Vice President, Southeast Region
Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide weekend food for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Blessings envisions a future where every school-aged child in America has the nourishment needed to learn and grow.
Guided by a ‘One Team for All Kids’ philosophy, Blessings is committed to transforming operations to drive measurable impact and growth in core markets, building on a remarkable legacy of providing 30M hunger-free weekends while reaching over 1M children in just 15 years.
Founded in Louisville, Kentucky with an office in downtown Chicago, Blessings has grown tremendously and currently consists of 7 regional chapters, 1200+ community-driven programs, 45 employees across 11 states, and a $14M operating budget. Blessings is focused on evolving operations, maximizing mission delivery, and cultivating a culture of collective achievement.
Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the VP SE Region will be responsible for driving the region’s development and marketing strategy while empowering and supporting regional stakeholders, including fundraisers, program managers, and volunteers, with tools and training to maximize local mission delivery. The VP SE will lead a dynamic team focused on cultivating philanthropic support, building donor relationships, as well as promoting the organization's work through strategic marketing and communications initiatives to drive growth and innovation within the region.
Position Overview
Blessings in a Backpack seeks a dynamic and motivated Southeast Regional Vice President to lead the rollout of a new regionally based model across the organization. The Southeast Regional Vice President will be responsible for developing and overseeing the region’s budget and all programming and fundraising activities while promoting a culture of philanthropy across the region. This key leadership role will serve as the primary driver for fundraising strategies in the Southeast and provide mentorship and training to local solicitors. Additionally, the Regional VP will oversee all staff in the region, collaborating closely with central leadership to meet both programmatic and fundraising goals. As this new regional model is implemented, the VP will play a critical role in uniting staff and volunteers around a shared vision, ensuring the organization’s success.
Key Responsibilities
Regional Fundraising Leadership
- Within the organization’s overall strategies and goals, develop and oversee the Southeast region’s fundraising strategy, aligning fundraising goals with programmatic growth targets.
- Create and oversee the region’s budget; ensure operational and programmatic goals align with fundraising goals and foster a collaborative growth mindset across the region and all direct reports.
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major gift prospects, including individuals, corporations, and foundations, driving financial support across the region.
- Oversee, support, and guide regional staff, including chapter directors, fundraisers, program operations, and development operations, to design local fundraising activities that will drive and align with the regional strategy (strategies will include individual and major gift programs, corporate and foundation support, events, and more).
- Train, mentor, and collaborate with local solicitors, including Chapter Managing Directors, Local Advisory Board members, and Community Program Volunteers, to build fundraising expertise and capacity.
- Promote and foster a culture of philanthropy, ensuring that fundraising strategies are embedded across all staff, volunteers, and community members.
- Work closely with the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to ensure regional fundraising goals are aligned with organization-wide strategies and contribute to overall organizational growth.
Chapter and Community Program Oversight
- Within the organization’s overall strategies and goals,