Vice President, Development

Vice President, Development | Tides

New York City, San Francisco, or Remote – Strong preference for candidates based in New York City or San Francisco. Tides is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with a hybrid work model that supports remote work from anywhere in the United States. The Vice President must have the ability to travel as required, including but not limited to Tides’ offices in New York City and San Francisco, industry convenings, and development-related meetings.

Organization Overview
Tides is a partner for justice in the social sector, working closely with doers and donors to build the power of historically excluded groups who face systemic barriers. The organization provides fiscal sponsorship, donor advised funds, impact investing, and a variety of grantmaking solutions to advance social justice and equity.

Tides’ mission is its North Star – and a beacon for those who share the organization’s commitment to social justice. Together, Tides works to shift resources and power to communities historically denied both, so they can create a just and equitable future.

Philanthropy – Through Tides Foundation, the organization partners with individuals and families, foundations, corporations, and social change leaders to design and deliver social impact initiatives that shift decision-making power back to the communities Tides serves.

Fiscal Sponsorship – Through Tides Center, fiscal sponsorship options help social change leaders fuel their mission-driven work. Partners can select from a variety of options to support their fundraising needs or bolster their infrastructure.

Strategic Advising – Tides develops and delivers philanthropic programs that guide partners to shift power to communities of color and other historically excluded groups who face systemic barriers.

Context for Recruitment & Role Summary
Tides seeks an entrepreneurial fundraising leader to serve as its inaugural Vice President of Development – launching the organization’s first dedicated Development office in support of Tides’ renewed vision and mission. The Vice President will design and implement fundraising strategies; source, solicit, and cultivate relationships with individual philanthropists and philanthropic institutions; and lead all fundraising activities executed by Gift Officers and Philanthropic Strategists. This leader will engage senior staff, board members, and key partners to build and execute a robust contributed revenue program aligned with organizational priorities.

This is fundamentally a build role. Tides has not previously had a dedicated major and principal gifts program, and the incoming Vice President will design the systems, pipeline, and moves-management practices that do not yet exist, working with a small, committed team that includes a Major Gift Officer and Prospect Researcher, as well as an indirect reporting line to a cohort of approximately 14 Philanthropic Strategists newly charged with fundraising actively as part of their broader role delivering donor advised funds (DAFs) and fund advisory services. Given the urgency of this moment for Tides, the Vice President will be expected to deliver credible, near-term progress – meaningful gifts secured within the first several months – while simultaneously constructing the longer-term infrastructure that will sustain growth for years to come.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Tides Foundation, the Vice President will focus on three interconnected priorities:

• Build Broadly Restricted Support for Tides (approximately 50% of time). Tides plays a vital intermediary role in the social justice sector. While the organization primarily relies on administrative fees to fund its capacity and innovation needs, the Vice President will partner with senior leaders to raise unrestricted and broadly restricted operating support for Tides itself.
• Raise Philanthropic Capital for Tides-Led Initiatives (approximately 35% of time). Tides has launched ambitious pooled grantmaking funds in democracy, climate justice, immigration, gender equity, and reproductive health. Early results have been strong; the Vice President will sustain and grow this momentum in close coordination with Tides Foundation’s Program Officers.
• Lead and Build the Development Team (approximately 15% of time). Build a sustainable, high-performing development function by cultivating existing talent and establishing new roles to support long-term organizational growth.

The Vice President will play an essential role in articulating a compelling case for investment in Tides’ strategic priorities. Success will be measured by the appointee’s ability to expand the donor pipeline – identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing major and transformational gifts from individual and institutional supporters – while consistently achieving annual fundraising goals. Target portfolio size and revenue goals will be established in the first 90 days in partnership with the Executive Director.

Candidate Profile

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Deep alignment with Tides’ vision, mission, and values of respect, transparency, accountability, and collaboration, alongside genuine commitment to, and fluency in, progressive social change.
• Comprehensive knowledge of fundraising program components and a strong track record of success in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and institutional funders.
• Experience co-creating programmatic and campaign strategies that achieve ambitious fundraising goals in complex organizational environments.
• Direct knowledge of and experience engaging donors of color, including the philanthropic behaviors, motivations, and relationship dynamics unique to this community.
• Ability to create a results-oriented environment that balances high expectations with a collaborative, supportive culture; high integrity, emotional intelligence, and political acuity.
• Credibility and sophistication to engage effectively across the progressive philanthropic ecosystem – with major donors, foundation officers, and movement leaders alike.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong self-direction; able to prioritize effectively, hold oneself accountable, and sustain momentum in fast-moving, high-stakes environments.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a natural ability to build rapport, navigate complexity, and strengthen partnerships within and across organizations.
• Significant experience building, managing, and developing high-performing teams at organizations of comparable scale; skilled at hiring, supervising, and growing talent.
• Consistent record of ethical judgment, discretion, and trustworthy conduct in all professional relationships.
• Experience engaging board members and senior volunteers as partners in fundraising.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms; familiarity with MS Office Suite and NetSuite a plus.

Education & Work Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in philanthropy, strategic partnerships, and/or major and principal gifts fundraising within a complex organization.
• A track record of meeting or exceeding fundraising goals while advancing through increasingly senior roles.
• Demonstrated understanding of nonprofit organizational structure, financials, and management.
• Experience with multi-entity structures, including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities, strongly preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Tides is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, and bilingual individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Tides encourages and will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. If you seek accommodation, please advise the search team in writing at the time you apply.

Download the full position description via the following link:
https://dsgco.com/search/23435-tides

Tides has retained the DSG Fundraising & Advancement Practice of DSG | Global to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted via the following link or directed to the leader of the search team:

https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/23435

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Global Managing Partner and Practice Founder, DSG Fundraising & Advancement
gerard.cattie@dsgco.com | 212.542.2587