What are the responsibilities and job description for the Stewardship Advisor, Leadership Giving position at Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport?
THE OPPORTUNITY
This role is centered on relationships, strategy, and long-term impact.
You will work directly with business leaders, families, philanthropists, and community members across Fairfield County who are investing in the future of Catholic education. Your responsibility is to build trust, understand what matters to them, and help connect their generosity to meaningful outcomes for students and Catholic schools.
This is a portfolio-based major gifts role, responsible for growing and managing a portfolio of 125 to 150 leadership-level relationships. Gifts in this portfolio will have a target of $10,000, with a focus on six-figure to seven-figure commitments cultivated over time. Within two years, a strong performer in this role will raise $1 to $2 million annually, funding scholarships and school initiatives that directly change the lives of hundreds of students across Fairfield County.
Foundations in Education is growing. We are expanding fundraising capacity, strengthening operations, and building a more scalable and execution-oriented development organization. This role is ideal for someone who wants meaningful responsibility, enjoys building relationships, and thrives in a mission-driven but high-performance environment.
What You Will Own
This role is a strong fit for someone who has a genuine personal connection to the mission of the Catholic Church, builds trust naturally with high-capacity individuals, and takes ownership of outcomes rather than assigned tasks. You follow through consistently without needing heavy oversight, enjoy long-term relationship-driven work, and thrive in lean, collaborative, fast-moving environments.
You do not need traditional nonprofit experience to succeed here. Strong candidates may come from wealth management or private banking, relationship or account management, consulting or client services, business development, or fundraising and philanthropy.
Preferred Qualifications
Foundations in Education exists to ensure Catholic education across Fairfield County is both exceptional and accessible. Thousands of students depend on scholarship support to attend schools that would otherwise be out of reach. The gap between demand and available funding is real, and it is growing. The work of this role directly determines how many families can access a transformative Catholic education in the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Compensation & Benefits
This role is centered on relationships, strategy, and long-term impact.
You will work directly with business leaders, families, philanthropists, and community members across Fairfield County who are investing in the future of Catholic education. Your responsibility is to build trust, understand what matters to them, and help connect their generosity to meaningful outcomes for students and Catholic schools.
This is a portfolio-based major gifts role, responsible for growing and managing a portfolio of 125 to 150 leadership-level relationships. Gifts in this portfolio will have a target of $10,000, with a focus on six-figure to seven-figure commitments cultivated over time. Within two years, a strong performer in this role will raise $1 to $2 million annually, funding scholarships and school initiatives that directly change the lives of hundreds of students across Fairfield County.
Foundations in Education is growing. We are expanding fundraising capacity, strengthening operations, and building a more scalable and execution-oriented development organization. This role is ideal for someone who wants meaningful responsibility, enjoys building relationships, and thrives in a mission-driven but high-performance environment.
What You Will Own
- Manage and grow a portfolio of leadership-level donor relationships
- Lead donor conversations, meetings, follow-up, stewardship, and long-term cultivation strategies
- Build thoughtful engagement plans aligned to donor interests and organizational priorities
- Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts
- Maintain strong pipeline discipline, including CRM management, meeting preparation, and next-step execution
- Collaborate with leadership, communications, and operations teams to advance fundraising goals
- Help supporters understand the measurable impact of their philanthropy on students, families, and schools
This role is a strong fit for someone who has a genuine personal connection to the mission of the Catholic Church, builds trust naturally with high-capacity individuals, and takes ownership of outcomes rather than assigned tasks. You follow through consistently without needing heavy oversight, enjoy long-term relationship-driven work, and thrive in lean, collaborative, fast-moving environments.
You do not need traditional nonprofit experience to succeed here. Strong candidates may come from wealth management or private banking, relationship or account management, consulting or client services, business development, or fundraising and philanthropy.
Preferred Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in business, communications, marketing, political science, theology, liberal arts, nonprofit management, or a related field
- Experience managing relationships, accounts, clients, or portfolios with measurable goals
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- Comfort using CRM systems or similar tracking tools
- Familiarity with Catholic education, philanthropy, or mission-driven work is helpful, but not required
- A personal appreciation for the mission and values of Catholic education
Foundations in Education exists to ensure Catholic education across Fairfield County is both exceptional and accessible. Thousands of students depend on scholarship support to attend schools that would otherwise be out of reach. The gap between demand and available funding is real, and it is growing. The work of this role directly determines how many families can access a transformative Catholic education in the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary, commensurate with experience, with performance incentives tied to clear professional KPIs
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- 403(b) retirement plan, with employer contributions of 3% to 5% after the eligibility period