries to diversify CSC’s revenue streams and strengthen brand alignment.

INTERNAL COLLABORATION & EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION:
•    Partner with the Executive Vice President, External Relations and finance staff to align fundraising strategy with marketing, brand, and finance efforts.
•    Represent CSC with external stakeholders, including partners, donors, and community leaders, articulating a compelling case for support.
•    Collaborate cross-functionally with Communications, Industry Partners, Programs, Education, Research and Policy teams to ensure fundraising strategies align with organizational impact priorities.

Performs other duties as requested by management

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
•    Experience building and leading new fundraising functions or overseeing restructured teams
•    Strong understanding of data-driven fundraising practices, donor engagement cycles, and stewardship best practices.
•    High emotional intelligence with exceptional interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
•    Strategic thinker with hands-on execution ability.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:
•    Familiarity with CRM systems (Virtuous preferred)
•    Familiarity with fundraising analytics tools

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE:
•    Revenue growth is achieved across all key fundraising streams, including individual giving, events, and corporate partnerships.
•    The development team operates efficiently with clear roles, accountability, and measurable goals.
•    New roles (Annual Giving, Donor Engagement, Analytics) are effectively integrated and supported with strong systems and leadership.
•    Donor satisfaction and retention rates improve due to personalized engagement and stewardship.
•    CSC’s brand and mission are elevated through donor experiences and thought leadership in philanthropy.

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree required

EXPERIENCE: 10+ years of progressive fundraising leadership experience, including direct supervision of complex teams. Demonstrated success in annual giving, major gifts, event strategy, sponsorship development, and CRM optimization.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES/REGISTRATIONS: CFRE preferred

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Dependent on experience. In addition to a competitive base salary, we offer statutory benefits required by law.

WORK LOCATION

CSC has offices located in Washington D.C. and offers in-person, hybrid, or fully remote work for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit an original cover letter and resume, and complete the online application. 

*Applications are accepted and considered on a rolling basis.

*Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

ABOUT CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY

The mission of the Cancer Support Community (CSC) is to uplift and strengthen people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. Backed by evidence that the best cancer care includes social and emotional support, CSC offers a menu of personalized services and education for patients and families affected by all types of cancer. CSC provides the highest quality emotional and social support through a network of over 200 locations in 50 markets worldwide, including CSC and Gilda's Club centers as well as healthcare partnerships. These locations, along with a toll-free helpline, digital services, and award-winning education materials, provide more than $50 million in free support services to patients and families each year.

We believe in equity for all, including in health care, and fight every day to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect and have the opportunity to live healthy and safe lives — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

For more information, visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org

Cancer Support Community is an Equal Opportunity Employer