Director of Philanthropy at YMCA of Columbia Willamette

Portland, Oregon, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

17 Apr, 26

Salary

95000.0

Posted On

17 Jan, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Fundraising, Donor Relationship Building, Communication Excellence, Data Interpretation, Strategic Planning, Collaboration, Equity, Inclusion, Event Leadership, Grant Writing, Stewardship, Portfolio Management, CRM Management, Public Speaking, Research, Emotional Intelligence

Industry

Non-profit Organizations

Description

Description Director of Philanthropy YMCA of Columbia-Willamette Reports to: Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) Direct Reports: None Payscale: $75,000 to $95,000 FLSA Status: Exempt Location: Association Office (Portland, Oregon) / Hybrid, with regional connections and in-person meetings across Metro Portland and Southwest Washington Position Summary The Director of Philanthropy strengthens the sustainability and impact of the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette (YMCA-CW) by leading a disciplined, relationship-centered fundraising program. The Director manages individual giving, mid-level giving, corporate giving, donor communications, and fundraising events; supports the CEAO and CEO’s major gift work; and ensures clear, consistent donor experiences across all regions. This position owns the donor communications strategy, corporate giving strategy, stewardship frameworks, donor journeys for small and mid-level gifts, and the strategies, standards, and systems that support strong donor movement. The Director works closely with the CEAO to support major-gift strategy, regional philanthropy capacity-building, and portfolio governance. The Director partners with Marketing to ensure brand alignment, partners with Finance to maintain disciplined financial processes, and leads the operational rhythms of the philanthropy function. The Director works with the CEAO to prioritize workload, maintain sustainable expectations, and protect the role from administrative overextension by ensuring operational tasks flow appropriately to the Philanthropy Operations Specialist. The Director maintains high professionalism, clear communication, confidentiality, and diligent follow-through in service of a strong, equitable culture of philanthropy across the association. This role has significant influence over donor experience, fundraising priorities, and how philanthropy shows up across the association. WHO WE ARE: We’re an organization like no other. The YMCA is the leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community by empowering young people, improving the health and well-being of people of all ages and inspiring action in and across communities. The Y is a powerful association of men, women, and children of all ages and from all walks of life joined together by a shared passion: to strengthen the foundations of community. OUR MISSION: To put the Christian principles of love, respect, honesty, responsibility, and service into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. ABOUT THE YMCA OF COLUMBIA-WILLAMETTE: The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette is an equal opportunity employer committed to valuing diversity and practicing inclusion. The Y proudly serves as a hub of health and community engagement for individuals and families across six counties in the Portland metropolitan area and Southwest Washington with a population of 2.7 million. https://www.ymcacw.org/ EQUITY STATEMENT: Our Y is committed to treating everyone with dignity and empowering all to reach their full potential as we build thriving, inclusive communities. While we have not always lived up to that vision, our Y is on a journey toward creating an organization that fully embodies anti-racist, multi-cultural values and advances equity for all. Key Responsibilities Donor Relationships, Stewardship, and Individual Giving Strategy Leads cultivation, stewardship, and movement strategies for individual and mid-level donors, translating YMCA-CW’s mission and community impact into meaningful donor relationships. Manages a portfolio of individual and mid-level donors, with a focus on meaningful engagement, retention, and growth. Designs and advances donor journeys that reflect equity, belonging, and clear articulation of community impact. Uses donor data, reports, and insights to inform outreach, stewardship timing, and movement strategies, in partnership with the Philanthropy Operations Specialist. Reviews and relies on reports, dashboards, and lists prepared in partnership with the Philanthropy Operations Specialist to guide decision-making and leadership updates. Maintains accountability for the accuracy and integrity of donor data within their portfolio, escalating discrepancies or system issues as needed. Partners with Finance and the Philanthropy Operations Specialist to ensure donor intent, pledge commitments, and financial reporting align with YMCA-CW standards. Upholds confidentiality and professionalism in all donor records, communications, and leadership-facing materials. 2. Grants, Institutional Giving & Business Partnerships Cultivates and stewards corporate donors, workplace giving partners, and ongoing business sponsors. Develops a healthy pipeline of sponsorship prospects for programs, events, and association-wide initiatives. Owns corporate giving strategy, except for tier-one partnerships managed by the CEAO or CEO. Collaborates with regional leadership to identify and cultivate new business prospects. Ensures accurate donor tracking, stewardship, and reporting for all corporate relationships. Serves as the primary liaison to the external grant writer, coordinating timelines, deliverables, narrative development, and submission requirements. Leads the development and review of grant proposals in partnership with programs, Finance, and the external grant writer, ensuring alignment with YMCA-CW priorities and case for support. Reviews and approves all grant narratives, budgets, and data sources to ensure accuracy, equity, and consistency across funder communications. Oversees grant reporting by coordinating closely with Finance, programs, and the Philanthropy Operations Specialist to ensure narrative and financial components align. Ensures all grant proposals and reports reflect accurate donor/gift data, clear impact stories, and disciplined financial controls. 3. Donor Communications & Stewardship Leadership Owns the strategy and execution of all donor communications, including annual appeals, donor journeys, impact messages, and stewardship touchpoints. Ensures all communications reflect equity, inclusion, and clear articulation of community impact. Partners with Marketing for brand alignment, accessibility, and design support; however, the Director leads all donor messaging, segmentation, content creation, and communications timelines. Leads storytelling integration with the Philanthropy Operations Specialist and regional leaders. Creates communication calendars, messaging frameworks, and donor experience standards. Determines segmentation criteria for donor communications, campaigns, and events, ensuring alignment with equity standards and fundraising goals. Approves stewardship content drafted by the Philanthropy Operations Specialist to ensure message consistency, donor-intent alignment, and brand standards. Sets stewardship timing and priorities in partnership with the CEAO, ensuring consistent and meaningful donor journeys across the association. 