Vice President of Development The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Washington, D.C. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/ Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to: Libby Roberts Vice President 617-262-1102 lroberts@lllsearches.com Introduction The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Wilson Center) is the official memorial chartered by Congress to honor our nation s 28th President. It is the nation s key non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue to inform actionable ideas for Congress, the Administration and the broader international policy community. The Wilson Center operates in real time and is eager for the Vice President of Development (VP) to be on board as soon as possible and ideally by February 2019. For inspiration, please click here to watch this video: PROSPECTUS 1
Position Overview Vice President of Development The Wilson Center seeks a visionary Vice President of Development to strategically oversee a fully resourced development office that will advance and support the Center s operating budget. Reporting to the COO and working closely with the CEO, Board and executive leadership, the VP is responsible for growing and sustaining the Center s funding, building innovative philanthropic strategies, and evaluating and reporting on the department s progress. Primary Priorities: Innovate and develop new, cutting-edge philanthropic models that articulate the Center s value proposition, leverage the Center s relationships and technology to support the Center s mission and sustainably grow unrestricted revenues. Cultivate, steward and grow relationships with internal stakeholders, as well as grant makers, major donors and other key constituencies. Collaborate across the senior leadership team to strengthen the Center s philanthropic models, including growing the unrestricted base in alignment with the new strategic plan timeline. Engage and supervise a fundraising team of five to successfully meet goals and objectives. Essential Experience and Attributes: Ability to build and retain a talented team and skilled at managing up, across and down. A proven track record of advancing innovative fundraising strategies and raising significant unrestricted revenues. Understanding of a hybrid organization and ability to successfully articulate the value proposition of the Wilson Center. An exceptional relationship builder with an extensive network. Ability to develop a donor pipeline at leadership levels and to augment existing donor groups. Extensive communication skills, exceptional writer and excellent listener. Team player with a can do attitude and a good sense of humor and professionalism in a fast-paced environment. Bachelor s degree required, Master s degree preferred, CFRE preferred plus. Experience on Capitol Hill and campaign fundraising a plus. PROSPECTUS 2
Do you have the right skills and qualities for this position? The Wilson Center is eager to hire a Vice President who is savvy, hardworking and tenacious. In large part, your success will depend on how well you engage with leadership and your colleagues to help enhance the culture of philanthropy. While this just may be the most challenging job you ve ever had, your time at the Wilson Center will likely be the most rewarding as well. Are you passionate about making a difference in the world and the role philanthropy plays? Have you the vision and strategic thinking to listen to and then partner with donors, leading them to new levels of philanthropic generosity? Are you an accomplished, data-driven leader and manager who has experience holding staff accountable? Are you intellectually curious and rigorous? Do you have a crystal-clear line of thinking and the ability to put your ideas in writing? Do you have experience talking with philanthropists who represent a range of political views about the impact they can make in our world? Would you describe yourself as a creative and get-the-job-done professional? Are you someone who is not afraid to challenge your peers in a constructive way? And of course, be challenged right back? The pace is steady and sometimes requires long hours do you have the stamina? Are you both a strong team player and a strong individual performer? Do you have the confidence and grace to effectively work with community leaders from around the world? Development Overview The Center is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees who are all appointed by the seated President to a six-year term. The Center s FY2018 total budget is $27 million, which includes $4.5 million in unrestricted contributions raised by a 6-member development team. PROSPECTUS 3
The Wilson Center seeks to sustainably grow its unrestricted fundraising base to $10 million by the end of FY2023. The Center will implement strategies to further diversify its lines of business and invest in growth of its donor groups, including the Corporate Council, Wilson Cabinet, Wilson Council and Global Advisory Board. Alongside these, an annual signature Wilson Awards event will be maintained to recognize notable contributors in public policy and to bolster the institutional brand. In parallel, the Center will implement strategies to increase restricted revenue by 20% from its current base of $10 million. The key fundraising strategy will organize cultivation efforts around the Center s major program themes in order to expand institutional reach, impact and leverage overhead recovery that support the Center s operations and infrastructure. Amongst the strategies, the Center envisions engaging major gift donors of $1 million+ each for restricted funding to strengthen cutting-edge programming and fellowships. The Center also envisions business diversification strategies that move into new areas and expand on core expertise, including executive seminars, bespoke briefings, global travel and book-themed and anniversary-themed events. The Center will draw upon a combination of key staff, scholars and external consultants to reach a sustainable scale of business. Leadership: Jane Harman Director, President and CEO Jane Harman resigned from Congress February 28, 2011 to join the Woodrow Wilson Center as its first female Director, President and CEO. Representing the aerospace center of California during nine terms in Congress, she served on all the major security committees: six years on Armed Services, eight years on Intelligence and eight on Homeland Security. During her long public career, Harman has been recognized as a national expert at the nexus of security and public policy issues and has received numerous awards for distinguished service. PROSPECTUS 4
She is a member of the Defense Policy Board and the Homeland Security Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission and the Advisory Board of the Munich Security Conference. Harman is a Trustee of the Aspen Institute and the University of Southern California. She is also a member of the Presidential Debates Commission. A product of Los Angeles public schools, Harman is a magna cum laude graduate of Smith College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and Harvard Law School. Prior to serving in Congress, she was Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights, Deputy Cabinet Secretary to President Jimmy Carter, Special Counsel to the Department of Defense, and in private law practice. Michael Forster Chief Operating Officer As Chief Operating Officer, Forster oversees all Center operations and leads strategic initiatives. He is senior advisor and liaison to the CEO, Board and leadership team on financial and administrative matters and coordinates with the U.S. Office of Management & Budget and the U.S. Congress for federal appropriations. He strategically advises on the Center s wide array of programs and non-appropriated resources, helping the Center toe-the-line with its legal status as both a federal instrumentality and a nonprofit enterprise. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, Forster held leadership posts at several other congressionally chartered institutions, including Chief Financial & Administrative Officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and EVP & CFO at the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. He has worked at for-profit businesses such as the Washington Post Co., MAXIMUS, INC., Arthur Andersen, LLP and Mitchell & Titus, LLP. Forster earned his BBA at George Washington University and his MSA at Central Michigan University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He is a member of the AICPA and GWSCPA, and is currently serving a four year appointment on the Financial Accounting Standards Board s (FASB) Nonprofit Advisory Committee (NAC) and a three year appointment on the AICPA National Nonprofit Advisory Council. He has served on numerous other boards and committees, and speaks on varying topics in financial management, business economics, business optimization, government operations, management and leadership. PROSPECTUS 5
Location Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20004-3027 Background Checks: Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. LLLS does verify academic credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an offer. PROSPECTUS 6
To learn more, call Libby Roberts, Vice President at 617-262-1102 or send nominations or cover letter and resume to lroberts@lllsearches.com. All inquiries will be held in confidence. Setting the Standard in Advancement Search LOIS L. LINDAUER SEARCHES, LLC 420 Boylston Street, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02116 617.262.1102 www.lllsearches.com PROSPECTUS 7