AVP, Leadership Giving (West/Midwest)

Breakthrough T1D; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Breakthrough T1D seeks an AVP, Leadership Giving to drive regional revenue growth and lead a small gift officer team. You will own major gift strategy for $1M+ accounts, coach staff, and collaborate across philanthropic engagement to maximize donor impact.

The role is remote with focus in the West/Midwestern US, requiring travel 30–40% and a track record of securing multi-million gifts and building high-performing teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressive fundraising experience with at least 5 years in major gifts.
• Proven ability to balance frontline donor engagement with operational management and staff development.
• Experience leading and developing a major gifts team and strategy for multi-million gifts.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 3–5 Leadership Gift Officers with clear revenue targets and development plans.
• Own all $1M+ strategy decisions and guide portfolio strategy across the team.
• Manage a personal portfolio of ~50 accounts and lead major solicitations with VP support.
• Develop dashboards, KPIs, and data-driven coaching to grow regional revenue.

Skills

Leadership

Major gift fundraising

Team management

Portfolio management

CRM Salesforce

Fundraising strategy

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

CRM systems

Job description

As the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, Breakthrough T1D helps make everyday life with T1D better while driving toward cures. We invest in the most promising research to turn ideas into life-changing therapies and devices. We work with government, regulatory officials, and insurance companies to address issues that impact the T1D community -- breaking through barriers that limit access to care worldwide. We provide resources and guidance that makes it easier to live and thrive with T1D. This is more than a moment -- we're empowering a movement for the T1D community. Share your support and help educate and empower individuals facing type 1 diabetes.
Our mission is to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life changing breakthroughs to treat, prevent and ultimately, cure T1D and its complications. Always, we are guided by a single purpose: As we drive towards curing type 1 diabetes, we help make everyday life better for the people who face it.
The Associate Vice President (AVP), Leadership Giving is a senior fundraising and team leadership role responsible for driving regional revenue growth, managing a team of 3–5 gift officers, and owning all principal gift strategy decisions for their region. The AVP operates both as a frontline fundraiser with a personal portfolio of ~50 high-capacity accounts ($500K–$5M+) and as the team's strategic anchor — the person whose involvement is required on every $1M+ gift strategy, and whose coaching, collaboration, and accountability structures determine whether the team achieves its potential.
The AVP is a proactive co-owner of the team's most significant donor relationships, the architect of the collaboration culture, and the primary driver of transformational gift pipeline. The AVP is expected to be proactively embedded in $1M+ strategy conversations across the team — not because staff can't execute them alone, but because the AVP's involvement materially improves outcomes and protects the organization's most valuable donor relationships.
This is a remote position open to candidates in a major metro market in the West/Midwestern US.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Revenue Accountability

• Lead, coach, and manage a team of 3–5 Leadership Gift Officers, with clear individual revenue targets, activity metrics, and development plans for each team member.
• Accountable for the team's collective annual revenue goal of $15M–$25M+, in addition to a personal portfolio revenue goal of $3M–$5M.
• Conduct structured monthly 1:1 portfolio strategy sessions with each team member and lead quarterly team-wide strategy review meetings to maximize qualification of new donors, portfolio coverage and revenue.
• Hold clear, documented performance expectations for every team member; address performance concerns promptly and directly.
  

Principal Gift Strategy Ownership

• Own all $1M+ strategy decisions for team members: review, refine, and co-lead strategy on every principal gift account across the team.
• Ensure involvement in strategy development and approval of key solicitations of each team member.
• Proactively review each team member's portfolio for high-capacity accounts that should be escalated; rather than relying solely on self-reporting.
• Manage a personal portfolio of ~50 accounts, weighted toward $1M–$5M+ gift capacity; lead personal solicitations in this range with VP support on $5M+ opportunities.
  

Pipeline Development & Analytics

• Facilitate regular prospect strategy and portfolio health meetings; use CRM data and analytics to identify pipeline gaps, stalled relationships, and emerging opportunities.
• Implement and monitor KPIs, activity metrics, and pipeline benchmarks across the team; use data to drive strategic adjustments and individual coaching.
• Partner with Prospect Research to ensure briefing materials, capacity assessments, and research support are consistently deployed across the team.
  

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Territory Executives, Divisional AVPs, volunteer leaders, and chapter staff to identify, cultivate, and steward leadership and principal giving prospects.
• Partner across Philanthropic Engagement to develop multi-channel donor strategies integrating corporate, institutional, planned, and leadership giving capacity.
• Serve as a Leadership Giving partner to chapters during staff vacancies, to support team members as appropriate and as need to ensure continuity of relationships and fundraising during transitions.
  

Staff Development & Culture

• Develop and implement individualized professional development plans for each team member, building toward clear career advancement milestones.
• Formally assign mentoring relationships between relevant colleagues; facilitate those relationships and monitor outcomes.
• Model the escalation and collaboration culture the team is expected to practice: be visible in seeking VP partnership on transformational gift strategies.
• Build a team environment where proactive transparency — surfacing problems, escalating opportunities, seeking support — is celebrated rather than penalized.
• Recognize, celebrate and prepare team members who demonstrate consistent achievement for advancement, ensuring appropriate career pathway planning is documented and in place for all team members.
  

Operations & Infrastructure

• Ensure consistent application of the Leadership Giving Playbook and best practices across the team.
• Monitor and maintain team CRM health; hold team members accountable to data accuracy and timeliness.
• Partner with the National Director, Strategic Operations on program infrastructure, reporting, and operational alignment.
• Support the VP in LG portfolio review presentations, budget development and data-informed strategy development. Present such information in key leadership meetings as assigned.
  

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressive fundraising experience with at least 5 years in major gift fundraising; demonstrated success closing gifts of $1M+.
• Minimum 3 years directly managing a major gift fundraising team, with a record of building team performance and developing staff.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience; advanced degree or CFRE preferred.
• Proven ability to balance frontline donor engagement with operational management, KPI accountability, and staff development.
• Experience developing and executing professional development plans and succession pipelines for major gift teams.
• Strong project management and strategic problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated experience with complex, multi-asset gift strategies (outright, planned, blended, corporate, foundation).
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills; ability to present to and engage with sophisticated philanthropists and volunteer leaders.
• Proficiency in Salesforce or comparable CRM and Microsoft Office suite.
• Willingness to travel approximately 30–40% of the time, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, sound professional judgment, and a genuine commitment to Breakthrough T1D's mission.
  

Target Salary - $180k - $200k

Essential Functions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and infrequently up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Benefits

Breakthrough T1D offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 403(b) retirement plan, voluntary benefits, flexible spending and commuter benefit accounts, an employee assistance program (EAP), life and disability insurance, performance-based bonuses, and generous paid time off. Benefits may vary by job level and full time or part time status.

Additional Information

Requests for medical, religious, and other exemptions will be considered on an individual basis. Breakthrough T1D will comply with all federal, state, and local laws.
Breakthrough T1D supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Breakthrough T1D is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.