Director of Major Gifts, Humane Rescue Alliance

Humane Rescue Alliance

Director of Major Gifts

Compensation band: $90K - $100K

About Humane Rescue Alliance

The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) is an advocate for animals, and the joy and mutual enrichment that emanate from the human-animal bond. We support the connection between people and pets to save more lives and keep families together and are focused on being a pet resource center for our communities. At the heart of our work is a commitment to keeping people and pets together and ensuring that everyone who wants a pet is able to have (and keep!) one. At the Humane Rescue Alliance, we honor more than 150 years of commitment to protecting animals, supporting families, and advocating for positive change to create a world where all animals can thrive. HRA serves as a national leader and local champion for all animals.

Through a community-centric approach that uplifts animals and people, HRA creates community gathering spaces where people can access critical support services tailored to their individual pet and family needs. Through the provision of low and no-cost veterinary care, distribution of pet food and supplies, counseling, training classes, temporary boarding and collaboration with area human services providers, we believe we are building the future of animal welfare.

With a focus on both the needs of today and the vision for tomorrow, HRA has crafted a strategy combined of brick-and-mortar facilities, mobile services, field veterinarian teams, and pop-up events to provide pet food and supplies, affordable and accessible veterinary care, and training services to keep families together.

HRA operates in Washington, DC and Madison, NJ, has an annual operating budget of $22M and a dedicated and committed staff of 200 and 1,800 volunteers.

About the Position

HRA is seeking a Director of Major Gifts to join the talented development department and play a key role in supporting the new community-centric approach across the Washington, DC and northern NJ regions. The Director of Major Gifts will report to the Chief Development Officer and work closely with the Chief Executive Officer, and members of the Board of Directors. Leading a team of two—Major Gifts Officer and Major Gifts Program Manager—and joining a dynamic development team of six, the new leader will be responsible for managing the team to reach ambitious goals and cultivating and managing a $5M portfolio of major donors ($10K+) and principal gifts ($250K+) centering authenticity and trust in each interaction, and ensuring ongoing stewardship, care, and engagement with each donor.

The Director of Major Gifts serves as a lead frontline fundraiser in Washington, DC and Madison, NJ. They will focus their efforts on HRA’s mission with the goal of maximizing donor engagement to cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors. This role is hybrid and requires travel between the organization’s DC and NJ markets.

This is a unique opportunity for a creative, passionate major gifts leader to join a collaborative and dynamic team and contribute to incredible impact. The ideal candidate is a deeply relationship centered individual with a passion for human, animal and community well-being, and a record of leading and working through growth and change.

Key responsibilities:

Major Gift Fundraising

• In close partnership with the Chief Development Officer, maintain an awareness of the HRA strategy as well as an active body of knowledge on the HRA mission, programs, activities, and evolving priorities
• Collaborate with and support the Chief Development Officer, Chief Executive Officer, and member of the Board of Directors to cultivate relationships with donors resulting in major and principal gifts
• Develop and implement cultivation strategies for a portfolio of 50-100 individuals with the capacity to make major gifts, nurturing relationships through personalized communications, meetings, and engagement opportunities that align with HRA organizational priorities and values
• Lead the solicitation process for major gifts, including developing authentic asks, proposals, presentations, and special opportunities aligned with donor interests and HRA priorities
• Design and oversee an annual calendar and timeline of activities and events to ensure plans and processes are managed effectively
• Develop compelling collateral to be shared with donors and potential donors that share powerful stories of HRA impact
• Negotiate gift agreements and terms with donors
• Serve as an effective and enthusiastic ambassador and representative for HRA

Team Management

• Actively participate in department meetings to ensure ongoing trust and teambuilding as well as to foster a sense of idea generation, creativity, and cooperation among the development team and across the organization
• Thoughtfully manage two direct reports and ensure team goals are met/exceeded and that professional growth opportunities are tailored to each team member
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date donor records in the HRA system, and that all interactions, proposals and gift agreements are recorded in accordance with HRA policies and procedures
• Develop systems to support the team and facilitate effective cultivation and stewardship
• Collaborate and proactively partner across the organization to build and sustain the culture of philanthropy across HRA
• Develop, implement, and manage a metrics-based strategy for evaluating and advancing team wide stewardship and solicitation plans

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, a deep understanding of the non-profit community and a minimum of eight years of experience in development, with a strong record of securing six and seven figure gifts
• Authentic support for the mission of HRA
• Record of success raising major gifts from a variety of individuals
• Success managing a small team to meet and exceed goals in an open, collaborative, and cooperative manner
• Experience with developing and implementing performance metrics to guide the team and ensure success
• Strong communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate internally and represent HRA externally
• Strong listening skills and a record of accomplishment cultivating and building lasting relationships with a variety of individuals
• Record of strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and meeting deadlines

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation band for this position is $90K - $100K. The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) offers a comprehensive benefits package including healthcare, vision, dental and select offerings for pets. Additional information may be provided upon request.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Regularly sits at a computer station and operates electronic equipment.
• Ability to be comfortable working with cats, dogs, small animals, reptiles, fish, and wildlife.

HRA is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate because of race, color, creed, gender, religion, national origin, disability, age, pregnancy, genetic predisposition or carrier status, marital status, citizenship status, or sexual orientation. Accommodation will be provided to qualified individuals requiring them.