Executive Position Description

For
Vice President, Development

www.wilder.org

On behalf of our client, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, KeyStone Executive Search is

conducting a retained search for a new Vice President, Development.

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation is a nonprofit health and human services organization
that has served the greater Saint Paul, Minnesota, area since 1906. The Amherst H.
Wilder Foundation was built on the belief that supporting individuals, families and
communities in need makes our entire community stronger. It is this belief that guides the
innovative, responsive and effective services the Wilder Foundation has provided to
children and families in the East Metro for more than 100 years. And while much has
changed in 100 years’ time, one thing has remained the same—the Wilder Foundation’s
unwavering commitment to the residents of the Twin Cities East Metro area.

Since 1906, the Wilder Foundation has built a legacy of promoting the social welfare of
East Metro residents by all appropriate means of serving the poor, sick and needy. It is a
legacy driven by responsiveness to the emerging needs of the communities it serves. It is
a history that includes an evolution of the organization to remain relevant to its clients,
partners and the community in order to ensure it can have the greatest possible impact,
right now and in the future. Wilder is not a grant-making foundation, but a public charity
as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Wilder Foundation is a mission and values driven organization. The mission of
Wilder Foundation, as directed by the wills of the Wilder family, is to “promote the
social welfare of persons resident or located in the greater Saint Paul metropolitan area by
all appropriate means including:
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 Relief of the poor

 Care of the sick and aged
 Care and nurture of children
 Aid of the disadvantaged and otherwise needy
 Promotion of physical and mental health
 Support of rehabilitation and corrections
 Provision of needed housing and social services

And, in general, the conservation of human resources by the provision of human services
responsive to the welfare needs of the community, all without regard to, or discrimination
on account of, nationality, sex, color, religious scruples or prejudices.”

To accomplish their stated mission, Wilder is committed to the values of being

responsive, innovative and effective. Wilder meets that commitment by:
 listening, communicating and engaging respectfully;
 honoring diverse perspectives and cultures;
 behaving ethically, compassionately and responsibly;
 taking action to create positive change.

For Fiscal Year 2010, Wilder provided direct services to 9,461 people through the work
of 441 staff, over 700 volunteers, and with a budget of $51.5 million. Wilder’s programs
were once supported almost entirely from the proceeds of trust funds left by the Amherst
H. Wilder family in the early 1900s. Today, because of growing service needs and
leveraging of outside resources, only 30 percent of the operating budget comes from
Endowment fund earnings. The Foundation depends on the generosity of its donors in
addition to fees for services to help continue to meet the needs of Saint Paul’s most
vulnerable residents.

In 2010, the Wilder Foundation refocused its resources and aligned its programs and
services with the refined strategic direction announced in 2009 in response to the
economic environment as well as the changing needs of its clients, partners and
community. The Wilder Foundation transitioned out of program areas that did not fit
within its new strategic direction, including residential treatment services and home
health care services. With the support of the community and partner organizations,
services were consolidated and many programs were effectively transitioned to other
providers who will continue to fulfill the need.

While some of the Foundation’s services have changed, it is expanding in areas where it
believes it is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the greatest number of vulnerable
people in the East Metro. With a renewed sense of mission and focus, the Wilder
Foundation continues to learn from the community, innovate to provide the most
effective services, and develop new partnerships that strengthen our organization and our
community. As a leading social services provider, it continues to adapt its programs and
services to meet the needs of children, families and older adults. Wilder leadership
development programs work to build skills of emerging community leaders and renew

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com
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the energy and commitment of experienced leaders. Wilder Research continues to be one
of the nation’s largest nonprofit research and evaluation centers dedicated to the field of
human services.

This year, the Foundation launched a Direct Access Psychiatry program, which has
greatly reduced wait times for children in need of mental health evaluation. The new
Wilder Community Center for Aging will consolidate services for older adults into one
location and will enable the Foundation to foster collaboration, learning and best
practices in new ways. The Foundation has invigorated its focus of convening the
community around critical issues and working with its partners to address the vital social
issues in the East Metro, including the launch of the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood
Initiative, a community-wide effort to ensure all children succeed in school and life from
cradle to career.

