About Water.org

1 in 10 people around the world lack access to safe water and 1 in 4 people don’t have access to a toilet. We are working every day to change this. We are Water.org. We’re here to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible and cost-effective because we believe that water is the way to empower a bright future that we can all share, worldwide. We are an international nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Missouri that has positively transformed millions of lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, we pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis. For more than 25 years, we’ve been providing women hope, children health and families a future.

Summary

The Senior Strategic Development Executive is responsible for contributing to building strategic fundraising partnerships that will help shape the next stage of evolution and growth at Water.org. These partnerships will include multi-national corporations, foundations, and individuals, with an emphasis on high-net-worth individuals. The ideal candidate will thrive on the identification, cultivation, and securing of gifts that drive impact and flexible revenue.

The uniquely skilled individual must possess superior collaboration and relationship building skills in support of developing effective working relationships across all departments at Water.org.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Relationship Management (80%)

• Establish and own new, high-impact, fundraising partnerships with a focus on corporations and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs).
• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships to manage a portfolio of existing donors to maintain strong relationships that deepen and grow over time.
• Expand the portfolio of corporate donors.
• Help establish strategies and secure a robust base of corporate and HNWIs partners.
• Strategically collaborate to meet individual, department, and organizational fundraising goals, targeting gifts in the six-figure+ range.
• With the fundraising team, develop and implement effective outreach strategies to pursue partnerships that support the expansion of Water.org’s programs and operations worldwide.
• Establish and display a thorough understanding of Water.org's scaling strategy, footprint, structure, and unique selling points across its markets.
• Assess and track donor behavior on an ongoing basis, prioritizing outreach, and communication to each donor accordingly.
• Develop timely revenue projections and provide complete, accurate internal reporting on donor outreach and activities.
• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, including management and program staff within Water.org, to develop comprehensive partnerships that drive revenue growth and advance Water.org's global scaling strategy.
• Meet annual revenue targets, determined in partnership with fundraising leadership team.

Donor Reporting (20%)

• Collaborate with the Grants Management team to develop and review written proposals and progress reports, connecting donor interests to Water.org's in-country programs.
• Collaborate with Water.org's marketing and communications team to develop tailored strategies for funders that lead to awareness, understanding, and appreciation of Water.org's efforts worldwide.

Management Responsibility

• Individual contributor with no subordinates.

This description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of scope, stakeholders and linkages for every project, duty or responsibility but is intended to highlight internal or external processes, functions and jobs/roles that are expected to regularly interact with this position to deliver work. Scope may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Skills and Competencies

• Customer Focus – Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Communicates Effectively – Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Drives Results – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Optimize Work Processes – Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Manages Ambiguity – Manages ambiguity by operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clear.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent related work experience.
• 5+ years of progressive front-line experience in fundraising, complex sales relationships, and/or business development.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required. Experience with Office 365 (e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams) preferred.
• Language(s): Proficient (written and verbal) in English.

Preferred:

• Strong understanding of international development preferred. Additional consideration given for experience/knowledge in related sectors, such as microfinance, water and sanitation, CSR and ESG.
• Language(s): Proficiency (written and verbal) in Spanish is strongly preferred.

Travel Requirement

Up to 30% of domestic travel.

Being authorized to work in the country posted is a precondition of employment.

Salary and Benefits

This position offers a base salary range of $128,164- $140,656. In addition, this position is eligible to participate in our annual incentive plan up to 15%. This position offers full-time benefits inclusive of medical/dental insurance, life and disability insurance, retirement program, paid time off, paid holidays and more as well as periodic review for merit and incentive pay based on organizational and personal achievement.

Water.org is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, military and veteran status, genetic information, and any other status protected by law. We provide qualified applicants and employees reasonable accommodation, when necessary, to enable individuals to complete the application process and/or perform the essential functions of the job. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We strive to build and maintain a diverse team that will advance our mission and work and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.