Director of Philanthropy

About This Role

The Director II, Philanthropy leads a high-performing team of major gift fundraisers in a new era of strategic prospecting, donor engagement, and transformational revenue growth. This role is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive major gifts program that secures significant philanthropic investments from individuals and family foundations, with a particular focus on cultivating and closing six-, seven-, and eight-figure gifts. In partnership with organizational leadership, the Director is accountable for achieving measurable growth in major gift revenue. The role focuses on identifying and connecting with new philanthropic audiences and ensuring best-in-class donor experiences across discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to unlock greater philanthropic potential. The Director maintains the highest standards of ethics and compliance, aligning all practices with organizational policies and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Strategy
  • Lead the strategy and execution of a best-in-class major and principal gifts program, driving growth in six- and seven-figure gifts and multi-year commitments.
  • Design and execute innovative prospecting strategies to identify, qualify, and acquire new major and principal gift donors from external sources.
  • Advance donor engagement strategies that deepen relationships and increase lifetime value across major, planned, and blended giving vehicles.
  • Partner cross-functionally to align donor interests with organizational priorities, developing compelling opportunities that inspire significant philanthropic investment.
  • Stay current on external giving trends, as well as industry-related technology and innovation.
• Leadership and Management
  • Develop and manage a high-performing team, setting clear expectations, coaching for results, and fostering a culture of accountability and excellence.
  • Establish and monitor key performance metrics to track progress, optimize fundraising strategies, and ensure consistent achievement of revenue goals.
  • Oversee the development of proposals, cases for support, and donor-facing materials that strengthen cultivation and solicitation efforts.
  • Provide accurate revenue forecasting and performance reporting to leadership.
  • Manage team budget, operations, and systems to support efficient, scalable fundraising.
• Fundraising
  • Personally manage a strategic portfolio of top individual prospects and donors, leading high-impact cultivation and closing transformational gifts.
  • Build a donor portfolio that will increase giving 10% YOY.
  • Manage relationships with philanthropic service providers and influencers.
  • Participate in professional networking and training (such as CFRE).
• Others
  • Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.
  • Travel up to 30%.

Required Experience and Education

• At least 10 years of experience in nonprofit major gift fundraising with established success securing six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Experience leading fundraising campaigns, including external prospecting.
• Experience leading a fundraising team.
• Extensive networking experience.
• Experience working across cultures and languages.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Required Competencies

• ChildFund's Core Competencies:
  • Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
  • Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
  • Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
  • Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
  • Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
  • Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.
  • Leadership: Supports team members in accomplishing goals and objectives and demonstrates accountability for team outcomes and develops an environment of accountability.
  • Partnership: Demonstrates understanding of the business value and develops networks internally and externally to enable the achievement of their own and others' work-related goals.
• Other Required Competencies:
  • The ability to read, speak, and write fluently in English.
  • Excellent communication skills, including ability to make a compelling case for support and partnership in person and in writing.
  • Strong networking and relationship-building skills.
  • Strong problem-solving skills.
  • Sensitivity and flexibility to work across cultures and geographies.
  • Excellent presentation and public speaking skills and comfort with highly influential audiences.
  • Demonstrated drive and orientation towards fundraising results.

Pay

The anticipated salary range for this position is $135,000-$150,000 per year.

Schedule and Work Environment

This is a full-time regular position with flexible work environment. The position is open to candidates with current residence and work authorization in the United States only, with strong preference for candidates in Virginia or the Northeast. Our Richmond-based employees work in a hybrid structure, with two days per week in the office.