About Feeding America
As the nation's largest nonprofit and domestic hunger-relief organization, Feeding America is at the forefront of the fight to end hunger. With total public support and revenue of $5.2 billion (FY2025), which includes 7.2 billion pounds of food sourced and 4.3 billion pounds rescued from retailers, manufacturers, and farms, Feeding America engages our country and communities in the fight to end hunger on an unprecedented scale, serving as a catalyst at both the national and local levels, reaching every county in the United States.
The Scale of Need: Nearly 48 million Americans, including millions of children and seniors, do not have reliable access to enough nutritious food to live healthy, active lives. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger has remained stubbornly elevated, driven by record inflation, historically high food costs, reduced federal assistance, and changes to federal nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, which supports more than 40 million Americans. Food insecurity touches communities of every background across the country. As economic pressures and systemic inequities persist, Feeding America's mission and leadership is critical.
The Network: Feeding America is a nationwide network of over 250 food banks, 20+ statewide food bank associations, and more than 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs. Together, the Feeding America network provided 5.9 billion meals to tens of millions of people across the United States in FY2025.
A People-Centered Approach: Through it all, Feeding America keeps the neighbors it serves at the center of its vision of a hunger-free America. Feeding America is deeply committed to meeting the unique nutritional and health needs of individuals and their communities through an approach that is people-centered, responsive, and adaptive. Notably, fresh produce, protein, and dairy now comprise over half of all food distributed through the network, a direct reflection of what neighbors say they need and evidence of an organization that listens and acts on what it hears.
Feeding America's 2030 Strategy: Feeding America has charted an ambitious course for the years ahead. Its 2030 strategy is organized around five interconnected priorities:
- Improve neighbor access to and experience with the charitable food system
- Enhance sourcing and sharing of neighbor-preferred food
- Expand policy advocacy to increase access to resources and address the root causes of hunger
- Increase holistic support available to neighbors in areas including health, economic mobility, and housing
- Transform measurement and data through collective opportunities in data sharing and technology tools across the Feeding America network
New Leadership, New Possibilities: In April 2026, Denis McDonough was named Feeding America's Chief Executive Officer (read the announcement here). McDonough brings a career defined by large-scale public service, cross-sector partnership, and an unwavering commitment to the dignity of every person served. Most recently serving as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he arrives at Feeding America with a proven track record of leading complex, mission-critical organizations through challenge and change. Also in 2026, Lisa Mann was named Feeding America’s next Chief Development Officer. Mann brings a strong track record of advancing enterprise fundraising strategies, fundraising effectiveness, donor engagement, and operational excellence, paired with a reputation as an innovative and highly collaborative leader.
Together, McDonough and Mann bring a deep commitment to the mission, with bold aspirations and a firm belief in what Feeding America can accomplish. Their arrival marks a season of new ideas, innovation, and bold thinking for the organization, opening the door to new relationships and new possibilities across Feeding America’s network.
Development as a Catalyst for Feeding America’s Next Chapter: Feeding America has set the aspiration for 2030 that people across the country have more pathways to sustained food and nutrition security; and neighbors facing hunger who engage the Feeding America network consistently benefit from practices that affirm dignity and fair access to nutritious, preferred food and experience improved health and well-being. The Development team will play a fundamental role in enabling Feeding America to fulfill its mission and deliver its strategic outcomes.
Learn More: Review Feeding America's 2025 Annual Report here. For more information, please visit Feeding America's website: http://www.feedingamerica.org.
The Opportunity
At this moment of rising need and extraordinary potential, Feeding America is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and dynamic leader to serve as the Vice President, Development (Vice President). This role represents a uniquely meaningful opportunity to join an organization positively impacting tens of millions of people each year and to help shape the partnerships and resources that will advance its mission at a critical moment.
Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Vice President oversees a team of 15, with four direct reports, including the Senior Director, Development; Senior Director, Development & Planned Giving; Director, Development; and Director, Donor Stewardship. The Vice President is also a member of the Department Leadership Team, alongside the Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Partnerships, and Vice President, Philanthropy Operations.
