Vice President of Growth and Development Intelligence

About this role

JOB SUMMARY

The Vice President, Growth and Development Intelligence is a senior leadership role at the core of the National Trust’s fundraising growth strategy. This leader owns two deeply connected portfolios: a large, modern annual giving and membership program that serves as the organization’s primary engine of unrestricted revenue and donor acquisition; and a development operations function that provides the data, analytics, systems, and infrastructure on which the entire Development Division depends.

The VP is a strategic partner to the Chief Development Officer on operational strategy and execution — translating fundraising vision into coordinated, measurable action across channels, teams, and systems. This position is ideal for a leader who combines sophisticated direct marketing instincts with a command of data and operations, and who is energized by building scalable programs in a mission-driven environment.

ANNUAL GIVING & MEMBERSHIP

The VP leads all strategy, execution, and team management for the National Trust’s annual giving and membership programs, with a goal of growing a multi-million dollar annual fund to support general operations. The annual fund program, currently raising $10M+ in recurring annual gifts, spans the full donor continuum — from acquisition through mid-level and leadership annual giving — and serves as the primary pipeline into major and planned giving.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Set and execute a multi-year membership and annual giving strategy centered on long-term donor value, sustainable growth, and pipeline development.

Drive a seamless, multi-channel donor experience integrating direct mail, digital fundraising, email, web, social, events, and Historic Sites engagement.

Champion digital transformation and continuous improvement across fundraising channels and tools.

Establish, monitor, and achieve revenue targets, ROI benchmarks, and acquisition spending thresholds in partnership with the CDO and Finance Division.

DONOR & MEMBER GROWTH

Lead cultivation, conversion, and retention strategies across the full annual giving spectrum, with particular emphasis on building a strong mid-level donor base ($1,000–$10,000).

Partner closely with the Philanthropy team to ensure high-potential annual donors are transitioned seamlessly to individual management.

Oversee external direct response agencies and internal team to execute acquisition, renewal, upgrade, and reactivation campaigns at scale.

Leverage the National Trust’s portfolio of Historic Sites, national impact gatherings, and engagement events to deepen donor relationships and grow revenue.

CROSS-DIVISIONAL COLLABORATION

Collaborate with the Public Affairs Division to maximize revenue from digital assets, ensuring best practices in online cultivation, appeals, and stewardship.

Partner with Historic Sites and Preservation teams to align messaging with organizational priorities.

Serve as the primary Development liaison to Finance, coordinating monthly reconciliation, forecasting, and reporting for internal and external audiences.

Serve as departmental budget manager, ensuring rigorous fiscal oversight.

DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS

The VP provides strategic oversight of the development operations team, ensuring that the entire Development Division is supported by best-in-class systems, data, and analytics. Development operations is not a back-office function — it is a strategic asset that enables data-driven decision-making, personalized donor engagement, and scalable fundraising infrastructure.

SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Oversee the integration and optimization of the CRM (ROI) and related development systems, building a cohesive, scalable operational structure.

Lead evaluation, adoption, and management of technology platforms that enhance fundraising effectiveness and operational efficiency.

Drive change management efforts to modernize tools, streamline processes, and increase organizational agility.

DATA, ANALYTICS & PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT

Lead functional areas including Data Strategy, Analytics, Information Systems, Prospect Development, and Pipeline Development as a unified, service-oriented team.

Ensure the team delivers actionable insight, fuels data-driven decision-making, and builds the infrastructure needed to support the organization’s long-term fundraising ambitions.

Oversee prospect management, donor analytics, and fundraising feasibility modeling in partnership with the CDO and VP for Philanthropy.

DIVISION-WIDE PLANNING & REPORTING

In partnership with the CDO, VP for Philanthropy, and VP for Institutional Partnerships & Strategy, lead annual and multi-year fundraising planning, goal-setting, and reporting.

Support the CDO in presentations to the Executive Team, Board, and staff on the role and performance of annual giving, development services, and pipeline.

Serve as counsel to National Trust Historic Sites and subsidiaries on annual giving, membership, and online appeals.

QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

20+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, membership, or direct marketing, including at least 12 years in senior leadership roles.

Demonstrated success leading large, complex annual giving and membership programs that drive significant revenue growth.

Experience in a national-level nonprofit or comparable mission-driven organization strongly preferred.

Track record leading cross-divisional projects and geographically distributed teams.

FUNDRAISING & MARKETING EXPERTISE

Deep expertise in direct response fundraising, donor behavior, acquisition strategy, digital fundraising, and multi-channel campaign management.

Proven ability to build and retain mid-level and leadership annual giving donor segments as part of a broader major gifts pipeline.

Experience managing external direct response agencies and vendor relationships.

Demonstrated success marketing to and engaging culturally diverse audiences.

OPERATIONS & ANALYTICS

Advanced knowledge of CRM systems,…