Vice President, Direct Marketing & Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Accountabilities: Lead the multichannel direct marketing strategy across direct mail, email, digital advertising, SMS, and other mass-market channels, covering donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, and giving upgrades. Establish annual fundraising revenue targets, budgets, and performance benchmarks for direct marketing and peer-to-peer programs. Use segmentation, A/B testing, campaign analytics, and return-on-investment analysis to guide channel investment, test new approaches, and scale successful campaigns. Manage external marketing vendors and agencies, ensuring high-quality delivery, timely execution, and cost-effective results. Monitor donor acquisition costs, retention rates, campaign performance, and lifetime donor value, adjusting strategies to improve fundraising outcomes. Develop donor pathways that encourage first-time contributors to become recurring donors and progress toward mid-level and major giving. Design, launch, and scale peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives, including team campaigns, individual fundraising, do-it-yourself campaigns, and ambassador programs. Collaborate with Marketing to create compelling campaign materials, fundraising pages, and participant communications. Develop training resources, toolkits, and playbooks that help volunteers, ambassadors, and chapter leaders fundraise effectively. Set and monitor recruitment, fundraising, and retention goals for peer-to-peer participants, using visible performance dashboards and recognition programs to motivate engagement. Experiment with new grassroots fundraising concepts, expand successful initiatives, and discontinue underperforming approaches. Convert peer-to-peer participants and donors into long-term supporters through targeted follow-up and direct marketing. Lead, coach, and develop staff, establishing clear priorities, performance expectations, accountability, and opportunities for professional growth. Build a collaborative, high-performing team culture that supports distributed fundraising leaders and promotes initiative, ownership, and continuous improvement. Coordinate with Marketing and Communications, Chapters and Programs, and other development functions to align donor messaging and fundraising activities with broader revenue goals. Oversee CRM tracking, data integrity, revenue pacing, and reporting for chapter and peer-to-peer fundraising activity. Provide regular performance updates, donor retention analysis, and revenue forecasts to the Chief Development Officer and, as needed, the Board. Requirements At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit development or fundraising, including experience with chapter-based, affiliate, or peer-to-peer fundraising models. At least 3 years of experience managing staff or leading teams. Demonstrated success building or scaling peer-to-peer, grassroots, or volunteer-driven fundraising programs. A strong track record of meeting or exceeding ambitious fundraising revenue and participation goals, supported by specific, measurable achievements. Experience creating training programs, toolkits, or other resources for geographically distributed fundraising networks. Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to engage, motivate, and support volunteers and chapter leaders across multiple locations. Experience working with CRM systems, preferably Salesforce, and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms. Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and performance-management skills. A proactive, resilient, results-oriented approach, with the ability to learn from setbacks, experiment, and continually improve. A coaching-oriented leadership style, with the ability to motivate teams, set clear expectations, provide candid feedback, and address performance challenges. Comfort working independently with a high degree of autonomy, accountability, and transparency. Ability to travel overnight several times per year for chapter visits, team offsites, leadership sessions, fundraising events, and organizational gatherings. Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, or holidays when required by fundraising activities and organizational priorities. A bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field is preferred. Experience in membership-driven, chapter-based, or affiliate nonprofit organizations is an advantage. Familiarity with military and veteran-connected communities is desirable. Experience with peer-to-peer fundraising platforms such as Classy, GoFundMe Charity, or OneCause is a plus. Experience working in a high-growth, performance-driven environment, whether nonprofit or private sector, is beneficial. Benefits Annual salary: $128,000–$177,000. Hybrid work arrangement within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Medical, dental, and vision insurance. 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Life and disability insurance. Communications allowance. Professional development and career growth opportunities. PCS leave for active-duty military spouses. Mission-driven work supporting military service members, veterans, and their families. Opportunities to collaborate with a national network of chapters, volunteers, and community partners.