Chief of Development

Description

Letter from Arash Ghafoori, CEO

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about NPHY and our Chief of Development opportunity.

My name is Arash Ghafoori, and I've had the privilege of serving as NPHY's CEO for more than 15 years. During that time, I've watched our organization grow from a relatively small nonprofit into Nevada's leading provider of services for young people experiencing homelessness. More importantly, I've learned that organizations don't become stronger simply because they grow. They become stronger because they're willing to evolve.

That's where NPHY is today.

Over the past several years, our programs, community partnerships, and impact have grown tremendously. As that happened, it became clear to me that our organizational structure needed to grow too. For a long time, we were fortunate to have exceptional leaders who continually took on more responsibility. Looking back, I probably should have invested in this next step sooner. Instead of continuing to stretch great people even further, we made the decision to create three dedicated executive departments from our former Community Development & Engagement team: Development, Impact, Systems, & Policy (ISP), and Communications & Advocacy (CA). I genuinely believe this positions NPHY for the next chapter of its growth.

That brings me to you.

This isn't a replacement search. It's an opportunity to become the first Chief of Development in this new structure and help shape what the department becomes over the next several years.

You'll inherit a strong foundation: talented staff across the board, a successful grants program, and executive colleagues who know this organization well and want this position to succeed. But you'll also have the opportunity—and responsibility—to build what's next. We're looking for someone who can strengthen what already works while bringing fresh ideas, new strategies, and the systems needed to diversify and grow our fundraising for years to come.

One thing that's important for you to know about me is how I view development.

Fundraising has never been just about dollars. At its best, it connects people to something meaningful. It gives donors, volunteers, partners, and community members the opportunity to become part of changing a young person's life. That's the kind of development program I want us to continue building, and I hope it's the kind of work that excites you too.

I'm also looking for a leader who's willing to do both the strategic work and the hands‑on work. Someone who's just as comfortable discussing long‑term fundraising strategy as they are writing a complex grant, meeting with a donor, coaching a team member, or helping solve a problem when deadlines are tight. That's the kind of leadership our organization values.

If you decide to apply, I'd ask one favor.

Don't use your cover letter to summarize your resume. I'll already have your resume. Instead, use it to help me understand you. Tell me why this opportunity caught your attention. Tell me about the work you're most proud of. Tell me what kind of leader you strive to be and why you believe you're the right person to help build NPHY's next chapter.

After more than 15 years leading this organization, I've come to believe that while experience and technical ability are essential, humility, curiosity, integrity, and a genuine commitment to the mission matter just as much.

If that resonates with you, I hope you'll apply.

Thank you again for your interest in NPHY. I appreciate the time and thought that goes into pursuing an executive opportunity like this, and I look forward to learning more about you.

Warmly,

Arash Ghafoori
Chief Executive Officer
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth

P.S. You may recognize this position from an earlier posting. Since then, we've continued to refine both our organizational structure and our vision for this role. If you applied previously and remain excited about the opportunity, I genuinely encourage you to apply again.

Job Title:

Chief of Development

Reports To:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Status:

Full-Time, Exempt

Compensation:

Commensurate with education and experience

Agency Description

Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) is the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of young people experiencing homelessness in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through our core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens' lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency.

Strengthening and complementing our high-quality direct services, NPHY is dedicated to advocating for this population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among all Nevada’s youth.

Agency Culture

NPHY offers a positive, mission-driven work environment: we encourage each staff member to cultivate their unique talents and training and come together as a strong, synergistic team to better serve homeless young people. While working in a challenging yet rewarding field, you will be surrounded by compassionate, energetic, fun, happy, and friendly staff members who are like-minded and love what they do.

In addition to everyday interactions with youth, NPHY offers countless opportunities for youth and staff to experience new and fun things together to help the NPHY family create stronger bonds and model positive relationships and healthy boundaries with the young people we serve. NPHY also offers quarterly training to better equip our staff with up-to-date continuing education, skills, and resources to best serve and respond to a wide array of situations and needs.

