Job Description

Director of Major Gifts & Donor Development (LLS)

Posted on January 25, 2019

About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancer. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its foundation in 1949, LLS has invested more than $1.2 billion in groundbreaking research, pioneering many of today’s most innovative approaches to blood cancer treatment.

This is an extremely exciting time in the organization’s history, with decades of investment in scientific research coming to fruition. Thanks in large part to LLS funding, the FDA has approved dozens of new treatments for blood cancers in the last two years, vastly outpacing previous years. In enabling daily medical advancements, LLS is saving lives and realizing the vision for a world free of blood cancer.

About the Director of Donor Development Opportunity

LLS has had long success with campaign-driven fundraising. Now the organization is increasingly recognizing the value of investing in a more decentralized chapter-driven model of cultivating individual donor relationships. The Silicon Valley / Monterey Bay (SVMB) Chapter is one of 8 innovative LLS chapters nationally to benefit from this deployment of greater donor development resources to augment its fundraising strategy. Furthermore, the SVMB Chapter’s Board of Trustees is recognized as one of the strongest in the country in terms of its support to fundraising activities. This translates to a collaborative and entrepreneurial atmosphere, with the opportunity to work strategically with the Chapter ED while being creative in designing your own operational formula for success.

Based in San Jose with access to one of the strongest potential donor pipelines in the LLS network, the Director of Donor Development will play a critical role in expanding the development function at LLS SVMB. The Director will report to the Chapter Executive Director and lead a team consisting of both a development manager and associate. The role includes frequent travel within the Chapter’s geography and occasional travel to Rye Brook, NY.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes annual and multi-year development plans for the SVMB Chapter’s Donor Development fundraising, in close collaboration with ED, National Director of Philanthropy, and other Chapter staff
• Accountable for achieving or exceeding the Chapter’s Donor Development revenue target annually ($700,000 for current fiscal year), with year-over-year growth, and for managing to Donor Development expense target
• Develops and implements a written, time- and revenue-based plan for research, identification, cultivation, proposal development, solicitation, and stewardship of individual, corporate, and foundation major gifts
• Leads focused growth in Major Gifts area, partnering closely with the Chapter ED, National Director of Philanthropy, and Chapter Board and staff
• Serves as primary staff liaison for individuals and foundations for solicitation, cultivation, and stewardship purposes
• Maintains his/her own portfolio of assigned major donors and prospects, develops solicitation and moves management plans, and personally makes solicitations over $25,000 in a range based upon the SVMB Chapter’s pipeline and potential
• Works with ED and National Director of Philanthropy to ensure the use of best practices for moves management and measuring and motivating staff members’ performance
• Collaborates with national headquarters development staff to identify and maximize fundraising opportunities
• Identifies and qualifies new prospects through personal outreach, collaboration with other Chapter staff, and volunteer engagement
• Serves as the primary staff liaison for the Board’s Philanthropy Committee
• Orients new Board members to their fundraising responsibilities and ensures that they receive the support they need to be successful volunteer fundraisers
• Serves as the Donor Development business to other departments within the Chapter, facilitating prospect identification and collaboration on complex accounts
• Motivates, manages and develops talent of assigned staff

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required
• Minimum 7-10 years of major gifts fundraising leadership experience within a charitable organization, 3 years of supervisory experience, and experience personally soliciting $100,000+ individual gifts
• Proactive development leadership with an established track record of increasing philanthropic revenue from diverse constituencies
• Experience in the development and implementation of a broad-based fundraising program, including personally opening doors, cultivating donors, and successfully closing major gifts
• Significant expertise with the SVMB Chapter’s funding community highly desirable
• Progressive experience in successful development programs and knowledge of “best practices” in development
• Computer skills including MS Office Suite and database programs

How to Apply

LLS has retained Schaffer&Combs, a certified B Corporation, to support this high-priority search. In order to apply, please submit an updated resume and thoughtful cover letter that outlines how your skills and experiences meet the qualifications of the position to this link .

Please refrain from contacting LLS directly; all inquiries should be directed to Schaffer&Combs at LLS-DDD@schaffercombs.com . We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis.

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