MISSION
The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, FL, Inc. makes a better community for its people and animals by:
- Providing humane care and shelter for homeless animals.
- Protecting animals from cruelty.
- Promoting spaying and neutering of companion animals.
- Promoting responsible pet ownership and the respect for all life through humane education.
- Pledging to be advocates for animal protection.
- Placing adoptable pets in permanent loving homes.
BACKGROUND
For seven decades, Humane Society of Vero Beach (“HSVB”) has been dedicated to improving the lives of animals in the community. The mission is to provide compassionate care, shelter, and advocacy for animals, while also promoting responsible pet ownership through education and outreach. They have helped thousands of animals find loving homes, provided low-cost spay/neuter services to reduce pet overpopulation, offered humane education programs to inspire the next generation of animal advocates and focused on public policy that benefits pets and their forever families. Ensuring that forever families have the resources they need to keep their pets safe and at home has led to a focus on caring for the people that care for the animals.
HSVB is governed by a 16-person board comprised of dedicated business and community leaders. The current operating budget is approximately $4.4M. Seventy-six percent of the operation revenue comes from private donations, fundraising activities, and revenues from Thrift Shops. Additional earned revenue sources include adoption fees and clinic service fees. A portion of the annual operating budget is paid by Indian River County, as HSVB serves as the County’s animal sheltering service provider.
The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County Foundation, Inc. (the "Foundation") are separate nonprofit corporations.” The primary purpose of the Foundation is to manage funds restricted by donors for long-term investment and monies transferred by the Society's Board for the benefit of the Society. Income of the Foundation is distributable to the Society unless restricted. The Foundation’s Board is comprised of some members of the HSVB Board as well as others and manages approximately $9M in assets and allocates about $425,000 annually.
In 2022, the shelter cared for 3,221 animals, facilitated 1,908 adoptions and 381 family reunifications, achieving a save rate of 95%. All HSVB employees and volunteers are fear free certified and uphold the Five Freedoms.
Programs and services including adoption, wildlife rescue, a pet care clinic and pet support to help families keep their animals during times of need. The shelter takes in every healthy or treatable and safe pet and makes sure they are well taken care of with daily enrichment and behavior modification training when necessary. The goal is to find loving homes for all the pets in the shelter’s care. Since 2020, HSVB has met or exceeded 90% live release rate —meeting “no-kill” qualifications.
The community health clinic is a donor and grant subsidized service, providing the community with affordable, accessible, high-quality medical care for dogs and cats. Providing low-cost spay/neuter programs has resulted in reducing pet overpopulation. The clinic serves owned pets, community cats, HSVB shelter and adoptable pets, and rescue partners.
Pet help resources help keep pets with their families and include: pet resources assistance, a pet food pantry, reclaim fee forgiveness, a pet care assistance program, behavior and training along with eviction/crisis boarding. Additionally, HSVB offers a lost pet reunification service and supported pet rehoming. Beyond caring for companion animals, HSVB also provides shelter and care to farm animals and wildlife.
About Vero Beach
Vero Beach is the county seat of Indian River County. In 2021 the population was approximately 164,000. Located between Melbourne, FL and West Palm Beach, FL, Vero Beach has its own airport and is only 43 miles from the Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, FL. With its beautiful coastal location, Vero Beach is considered one of the best small towns in America and has activities for every member of the family. Whether you enjoy golfing on one of its 10 courses, visiting the Vero Beach Museum of Art or McKee Botanical Gardens or even snorkeling for sunken treasures, Vero Beach has activities for every interest.
THE OPPORTUNITY
HSVB enjoys a positive reputation within the community, Florida and nationally and is recognized as one of the top five nonprofit organizations in the area. As the organization celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2023, it is an optimal time for a new leader to take the helm. In the past five years, under the direction of a strong outgoing Executive Director, HSBV has become a progressive, best practice organization.
