The primary purpose of the Senior Director, Individual Philanthropy is to develop and implement an intensive major gift fundraising strategy focused on top prospects as Save the Children expands its presence in the Bay Area region.
The successful candidate will be responsible for building and maintaining a strong base of major gift support from individuals with the highest giving capacity, securing planned gifts where appropriate, and deepening relationships with current major and planned giving donors. S/he will be responsible for building and maintaining a robust pipeline from identification, cultivation, soliciting and stewarding, as well as establishing unit benchmarks and ensuring accountability of team. The Senior Director, Individual Philanthropy will have responsibility for directing strategy and leading a team to ensure that ambitious revenue and non-revenue goals are achieved and will provide key support of Save the Children’s $100 million, 3-year Centennial Campaign. This position is a remote position based in the Bay Area and must possess a strong familiarity with the region and prospect base.
- Identify STC donors and new prospects with the capacity and inclination to make six and seven figure gifts, with special attention to mission support and significant program support. Create and execute cultivation and solicitation strategies for these individuals. Work with all internal and external resources to successfully engage the highest capacity donors in the work of STC, resulting in significant and sustained revenue to support STC long-term strategies. Meet agreed upon revenue targets and other KPIs as assigned. (35%)
- Oversee and participate in the creation, preparation and execution of long-term regional strategy plan, including the creation and management of a locally based Leadership Council, exclusive cultivation activities, and donor trips to the field. Work closely with colleagues in Individual Philanthropy, as well as Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Foundation Partnerships, to create a strong regional presence/identity for Save the Children in the Bay Area. Represent Save the Children at key local events. (20%)
- Identify new major gift prospects to build the funding pipeline and ensure long-term sustained growth for resource development. Support the Director of Research in allocating new donors to the Individual Philanthropy team to ensure portfolios are robust and Major Gift Officers are positioned for success in meeting their revenue goals. (20%)
- Manage a small team of fundraising professionals and contribute to their overall professional development. Mentor, coach and develop team capacity. Ensure adherence to best practices and all agency fundraising guidelines. (10%)
- Manage expense budgets for assigned team of fundraisers to ensure efficient and effective utilization of resources in support of unit goals and strategies. (5%)
- Attend Agency brown bags and other Business Team presentations as scheduled to improve knowledge of Agency mission and program offerings. (5%)
- Develop and shepherd stewardship plans for assigned major donors, including requests for report preparation and oversight. (5%)
- Perform other duties as may be required
Required Qualifications
- You have a minimum 10-15 years' fundraising experience
- Ideal candidate has experience with and knowledge of global humanitarian issues
- Proven track record of raising six and seven-figure gifts, and planned gifts
- Significant experience working with donors and prospects in the Bay Area
- Proven ability to build strong working relationships with high net worth individuals and a variety of constituents, including STC leadership and trustees
- Experience managing, mentoring, motivating and coaching fundraising team
- Ability to work from a dedicated home office, which allows for private and confidential conversations
- Flexibility to travel within the Bay Area to visit donors, program sites, and other stakeholders as needed, and two times per year to Save headquarters in Fairfield, CT
- Flexibility to travel to international program sites (on average, 1-2 times per year)
- Professional presentation and demeanor that inspires confidence in high net worth prospects, donors and Save the Children Trustees
- Detail orientation and strategic point of view
- Ability to manage multiple priorities within an extremely fast-paced environment
- Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills, including public speaking
- Strong creative thinking capability to develop engagement strategies with maximum impact
- Strong background and experience in special event fundraising with a successful track record of using events to attract and maintain donors
- Exceptional listener with ability to understand the needs and motivations of others, find common ground and synthesize information into compelling narratives
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as well as be entrepreneurial in spirit
- Experience with donor databases
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Blackbaud CRM
- Campaign and planned giving experience
- Meaningful work, with a knowledge that you are changing the lives of children all around the world
- A family friendly work environment
- Highly collaborative and innovative teams
- Generous paid vacation days, holidays, family leave days, and sick time
- Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions
- Structured and formalized management development and coaching programs for mid and senior level managers