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Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development (SVCF)

Posted on April 06, 2019

For the past 11 years, the mission of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has been to advance innovative solutions to challenging problems. SVCF has engaged donors, corporations, government and community partners in efforts to make the Silicon Valley region and the world a better place. Under CEO Nicole Taylor’s new leadership, the organization returns to its community foundation roots - focusing its resources on communicating and collaborating with local leaders and helping philanthropists who work with the foundation to be their most effective at accomplishing their charitable giving and community investment goals. She has begun her tenure by focusing on the community foundation’s core work as a solid partner to philanthropists and local community organizations, and working with staff to develop ways to better connect donors and communities and bring creative ideas and solutions front and center. Based in Mountain View, California, SVCF partners with families, individuals and corporations to manage and facilitate their philanthropy by connecting donors to communities’ most pressing needs.

SVCF works to improve people’s lives in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and partners with donors, companies and other foundations to address regional concerns that affect local communities. Despite the area’s great wealth, residents are challenged by so much – dearth of affordable housing and accessible transit, financial instability and the precarious safety and security of immigrant residents, regional planning on these issues, among other issues. The community foundation addresses these and other challenges, including early education and empowering community voices to effect change.

SVCF works closely with donors to understand their philanthropic goals and the best ways to accomplish them. From accepting complex assets and establishing giving vehicles, to facilitating grantmaking and other types of investments, SVCF is committed to ensuring donors make the impact they seek.

SVCF partners with community and government leaders to address public policy issues, advance the best ideas and direct its resources swiftly and strategically toward critical issues. The foundation serves as a resource for nonprofit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations.

There are several ways SVCF contributes, including:

• Research: commissioning research to identify emerging issues, monitor trends and provide analysis
• Public forums: bringing people together to engage in discussion and problem-solving
• Advocacy: taking positions on critical issues and advocate for policy outcomes
• Initiatives: launching initiatives and special projects, partnering with other foundations, corporations, nonprofits, donors and government agencies on topics or issues of regional importance

The new leadership team, including new additions, is building on the good work of SVCF staff to bolster organizational culture, and of the board of directors to improve its governance. In a 2018 initiative, staff identified its core values as courage, collaboration, inclusion, respect and accountability – and these form the bedrock of SVCF’s approach to working internally, partnering with donors and collaborating to improve communities.

The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will play a pivotal role in the overall resource development and sustainability of SVCF. The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development is responsible for developing new business (e.g., donor advised funds, field of interest funds, and supporting organizations) and for relationship development representing the exciting and rapid changes in the region. The Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development serves as a resource for corporate charitable planning and employee giving for the array of growing companies in the region.

As the broader Bay Area economy continues to evolve, SVCF builds relationships with the thriving tech sector and other leading actors in Silicon Valley. In this region, endowed with dynamic enterprises and unparalleled talent, important social issues remain. The Foundation’s deep relationships with leaders among donors, non-profit organizations, and government officials position it well to convene philanthropicforces and engaged civic partners in the community to address, mitigate and solve these very real problems. The wealth of the region is no secret; the opportunity and the challenge for the Foundation is to bring all of these players together to promote an even more thriving – and equitable – region that works collaboratively with other parts of the Bay Area to identify long-overdue solutions. Along with other members of the resource development team, the new Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will develop and maintain a portfolio of clients to steward and solicit for unrestricted gifts throughout the year. The position will also interact with the Foundation’s Board of Directors, senior management, other Foundation staff, and the Foundation’s external constituents.

The resource development role and function very much need to be tied to community and donor priorities; raising money for its own sake is of less interest to the Foundation.

Specifically, the Executive Vice President, Fundraising and Business Development will be responsible for:

• Serve as a member of the executive management team responsible for organizational policy development and planning, including the CEO and other department heads
• With the Executive Vice Presidents of Finance and of Operations, as well as the President and CEO, develop the Foundation’s annual operating budget Provide mentorship and leadership for the professional growth of the resource development team
• Remain current and knowledgeable about legal, accounting, tax, and public policy matters related to community foundations and philanthropy
• Understand gift and fund options available for donors and assist in evaluating proposed gifts for adherence to SVCF’s policies and its ability to administer a proposed gift appropriately

Fundraising and Business Development

• With the resource development team, spearheading strategies and efforts to raise resources for SVCF initiatives, community impact efforts and the Foundation’s endowment, increasing the level of assets available for philanthropic giving among local donors, companies and employees
• Identifying and engaging new donors who are committed to the region flourishing and helping them to understand SVCF’s role in doing so
• Maintaining existing profitable business streams and developing new business sources to meet annual business development targets
• Assisting donors, companies and employees in establishing funds, and facilitating