Philanthropy Director

POSITION TITLE: Philanthropy Director, High-Level Gifts
ACCOUNTABLE TO: Deputy Chief of Philanthropy
FLSA STATUS: Full-time, exempt

About Austin Pets Alive! (APA!): APA! is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization rescues, treats, and adopts out some 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. While the organization is still distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, community-based animal rescue work, APA! has a national reputation for excellence in lifesaving programs and is recognized as a thought leader in animal welfare.

General Description: Seeking a skilled people-person with a passion for animal welfare to build engagement around APA!’s lifesaving cause and draw the support from our highest-level individual donors, to ensure our mission can continue to flourish and grow. While always keeping in mind that meeting fundraising goals is imperative for APA!’s lifesaving mission, the focus for APA!’s Philanthropy team is on creating great, inspiring relationships with supporters.

The Philanthropy Director will work under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy and under the leadership of the Chief of Philanthropy, who sets the overall funding strategy for the organization. The Director will be a leader within a highly collaborative team of 11 staff members, each owning a specialized role; and will work alongside an equivalent Philanthropy Director responsible for the more marketing-based campaigns to engage a legion of APA! individual supporters.

This role will lead our programs for higher-level individual donors, those giving at the major- and mid-level. The Director will be responsible for a substantial portfolio of VIP donors and for meeting ambitious and growing funding goals for major gifts. The Director will also lead the overall program for high-level individual donors, by (1) taking the lead on donor prospecting, (2) planning and maintaining a donor pipeline, and (3) helping to create and maintain a comprehensive stewardship plan for all APA! supporters, collaborating on this with the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy and working in coordination with the Philanthropy Director responsible for lower-level donor segments. Last, the Philanthropy Director will manage the team members primarily responsible for the stewardship and cultivation of high-level individual donors. As APA! heads into the challenge of raising funds to purchase land and establish new facilities, this role will also have the opportunity to be integral to a capital campaign.

This position requires a self-starter, comfortable with being out in front in improving major gifts fundraising at APA!, motivated to seek out solutions to obstacles in the drive towards meeting funding goals, and who welcomes the challenge of change management as APA! dives deeper into its ongoing transformation from a grassroots organization to a national player in its field. The Director must be an effective communicator with the ability to speak to different audiences, and must be firmly committed to our lifesaving cause. This is a full-time position and requires some on-site work at Austin Pets Alive!’s Town Lake Animal Center Facility. The Philanthropy Director must live in the Austin area to enable engagement with the greater philanthropic community of our city.

APA! values the effect that diversity of thought, experience, and identity has on our organization.

Key Responsibilities
Portfolio Work

• Actively manage a substantial portfolio of VIP donors and prospective donors
• Build meaningful 1:1 relationships with APA!’s high-level supporters, focusing on creating engagement and a deep sense of community around our mission and ensuring the retention of major supporters
• Meet existing expectations for major gifts in the annual revenue budget while building the means for growth from this important class of gifts as well as for retaining existing donors
• Meet KPIs that are imperative for maintaining a healthy program for high-level gifts
• Create funding proposals and other written collateral necessary for the stewardship and cultivation of major gifts
• Maintain timely contact reports, stewardship tracking, and forecasting
• Prospect for new major donors, and work collaboratively with Philanthropy staff on building the major donor pipeline
• Attend networking events in the community (when possible) to cast the net wider for prospective donors
• Provide support to the CEO, Deputy Chief, Chief of Philanthropy, and board members in working with major donors, as needed

Planning and Process Management

• Maintain plans and create tools for organizing work around the overall monthly and annual goals for mid- and major gifts, leading the team members responsible for working with these donor segments in coordinating this work
• Lead on prospect planning to bring in new high-level donors, and on maintaining a higher-level donor pipeline aimed a steadily improving revenues from existing donors
• Work with the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy to plan and maintain a comprehensive stewardship plan
• Track and report on high-level gifts and donors; create monthly reports on progress in relationship-building, gifts, and pledges to share with the Director of Philanthropy and Chief of Philanthropy
• Oversee planning of major donor engagement gatherings and attend these events, along with attending fundraising events planned by our events team

People Management

• Manage two staff with primary responsibility for stewarding and cultivating higher-level donors and support them in their work with donor portfolios
• Create and manage KPIs; ensure staff who report to you are meeting activity and financial goals
• Maintain a great team dynamic on our highly collaborative team
• Manage up to the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy, maintaining close contact and ensuring the Deputy receives regular reports on progress

What kind of qualifications we are seeking:

• An authentic passion for animals and animal welfare
• An extrovert, who enjoys working with people; a networker, with a flair for meeting people, building relationships, and inspiring engagement
• 6 or more years’ fundraising experience, with previous responsibility for cultivating substantial individual gifts and meeting revenue goals
• Evidence of strategic ability in increasing revenues
• At least 2 year’s experience with substantial responsibility for major gifts
• Experience in the management of complex gifts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Organized and adept at managing projects and processes well
• Proven ability to manage people well
• Willing and able to take initiative and be proactive in independently managing projects
• Proven ability to work collaboratively
• Creative in managing projects on limited resources
• Driven to excel in meeting the needs of a mission-driven organization
• Ability to work with diverse groups
• Working proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite
• Experience in working with technology for managing philanthropy, such wealth assessment software, donor management systems, and CRMs
• Must be available to work evenings and weekends as needed, particularly to attend sponsored events or donor engagement gatherings
• Commitment to working courteously and cooperatively, with a focus on civility, with staff, volunteers, adopters and supporters, and to serving as a model of mature professionalism for the staff members you lead

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties.

TIME COMMITMENT: This is a full-time, exempt position and may include weekends and evenings to support program needs.

SALARY: $75,000-$85,000/year DOE

LOCATION(S):

• APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
• Remote (must live in Austin area)
• May travel to offsite locations as needed

BENEFITS
Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including up to 95% subsidy on employer sponsored medical coverage, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, supplemental benefits, subsidized pet insurance, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 6 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with a third week of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employee’s will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT

Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.

Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.

APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at job@austinpetsalive.org at least one week in advance of your interview.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year