Position Purpose

The Director of Strategic Philanthropy serves as a frontline fundraiser responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of major individual donors in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's (BBBSA) mission and strategic priorities. Reporting to the VP, Strategic Philanthropy, this role builds meaningful, long-term relationships with donors capable of six and seven-figure gifts, translating BBBSA's impact and strategic priorities into compelling, donor-centered cases for support.

The Director of Strategic Philanthropy partners closely with the Resource Development team, program and agency leaders, and executive staff to develop personalized cultivation strategies, craft gift proposals, and ensure a high-quality donor experience across the giving lifecycle. The role plays a critical part in growing BBBSA's individual giving program and advancing its national fundraising goals.

The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven fundraiser with a track record of closing six and seven- figure gifts, sound judgment, and the ability to manage a dynamic portfolio of prospects and donors in a mission-driven, federated organization.

Location: Continental United States (100% Remote)
FLSA Status: Full Time, Exempt

Travel: Approximately 30%-35% with occasional additional travel as needed.

Remote Work Location Requirement

This position is approved for remote work within the Continental United States only. Any permanent change to the geographic location of an employee's remote work arrangement from the region identified at the time of hire must be reviewed and approved in advance by both the employee's direct manager and Human Resources. Travel of approximately 30-35% is required for donor visits, cultivation events, and organizational meetings.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Portfolio Management

Manage a portfolio of approximately 100-150 major donors and prospects, with individual gift capacity typically ranging from $25,000 to $100,000+.
Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each donor in the portfolio using a moves management framework.
Maintain an active pipeline of qualified prospects sufficient to meet annual revenue goals, tracking stage, next steps, and timing for each relationship.
Document all donor interactions, moves, and strategies in the CRM in a timely and accurate manner to ensure institutional knowledge is preserved and shared.

Prospect Identification & Qualification

Partner with the prospect research function to identify new major gift prospects through wealth screening, referrals, and relationship mapping.
Qualify prospects through discovery visits and calls, assessing capacity, affinity, and readiness for solicitation.
Collaborate with local BBBS agency leaders to identify and cultivate donors with connections to both the national office and local chapters.

Cultivation, Solicitation & Stewardship

Design and deliver personalized cultivation experiences, including donor visits, briefings, campus and program tours, and executive engagement opportunities.
Draft compelling, donor-centered gift proposals, briefing materials, and stewardship reports in partnership with the Marketing & Communications and Program teams.
Directly solicit major gifts, leading or supporting solicitation visits alongside executive leadership, board members, or volunteers as appropriate.
Ensure timely, accurate gift acknowledgment and develop meaningful stewardship touchpoints that build long-term donor loyalty and encourage renewed and increased giving.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with the Resource Development team to align major gift strategies with annual fundraising goals, campaign priorities, and organizational strategic plans.
Work with Marketing & Communications to ensure donor-facing materials reflect current brand standards and effectively communicate BBBSA's impact.
Collaborate with Program and Agency leaders to stay current on organizational impact, outcomes data, and stories that strengthen donor cases for support.
Support executive and board engagement in major donor cultivation and solicitation, including briefing preparation and follow-up coordination.

Reporting, Documentation and Continuous Improvement

Track and report progress against individual and team revenue goals, pipeline metrics, and activity benchmarks on a regular cadence.
Maintain organized donor files and documentation utilizing the CRM, SharePoint, and other enterprise platforms.
Recommend improvements to major gift processes, tools, and donor journey design based on portfolio experience and outcomes.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives supporting the Resource Development team's effectiveness.
Manage related and other duties as assigned in support of department and business needs.

Culture

Demonstrate commitment to BBBSA's shared leadership competencies and organizational values.
Represent BBBSA's mission and impact with authenticity and donor-centered communication in every interaction.
Provide consistent follow-up regarding assigned donors and after meetings.
Cultivate an environment where colleagues, donors, and program partners feel valued, included, and heard.

Education & Related Work Experience

Education Level: Bachelor's degree or equivalent combinations of education and progressively responsible fundraising experience will be considered.

Years and Scope of Related Work Experience: 5+ years of progressively responsible major gifts or frontline fundraising experience, with a demonstrated track record of identifying, cultivating, and closing five- and six-figure gifts. Experience managing a donor portfolio and moves management process required. Experience with Salesforce preferred. Experience within a nonprofit or federated organization preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

Knowledge of donor engagement and moves management practices.
Strong relationship-building, interpersonal, and communication skills.
Ability to develop and implement fundraising strategies.
Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Working knowledge of Salesforce and fundraising or donor engagement processes.
Experience with project management, process improvement, systems development, and implementation planning.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Effective problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Ability to develop, manage, and monitor project budgets.

Our Commitment

At Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, we recognize, affirm, and celebrate the backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all of our stakeholders, including youth, families, donors, volunteers, and staff.

We ensure the opportunity for all voices and perspectives to be heard and honored. In the workplace, we foster an environment where all people can be their best selves. We affirm that every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We strive to realize the full potential that is within all of us by ensuring that all voices and perspectives are heard and honored.

Equal Employment Opportunity

BBBSA provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, age, sex, familial or marital status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or any other legally-protected status in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and ordinances.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Employee must be able to perform all essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Job Responsibilities

The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. BBBSA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is directly recruiting and hiring for this position. We are not engaging any staffing/recruitment firms or agencies for this position. If any candidate profile/resume/identifying information is sent to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and/or Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, we will not pay any referral or firm fees in relation to this information. 

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Director of Strategic Philanthropy