Director of Development

Job title: Director of Development
Organization: Save A Warrior
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Job Description

Founded in 2012 by Ronald “Jake” Clark, a returning veteran and former first responder, Save A Warrior™ (SAW) solves the staggering rate of suicides plaguing veterans, active duty military and first responders. SAW’s proven model tends to core wounds of the soul and inspires a desire to live a fulfilling life of purpose greater than self. SAW is the original peer-to-peer, solution-focused, evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum of healing comprising Warrior Mediation® ritual, ceremony, initiation, and servant leadership. SAW operates in California and Ohio and, in 2021, will expand our Midwest operations to a second location: The National Center of Excellence for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress. All participants attend our 99-hour initial training and transition to our Forever After Care services, free of charge, as a result of the generosity of our donors and supporters of SAW, including the benevolence of SAW’s alumni. To date, we have served over 1,100 returning veterans and first responders with a success rate of 99.6%.

In a team approach with the Founder, Board of Directors and other SAW Executives, the Director of Development will initiate, cultivate, achieve and sustain the philanthropic goals of SAW. The Director will report to the Chief Executive Officer and supervise a dedicated staff to achieve specific goals, while working to evolve and grow reliable, enduring and durable funding models. A personal connection to the military and/or first responder communities is desirable.

The specific duties and responsibilities of the position include, and are not limited to, the following:

  • Share a compelling, believable story of SAW from a first-person perspective.
  • Collaborate with the SAW staff and the Board of Directors to create annual philanthropic budgets by category to ensure funding to support the strategic direction of the organization.
  • Develop and manage SAW’s donor database in categories in such a manner to be leveraged by the SAW Staff and Board of Directors.
  • Develop and manage monthly reports on funding activity (actual vs budgeted) to share with the executive committee of the Board of Directors – to reconcile with the accounting staff.
  • Maintain and evolve current relationships with corporate sponsors, along with the development and cultivation of a marketing program to identify and secure funding from other corporations in Ohio and nationally.
  • Maintain relationships with high net worth individuals; the development and cultivation of a marketing program to identify and secure funding from other high net worth individuals in Ohio and nationally.
  • Cultivate a marketing program to leverage funding from (Legacy) Veteran Support Organizations (VSOs) such as American Legion, AMVETS, VFWs; with particular emphasis in the state of Ohio.
  • Manage the grant writing process.
  • Manage the departmental staff and related contracted service providers to ensure the successful and timely completion of activities.
  • Evolve existing relationships with governmental officials at the local, state, and national levels to enhance their understanding of SAW’s novel approach to healing; the advantages of SAW’s existence in this suicide-prevention space as a going concern.
  • Coordinate with the Social Media team on content production and programming to ensure a cohesive and consistent messaging of SAW and identify funding opportunities through the Social Media platform.
  • Coordinate with SAW’s Director for Alumni Affairs to develop marketing campaigns for the continuing growth of SAW’s Facebook Birthday Fundraising Campaign strategy.

Required Skills:

  • 5 to 8 years of proven development success (annual contributed revenues of $2M+).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Marketing or related field.
  • Experience in Marketing and Social Media (Facebook/ Twitter, etc.) leading to Donors.
  • Experience in managing multi-year, multi-million-dollar capital campaigns.
  • Self-motivated, disciplined with a strong work ethic (Win, Win, Win approach to work and life).
  • Strong communication skills – with SAW teammates, SAW alumni; can “connect” on personal basis with key donors, government officials.
  • Provide consistent, high-quality work product that supports the management of the organization.
  • Demonstrated capacity for handling sensitive information.
  • Knowledgeable in the following software:
  • All Microsoft software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Project)
  • Google Software
  • Fundraising Data Base (Salesforce)

Salary Range:
$70,000-$80,000; excellent medical and dental benefits package

To apply for this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter, resume, salary requirements and references to lori@goettler.com; no phone calls please.