With Board enthusiasm for change and innovation, the new Executive Director will have the opportunity to assess and enhance, where needed, all operations, procedures and policies to ensure that they are the most up-to-date and best in class. Additionally, in partnership with the staff, develop and implement new programming focusing on community engagement, considering the needs of pet owners and keeping pets with their families, to enhance health and well-being of the community’s animals.
Vero Beach is considered by many as a philanthropic community yet with pockets of deep poverty. There is an opportunity to increase both the organization’s visibility among key donors and to generally broaden the base of support resulting in increased financial gains. The new leader will work with the Board of Directors and the Director of Donor Relations to increase both the visibility of the organization but also its donor base. Engaging more individual donors at all levels, particularly at the major gifts level, is critical to sustain the organization, regardless of any future growth goals. Securing five and six-figure multi-year gifts is desired. Engaging with the Board to build a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization will enable a stronger fundraising case, as will supporting recruitment of people with diverse backgrounds to the Board.
Earned revenue comprises about 25% of the operating budget with the two thrift stores bringing in the most revenue. There is a desire to continue to grow store profits. The public clinic is an essential asset to the community and generates earned income. Like all animal welfare organizations, recruiting and retaining veterinarians is needed to increase the services offered and therefore raise overall revenue. Hiring a Chief Medical Officer and expanding the Miriam D. Oberkotter Clinic could create more profitability.
The new leader will work with a strong management team and staff and strive to create recognition as a great place to work. Recruiting, training, and retaining staff and volunteers will be needed to continue to scale the organization and keep pace with demand for services.
With a deeply committed Board of Directors, the desire is to continue to identify, cultivate and recruit new members. The Board has historically been more hands on than a fundraising body. Going forward, building trust with the new leader is needed to allow the Board to focus on governance and fundraising.
Ensuring that programming continues to elevate the importance of the human animal bond is a core focus going forward. This will require building partnerships with a range of organizations that support all people with pets especially people that are historically marginalized and under-served. Focusing on community support to reserve space in the shelter for the animals who most critically need it, while keeping families together, is a key driver for HSVB. An ambitious master plan, developed in 2021, focuses on maximizing the 44 acres owned by HSVB, creating a campus that encourages people to come visit for community, nature and to best care for animals. As more funds are raised, HSVB will be able to put this ambitious plan into action.
The opportunity now exists for an externally facing, relationship builder and strong business leader to carry forward a fiscally and operationally strong organization, build its visibility, raise unrestricted funds resulting in continued growth.
THE POSITION
Reporting to the President of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director serves as a dynamic liaison between the Board, community, county commissioners and the administrative functions, as well as the shelter, clinic, and Thrift store staff. The Executive Director will be expected to uphold the mission and key values of HSVB and promote its goals, advising the Board of Directors in making decisions for the best interest of the organization. The Executive Director ensures the ongoing sustainability of the organization by growing philanthropic and earned revenue and providing strong financial management oversight. A current working knowledge of the human animal bond, companion animal care and adoption issues; an understanding of compliance issues involving pertinent federal, state, and local regulations is desired.
Additionally, the Executive Director is responsible for the strategic processes of the organization, managing and developing a talented paid staff of 68 and more than 200 volunteers. The direct reports for the Executive Director are currently the Senior Director of Communications, Senior Director of Operations and Director of Donor Relations. The Executive Director provides a leadership role in initiating and maintaining community relationships and securing the operating and investment funds necessary to sustain current and future operations.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
Leadership: Visionary, relationship-focused, impact-oriented leader and networker with exceptional management skills and a commitment to the ethical treatment of animals.
Management: Inclusive, experienced business manager, with strong financial management skills, who understands the organizational structure of a nonprofit, including experience working with and reporting to a Board; past successes at building a vision and executing a strategy; demonstrated ability to build a strong, positive and collaborative team culture and ideally an understanding of the animal welfare landscape.
Development: Strong ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward plans for donors; ability to advance and manage a strategic annual and multi-year fundraising plan, a strong individual fundraiser/networker, skilled closer, and/or able to develop a fundraising culture among staff and Board.
