Vice President of Major Gifts

The Vice President of Major Gifts at United Way of Central Alabama plays a crucial leadership role in driving fundraising efforts and cultivating strong relationships with individual donors and major gift contributors. The role is responsible for managing a team of fundraisers focused on identifying, cultivating, and expanding individual, family, and private foundation gifts. The position oversees the United Way’s Tocqueville Society ($10,000+ annually). Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Resource Development, this position serves as a key member of the Resource Development Team. This person must have the ability to lead others and communicate with a diverse set of stakeholders in a professional manner. The successful candidate will be flexible, self-motivated and able to work both independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities: 

Fundraising Strategy Development: 

Collaborate with the Senior Vice President of Resource Development and Chief Executive Officer to set fundraising targets, monitor progress, and evaluate outcomes. 

Develop and implement strategic plans for major gifts fundraising initiatives in alignment with organizational goals and priorities. 

Identify potential new donors and funding opportunities to expand and diversify United Way’s revenue stream. 

Develop strategies to generate growth in major individual and family giving. 

Work with the Marketing & Communications team to create development materials, tools, and other necessary collateral supporting major gifts fundraising efforts. 

Tocqueville Society

 Oversee various giving programs within the Tocqueville Society, such as Stephens and Dunne Circles and the Million Dollar Roundtable. 

Coordinate the cultivation and solicitation of appropriate individual workplace donors with staff assigned to specific organizations. 

Oversee Tocqueville Society program components to provide meaningful experiences related to the United Way mission throughout the year. 

Develop and execute targeted solicitation plans, engagement strategies, and recognition platforms to maximize donor participation, retention, and revenue generation across these programs.

 Major Gifts and Donor Cultivation: 

Cultivate and maintain relationships with individual donors, families, private foundations, and other major gift prospects to secure significant contributions in support of United Way of Central Alabama’s mission and programs. 

Establish and implement the infrastructure needed to grow the solicitation of major gifts. 

Personally steward a portfolio of major donors, ensuring regular communication, cultivation, and engagement. 

Work closely with board members and senior leadership to identify and involve key stakeholders in donor cultivation efforts.
Implement robust stewardship practices to recognize and steward donors, ensuring their continued engagement and investment in the organization.

 Identify and research potential new donors, including individuals, families, and foundations, interested in supporting the organization's endowment. 

Nurture strong relationships that develop the knowledge and understanding of each donor or prospect’s background. Create a personalized, tailored approach for each donor. 

Volunteer Management 

Recruit and support the volunteer leadership team responsible for soliciting and cultivating Tocqueville and major gifts. This includes training, committee support, and solicitation. Management of the Tocqueville Cabinet, ensuring volunteers have what they need to recruit and engage current and potential members. 

Team Leadership and Development: 

Recruit, train, and mentor a high-performing team of fundraisers focused on annual giving and major gift strategies.

 Provide ongoing coaching, support, and professional development opportunities to team members to enhance their fundraising skills and performance.

 Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that encourages creativity and innovation in fundraising strategies. 

Conduct annual performance evaluations and professional development planning for team members. 

Budget and Resource Management:

 With the Senior Vice President of Resource Development, develop and manage the department's budget, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently to achieve fundraising targets. Monitor fundraising metrics and regularly report progress to the Senior Vice President of Resource Development, Campaign and Tocqueville Society volunteers, and Chief Executive Officer. 

Collaborative Partnerships: 

Collaborate with divisions within Resource Development to align fundraising efforts. 

Collaborate with various departments within the organization to align fundraising efforts with programmatic initiatives and community impact goals.

 Work with Marketing and Communications teams to create compelling fundraising materials and donor communications. 

Donor Database Management: Oversee the accurate and timely recording of donor information in the organization's database. Utilize data and analytics to track and evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising strategies and make data-driven decisions to optimize fundraising efforts.

Knowledge/Skills:
• Knowledge of and experience with the Central Alabama philanthropic community desired.
• Strong leadership presence, professional demeanor, excellent organizational, project management, and time management skills. Self-motivated and creative.
• Ability to use data to inform and enhance strategy -- results orientation, goal oriented.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment characterized by donor relations, process management, and collaboration.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to strategically engage and inspire donors around giving opportunities.
• Outstanding written communication skills—for proposal preparation, communications with donors, and reports—and oral communication skills for individual and group interactions and presentations.
• Ability to set expectations, establish priorities and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced development department.
• Excellent collaborator and team member, able to work well with individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.

Education:
• A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent is required, advanced degree or credential in the field preferred.

Experience:
• Ten or more years of professional work experience, with five or more years of previous experience in a fundraising, development, or sales capacity.
• Five or more years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated skill and comfort in building relationships with board members, major donors, corporate executives, and community leaders.
• Experience giving presentations, staff and volunteer management, CRM/database management, and budgeting and fiscal management.