Director of Major Gifts

Job Title:Director of Major Gifts
Department:Advancement
Reports To:Chief Philanthropy Officer
FLSA Status:Full-time (40.0 hours per week), Exempt
Salary:$127,000–$145,000 annually

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Director of Major Gifts will build and manage a growing pipeline of major individual donors and new foundation funders, serving as a strategic partner to the CPO in identifying, cultivating, and securing five- and six-figure philanthropic investments in Children's Council. This is a foundational, high-impact role on a growing Philanthropy team. The successful candidate will operate as a strategic partner, generalist, and builder in the near term, with the expectation that the role will specialize further as the team and portfolio grow. This role focuses on the discretionary, relationship-driven side of fundraising, cultivating and securing major gifts, whether from individuals or foundations.

The Director will have responsibility for the full pipeline of existing and new individual donors and will focus on establishing relationships with new foundation partners. Once we find alignment and are invited to apply for foundation funding, the application and reporting process is managed by other team members.

This role does not currently have direct reports. As the Philanthropy team grows, it is anticipated that a role will report to this position.

KEY QUALITIES

• A relationship builder who thrives on identifying, mapping, and cultivating new networks
• A strategic thinker who can align Children's Council's funding priorities with individual donor and foundation interests
• Comfortable operating as a generalist in a growing team, with the flexibility to push forward fundraising strategies across multiple channels in service of building something new
• A confident, natural collaborator with the CEO, Board, and current donors, able to activate their networks and build trusted relationships
• Energized by the opportunity to raise the profile of Children’s Council within philanthropic circles

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Major Gifts & Individual Giving

• Develop, qualify, and personally manage a growing portfolio of major gift donors and prospects across both individual and foundation relationships
• Personally (and in partnership with staff and board leaders) cultivate, solicit, and steward donors capable of five- and six-figure gifts
• Partner with the CPO to build and execute a moves management strategy for the organization's top prospects, including those in the CPO's own portfolio
• Identify and pursue opportunities to deepen relationships with existing donors who have capacity to grow

New Foundation & Funder Cultivation

• Identify and cultivate relationships with new foundation funders and prospects, with particular attention to funders whose engagement style mirrors individual major gift cultivation
• Partner with the Grants and Contracts Manager on new funder strategy: this role focuses on relationship-building and positioning, while the Grants and Contracts Manager owns proposal writing, compliance, and reporting for both existing and new funders
• Support the Grants and Contracts Manager with strategic context and relationship insight for proposals and reports to newly cultivated funders

Networked Relationship Development

• Systematically map the networks of the CEO, Board of Trsutees, and current major donors to identify new prospects
• Develop strategies and materials that equip the CEO and Board to make warm introductions and connections on behalf of Children's Council
• Represent Children's Council externally to build the organization's visibility among San Francisco philanthropists and expand its network

Strategic Event Engagement

• Serve as an active, engaged member of the volunteer committee for the organization's signature donor event, contributing strategy and relationship insight
• Personally cultivate and solicit prospects for high-level event participation and sponsorship within own portfolio
• Partner with the CPO on event guest strategy and cultivation

Strategic Planning & Thought Partnership

• Serve as a thought partner to the CPO on fundraising strategy, prioritization, and resource allocation
• Contribute to the development and bi-annual updates of the organization's fundraising plan
• Bring data-informed recommendations on portfolio and pipeline health and prospect strategy
• Take on a range of additional strategic and operational responsibilities as the team builds out, with the expectation that this role's scope will narrow and specialize as the team grows

Data & Systems

• Track all prospect and donor activity, moves management, and portfolio progress in Salesforce
• Maintain accurate, timely records to support reporting to the CPO and Board leadership

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 6-8 years of progressive fundraising experience, with a demonstrated track record of personally securing five- and six-figure gifts
• Experience cultivating and soliciting both individual and foundation/institutional funders
• Demonstrated success building new relationships and pipeline from scratch, not solely managing an existing portfolio
• Experience working directly with C-suite executives and/or a nonprofit Board of Directors to cultivate and secure gifts
• Excellent relationship-mapping and networking instincts; comfortable independently identifying and pursuing warm paths to new prospects
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to align organizational funding priorities with donor and funder interests
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; comfortable with direct, high-stakes donor conversations, including discussions of personal or family philanthropy
• Proficiency with donor CRM systems (Salesforce preferred)
• Comfort operating as a generalist and builder in a growing, evolving team

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Existing relationships within the San Francisco philanthropic and business community
• Experience in early childhood education, family services, or a related field
• Experience partnering with grants or institutional giving staff on foundation strategy
• Experience serving on or staffing volunteer fundraising event committees

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Mental acuity to perform the essential functions of this position in an accurate and timely fashion
• Dexterity to use office equipment; the ability to sit and work at a desk for extended periods of time
• Ability to speak, hear, and understand speech at normal room levels
• Must be able to move throughout the office and community to meet with staff, donors, and external partners

BACKGROUND CHECK
All offers of employment are contingent upon successfully completing this process.

Hybrid Work  

We have adopted a hybrid working model and currently require employees to be present in the office at least 3 days per week, with the option to work 2 days per week remotely. Applicants should be comfortable with both the remote and in office scenarios.