External Partnerships/Relations: Demonstrated success building, engaging, and leveraging strategic partnerships. Effectively represent the organization's goals and mission to attract the widest interest and support. Build visibility and secure new relationships. Outward facing and very knowledgeable about the communities served by HSVB.
Operational and Programming Oversight: Sound fiscal, IT, human resources and business management skills. Empowers direct reports to ensure that the organization is providing best in class programs and services in an efficient manner. Thinks strategically about impact, volunteer retention and recruitment. This individual will have a clear awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses and the ability to foster the strengths and professional growth of staff. The new leader will have strong operational experience and the expertise to identify and monitor projects towards measurable outcomes.
External Relations and Community Outreach: Develop new, creative fundraising opportunities and earned revenue sources with staff to secure the HSVB’s financial position. Serve as a spokesperson and face for HSVB. Effectively represent its goals and mission to individuals, private foundations, government leaders, the media, sponsors and donors to attract the widest interest and support. Pre-existing relationships or demonstrated ability to quickly develop exceptional relationships with strategic partners, foundations and donors are expected. Ensure that HSVB is represented locally, regionally and nationally at coalitions, membership organizations and other related associations.
Program and Services Development:
Establish short range objectives and work plans, research and evaluate potential programs for HSVB in consultation with other staff. In conjunction with the Board, revisit the existing vision for the future outlining plans, goals and related activities.
Interpersonal Skills:
Calm and centered, this individual will be a self-starter with the energy, empathy and tenacity to guide and authentically lead a team toward ever greater success. The ability to attract and inspire others is important. The successful candidate will be intellectually curious, have a sense of perspective, and be able to handle adversity and pressure gracefully. The candidate will also have excellent negotiation skills, the ability to be decisive, and the highest ethical standards and integrity. Flexibility, adaptability and resilience are important as is the ability to keep a sense of humor under pressure.
THE PROFILE
We seek a highly experienced leader and manager with demonstrated vision and passion for the humane and ethical treatment of animals. Experience in a senior leadership role either reporting directly to or working closely with a Board of Directors is essential. The person we seek should demonstrate a balance between creative thinking and management acumen as well as the ability to assess and maintain policies and procedures for moving an organization to a new level of excellence. An understanding of business principles applied to a nonprofit enterprise, including a background of good budget management, is necessary.
The successful candidate will have significant financial management experience including successfully developing, and managing to, annual operating budgets. Demonstrated accomplishments in fundraising, including securing major and planned gifts from individual donors, foundations and corporations is required. Qualified candidates will have exceptional interpersonal skills and will be able to relate to all constituencies. This individual has demonstrated success in building and sustaining partnerships toward the achievement of goals.
We seek an exceptional communicator who can demonstrate a successful background in external relations, including experience speaking with the media in a variety of situations. This person will welcome and respect the multiple perspectives and groups that demonstrate an active interest in animal welfare.
Personnel management skills that include an ability to work collaboratively, listen, provide feedback, build morale, delegate, “roll up one’s sleeves” and make decisions are essential. An experienced teambuilder with the ability to attract and retain talent is essential.
The candidate should be motivated by the best interests of the organization and will bring high emotional intelligence to effectively continue the organization’s transition to a highly effective operation. Demonstrated success managing change, planning, forecasting and determining courses of action is needed.
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required, master’s in non-profit management, business administration or a related discipline preferred. A minimum of 10 years’ experience in non-profit management, business administration or a related discipline, preferably in animal welfare, with a minimum of 6 years supervisory experience is highly desired. CAWA certification is helpful.
Salary & Benefits:
$120,000 - $140,000 plus current benefits including 75% coverage of health care cost, 403(b) with 3% match, and paid time off. Relocation assistance including temporary housing, if needed, will be provided.
Applications and nominations are being received by Noetic Search. Please click here to submit a current resume and cover letter. For more information, visit www.noeticexsearch.com or www.hsvb.org.
Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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