Director of Major Gifts

WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY

Purpose. You’ll be doing rewarding work that supports and empowers girls. 

Community. Be a part of an amazing team (staff and supporters!) who are passionate about our mission. 

Work you’ll love. A creative and collaborative environment where we value your unique skills and insights.

Our impact is growing. VOW for Girls believes that celebrations of love can change the world, and you can be part of the growing team making that happen.  

Totally remote — work from anywhere in the United States.

WHO WE ARE

VOW for Girls believes that celebrations of love – weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and more – can be a catalyst for supporting girls whose futures, educations, and choices are at risk. This year alone, more than 12 million girls are at risk of child marriage, threatening their ability to own their futures. We invite individuals, couples, event professionals, brand leaders, and others to invest in the power, voice, and choice of girls everywhere. In doing so, we’re bringing much-needed funding and resources to effective yet underfunded community programs around the world that are in need of investment to engage young girls, helping them to stay in school, avoid child marriage, and have opportunities to thrive. VOW for Girls was founded in late 2018 by global human rights activist Mabel van Oranje and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.

JOB DESCRIPTION 

VOW is seeking a Director of Major Gifts to fully build out and lead our operational fundraising pipeline. Reporting to the Vice President of Fundraising, the Director of Major Gifts will develop and manage an active portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and foundation stakeholders, with a special emphasis on maximizing unrestricted revenue and core support for the organization’s operations. The Director will model best practices around prospect/donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies, and foster a collaborative, innovative approach to engaging and upgrading funders over time. 

The Director will design strategies for positioning VOW within foundation portfolios, demonstrating business value, and identifying opportunities for shared impact. They will be able to see the long-term vision for the organization and are able to develop a comprehensive, innovative, and actionable strategic plan for VOW’s development department with a focus on raising millions to support VOW’s operations. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Operational Revenue Generation & Relationship Management:

-- Establish annual and long-range funding goals and benchmarks for a managed portfolio of individuals and foundations, maximizing unrestricted revenue from the portfolio while modeling best-in-class, innovative approaches to pipeline development and funder management.

-- Synthesize VOW’s campaigns, initiatives, and projects into clear, compelling proposals and reports for individuals and foundations that serve to communicate VOW’s effectiveness as a global movement builder, strongly making the case for unrestricted/core support.

-- Support the involvement of the CEO and other VOW staff and Board members in high-level, high-touch individual and foundation solicitations and relationship management with briefing materials, agendas, background research, and appropriate follow-up.

-- Facilitate the involvement of VOW’s Board and Advisory Council members in relationship-building and relationship-management activities as required and appropriate.

Data Management:

--Monitor and report on all key performance metrics (including financials), providing updates and insights to internal stakeholders to ensure alignment and pacing toward targets and goals.

--Oversee maintenance of CRM records to develop and maintain relevant knowledge management processes that contribute to comprehensive tracking of, and reporting on, VOW’s individual and foundation stakeholders.

--Lead the organization to be more data-driven in its approach to fundraising 

ROLE QUALIFICATIONS

--7+ years of high-net-worth individual and foundation development/fundraising experience and a proven track record of closing multiple six- and seven-figure gifts.

--Experience meeting and exceeding ambitious team and personal revenue goals and performance indicators, as well as participating in financial projections, reporting, and scenario planning.

--Proven ability to define and implement critical near-term and long-term revenue generation strategies concurrently.

--Experience leading complex funder relationship development and management strategies in a global context: experience of philanthropy, foundation, and/or corporate relations in North America essential; experience of donor engagement, solicitation, and management in other important funder markets relevant to VOW would be useful (e.g., UK, Europe).

--Ability to lead on translating broad organizational vision and strategies into specific objectives and operational delivery plans while being able to respond quickly to changes in short-term priorities.

--Your experience demonstrates an intuitive understanding of how large organizations work and an ability to quickly speak the language of different companies across various sectors and industries.

---Equally comfortable in both strategy and execution with a high-quality standard and the ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying attention to details. 

--Active leader at the company-wide level, sharing knowledge and interest in emerging concepts and practices in the field of strategic philanthropy and/ or foundation relations, and are able to identify philanthropic sector trends and opportunities to inform VOW’s approach to external stakeholder engagement.

--Incredible communicator. You have strong, persuasive, and compelling interpersonal skills with superior written and oral communication and presentation abilities, including experience speaking to and writing for sophisticated individual philanthropists and foundation executives.

--You want to help build an organization, taking VOW from an early-stage startup to a global philanthropic initiative. You thrive in fast-paced, ambitious environments. You work hard and you have fun while you do it.

--You have a passion for gender equality and girls’ rights coupled with the spirit and drive of a social entrepreneur. 

--Exceptional judgment and emotional intelligence. You’re a careful listener and can read the room. You demonstrate personal integrity and dedication.

--You are prepared to travel on occasion.

--Bachelor’s Degree required

BENEFITS

VOW offers a generous benefits package, including:

Generous and flexible PTO in addition to 14 paid holidays, as well as personal and sick leave

100% medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and 50% for family

401K match of 1% that vests immediately

12 weeks paid parental leave (available after 6 months of employment)

Home office setup stipend

Funding for professional development opportunities 

The ability to work from wherever in the U.S. is best for you

Quarterly in-person gatherings of the full VOW team 

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this role is $90,000-$125,000. This range is for illustrative purposes only and salary offers are commensurate with experience.

LOCATION

Location is flexible within the U.S. VOW for Girls is based in New York City, and we are open to candidates who are located near a major airport and willing to travel as needed.  

HOW TO APPLY

Apply on our site with your resume and cover letter telling us why you’d be an exceptional candidate for this role. Please note that you must have the right to work for your location prior to your first day.

DON’T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?

We still encourage you to apply! Studies show that women, non-binary applicants, and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. However, at VOW for Girls, our diverse backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and talents help us thrive.

VOW is committed to racial equity and social justice and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We actively seek applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities to provide a wide range of perspectives, ideas, views, and insights into the strategy, policies, culture, and ambitions of VOW for Girls. 

Due to the high volume of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.