United Services for Children
DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY
United Services for Children | St. Charles, Missouri $90,000 starting base | Merit review at 12 months | Full-time, exempt | On-site | Reports to the President & CEO
THE OPPORTUNITY
United Services for Children has spent 51 years doing something rare: giving children of all abilities a place where they belong. Each year, approximately 400 children receive speech, occupational, physical, and aquatic therapy here, and our early intervention program supports toddlers and the families raising them. We operate on an annual budget of approximately $4 million with a staff of 54.
Fifty-one years of partnership have built something remarkable. We are ready to build the next piece, a base of private philanthropic support to match it: individual and major giving built from the ground up, and corporate relationships that go well beyond sponsorship. The plan is yours to write, and you will write it alongside a CEO, a board, and a leadership team who want a strategic partner. You will also help us finish the Inclusion Gallery, a $950,000+ campaign to create a first-of-its-kind space where children of every ability can play, learn, and belong together.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Build and lead our individual and major giving programs, with unrestricted operating support as your primary accountability.
- Build and carry a personal portfolio of major gift prospects. Half your week is spent with donors: learning what they care about, connecting it to the children we serve, and inviting them to invest at a meaningful level.
- Write the development plan — including the annual revenue goal you propose and then own.
- Own the case for support, donor communications, and impact storytelling, working closely with our marketing director.
- Oversee our three signature events, with latitude to reimagine them or propose new ones. We contract the logistics; you own the strategy, the revenue, the sponsors, and the stewardship.
- Support the CEO on the Inclusion Gallery campaign, coordinating capital and annual asks so both grow.
- Equip our Board and volunteers to open doors, make introductions, and thank donors well.
- Represent United Services for Children across St. Charles County and the St. Louis region, building awareness that reaches donors and families alike.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
- Five (5) or more years building long-term, trust-based relationships and inviting people to make significant financial commitments, with results to show for it.
- A personal track record of securing meaningful gifts, sponsorships, or partnerships. Be ready to walk us through one, from first conversation to commitment.
- A record of building, not just maintaining. We want to hear about something you started.
- Exceptional follow-through and organization.
- A collaborative instinct: self-directed, and genuinely part of a team.
- A sincere interest in children with disabilities and their families.
- Bachelor’s degree; comfort working in a donor database.
We welcome candidates from outside the nonprofit sector (i.e., consultative sales, wealth management, commercial banking, professional services business development). The core skill translates: building genuine relationships, asking for meaningful commitments, and caring for those relationships long after the gift arrives.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
$90,000 starting base, commensurate with experience, with a merit-based review at twelve months against markers set with the CEO. 30 days PTO plus paid holidays; medical, dental, and vision; 403(b) with employer match; AFP membership and professional development supported.
TO APPLY
Send a résumé and cover letter to Julie Turner, President & CEO, at developmentdirector@unitedsrvcs.org.
In your letter, skip the summary of your résumé. Tell us instead about one relationship you built and one ask you made — what you did, what you said, and what you learned. Applications are reviewed on arrival.
United Services for Children | 3420 Harry S. Truman Blvd, St. Charles, MO 63301 | unitedservicesforchildren.org | An Equal Opportunity Employer
