Overview:
Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) is seeking a dynamic and experienced development professional to add to their senior management team. You will help lead the fundraising efforts for transformational gifts of $10K+ and build a future where animal welfare is reimagined.
Arizona Animal Welfare League is the largest and oldest no-kill shelter in the state of Arizona. With an annual combined budget of approximately $6 million, AAWL is a private shelter (w/o any government contracts) devoted to providing excellent care, protection, and loving compassion for the life of the animals entrusted to us. To achieve our mission, we manage adoption, behavior, foster, medical and volunteer programs.
Your Role:
The Director of Philanthropy (DoP) is a member of the senior management team and reports directly to the President/CEO. You will lead a four-person team that includes a Donor Relations Manager, Development Coordinator, and contract grant writer.
Working closely with the President/CEO, the Director of Philanthropy is primarily responsible for planning, supervising, and executing AAWL’s major gifts program ($10k+ gifts) and developing complementary fundraising and donor cultivation plans for each donor or prospect.
AAWL’s budgeted fund-raising goal for FYE 2024 ending December 31, 2024, is $5.0 million, with the majority of that income coming from individual donors. Our goal is to hire a Director of Philanthropy who can lead efforts to grow those annual donations substantially over the next five years.
In addition, the Director of Philanthropy will oversee other revenue-generating efforts: including corporate, planned and workplace giving, grants, direct mail appeals and events. Finally, the Director of Philanthropy will work closely with the CEO, key volunteers and campaign counsel to successfully implement a $5-$10 million campaign over the next 2–3 years to raise funds for key programs focused on keeping pet families together.
Your Responsibilities:
- Develop and drive a comprehensive annual work plan that utilizes metrics for success in cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major donors.
- Collaborate with the President/CEO to solicit five-, six- and seven-figure annual and planned gifts through face-to-face meeting with donors and prospects.
- Build and manage a portfolio of approximately 240 donors, including shared assignments with CEO.
- Maximize relationships with current donors to build a foundation for sustainability and donor retention.
- Develop a planned giving strategy, including identifying prospects, creating engagement opportunities and leading discussions with donors about how to fulfil their legacy through a planned gift to AAWL.
- Drive foundation and corporate grant relationships in partnership with a contract grant writer to submit proposals and reports that fulfil the mutually beneficial goals of the funder and AAWL.
- Mentor, support and advance the skills of the Donor Relations Manager and Development Coordinator for success in achieving annual fund-raising goals.
- Oversee fundraising practices, procedures, and systems, including data management, donation tracking, gift and donor recognition, gift processing/acknowledgement and reporting.
Your Qualifications:
You will thrive in this role if:
- You have a strong leadership presence and are a persuasive and passionate communicator.
- You have the desire to initiate and build meaningful and genuine relationships.
- You have strong self-motivation and discipline to set and exceed goals.
- You have a thorough understanding of fundraising best practices.
- You thrive cultivating, soliciting and inspiring donors to make an impact through their own philanthropy.
- You are passionate about re-envisioning the role of animal shelters to expand community support for affordable, accessible veterinary care and keeping animals in their homes.
- You have unwavering ethics and integrity.
Your professional experience includes:
- At least five (5) years of success building a major gifts program, including a proven track record of identifying, soliciting, closing, and stewarding major donors with the capacity for 5+ figure gifts.
- Successful implementation of pipeline development activities, acquiring new donors and advancing current annual donors into major gift levels.
- Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory experience, including the ability to motivate, lead, set objectives and foster an environment of collaboration, innovation, humility and professional growth.
- Proficiency in understanding moves management and the necessary documentation, discipline and experience to utilize a CRM for greatest efficiencies. Razor’s Edge CRM experience preferred, but not required.
- Some knowledge of or experience with capital campaigns.
- Growing a planned giving program through ongoing marketing and individual donor strategies.
- A strong work ethic and the ability to interact effectively with staff, volunteers, and community members.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills to a diverse range of audiences.
- Recognizing and handling emotionally charged animal rescue circumstances.
Your Education includes:
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
- CFRE preferred but not required.
- Additional related courses or professional training welcomed.
Your Compensation & Benefits:
- AAWL offers compensation that is commensurate with experience and competitive with non-profit and animal welfare salaries.
- The range for this position is between $90,000 and $107,500.
- Benefits include
- 100% employer-paid medical insurance
- employer-paid premiums for life insurance
- generous paid vacation/sick time off
- 12 paid holidays per year
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that includes counseling visits, in-person/virtual capability, personal coaching sessions, and wellness app.
Your Work environment:
- This is a full-time, exempt position based in Phoenix. In-office work and in-person donor engagement is required. However, we can accommodate occasional work from home, depending on tasks and meetings.
- Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when necessary to represent AAWL, accommodate donor availability and attend community events.
- Occasionally working in kennel environments with dogs & cats of many sizes & temperaments.
About Us:
Founded in 1971, the Arizona Animal Welfare League is the largest and oldest no-kill shelter in the state of Arizona. We started as a small sanctuary for homeless animals and have grown over the past 53 years to become a statewide animal welfare organization providing a full range of community services from adoptions and behavioral support to low-cost veterinary services.
Our staff includes 55 full-time staff members and 27 part-time employees. We pride ourselves in leveraging the time and talents of over 450+ volunteers and 250+ fosters who help with all aspects of shelter operations.
Our long-term organizational goal is to raise critical resources to generate transformational gifts to support AAWL’s strategic goals. As part of our five-year strategic plan, AAWL is focused on building a culturally competent, community-based veterinary medicine program that provides affordable, accessible veterinary care to underserved pet owners living in East Maryvale, a vibrant, multi-cultural community near downtown Phoenix. We also plan to expand our shelter intervention efforts to help pet owners keep their pets in their homes and out of the shelter system. To learn more about the work of AAWL, visit: https://aawl.org/.
Diversity:
AAWL believes that a diverse staff is necessary to achieve the vision of our work. We encourage applications from candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our workforce across a range of dimensions. Arizona Animal Welfare League will not discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status any other category protected by federal, state and local laws.
Disclaimer:
The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the Director of Philanthropy. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of the Director of Philanthropy position nor is it to be interpreted as a contract for employment. AAWL reserves the right to revise the responsibilities or to require other or different tasks to be performed at any time.
For More Information, Visit: aawl.org/ |
