Director Philanthropy

Why join our team?

At Canine Companions, we’re dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. As an employee, you’ll help provide independence to individuals, while also giving a dog a meaningful job. Our commitment to our mission is reflected in our equally strong dedication to our employees. 

Our Employee Benefits 

We believe in offering a comprehensive benefits package to ensure the well-being and growth of our team: 

• Employer-Paid Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits for staff 

• Paid Time Off: 14 paid holidays annually, including an Inclusion Holiday, plus 17 paid days off (PTO) during your first year 

• Retirement Savings: Employer-matched 403(b) retirement plan 

• Community Engagement: Additional paid hours to volunteer within your community 

• Employee Assistance & Wellness Programs: Support for both professional and personal well-being 

• Inclusion and Diversity Committee dedicated to ongoing efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace by setting actionable goals and evaluating progress  

Employee Testimonial 
“Working for an organization I love and fundraising for a mission I’m passionate about brings me joy every day. Our volunteers, donors and team members are guided by our core values in helping us carry out our life-changing mission every day. We are all on a meaningful journey to help people with disabilities live with greater independence, confidence, and joy.” 

— Senior Fundraising Team Member 

About the Position

The Director Philanthropy is responsible for contributing to the annual goals and the long-term regional fundraising plan and growing Canine Companions’ financial support through individual, foundation, and corporate gifts as well as special events. At the direction of the executive director, assists in providing leadership to the philanthropy team to oversee the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and development of local, regional, and national funding sources. Supports regional fund-raising events and related projects, chapter fundraising activities, and has responsibility for soliciting gifts $5,000 and above, including major gifts of $25,000 or more. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Develop Strategies: Collaborates with the executive director to develop and implement annual fundraising plan. Develops, implements and supports strategies that will offer sustainable short, intermediate and long-term growth in contributed income. 

• Donor Portfolio: Identifies and researches current and potential individual donors. Cultivates, solicits and stewards a portfolio of 125 qualified prospects in the $5,000 -$100,000 or more giving range with a focus on major gifts of $25,000 , and moving donors through the gift pipeline. Designs and implements effective tailored cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans for donor prospects in assigned portfolio, utilizing approved moves management practices. Documents moves management activities in a timely manner in the CRM. 

• Corporate & Foundations: In coordination with the executive director, identifies, cultivates and solicits corporate support at the local and regional level. Assists with cultivation and stewardship of national corporate donors. Builds relationships and solicits gifts from current and new foundation donors in collaboration with the region’s grants specialist. Serves as a liaison to foundation representatives and hosts campus visits. 

• Events: Participates in regional fundraising events including sponsorship and auction solicitation as well as assists with some logistical planning of these events. Leads the planning and execution of Heritage Society events, the Canine Companions estate gift recognition program. 

• Reporting & Metrics: Assists executive director in developing annual regional income and expense budgets for philanthropy projects and activities. Develops resources to meet anticipated income needs of the regional budget. Provides reports monthly or as directed by executive director on: fundraising activities, major gifts, grants and special events, public relations, chapter fundraising activity, priority contracts and other metrics as identified on the monthly dashboards. Ensures accurate records of all contacts are maintained in Salesforce CRM. Establishes and maintains correspondence records. Works with philanthropy and marketing staff to ensure regional philanthropy correspondence is consistent and accurate. 

Qualifications  

To be successful in this role, candidates should possess the following: 

Must Have:  

• Demonstrated prior success with face-to-face gift solicitations over $5,000, including major gifts of $25,000  

• Ability to balance competing priorities, adhere to deadlines and be flexible to accommodate new projects. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; motivating public speaker  

• Must have proven skills in successfully developing and implementing regional fundraising plans to achieve established goals.  

• Must identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major donors, and have the desire to work in across functional and collaborative environment. 

Nice to Have:  

• Minimum of 5 years of combined philanthropy leadership and fundraising experience in a non-profit environment 

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent experience 

• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification is a plus 

Compensation 

• Salary Range: $85,000-$91,000

Inclusion and Diversity Commitment  

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.  

The base salary range above represents the low and high of the range for this position. Actual salaries will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors, including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. 

Pursuant to local Fair Chance Ordinances, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

Accommodation Request 

If you need accommodations during the interview process, please let us know. We are committed to ensuring all applicants have equal access to the opportunity to succeed. 

Salary : $85,000 - $91,000