Vice President of Development
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Type of Job
Development
Vice President of Development
The Everglades Foundation seeks an accomplished, strategic, and entrepreneurial advancement leader to serve as its next Vice President of Development. This executive will build upon a period of exceptional fundraising momentum—having exceeded annual fundraising goals for each of the past five years and surpassing the original $75 million endowment campaign goal in December 2024—to lead the organization into its next phase of philanthropic growth and impact.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and serving as a key member of the executive leadership team, the Vice President of Development will provide vision, strategy, and execution across all fundraising functions. The successful candidate will lead a high-performing, geographically distributed development organization and will be accountable for annual fundraising results of no less than $15 million, in addition to consistently securing annual endowment contributions and delivering results on special initiatives, including but not limited to a Science and Policy center initiative, capital projects, and innovative ventures such as AI initiatives and a film project (e.g., an IMAX feature).
A central priority of this role is to build and grow the Foundation’s endowment through the fundraising of named funds, endowed positions, departments, and new programmatic priorities, while helping to shape and lead the next comprehensive endowment campaign. The Vice President of Development will bring the experience, vision, and discipline required to position the Foundation for an endowment of $100–$200 million, ensuring long-term financial sustainability and mission impact.
Central to this role is the ability to tightly align philanthropic strategy with the Foundation’s strategic pillars—science, education, and advocacy—ensuring that fundraising priorities directly enable programmatic success and long-term mission outcomes. This leader will bring the mindset and capabilities of a modern chief advancement executive—combining relationship-driven fundraising excellence with sophisticated use of Salesforce, analytics, dashboards, and performance metrics to inform strategy, uncover new opportunities, and drive decision-making.
The Vice President of Development will work in close partnership with the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Chairman’s Advisory Council (CAC), serving as a trusted advisor and facilitator of meaningful engagement. This includes supporting and enhancing board members’ own philanthropic commitments, enabling strategic introductions, and partnering with Board and CAC leadership to unlock new relationships and fundraising opportunities—particularly in support of endowment growth and transformational giving. The Vice President will be a compelling ambassador for The Everglades Foundation’s mission and a key driver of its philanthropic success.
Role of the Vice President of Development
The Vice President of Development serves as the Foundation’s chief architect and leader of all philanthropic strategy and execution in support of its Strategic Plan. This role provides comprehensive oversight of Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Legacy and Planned Giving, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Prospect Research and Management, Campaigns, and Donor Stewardship, as well as a regionally deployed fundraising program across Florida.
Key responsibilities include:
Setting and executing a multi-year development strategy that delivers at least $15 million in annual fundraising, while advancing long-term endowment growth and special project funding priorities.
Leading the strategy for endowment fundraising, including named endowed funds, positions, departments, and programmatic priorities, and preparing the organization for a future comprehensive endowment campaign with a long-term target of $100–$200 million.
Providing strategic leadership and oversight for a regionally based fundraising program, with staff and donor engagement focused in Miami, Florida Keys, Naples, Southwest Florida, and the Palm Beach/Jupiter region on the Southeast coast of Florida.
Ensuring alignment, coordination, and consistent performance across regional teams while leveraging local relationships, networks, and market opportunities to maximize philanthropic results.
Maintain an active personal portfolio of high-level donors and foundations, including major and principal gift prospects, and personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding these relationships. The Vice President is expected to personally carry and actively manage a portfolio of the Foundation’s most significant individual and institutional prospects.
Overseeing two flagship annual fundraising events that collectively generate approximately $6 million in philanthropic support each year, including a Palm Beach event attracting approximately 650 guests and a Naples event attracting approximately 350 guests, and providing strategic leadership for their fundraising success, donor engagement, and execution.
Ensuring that fundraising priorities are directly aligned with and responsive to the Foundation’s strategic pillars, translating scientific research, education initiatives, advocacy, and policy goals into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
Leading and mentoring a talented development team of approximately 7 - 10 professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and results across both centralized and regional functions.
Personally, securing seven- and eight-figure gifts in partnership with the CEO, board members, and senior leadership.
Partnering closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, and Chairman’s Advisory Council to engage volunteer leadership in fundraising, donor cultivation, strategic introductions, and peer-to-peer outreach.
Championing the effective use of Salesforce as the enterprise fundraising platform, ensuring data integrity, team-wide adoption, and the use of dashboards and analytics to track performance, forecast revenue, and identify new opportunities.
Supporting board members in fulfilling their philanthropic leadership roles, including their own giving, ambassadorship, and participation in opening doors to new prospects and partnerships, particularly for endowment and legacy gifts.
Serving as a visible and credible representative of The Everglades Foundation to donors, partners, and stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels.
Ensuring the consistent funding of the Foundation’s endowment each year to safeguard long-term mission sustainability.
Leveraging data, prospect research, and market intelligence to expand the donor pipeline, enter new markets, and continuously refine fundraising strategies.
Collaborating with Finance to ensure best practices in gift acceptance, documentation, pledges, acknowledgements, and financial reporting.
Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership
This is a rare opportunity to lead development for a highly respected environmental organization at a moment of extraordinary strength, clarity of purpose, and ambition.
The Vice President of Development will:
Build on a proven track record of success, leading a program that has exceeded fundraising goals year over year and is positioned for continued growth.