Wilder has a rich history of changing to meet the current needs of the people it serves. By
fiscal year 2012, Wilder Foundation expects to operate on a total budget of $35 million
with 380 employees providing services to approximately 6,000 clients.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Vice President, Development of Wilder Foundation, working in concert with the
Board of Directors and reporting directly to the President/CEO, will provide vision,
strategy and management of all development activities of the Foundation including
planned giving, annual fund, major gifts, capital, and special campaigns to advance the
organization and its work in the community. The Vice President, Development will
assure alignment of all development activities with the strategic plan of the Foundation,
manage the Office of Resource Development (ORD), and proactively take leadership to
engage and work to build philanthropy in support of the Foundation. He/she will manage
3 direct reports and 3 indirect reports and be responsible for a division budget of
approximately $1.2M and an annual philanthropic goal of $4M - $9M from a community
of approximately 2,000 current donors.

Primary Roles of the Vice President, Development:

Philanthropy Strategist/Catalyst. Manage the implementation of all development

activities of the Foundation to fulfill the vision and goals of the Foundation. Works in
partnership with all parts of the Foundation, using the ORD and its competencies to
create fresh, creative, and expanded ways to increase the amount, type, and level of
support for the Wilder Foundation using targeted and strategic goals. Leads and promotes
a culture of philanthropy across the Foundation and in the community on behalf of the
Foundation. Responsible for setting and meeting financial and budgetary targets. Assure
proper and effective management of special campaigns and on-going work: annual,
capital, planned giving, and endowment. Support and facilitates the Board of Directors’,
the new President/CEO’s and Senior Leadership’s work with donors and prospects.
Personally manage a portfolio of individual and organization major donors and key

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com
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relationships, with a focus on the personal cultivation and solicitation of major gifts of
$25,000 and higher from both new prospects and existing donors.

Collaborator/Partnership Builder. Develop a close working partnership with the

President/CEO and build meaningful partnerships with Foundation program staff leaders.
Keep current with Wilder programs, plans, and accomplishments. Create “family of
funds” strategy approach for prospect identification, articulation of program-specific
collateral needed for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, design and
implement program-specific cultivation opportunities, cultivate prospects and donors to
populate emerging program-specific advisory councils/committees, and realign and
strategically expand volunteer opportunities to support prospect cultivation objectives.

Manager/Staff Developer. Helps to ensure that the ORD culture attracts smart,
knowledgeable people; ensures they feel they can make a difference at Wilder and serves
and provides leadership on the Foundation’s Leadership Team. Strengthen the ORD
infrastructure to reflect industry best practices including a comprehensive dashboard of
overall performance metrics and targets/goals, build individualized metrics for each ORD
program and staff member, coherent plans, and a reporting inventory that supports
transparent monthly/quarterly/annual communications on results, as well as evaluation,
planning, implementation, and forecasting efforts. Foster the professional development
and productivity of each staff member towards the achievement of individual and overall
division goals.

Senior Leader. The Vice President, Development will model the organization’s values
of innovation, effectiveness and responsiveness as he/she leads the Office of Resource
Development. He/she will be a collaborative leader who partners closely with others to
attain individual, team and organizational philanthropic goals. The Vice President,
Development will possess personal alignment with the Wilder Foundation mission and
behaviors that reflect the Foundation’s values.. He/she will also demonstrate a leadership
style that exemplifies cultural competency, adaptability, principled ethical leadership and
personal character.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The Vice President, Development of Wilder Foundation is responsible for cultivating and
attaining strategic philanthropic results with both internal and external audiences.

Major accountabilities include:

 Manage the implementation of all development activities of the Foundation to

fulfill the vision and goals of the Foundation.

