Founded in 1999, Covenant House Pennsylvania (CHPA) works to move Pennsylvania youth who experience homelessness toward stability and independence. CHPA operates three sites in PA (two in Philadelphia and one in York) and delivers basic needs and supportive services to young adults and young families including individual case management, educational/vocational services and on-site clinical support to address physical and mental health. CHPA is the Pennsylvania affiliate of Covenant House International (CHI), the nation’s largest privately funded nonprofit responding to the needs of young people who suffer from homelessness, abuse and neglect, and who are survivors of human trafficking. During FY22, CHPA is poised to reach 3,000 youth statewide. The organization has an annual operating budget of $6M and a team of 60+ employees. The revenue mix for FY22 includes: 40% from local fundraising, 35% from government grants and contracts and 25% from CHI. CHPA recognizes its diverse community of youth, staff and supporters and strives to be equitable and inclusive in all of its practices and in the advancement of its mission. All Covenant House and Covenant House site employees, volunteers, and contractors in the US are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive an approved medical or religious exemption.

Covenant House Pennsylvania is a regional leader helping guide youth who have experienced homelessness towards stability and independence. The organization seeks a Director of Development to be a thought partner to the Executive Director and Board, helping increase revenue and build/supervise a high-functioning development department, ultimately helping the organization to achieve its strategic goals.  

This is an ideal role either for an accomplished development manager ready to take their next step. The right candidate is someone who takes an equity-centered, highly inclusive approach to collaboration, leadership, and fundraising and will be energized by the opportunity to strengthen the organization’s emerging fundraising function. Covenant House PA serves homeless youth who are working through myriad challenges on their way to greater independence – as such, the ideal candidate must be a flexible, empathetic, and highly communicative team player who is able to prioritize on the fly and employ a strength-based approach to this essential work. We are in search of someone with a strong commitment to social impact and a desire to employ culturally competent leadership skills on a dynamic and mission-centered team.

Specific Responsibilities

1.      Strategic Advancement

a.       Develop, review, revise, and execute the organization’s fundraising strategy, with a focus on evaluating the efficacy of past strategies and creating new plans and frameworks for growth.

b.       Develop actionable strategies that will focus on financial sustainability, prospect identification, research, and vetting, and diversifying revenue streams.

c.        Build, steward, and expand relationships with individual and major donors, as well as institutional funders including philanthropic foundations, corporations, and government entities.

d.       Identify, vet, and pursue opportunities for expanded public sector funding and corporate sponsorship.

e.       Ensure that fundraising strategies and approaches include opportunities to expand the organization’s visibility among a wide cross-section of potential supporters.

2.      Organizational and Departmental Leadership

a.       Serve as a thought partner in collaboration with the Executive Director and senior management team, proactively bringing essential strategy and solutions to ongoing challenges and opportunities.

b.       Lead the Development Department, including the Corporate Partnerships & Special Events Manager and the Institutional Giving Manager, in executing fundraising strategy, assessing areas of success and improvement, and ethical stewardship of funds.

c.        Create and nurture an organizational culture of accountability and philanthropy, helping to support diverse team members by reviewing and supporting their efforts to execute key roles and responsibilities.

d.       Nurture a culture of evaluation by measuring and reporting on agency impact, tracking revenue and fundraising trends, and predicting future opportunities for growth.

3.      Board and Committee Relations

a.       Nurture a positive, open and collaborative relationship with the board and its Development Committee.

b.       Develop and implement strategies to optimize collective and individual board engagement, including advancing board member contributions and board member solicitations from their respective networks

c.        Arrange opportunities for board education and engagement to enhance board members’ ability to serve as ambassadors of the organization.

Experience Required

·       Understanding of and experience with all key areas of revenue development, including individual and major giving, special events, foundation and corporate giving, and public sector support

·       Ability to set strategy

·       Supervisory and/or management experience

·       High level of cultural competency and understanding of DEI

·       Proven track record of working with diverse populations, including experience in building bridges to develop relationships, trust, and credibility

·       Excellent communication skills, including written and public speaking

·       Motivated by social impact and supporting vulnerable populations

Experience Preferred

·       Experience leading a development department

·       Proven track record in Board management

·       Ability to build organizational culture of philanthropy

·       Understanding of issues related to homelessness and youth  

Compensation, Benefits, and Flexibility: Compensation of $85,000-$100,000 commensurate with experience, with comprehensive benefits. CHPA is open to discussing flexible work arrangements, to include a 3-2 hybrid work schedule.

Reports to: Executive Director 

FLSA: Exempt

Time Commitment: Full Time

Location: Hybrid

Service Area: Pennsylvania; with concentration of work in the greater Philadelphia region

Application Process: Submit a) a one-page cover letter that conveys why you are well suited for this position and how it fits into your career, b) your resume, and c) two work products (ideally one funding request to an individual donor or institutional funder and one fundraising strategy/plan). Deadline to apply is December 2, 2022; we will review candidates on a rolling basis as applications come in.

Confirmation of receipt of the application will be sent by return email. No phone calls, please. Interviews will be arranged as soon as there is a qualified group of candidates. These may be virtual, depending on the state of the COVID-19 surge. Finalists may be asked for a second interview (in-person if it is safe to do so at that time).

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.