Senior Director, Philanthropy

The Senior Director, Philanthropy is joining our growing Development team to support a comprehensive development plan to broaden our base of support, diversify revenue streams, realize and ultimately exceed fundraising goals, and contribute to designing and implementing team structures and systems. The Sr. Director, Philanthropy cultivates and manages a pipeline of current and prospective foundation investors, as well as the systems, protocols, and coordination essential to stewarding and growing this primary base of support. The Sr. Director, Philanthropy works in partnership with other Development Team members and colleagues across the organization to develop and achieve annual fundraising goals.

The position reports to the Chief External Affairs Officer and supervises the Senior Associate and Associate members of the development team. Elevates headquarters is based in Chicago, Illinois, this position is fully remote.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage a diverse pipeline of donors by identifying, researching, and qualifying prospective investors.
Partner with team members to write, research and submit proposals and reports.
Oversee the coordination of tracking deadlines and meeting deliverables.
Work with development team counterparts to develop and lead the execution of a comprehensive foundation fundraising program, with an emphasis on securing unrestricted grants, funding for prioritized existing, underfunded and new projects and programs, and new donors—while retaining, and growing, existing foundation support.
Work with development team counterparts and across the external affairs division to develop and implement a strategic plan for increasing Elevate’s visibility among funders nationwide.
Collaborate with the development, programs and national strategy teams to support the multiple funding type needs of various Elevate programs and projects.
Craft compelling frames and narratives for Elevate’s work—collaborating closely with communications, program and projects and finance staff to develop general and issue-specific program proposals, reports, and related budgets and expense reports.
Manage a portfolio of foundation funders—including key existing and prospective donors—on a range of racial, climate and environmental justice and economic justice issues.
Appropriately leverages the contacts and involvement of the Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and colleagues across the organization to engage with foundation prospects.
Participate in industry collaboratives and committees to develop and maintain relationships, enhance knowledge of new opportunities, technologies and issues, to keep Elevate on the cutting edge and well informed about emerging opportunities.
Lead and direct prospect research and the effective use of contact management systems and processes to oversee foundation donor acknowledgements and to track pertinent donor and prospect information, including data entry, research, and analytic reporting.
Work in partnership with the finance, programs and the national strategy teams, and development team counterparts to develop annual fundraising goals for foundation revenue; and implement annual cultivation and stewardship plans to increase revenue from foundation funders.
Manage foundation grant and contract opportunities across all programmatic areas and create opportunities to secure general support from foundation investors.
Manage internal foundation revenue protocols, calendars, dashboards, and communications channels to ensure timely and accurate deliverables.
Collaborate with team leaders to ensure compelling, timely concept notes and proposals to foundation funders to increase the organization’s impact and financial resilience.
Work closely with development team counterparts to engage and support organizational and programmatic leaders in identifying prospective new funders and ensure that key internal stakeholders have the information and support they need to methodically cultivate relationships and secure funding.
Work with counterparts across the development team to build, maintain, coordinate, and evaluate internal systems to support an organizational culture of philanthropy and accountability.
Provide leadership to and supervise the work of the development team’s Senior Associate and Associate positions as identified in those job descriptions.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

At least ten (10+) years of relevant experience, including at least seven (7+) years of experience in fund development roles with increasing responsibilities, including staff supervision, at mission-driven nonprofit organizations or in a comparable business development or advocacy environment
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as key strategies toward broad-based institutional excellence, representing a range of perspectives, thoughts, and actions
Stellar verbal and written communication skills with demonstrable success creating compelling proposals to secure grant funding
Excellent relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders, including funders, organizational leaders, and team members at all levels of the organization
Ability to work in an agile, fast-paced environment, with flexibility on work hours during rapid response moments
Demonstrates calm under pressure, capacity to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
Demonstrated commitment to and passion for racial and economic justice
Previous experience with donor databases and/or CRMs, particularly Salesforce, a plus
Previous program design, implementation, and/or evaluation experience, a plus

Organization Description

We design and implement programs that reduce costs, protect people and the environment, and ensure the benefits of clean and efficient energy use reach those who need them most.

At Elevate, the greatest asset of our organization is the kind of people we attract. Elevate employees co-create our energetic and collaborative environment, where constant learning and service to others take priority. We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of innovation and we seek dynamic, hardworking team members who are inspired to work with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Every day we make a difference by placing our team, clients, and community partners first. From our mission to our focus on staff wellbeing and career development opportunities, there’s no better place to grow your career than Elevate.

Compensation

The total compensation for this position includes health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, etc.), defined contribution benefit (401k with contribution), professional development, generous paid time off policies, and a flexible schedule. This is an exempt individual contributor position with a salary range of $125,000 – $135,000 based on experience.

Anti-Discrimination Policy

Elevate is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, termination, promotion, transfer, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

ADA Accommodation

Elevate will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace, and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation, or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to Elevate. Contact the People Team with any questions or requests for accommodations.

To Apply

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume through our candidate portal at https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/. Search for “Senior Director, Philanthropy” to find the position listing.

Please note that Elevate will only contact candidates via an elevatenp.org email address. We will never ask a candidate for payment of any kind as part of the hiring or onboarding process or send payment to any candidate prior to completing the hiring and onboarding process.

No phone calls please.