4. Events & Campaign Leadership Leads fundraising strategy and revenue execution for association-wide fundraising events. Sets sponsorship goals, donor engagement plans, paddle raise strategies, and partnership tiers. Ensures events reflect the Y’s mission, equity commitments, and financial discipline. Sets strategic direction, while the Philanthropy Operations Specialist owns operational logistics, registration systems, vendor communication, and onsite execution. Leads and facilitates event-focused committees, ensuring clear agendas, defined roles, timely decision-making, and alignment with event revenue goals and YMCA-CW mission and equity commitments. Recruits and prepares committee members (staff, volunteers, board members) to support cultivation, sponsorship outreach, event planning, and mission storytelling. Supports the CEAO and CEO in securing pre-committed gifts and major event partners. 5. Portfolio Governance & Regional Philanthropy Support Supports the CEAO in defining portfolio tiers, regional roles, donor assignment structure, and movement expectations. Supports clarity, readiness, and donor movement in portfolios, including their own, but does not adjudicate portfolio disputes or ownership questions. Coaches regional leaders on donor engagement, story collection, and basic moves management. Provides regions with data, tools, message templates, and partnership materials. Helps maintain clarity between association-level fundraising, regional responsibilities, and major-gift strategies. 6. Data Governance, Standards, and Strategic Partnership with Operations Defines and upholds donor data standards, coding expectations, segmentation rules, and movement stage guidelines in partnership with the CEAO. Partners closely with the Philanthropy Operations Specialist, who owns day-to-day CRM operations, to ensure consistent data entry, clean lists, and reliable reporting across the association. Reviews CRM reports and dashboards to assess pipeline health, donor retention, stewardship completion, and fundraising performance. Uses data insights to inform fundraising strategy, identify risks, and support forecasting and planning. Maintains accountability for data quality within their portfolio while relying on established operational workflows and escalation protocols. Partners with IT, Finance, Operations, and the Philanthropy Operations Specialist to support CRM modernization efforts and association-wide adoption of consistent fundraising processes. Maintains strict confidentiality in all donor records and executive portfolios. 7. Major Gift Support for CEO & CEAO Identifies promising prospects for major-gift qualification. Prepares donor briefs, research summaries, cultivation plans, and follow-up documentation. Ensures all major-gift movement is accurately tracked and well-supported. Participates in cultivation and stewardship meetings as needed. Provides clean, accurate materials for the CEAO’s and CEO’s donor engagement priorities. Other duties as assigned Key Competencies Equity & Inclusion: Applies the Y’s equity commitments to donor engagement, stewardship, and communication. Designs donor experiences that reflect belonging for all. Donor Relationship Building: Builds authentic relationships with donors and corporate partners. Listens well, identifies motivations, and advances donors through clear engagement pathways. Strategic Planning & Execution: Develops and delivers annual giving, corporate partnership, event, and communications strategies. Prioritizes effectively and anticipates risks. Communication Excellence: Writes and speaks with clarity, accuracy, and mission alignment. Produces donor communications that are compelling, consistent, and data-informed. Collaboration & Influence: Works well across departments and regions. Influences without authority, brings people into alignment, and communicates expectations clearly. Data Interpretation & Decision Making: Uses CRM data and trends to guide strategy, spot opportunities, and adjust plans. Partners with the Specialist to ensure data supports good judgment. Judgement, Confidentiality, & Professionalism: Handles donor information, giving histories, and executive-level work with discretion, sound judgment, and high professionalism. Accountability & Follow-Through: Manages commitments reliably. Meets deadlines, delivers on plans, and ensures donors experience consistent, high-quality stewardship. First-Year Success Metrics Contribute to the association’s philanthropy goal with at least $400,000 in individual, corporate, and event revenue. Identify 12–15 new major gift prospects; qualify 6–10 for CEAO/CEO portfolios. Support closing 2–3 major gifts in partnership with CEAO/CEO. Deliver 100% on-time donor communications and stewardship cycles. Improve overall donor experience through consistent journeys and impact updates. Secure 5–8 new corporate partners. Establish stewardship plans for all existing corporate supporters. Surface at least one Tier 1 corporate prospect for CEO/CEAO cultivation. Contribute to event revenue. Maintain 95%+ donor data accuracy with clear coding and segmentation. Strengthen CRM workflows in partnership with the Philanthropy Operations Specialist. Build strong working relationships across regions, Marketing, Finance, and executive leadership. Delegate effectively to maintain strategic focus. Model clear communication, reliability, and a steady fundraising rhythm. Demonstrated improvement in cross-functional alignment, as reflected in partner feedback on clarity, communication, and consistency of philanthropy practices. Requirements Qualifications: A minimum of five-seven years' experience in individual, non-profit and/or corporate fundraising. At least three years’ experience in a lead development role. A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience is preferred. A minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience is preferred. Exceptional interpersonal, written, and oral communication in English. Experience using donor software (CRM), Daxko, Virtuous and familiarity with the MS Office Suite. The ability to build programs and partnerships in new, innovative ways to achieve targeted goals. Previous experience with public speaking and group presentations. Excellent research, evaluation, writing, and training skills. Knowledge of database management, grant reporting, and grant/contract administration. Strong emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and sensitivity to work with people from diverse backgrounds. The ability to travel locally, statewide, and nationally, including the occasional overnight and weekend. A genuine interest and enthusiasm for community development, social and economic justice, and working in a team environment.

Responsibilities

The Director of Philanthropy leads a disciplined, relationship-centered fundraising program, managing individual and corporate giving, donor communications, and fundraising events. This role ensures clear donor experiences and supports major gift strategies while maintaining high professionalism and confidentiality.