Director of Philanthropy

Island Institute is searching for a Director of Philanthropy – Individual Giving.  We are looking for a candidate who is passionate about Island Institute’s mission and able to contribute to the organization by growing philanthropic revenue from individual donors, family foundations, and corporate giving.  The Director works as an integral member of the philanthropy team, meeting both individual and team fundraising goals in Annual Giving, Major Gifts and Corporate Giving.

Headquartered in Rockland, Maine, Island Institute is a leading community development organization dedicated to navigating climate and economic changes with Maine’s island and coastal communities, expanding opportunities, and delivering effective solutions. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and creativity, driven by a vision where Maine’s island and coastal communities thrive in a rapidly changing world, serving as models of innovation. We are steadfast in our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, applying these principles to strengthen both our organization and the communities we serve. 

This position is based in Rockland, and the Director is expected to work out of Island Institute offices at least five days per month for teambuilding and in-person meetings.  The Director of Philanthropy reports to the Chief Philanthropy and Marketing Officer.

Key responsibilities include the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of a portfolio of individual donors with the capacity to make five-to seven-figure gifts, towards the attainment of the organization’s annual and long-range fundraising goals.  In addition, the Director plays a critical role in overseeing the solicitation and stewardship activities of the Annual Giving and Major Gifts efforts.

Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of ten years fundraising experience, with three in major gifts.
  
• Proven experience cultivating relationships, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of individual donors with the capacity to give at the five-to seven-figure level.
• Proven experience as both an individual solicitor as well as with leadership/staff to secure major gifts to meet quantified fundraising goals.
  
• Proven success and experience leading a team of professionals, including direct supervision of employees.  
• Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills; able to speak about the organization’s work in an articulate, professional, and compelling manner.
• Experience building and managing effective teams, including running effective meetings that meet clearly identified objectives. 
• Strong writing skills; able to effectively convey the organization’s mission, priorities, and programs in a variety of formats (solicitation letters, gift proposals, and reports)
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgment in making independent decisions on matters of significance to the philanthropy team’s ability to execute its fundraising goals.
• A team player committed to working in a collaborative environment.
• Highly organized and able to meet firm deadlines.
• Proficiency in Salesforce or a similar database, including data entry for actions and moves management.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Proficiency in Zoom or similar cloud-based video communication technology
• Ability to work extended hours, events, and weekends, as needed.
• Ability to travel to off-site locations, including by boat and plane.

Qualifications Desired:

• Three to five years’ experience as a major gift officer.
• Experience supporting major gifts during a multi-year fundraising campaign.
• Experience developing major gift proposals.
• Experience supporting and leading a team of solicitors, including staff and volunteers.
• Experience developing a pipeline of individual donor prospects, from identification to solicitation, from annual giving to planned giving.
• Knowledge of coastal and island communities of Maine.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Works with the team to distribute donors and prospects across portfolios, including assignments outside of the philanthropy team members.
• Manages a portfolio of major donors and major donor prospects, conducting all aspects of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Works closely with the Philanthropy team to set and meet fundraising targets for assigned donors and share documented donor strategies.
• Leads major gift strategy sessions and supports teammates with resources, training, and a solutions-focused approach to weekly Donor Strategies meetings.
• Creates multi-year philanthropy strategies, including case for support, timelines, and supporting materials for solicitors.
• Creates written donor strategies for their top 25 prospects and maintains an updated track of tasks and touchpoints in Salesforce and SharePoint.
• Oversees the reporting and tracking of the top 25 prospects for each of the Major Gift Officers and works together to share strategies, proposals, and stewardship tactics.
• Secures annual and multi-year gift commitments of $10,000 or more from individual donors and family foundations to meet annual and multi-year fundraising targets.
• Stewards major donor relationships including individuals with family foundation connections, including writing or assigning reports and proposals.
• Advises on events to engage, cultivate and steward individual donors. Works with events team to implement stewardship events, including online events, designed to cultivate new and current prospects in their portfolio.
• Supports philanthropy and stewardship events across the organization.

The salary range for this position is $74,984 - $112,476.  This range depends on experience and skills related to position responsibilities and qualifications.

What we offer:

• A benefits program to include health, dental, vision, company provided life insurance, and a 403b plan with an employer match of up to 6% after one year of service.  
• A generous paid time off policy.
• 12 paid holidays and 2 paid floating holidays.
• Island Institute membership benefits.
• Discount at Island Institute’s Archipelago retail store.
• Hybrid work environment.

While there is no deadline for submitting your application, the application period will close when the position is filled.  Contact Susan Haversat at shaversat@islandinstitute.org if reasonable accommodation is required to complete the application.

Based in Rockland, Maine, Island Institute is a nonprofit organization, and an equal opportunity "at-will" employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities based upon an individual's ability and qualifications. We do not discriminate against people on the basis of race, citizenship, ancestry, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, mental or physical disability.

For more information about the Island Institute and our work along the Maine coast, please visit www.islandinstitute.org.

Salary : $74,984 - $112,476