The Vice President has primary responsibility for leading Feeding America’s individual Strategic Gifts program, including principal, major, annual major (high touch, mid-level), and planned giving donors and prospects, as well as donor strategy and engagement efforts across Development, representing a ~$60 million portfolio on an annual basis.
The Vice President leads and directs the strategy and activities of the Strategic Gifts Team and partners closely with the Chief Development Officer for resource development strategy across the enterprise. This leader conceptualizes, guides, and delivers mission-based engagements for Feeding America’s high-capacity individual donors and prospects. The Vice President also works to ensure the team is delivering against the organization’s Strategic Vision.
This leader builds the Feeding America National Office’s (FANO) individual donor pipeline by ensuring that appropriate donor identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities are aligned and executed for donors to consider renewed, increased, and new investments in Feeding America’s mission and works collaboratively across the organization and the network, while centering the needs of people facing hunger.
Over the past year, Feeding America’s Strategic Gifts team has invested significantly in strengthening its infrastructure, systems, and processes, building a strong foundation for growth. With that foundation in place, Feeding America is now looking for a Vice President who is energized by the opportunity to get out into the field and raise significant philanthropic revenue. The Strategic Gifts team is eager for a dynamic, collaborative leader to join the team, bringing the energy and ambition to match Feeding America’s new leadership and share their belief in what’s possible.
Key responsibilities of the Vice President include:
- Develop and execute fundraising strategies informed by philanthropic trends, donor behavior, and market opportunities to advance Feeding America's mission and long-term philanthropic growth.
- Lead moves management and communication strategies that deepen relationships and increase giving from Strategic Gifts donors.
- Establish annual goals and operating plans for the major gifts, leadership annual giving, planned giving, and donor engagement teams; monitor performance and manage the Strategic Gifts and Donor Engagement expense budget.
- Lead donor engagement and stewardship strategies that deepen relationships, strengthen donor loyalty, and inspire philanthropy through events, recognition programs, donor societies, affinity groups, and other meaningful experiences.
- Personally build, advance, and maintain relationships with Feeding America's most significant donors and prospects, including the solicitation and close of transformational, 7- and 8-figure gifts, and serve as a model for best-in-class principal gifts fundraising.
- Oversee Feeding America’s planned giving program including marketing and frontline fundraising strategies to drive significant growth in both planned giving revenue and long-term expected planned giving revenue.
- Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and inclusion while developing talent through coaching, performance management, and leadership development.
- Lead a high-performing, inclusive team by setting clear expectations, developing leaders, driving accountability, and guiding teams through change and growth.
- Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the CEO, CDO, Development Leadership Team, Executive Team, Board members, and food bank leaders, leveraging relationships to advance donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
- Facilitate alignment for cross-functional initiatives, driving execution across Development, Marketing and Communications, Programs, Finance, Network Relations, and Executive Leadership.
- Build relationships with network member food bank leaders to advance fundraising and strengthen collaboration between national and local giving.
- Leverage data, analytics, and performance metrics in partnership with Philanthropy Operations to identify trends, evaluate effectiveness, inform strategic decision-making, and improve fundraising outcomes across the individual giving program.
- Represent the Development team in internal and external meetings; prepare and deliver presentations to a variety of audiences.