Play a defining role in shaping the Foundation’s next endowment chapter, including the design and execution of a future endowment campaign to support named positions, departments, and new strategic initiatives.
Help position the Foundation to achieve an endowment that provides enduring support for science, education, advocacy, and policy impact.
Shape the next chapter of the Foundation’s philanthropic vision by ensuring that fundraising strategy is fully integrated with the FOCUS 2030 Strategic plan: scientific excellence, education impact, advocacy outcomes, and policy leadership.
Advance sustained annual endowment fundraising while also delivering transformational support for special initiatives.
Lead and further strengthen a statewide, regionally embedded fundraising model, capitalizing on deep community relationships across South Florida.
Further institutionalize a data-driven fundraising culture, using Salesforce, metrics, dashboards, and predictive analytics to enhance performance, accountability, and opportunity identification.
Serve as a strategic partner to the Board of Directors, strengthening board engagement in philanthropy, relationship-building, and donor strategy.
Maintain a visible personal presence with the Foundation’s most significant donors and institutional partners.
Recruit, develop, and inspire a best-in-class advancement
Build a team aligned around shared goals, clear metrics, and a passion for mission impact.
Requirements
Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities
The ideal candidate will bring a blend of strategic leadership, fundraising excellence, and operational sophistication consistent with top-tier advancement executives.
Experience and Expertise
▪ Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in development, advancement, or fundraising, with responsibility for comprehensive and geographically distributed programs.
▪ Demonstrated success leading organizations with annual fundraising results of $15 million or more, including sustained endowment fundraising.
▪ Proven experience building endowments, including securing named endowed funds, positions, or programs, and helping to design or lead comprehensive endowment campaigns.
▪ Demonstrated success managing and personally fundraising from a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and foundations.
▪ Proven record of personally securing seven- and eight-figure gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners.
▪ Experience overseeing or collaborating with regional or market-based fundraising teams.
▪ Experience funding complex initiatives, including capital projects, legal or advocacy efforts, and special-purpose campaigns.
▪ Proficiency with Salesforce or comparable CRM systems, including the use of dashboards, analytics, communication journeys and metrics to drive strategy, forecasting, and performance management.
▪ Strong understanding of prospect research, portfolio management, and pipeline development.
Leadership and Management
▪ Track record of building, leading, and retaining high-performing development teams.
▪ Collaborative leadership style with the ability to inspire, influence, and hold teams accountable across multiple locations.
▪ Extensive experience partnering with boards and senior volunteer leaders to advance philanthropic outcomes, particularly in support of transformational and endowment giving.
▪ Strategic thinker with operational discipline and the ability to execute in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
Personal Attributes
▪ Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
▪ High integrity, sound judgment, and the confidence to lead with both diplomacy and decisiveness.
▪ Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort taking calculated risks and pursuing ambitious goals.
▪ Strong alignment with and passion for The Everglades Foundation’s mission and impact.
Education
▪ Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
▪ CFRE or equivalent certification preferred.
The Vice President of Development may be based in South Florida, with a strong presence at the Foundation’s headquarters in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Regional and national travel is required.
Salary
TBA
About us
For more than 30 years, The Everglades Foundation’s commitment to restore and protect America’s Everglades has been driven by science. Founded in 1993 by two outdoor enthusiasts — Paul Tudor Jones II and the late George Barley— The Everglades Foundation works energetically and with a sense of urgency to bring people together and provide a powerful voice for Everglades restoration at the state and national levels.
The Everglades is a vast watershed that has historically extended from Lake Okeechobee 100 miles south to Florida Bay (a third of the southern Florida peninsula). The Greater Everglades Watershed refers to the interconnected ecosystems of water, land and climate spanning nearly 18,000 square miles. This is a large, diverse and complex region including 16 counties, from Orlando in the north to the Florida Keys.
The watershed includes Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and a variety of other federally protected lands. This system supports mangrove forests, nursery and nesting habitats for many species of birds, fish and invertebrates, and sustains seagrasses and aquatic life. This ecosystem also provides the drinking water supply for nearly nine million Floridians and countless tourists. Today, The Everglades Foundation stands as a well-respected authoritative source for scientific research on the Everglades. Our renowned Ph.D. scientists are passionate about conducting and communicating peer-reviewed research to inform and guide Everglades restoration efforts.
By coupling sound science with policy expertise, the Foundation is positioned as one of the most credible and influential players in the fight to restore and protect one of the world’s most unique wetlands.
LOCATION AND SCHEDULE
This is a full-time, exempt, on-site position based at the Foundation’s main office in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Regional and national travel is required for Board meetings and other organizational events. Evening and weekend work is expected, as needed. Limited remote work may be permitted at the Foundation’s discretion.
How To Apply
Procedure for Candidacy
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separatedocuments, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.
WittKieffer is assisting The Everglades Foundation in this search. For fullest consideration,candidate materials should be received by April 13, 2026. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.
Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:
Mercedes Chacón Vance and Sarah Seavey EvergladesVPDevelopment@wittkieffer.com
The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer that affords equal protection against discrimination to job applicants and employees. The Foundation seeks to ensure that qualifiedapplicants will have an equal opportunity with respect to all employment practices regardless oftheir race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, pregnancy, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, status as a victim of domestic or dating violence, source of income, veteran status, or any other Procedure for Candidacy.