Vital Impacts: Development Director

Remote

Contracted

Experienced

POSITION: Development Director with Vital Impacts
COMPENSATION: Salary range starts at $175,000 and the final compensation will be based on experience and competitive with market rates.
LOCATION: Remote (U.S.)
REPORTS TO: Executive Director

About Vital Impacts

Vital Impacts is a nonprofit founded and led by National Geographic Explorer-at-Large, photographer, and filmmaker Ami Vitale. The organization works at the intersection of storytelling, conservation, and education, supporting a global community of photographers and journalists who are documenting and protecting our planet.

While Vital Impacts began by mobilizing the photography community through fine art print sales to fund grassroots conservation efforts, the organization has evolved into a dynamic platform for mentorship, fellowships, and youth education programs that nurture the next generation of environmental storytellers and changemakers.

Today, Vital Impacts runs fellowship and mentoring initiatives that support emerging photographers and journalists around the world, providing training, resources, and a global network to amplify stories that matter. The organization also hosts a live speaker series for students in grades 5–8, connecting young people directly with leading photographers, scientists, and explorers to inspire curiosity, empathy, and environmental stewardship.

Since its founding, Vital Impacts has generated more than $3.7 million for community-led conservation efforts, supported over 1,000 journalists in 87 countries, and reached more than 35,000 students through its youth education initiatives.

As the organization enters its next phase of growth, Vital Impacts is expanding its fellowships, mentorship programs, and youth engagement efforts—building a global community of storytellers and leaders who are using creativity and collaboration to protect the future of our planet.

The Opportunity

Vital Impacts is seeking a Development Director to lead and expand the organization’s fundraising efforts during a pivotal stage of growth.

Working closely with founder and Executive Director Ami Vitale, the Development Director will help translate the organization’s creative platform and global network into a scalable fundraising engine. Ami’s work and relationships across the photography, conservation, and media worlds create an unusual opportunity to engage donors through powerful storytelling and artist-driven initiatives.

The Development Director will lead the organization’s development strategy—cultivating major individual donors, expanding corporate and institutional partnerships, and strengthening systems for long-term philanthropic growth. While Vital Impacts has already demonstrated significant fundraising success, the development function is still evolving. This role will be central to building the structure, relationships, and processes that support the organization’s next phase.

Reporting directly to the Founder/Executive Director, the Development Director will oversee day-to-day fundraising operations, donor engagement, and strategic revenue growth.

This is a highly entrepreneurial role suited to a fundraiser who enjoys building momentum from strong mission-driven foundations and working in close collaboration with artists, storytellers, and conservation leaders. The position offers the chance to help shape how a globally recognized creative platform drives meaningful environmental impact.

Key Responsibilities

Major Gift Major Gift Acquisition & Growth (50%)

Build, manage, and grow a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and major donors
Lead primary strategy for new donor acquisition, including proactive outreach and cold cultivation
Personally close $100K+ gifts from individuals and institutions
Expand major donor pipeline and deepen institutional relationships
Create compelling proposals, pitches, and donor materials in collaboration with leadership and marketing support

Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management (20%)

Take ownership of donor communications and stewardship, ensuring timely, thoughtful, and personalized engagement
Preserve and scale Vital Impacts’ “secret sauce”: fast, human, heartfelt donor follow-up
Develop strategies to increase donor retention, repeat giving, and average gift size
Translate program impact and storytelling into donor-facing narratives that inspire giving

Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Growth (10%)

Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with organizational growth goals
Lead revenue generation across:
- Major individual gifts
- Corporate sponsorships and partnerships
- New foundation and family foundation relationships
Design and manage fundraising campaigns (e.g., Giving Tuesday, program-specific campaigns)
Partner with the ED on donor strategy while independently managing and growing a donor portfolio

Systems, Infrastructure & Process Building (10%)

