Executive Director of Philanthropy
About the role
The Director of Philanthropy provides strategic and operational leadership for the Heart of the Valley YMCA’s Annual Campaign, individual annual giving, corporate philanthropic support, event sponsorships, donor stewardship, volunteer fundraising, and related revenue-generating initiatives.
Responsibilities
Lead the planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of the Association-wide Annual Campaign.
Develop annual campaign strategies, goals, budgets, timelines, work plans, and performance benchmarks in partnership with the Chief Mission Advancement Officer.
Manage the Annual Campaign as a year-round program of donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and upgrading.
Develop strategies to increase charitable revenue, donor acquisition and retention, leadership (ESLT) annual giving, average gift size, and staff, board, and volunteer engagement.
Coordinate multi-channel fundraising appeals and maintain an annual campaign calendar integrating communications, sponsorship solicitation, stewardship, and volunteer activities.
Maintain meaningful year-round donor relationships through personal visits, calls, written communications, YMCA experiences, and impact reporting.
Identify prospective major-gift donors and coordinate continued cultivation with the Chief Mission Advancement Officer.
Conduct individual and collaborative gift solicitations with organizational leadership, volunteers, and board members.
Develop comprehensive donor stewardship and recognition strategies that strengthen donor engagement, retention, and long-term philanthropic support.
Recruit, train, support, and recognize Annual Campaign volunteers while overseeing the Association's volunteer campaign structure in collaboration with branch leadership and advisory councils.
Equip board members, volunteers, and staff with the tools, training, and resources necessary to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors.
Develop framework and lead training of all branch and department leaders in campaign planning/execution, storytelling, volunteer engagement, and building a culture of philanthropy.
Cultivate event sponsors while enhancing donor engagement and sponsor experiences associated with fundraising events.
Represent the YMCA at community meetings, donor events, networking functions, and speaking engagements.
Collaborate with marketing, accounting, executive directors, and program leaders to support fundraising initiatives, donor engagement, communications, sponsorship fulfillment, and organizational storytelling.
Requirements
Strong relationship-building, donor-engagement, and stewardship skills.
Demonstrated ability to make direct charitable and sponsorship solicitations.
Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
Strong planning, organization, project-management, and follow-through skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, campaigns, portfolios, and relationships simultaneously.
Sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and respect for donor confidentiality.
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative leadership team.
Ability to influence and motivate staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and community partners.
Strong customer-service orientation and commitment to donor-centered relationship management.
Proficiency with standard office technology, databases, spreadsheets, presentation software, and digital communication platforms.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, marketing, public relations, public administration, fundraising, or a related field preferred.
An equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
Minimum of three to five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, development, donor relations, annual giving, corporate relations, sponsorship sales, nonprofit revenue development, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, securing, and stewarding charitable gifts or sponsorships.
Experience managing a donor, prospect, client, or corporate relationship portfolio.
Experience supporting or leading an annual campaign fundraising initiative, or comparable revenue-generation program.
Experience working with volunteers, boards, senior leaders, or community stakeholders.
Experience using a donor-management or constituent-relationship-management system.
YMCA or other mission-driven nonprofit experience preferred.