NPHY doesn’t just accept diversity—we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, clients, programs, and community. NPHY is proud to be an Equal Opportunity workplace and is dedicated to maintaining a welcoming, respectful, and supportive workplace where every employee, volunteer, and client feels valued. We seek to build a team that reflects the communities we serve and the young people whose lives we aim to change for the better. Learn more about NPHY at nphy.org.

Position Summary

At NPHY, our mission remains steadfast: to end youth homelessness in Nevada. In recent years, our Community Development & Engagement (CDE) Department carried an ever-growing scope of work that extended well beyond its original design. To sustain this growth and give each area the focus it deserves, NPHY has restructured CDE into three distinct but highly collaborative departments: Development (DEV); Impact, Systems, & Policy (ISP); and Communications & Advocacy (CA). This restructure gives Development the dedicated space and leadership it needs to concentrate fully on revenue generation and resource growth.

The Chief of Development (CD) will be the architect and driver of this new standalone Development Department. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, this leader will inherit a core team already experienced in grants, outreach, volunteer management, and special events, while also taking on an established grants program that has consistently delivered results. With grants remaining a cornerstone of NPHY’s funding, the CD must be both an exceptional grant writer and grant manager—able to sustain and grow this critical funding mechanism while also diversifying revenue through equally strong systems for individual giving, major gifts, recurring donors, corporate sponsorships, and stewardship. These streams exist today but need specialized leadership, infrastructure, and attention to achieve their full potential—just as we have already achieved for grants.

This is a rare opportunity to take an already respected organization with strong grant-based fundraising and elevate it into a comprehensive, best-in-class development operation. The Chief of Development will immediately implement a new CRM system, oversee a robust calendar of fundraising events, deepen donor and volunteer stewardship practices, and manage community outreach through events, tabling, and partnerships. They will also oversee Safe Place partner relationships, working closely with Programs (operations), ISP (reporting), and CA (marketing) to ensure this lifesaving program thrives.

While this is an executive-level role, the successful candidate must also be a hands‑on builder that can manage and grow a team—someone who can both set strategy and roll up their sleeves to write a grant, meet a donor, or lead an event when needed. They must be deeply committed to inspiring their team, donors, and volunteers to connect directly with NPHY’s mission and the voices of the young people we serve. They will collaborate closely with peer Chiefs across ISP, CA, Finance & Operations, and Programs, drawing on strong support in reporting, storytelling, fiscal infrastructure, and youth outcomes to fuel development efforts.

The ideal candidate is a bold leader with an entrepreneurial yet down‑to‑earth spirit who thrives in both designing systems and doing the groundwork. Creative and innovative by nature, they will be energized by the chance to remodel and grow a department, launch new donor strategies, and find clever ways—independently and in collaboration with others—to diversify funding streams and ensure NPHY has the resources to achieve its mission to end youth homelessness in Nevada.

Essential Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Execution

Grants Leadership (cornerstone revenue stream)

• Sustain and grow NPHY’s cornerstone revenue stream by leading the full grants function with staff support.
• Personally write and manage complex, competitive grant proposals during high-volume periods or when strategy requires executive-level leadership.
• Oversee and mentor NPHY’s grant writer, ensuring the function is well-supported, continuously improving, and strategically aligned.
• Build sustainable systems and structures that allow grants to be effectively managed by the Development Department as a whole over time.
• Partner with ISP to secure accurate, timely data for grant reporting, monitoring, or other compliance/grant requirements and with CA to integrate compelling narratives and impact storytelling.
• Ensure compliance with all grant requirements and deadlines, maintaining strong relationships with government, foundation, and corporate funders.

Diversified Fundraising (growth priorities)

• Design and execute strategies to expand individual giving, major gifts, recurring donors, corporate sponsorships, foundation giving, and institutional philanthropy (such as a monthly giving program, new initiative-specific fundraising mechanisms, 25th anniversary-related giving).
• Build and manage a robust donor pipeline, cultivating relationships with individuals, foundations, and corporations, and soliciting major gifts in collaboration with the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Lead stewardship and donor recognition efforts, ensuring all contributions are acknowledged promptly and relationships are nurtured.
• Inspire donors to connect directly with NPHY’s mission, creating experiences and opportunities that highlight youth voices and impact.
• Innovate new approaches and creative strategies to diversify and expand fundraising outcomes.

