Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting directly to the President and leading a team of principal and major giving professionals, the Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, plays a critical role in developing new gifts strategies, programs, and a roadmap for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation.  This new role is responsible for strategic planning and initiatives, program development, and philanthropic revenue related to principal and major gifts for the Foundation. The VP oversees the directors of development and other team members, while also managing a portfolio of donors and prospects with the capacity to make gifts of $1 million or more, including transformational gifts.  The VP additionally identifies on-going opportunities and initiatives to actively cultivate, solicit and steward principal and major gifts prospects to ensure a strong base of ongoing financial support while maintaining strong ties with existing donors including individuals, foundations, and organizations. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategy and budget to broaden the Foundation’s major donor base and deepen relationships with existing and new individual donors.
• Lead and coach a team of principal and major giving professionals, leveraging their talents, skills and experience to achieve transformational results.
• Oversee the development and moves management of a portfolio of donors through strategic contacts and face-to-face meetings to identify, cultivate, solicit, and successfully close principal gifts.
• Align fundraising efforts to key priorities and imperatives of the Foundation with a focus on diversifying its major and principal level donor portfolio.
• Drive fundraising best practices, including systems utilization, prospecting, donor reporting, data review, and donor communications.
• Evaluate and develop strategies (e.g. capital campaigns, annual fund) to effectively drive and grow major donor giving.
• Proactively grow the major donor portfolio by leveraging existing funding relationships and identifying new ones.
• Encourages donors/prospects to participate in appropriate high-level foundation/ hospital events and cultivates respective attendees to maximize their positive experience at these activities. Coaches team to do the same.
• Recruit, manage, and mentor a high performing team of professionals; provide ongoing professional development to team members.
• Set and manage team goals, aligned with strategic planning, stakeholder input, and industry research.
• Lead and oversee the major gifts team, particularly in principal gifts – including coaching and overall supervision.
• Works with the advancement services team to track progress and key metrics for the major gifts team.
• Maintain a working knowledge of the health system, the hospitals, and the area or project specifically assigned to the major gifts. Additionally, the position can help the team acquire and discern the necessary knowledge to be successful at representing the hospital and the health system.
• Maintain confidential Foundation information such as donor files and abide by HIPAA laws.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10-15 years of progressive career advancement in a professional fundraising and development career.
• Experience in a healthcare or hospital setting preferred but not required.
• Minimum bachelor’s degree. Master’s and/or CFRE preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building a major gifts program.
• 5-7 years’ experience recruiting, hiring, and managing a professional team.
• A successful track record of fundraising seven- and eight-figure gifts.
• Strategic planning experience and skills combined with the ability to build a process and path forward and bring the team along with you.
• Significant experience in the full breadth and depth of fundraising skills including major gifts, planned giving, and capital campaigns.
• Diplomatic, able to leave ego at the door and tactfully, respectfully, and collaboratively work with a wide variety of people; altering style based on the environment.
• Ability to wear many hats in a fast-paced small organizational environment.
• Confident and mature with an executive presence and strong emotional intelligence.
• Strategic and collaborative; a team player and builder with a commitment to creating a positive and inclusive working environment.
• You aren’t someone who spends a lot of time in the weeds, but you know donors expect you to be organized, prepared, detail-oriented and to follow through on promises, and you coach your team to do the same.
• People are inspired by your determination. You bring people in line with a vision and motivate them to reach goals.
• You possess a strong command of fundraising best practices; demonstrated success building and leveraging processes and donor management systems to track and steward supporters.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for different audiences in a manner that they can understand and relate to.