Mission Advancement Director
About the role
The YMCA of the East Bay seeks a Mission Advancement Director to lead and execute a comprehensive fundraising and institutional giving program that advances the YMCA's mission to support Early Childhood Impact, Youth Development, and Healthy Communities.
Responsibilities
Lead the planning, execution, and evaluation of the annual giving campaign from strategy through close.
Set annual campaign goals in partnership with the Chief Development & Marketing Officer and track progress against benchmarks.
Cultivate and steward annual fund donors, upgrading and retaining existing supporters while acquiring new donors.
Coordinate volunteer and board engagement strategies to support campaign outreach and peer-to-peer fundraising.
Analyze annual fund performance and produce detailed campaign reports, including donor retention, average gift, and revenue trends.
Develop and lead the digital fundraising strategy, including peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, text-to-give programs, crowdfunding campaigns, and online giving page optimization, with a focus on growing digital revenue and engaging younger donors.
Serve as the YMCA’s external point of contact for federal, state, and county, including CDBG as well as foundation and corporate institutional partners.
Attend and actively participate in funder convenings, philanthropic network events, community forums, and corporate giving conferences to represent the YMCA, surface new funding opportunities, and stay current on regional funding trends.
Provide regular reports to the Chief Development & Marketing Officer on the annual campaign, grant pipeline, and overall advancement progress.
Produce impact reports and stewardship materials that demonstrate outcomes and deepen donor engagement.
Contribute to board-level development reports and organizational fundraising dashboards.
Design and oversee a structured new donor onboarding journey — an intentional series of touchpoints in the first 90 days of a donor relationship, including a personal welcome call, impact update, and invitation to engage further — to maximize first-year retention and lay the foundation for long-term giving.
Represent the YMCA at funder convenings and cultivation gatherings.
Participate in regular portfolio review meetings with the CDMO to assess donor movement, report on cultivation progress, and align solicitation strategies across both portfolios.
Partner with the Chief Development & Marketing Officer to design and manage a tiered donor recognition program that recognizes gifts at every level, including named giving opportunities, donor societies, recognition walls, and milestone gift celebrations.
Develop and maintain a donor recognition calendar that ensures consistent, meaningful touchpoints throughout the year that deepen loyalty and inspire continued and increased giving.
Partner with program staff to gather outcomes data and success stories that support grant reporting and future proposals.
Develop and manage a mid-level giving program targeting donors in the $1,000–$9,999 range, providing more personalized engagement than the annual fund while building a pipeline of future major gift prospects.
Identify and implement personalized upgrade strategies for high-potential annual fund donors, moving them intentionally through the giving pyramid toward mid-level and major gift commitments.
Design distinct mid-level giving benefits, communications cadence, and engagement touchpoints that reflect the enhanced relationship these donors have with the YMCA while differentiating from both the annual fund and major gifts programs.
Develop and implement a strategic volunteer engagement program that intentionally identifies, cultivates, and converts high-engagement volunteers into donors, leveraging the YMCA’s deep volunteer community as a key pipeline for annual, mid-level, and major gift prospects.
Collaborate with the Donor Engagement & Operations Manager to ensure all donor recognition touchpoints are executed accurately and on time, including acknowledgment letters, public listings, and recognition events.
Recruit, hire, train, develop, and motivate volunteers as needed.
Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or CFRE preferred.
Minimum 3–5 years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising, including annual fund management and institutional giving.
Demonstrated success in grant writing, with a track record of securing foundation and corporate grants.
Experience managing an annual giving campaign across multiple channels.
Proficiency with donor database systems; Blackbaud experience strongly preferred.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to craft compelling donor-facing content.
Excellent organizational, project management, and multitasking abilities.
Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people across all social and economic segments of the community.
Skills
Grant writing
Annual giving campaign management
Donor stewardship
Volunteer engagement
Corporate sponsorship program management
Branch and staff fundraising culture development
Benefits
Comprehensive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.
Pay
$80,000 - $90,000 annually
Schedule
Full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, with some evening and weekend events as needed.