Engagement

Events & Campaigns (donor engagement and visibility)

• Lead the planning, execution, and evolution of NPHY’s fundraising and community events portfolio, including annual signature events and new initiative-specific gatherings.
• Partner closely with the CA Department to ensure events are powerfully branded, strategically marketed, and fully aligned with NPHY’s messaging and advocacy goals.
• Design events that authentically connect donors, volunteers, and partners to NPHY’s mission and to the youth we serve, emphasizing storytelling, impact, and community engagement.
• Integrate creative donor engagement elements such as youth participation, behind-the-scenes experiences, or thematic giving opportunities that highlight NPHY’s work.
• Collaborate with all NPHY teams to identify and cultivate sponsorships, in‑kind contributions, and community partnerships that enhance event reach and revenue.
• Evaluate event performance and return on investment, using data and post-event analysis to continuously improve effectiveness, donor retention, and visibility.

Safe Place Partnerships & Community/Youth Outreach

• Oversee relationships with partner agencies and businesses that host Safe Place pick‑up locations, ensuring strong stewardship, problem solving, and expansion of the partner base.
• Collaborate with Programs (operations), CA (marketing), and ISP (reporting) to ensure Safe Place success.
• Supervise the Outreach Coordinator in leading community partner and youth engagement, Safe Place partner stewardship, and event‑related outreach.
• Guide and support youth‑focused outreach efforts designed to raise awareness among young people about NPHY’s programs, resources, and Safe Place sites, ensuring that materials, events, and strategies resonate effectively with youth audiences.
• Ensure NPHY maintains a consistent and visible presence across the community by directing Development staff participation in partner‑facing, youth‑facing, and outreach events—working collaboratively with CA to ensure alignment in messaging, branding, and communications.

Volunteer Program

• Provide strategic leadership to NPHY’s unique and robust volunteer program, which goes far beyond traditional service.
• Leverage volunteers as vital partners in donor cultivation, youth engagement, advocacy-building, and problem‑solving.
• Ensure volunteer opportunities are designed to engage directly with youth in meaningful, mission‑centered ways while also strengthening donor and community ties.
• Recognize, celebrate, and steward volunteers as essential advocates and champions of NPHY’s mission.

Leadership

Team Leadership & Department Development

• Supervise and grow the Development team, currently including a grant writer, Community Engagement Manager, and Outreach Coordinator.
• Mentor and coach staff, cultivating a culture of collaboration, accountability, creativity, and innovation.
• Implement and oversee a new CRM system to enhance donor tracking, reporting, and stewardship.
• Establish performance benchmarks and evaluation tools for team and department success.

Collaboration & Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, actively shaping agency‑wide strategy and cross‑departmental initiatives.
• Work closely with ISP to align grant funding/monitoring and development activities with impact data, evaluation findings, and policy goals.
• Partner with CA to co‑develop donor materials, impact stories, and donor‑facing campaigns.
• Collaborate with Programs to integrate youth voice and impact into donor engagement.
• Partner with Finance & Operations to ensure accurate revenue tracking, budget development, and compliance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business, Communications, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit development or advancement, with direct supervision of staff.
• Demonstrated success in writing and managing grants, with proven track record of securing significant foundation, corporate, and government funding.
• Experience leading comprehensive fundraising strategies across multiple revenue streams, including individual giving, major gifts, recurring giving, corporate sponsorships, and events.
• Strong technical skills in CRM systems, donor databases, and fundraising technology.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with ability to inspire and steward donors, partners, and staff.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment.
• Proven history of cultivating relationships with diverse stakeholders including donors, volunteers, corporations, and community leaders.
• Valid driver’s license, insurable driving record, and ability to travel locally and occasionally nationally.

Benefits

• NPHY offers a competitive benefits program including three weeks Paid Personal Leave (PPL) in your first year of employment and fourteen paid holidays per year.
• NPHY offers a unique benefit to all full‑time employees in the form of a Health And Personal Investment (HAPI) reimbursement of $50 per month.
• NPHY also offers fully paid employee medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. Other employee‑paid voluntary insurance plans are available including short‑term and long‑term disability.
• Employees can also participate in a 403(b) Thrift retirement plan with up to 3.5% employer match.