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com
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 Work in partnership with all parts of the Foundation, using the Office of
Resources Development and its competencies to create fresh and expanded
ways to increase the amount, type, and level of support for the Wilder
Foundation using targeted and strategic goals.
 Responsible for setting and meeting financial and budgetary targets.
 Assure proper and effective management of special campaigns and on-going
work: annual, capital, planned giving, and endowment.
 Supports and facilitates the Board of Directors’, President/CEO’s and Senior
Leadership’s work with donors and prospects.

 Manage a portfolio of individual and organization major donors and key

relationships, with a focus on the personal cultivation and solicitation of major gifts
of $25,000 and higher from both new prospects and existing donors.

 Provide overall leadership and strategic planning for all development activities of
the Foundation
 Assure integration with Foundation communications to make certain that
every opportunity is maximized to advance the overall and individual
programmatic case for private support.
 Assure alignment of development plans across the Foundation with the
strategic plan. Interpret trends in social, political and economic issues
affecting development.
 Manage and integrate development with the Foundation’s Leadership Team
and other program leaders to assure strategic integration, support and
alignment.
 Provide leadership and direction to the Office of Resource Development.
 Staff the Board of Directors Development Committee and serve on the
Foundation Leadership Team.

 Assure the management of development support systems, policies, and

infrastructure for development.
 Create comprehensive dashboard of overall performance metrics and
targets/goals, coherent plans, and a reporting inventory that supports
transparent monthly/quarterly/annual communications on results, as well as
evaluation, planning, implementation, and forecasting efforts.
 Assure all development activities are conducted according to legal, ethical
and regulatory requirements and that associated reporting and compliance
requirements are met.
 Proactively coordinate and manage development activities across
Foundation units.

 Provide supervision and foster positive teamwork.

 Supervise the ORD Managers. Assure there are individualized expectations,
goals, and metrics for key staff members that are tied with the overall plans
and goals for development.

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com
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 Foster the professional development, work, and productivity of each ORD

staff member to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate for this position is a seasoned and innovative development
professional with a passion for serving the vulnerable and creating investments and
philanthropic support for the unmet needs of the greater St. Paul community’s
disenfranchised population. The successful candidate will be a person of integrity with
proven leadership and senior management experience, exemplary business and/or
nonprofit management skills. A minimum of 15 years of progressively increasing
development experience and executive leadership is required, including at least 5 years of
managing a development office. A Bachelor’s degree is required with a Masters degree
preferred.

The core competencies required for this position are as follows:

Strong Communicator

 Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including writing and public

speaking skills

 Knowledge and understanding of marketing and communications. Ability to

leverage and promote key branding, imaging and positioning messages to support
appropriate fundraising initiatives.

 Communicates clear expectations, empowers staff to make decisions, builds

confidence and encourages leadership at all levels.

Experienced Development Professional

 Deep knowledge of all facets of development continuum: prospect research and

identification, introduction, cultivation, solicitation, recognition and stewardship

 Demonstrated fundraising and campaign management experience of at least $5M.

Major gifts solicitation experience and knowledge of grants and grant making

Innovative and Strategic Leader

 Strategic thinker with excellent management skills in a complex organization

 Social media and technology experience

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com
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 Planning, facilitation, and finance experience

 Provides leadership, vision and motivation during times of change and challenge.

COMPENSATION

The salary for this position is commensurate with experience and competitive with
similar nonprofits and foundations. A full benefits package includes: health and dental
insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, short- and long-term disability
insurance, paid time off and an employee assistance program.

CONTACT

Lars Leafblad, Principal or Rebecca Driscoll, Principal

Phone: 612-375-8989 Phone: 612-375-8841
larsl@keystonesearch.com rebeccad@keystonesearch.com

KeyStone Search is a prominent Minnesota executive search firm with a special emphasis
on organizational culture fit. www.keystonesearch.com

105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 512 • Minneapolis, MN 55401 • 612.375.8900 • www.keystonesearch.com