Vice President, Capital Campaigns & Special Campaigns

Job Title: Vice President, Capital Campaigns & Special Campaigns

Department: Development

Location: Hybrid within Washington D.C. Metro area

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Direct Reports: No

Classification: Exempt

Position type: Full-Time Employee

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment: $128,000 - $177,000 per year

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 450,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families.

We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges: frequent relocations, deployments, career disruption, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters.

What You’ll Do Here:

• Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility
• Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done
• Help military families feel at home wherever they live

If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong.

General Description

The Vice President, Capital & Special r Campaigns leads the strategy, planning, and execution of Blue Star Families' capital campaign and other major, time-bound fundraising initiatives. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this role partners closely with the President, CEO, and Board leadership to build the case for support, structure campaign phases, and drive campaigns from the quiet phase through public phase and close-out.

Blue Star Families has completed its campaign feasibility study and strategy and has a Capital Campaign Advisory Council in place. This leader will turn that foundation into a measurable campaign: set the goal and phase targets, secure leadership gifts, and make the campaign the organizing frame for the division's largest asks.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for building the strategy, timelines, and stakeholder engagement plans a large-scale campaign requires, while also identifying and managing other significant campaigns—such as matching-gift challenges, emergency or rapid-response appeals, emergency or rapid-response appeals run with Direct Marketing,, and signature anniversary or naming campaigns—as organizational priorities dictate.

As a fully remote organization, we rely on regular in-person gatherings to fulfill core business functions, including strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and culture-building. This role requires the ability to travel overnight several times per year to attend team offsites, leadership sessions, donor meetings, and company-wide events. Attendance and participation in these gatherings is a non-negotiable component of the position.

Key Job Functions

Campaign Strategy & Planning

• Design and lead the strategic framework for the capital campaign and other major campaigns, including case-for-support development,campaign readiness assessment, and implementation of the completed feasibility study and campaign plan.
• Build gift-range charts, campaign timelines, and phase plans (quiet phase, leadership phase, public phase) aligned with organizational priorities and revenue goals.
• Set and report a campaign goal, annual progress targets and a quiet-phase leadership-gift target, so campaign progress is a measurable line in the organization's annual priorities.
• Establish a written campaign counting policy covering multi-year pledges, cash versus commitments, gifts-in-kind, planned gifts and corporate partnership revenue, agreed with Finance before the quiet phase closes.
• Partner with the Chief Development Officer to translate campaign strategy into clear, resourced execution plans: a game plan with defined goals, owners, and milestones.

Campaign Execution & Pipeline Management

• Manage moves-management activity for campaign prospects in partnership with Major Gifts and Development leadership, ensuring disciplined portfolio assignment and solicitation readiness.
• Agree on clear rules with Major Gifts and Corporate Partnerships on prospect ownership, solicitation lead and shared credit, so campaign work strengthens existing relationships rather than competing with them.
• Track pledges, gift agreements, and campaign progress against goals; maintain accurate, up-to-date campaign reporting and dashboards that serve as a real-time scoreboard for leadership and volunteers.
• Coordinate campaign counsel, consultants, and volunteer leadership (e.g., campaign steering committees, honorary chairs) as needed.
• Personally cultivate and close select leadership-level campaign gifts, modeling preparation, persistence, and competitive drive.
• Lead campaign strategy for seven-figure and transformational corporate, foundation and individual commitments, including multi-year and blended gifts.

Other Campaigns & Special Initiatives

• Identify, scope, and lead other significant fundraising campaigns outside the core capital campaign, such as matching-gift challenges, emergency/rapid-response appeals, and signature anniversary or naming campaigns.
• Build a rapid-response appeal playbook with Direct Marketing, Finance and Marketing: decision rights, restriction and designation rules, matching-gift sourcing, and approval within 48 hours of an emerging need.
• Integrate planned giving, endowment, donor-advised fund and appreciated-stock options into campaign gift opportunities, in partnership with Finance and wealth advisors.
• Develop campaign-specific messaging, timelines, and stewardship plans in coordination with Marketing and Development colleagues.
• Evaluate campaign results and apply lessons learned to strengthen future campaign strategy, sharing candid post-campaign debriefs with the team.
• Use the public phase to broaden the donor base, partnering with Direct Marketing and Peer-to-Peer to engage everyday Americans alongside leadership donors.

Stakeholder Leadership Engagement

• Cultivate and staff campaign leadership, including campaign committees and honorary co-chairs,including the Capital Campaign Advisory Council, campaign committees and honorary co-chairs, to expand reach and credibility.
• Prepare briefing materials, talking points, and solicitation strategies for the President, CEO, Chief Development Officer, and Board members engaging campaign prospects.
• Support leadership through executive transitions, preparing new executives and Board members to carry campaign relationships and asks.
• Represent Blue Star Families in campaign-related donor meetings, briefings, and events as needed.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Major Gifts, Direct Marketing, Events, Marketing & Communications, Finance, and Program teams to ensure campaigns are integrated, properly resourced, and aligned with organizational capacity.
• Ensure campaign gift accounting, pledge tracking, and restricted-fund coordination, restricted-fund coordination, cash forecasting for multi-year pledges, align with Finance and Development Operations standards.

Reporting & Governance

• Provide regular campaign progress reports to the Chief Development Officer, President, CEO, and Board Development Committee.
• Ensure campaign practices align with gift acceptance policies, naming and recognition guidelines, and ethical fundraising standards (e.g., AFP, CASE).

Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Experience, Skills, Background

• 8+ years of progressive nonprofit development experience, including direct experience with capital or comprehensive campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience leading or playing a senior role in a capital campaign of $10M+, from feasibility through close-out.capital or comprehensive campaign of $25M+, from feasibility through close-out.
• Personal track record of securing $1M+ commitments, including from corporations and foundations as well as individuals.
• A proven track record of meeting or exceeding ambitious campaign goals, with specific, measurable wins you can speak to.
• An athlete's mindset: high energy, competitive drive, resilience after setbacks, and a hunger to keep improving.
• Comfort operating with a high degree of autonomy and accountability, and the ability to give and receive candid feedback, including with senior executives and Board members.
• Strong understanding of campaign mechanics: gift-range charts, pipeline staging, pledge accounting, and campaign reporting.
• Working knowledge of planned giving vehicles, donor-advised funds, appreciated stock and endowment gifts.
• Experience developing case-for-support materials and campaign collateral in partnership with Marketing/Communications.
• Experience engaging and staffing volunteer leadership and campaign committees.
• Demonstrated success working with CRM systems (preferably Salesforce) and campaign tracking tools.
• Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex campaign strategy into clear materials for executives and Board members.
• Ability to travel overnight several times per year for donor meetings and organizational gatherings.
• May be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary to carry out key job functions.

Desired Experience, Skills & Background

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.
• CFRE, ACFRE, or equivalent professional credential.
• Experience with matching-gift, challenge, or rapid-response fundraising campaigns.
• Experience leading campaigns in a remote or distributed national organization, or through executive leadership transitions.
• Familiarity with the military and Veteran-connected community.
• Experience with corporate partnership structures that combine philanthropy, sponsorship and employee engagement.
• Experience partnering with campaign counsel or outside consultants.
• Experience in a high-growth, performance-driven culture (nonprofit or private sector).

More About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Why Blue Star Families?

• Mission-driven work supporting military service members and their families
• Flexible work options (remote, or hybrid depending on the role)
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible Spending Accounts, life insurance, and disability insurance
• Communications allowance
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• PCS leave for Active Duty military spouses