Candidate Profile
While it is understood that no candidate will offer every desired skill, quality, and characteristic, the following offers a detailed, aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile:
An Expert in Principal and Major Gifts Fundraising
- Brings deep knowledge of fundraising best practices, including principal, major, annual, and planned giving programs, as well as campaigns
- Has demonstrated success in principal gifts fundraising, including personally securing transformational, 7- and 8-figure gifts; campaign leadership experience is preferred
- Understands and can navigate every stage of the donor journey, from identification and cultivation through solicitation and stewardship
- Understands how to engage and inspire diverse funders and build long-term, values-aligned relationships
Highly Strategic, Results-Oriented, and Leads with Accountability
- A visionary thinker who can effectively navigate periods of change and translate high-level strategy into effective, actionable plans
- Motivated by possibility; a self-starter who drives ambitious goals forward with discipline and focus
- Anchors decisions and actions in Feeding America’s values, even in moments of complexity or pressure
- Data-informed and decisive, drawing on experience and enterprise insight to make, own, and clearly communicate decisions
- Takes personal accountability for results, demonstrates a learning mindset, self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulation
A Bold, Curious, and Entrepreneurial Leader
- Comfortable taking thoughtful risks and unafraid to fail
- Fosters a culture of innovation and adaptability, creating space for the team to experiment, learn from mistakes, and course correct
- Brings genuine curiosity and an entrepreneurial spirit, always looking for smarter, more effective ways to build philanthropic revenue
- Brings enthusiasm, optimism, and an abundance mindset, paired with the discipline to operationalize big ideas and turn ambition into results
In addition to the competencies outlined above, this executive will demonstrate the following leadership competencies, which are expected for all members of the Feeding America senior leadership team:
- Fosters an Enterprise Mindset: Centers neighbors, and lives into Feeding America’s shared value statement in working with network partners to have the desired mission impact. Acts as a champion of the enterprise by embracing FANO decision making and stewardship. Aligns department and team to enterprise decisions and priorities. Takes ownership for enterprise decisions and processes. Creates and communicates a clear shared vision for the future consistent with the values and mission of Feeding America. Promotes a neighbor-centered strategy and maintains a balanced perspective between short- and long-term priorities.
- Fosters an Open and Supportive Environment: Seeks and values varied perspectives and consistently treats others with fairness, dignity, compassion, and respect – proactively takes action to ensure this is reflected in Feeding America’s culture. Keeps people at the center of all that Feeding America does and centers resources to address disparities wherever they exist. Acknowledges, repairs, and recommits when out of Feeding America’s Group Agreements. Is fully engaged in their own personal learning around appreciating varied backgrounds and perspectives, understanding of power dynamics and creating open and supportive environments where all staff can thrive.
- Leads with Accountability: Upholds ethical standards and consistently demonstrates a commitment to doing what is consistent with Feeding America’s values rather than what is expedient. Anchors actions and decisions in Feeding America’s values and mission while building trust and taking responsibility for the hard decisions. Expresses best independent thinking by leveraging data, functional experience, and Feeding America's values to inform decisions. Once decisions are made, actively supports and takes responsibility, and communicates them, regardless of personal point of view. Takes personal accountability for results, demonstrates a learning mindset, self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulation.
- Collaborates Internally and Externally: Builds partnerships internally and externally and works collaboratively with stakeholders, the network, and neighbors to remove silos and gain multiple perspectives to meet shared objectives. Represents Feeding America positively, highlighting its mission of ending hunger. Engages and communicates in ways that create brave spaces for collaboration and shared learning.
- Focuses on People and Teams: Prioritizes people and ensures they are supported and developed in their work with candid, timely, and constructive coaching, and feedback, fosters a learning mindset, and recognizes and rewards strong performance. Focuses on the development of self and others to accelerate performance in current and future roles. Holds self and others accountable to high standards of performance and results. Promotes a healthy and engaging work environment and mobilizes the team around Feeding America’s work and mission.
- Manages Organization and Business Complexity: Translates organizational priorities into specific goals to ensure accomplishment of critical results. Sets clear and ambitious plans and holds self and others accountable for achieving desired outcomes. Interprets new challenges and finds solutions in response to changing circumstances. Achieves or exceeds desired outcomes while managing organizational risk and maintaining space for innovation and new ideas. Creates an environment that encourages doing things differently, where it is safe to learn from mistakes.
- Communicates with Impact and Influence: Communicates directly, clearly and with integrity, across all levels. Crafts and delivers timely, impactful communication using multiple modes to impart a clear understanding tailored to the specific needs of all audiences.
Location & Travel
The successful candidate must be based in or willing to relocate to Chicago, Illinois, and will be expected to be in the Feeding America office 2-3 days per week.
Additionally, the successful candidate will be willing and able to do a moderate amount of domestic travel (~20-30%).
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for the Vice President, Development is $216,000 - $248,000 and will be based on the successful candidate’s skills and experience. In addition, there is a target bonus of 10%.
This is a permanent, full-time, exempt position and is eligible for Feeding America’s comprehensive benefit package.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Cheryl Stevens and Claire Hunt. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile (linked HERE) or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Feeding America recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger to apply.