Select and implement a CRM to track donor relationships and fundraising activity
Build and maintain clear development systems, pipelines, and reporting processes
Bring visibility and structure to donor data currently spread across platforms and personal relationships
Partner with leadership to professionalize fundraising operations while maintaining flexibility

Organizational Growth & Strategic Support (10%)

Support long-term fundraising planning, including exploration of sustained major donor growth and endowment strategies
Advise on future development staffing and team structure
Collaborate with leadership on organizational strategy as Vital Impacts scales
Help document and communicate impact to funders, partners, and supporters

What Success Looks Like

In the First 90 Days

Assess current fundraising efforts, donor base, and systems
Develop a donor segmentation and portfolio strategy
Identify priority corporate and/or major gift prospects and initiate outreach
Deliver a clear development roadmap with opportunities and next steps
Begin building meaningful relationships with potential funders
Identify key events and speaking opportunities for the Founder

Ongoing

Implement a CRM and migrate donor data with the help of other staff and contractors. Vital Impacts currently uses Donorbox
Growth in major individual and corporate revenue
A well-managed donor pipeline with consistent reporting
Strong donor retention and stewardship
Successful execution of fundraising campaigns

Qualifications & Experience

Senior-level fundraising or revenue leadership experience, with clear ownership of results; experience in founder-led or early-stage organizations strongly preferred
Minimum 5+ years at VP-level (or equivalent senior role) in a nonprofit
Proven track record closing $100K+ major gifts. Exceptional relationship builder with the ability to engage and steward a wide range of constituencies, including high-net-worth individuals, corporate partners, foundations, creatives, journalists, board members, and senior leaders
Experience fundraising across multiple channels or audiences
Demonstrated experience building fundraising strategy, relationships, and processes from the ground up
Passion for journalism and storytelling, including an understanding of how high-quality reporting is developed, supported, and funded; experience working with journalists, media, or storytelling-driven organizations is a plus
Direct conservation or environmental expertise is not required. However, successful candidates will bring a demonstrated track record of fundraising success and an existing network in fields adjacent to Vital Impacts’ work—such as environmental journalism, media, conservation, climate, arts and culture, or related mission-driven sectors

Details & Compensation

Time Commitment: Full-time
Compensation: Salary range starts at $175,000 and the final compensation will be based on experience and competitive with market rates.
Travel: Occasional travel for donor cultivation
Location: Remote, U.S.

Application and Selection Process

To apply, please submit a resume and 1) submit a cover letter or 2) answer the questions.

This search is being led by NRG Consulting Group. Reach out to Jaclyn Jones at [email protected] with any questions.

If you wish to nominate someone else for the role, we are accepting referrals here.

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This is a remote position and we will only consider candidates who are living and working in the U.S. Where are you located (name the state or territory)?*

We’d love to learn more about you. If any of this information is not included in your resume, you can write a response in this form OR submit a cover letter with this information. Here is what we want to know about you:

--Your experience shaping and executing fundraising strategy.

--Your experience owning or leading the development function, including responsibility for fundraising strategy, major donor cultivation, and revenue growth.

--The size and stage of the organization(s) where you have worked most recently, including approximate annual budgets and the structure of the development team.

--The scope of your fundraising responsibilities in those roles, including the types of fundraising you led (for example: major gifts, foundations, corporate partnerships, campaigns, etc.).

--Why this opportunity with Vital Impacts is compelling to you, including what excites you about working at the intersection of storytelling, conservation, and philanthropy alongside Ami Vitale at this stage of your career.

Overall: this information should help us understand how your experience aligns with the needs of a founder-led organization building its fundraising systems and strategy for the next stage of growth.

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Over the past 5 years, I’ve developed a company and a nationwide progressive talent network to meet the dynamic hiring needs of our clients, all of whom I’m happy to report are repeat customers with whom we have long-standing relationships.

If you are a candidate with a question, feel free to contact [email protected] and we will get back to you ASAP. You should also check out the NRG careers page to see even more roles we are hustiling to fill.