Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is seeking a Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives to advance its high-impact fundraising program. This hybrid role reports to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer and partners across the Advancement team to translate priorities into plans, drive revenue goals, and manage major gifts, sponsorships, events, and donor engagement.

The Director will lead Salesforce initiatives, ensure data integrity, build dashboards, and deliver

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive fundraising experience.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM.
• Strong project management and collaboration skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Translate fundraising priorities into strategic work plans with timelines and measurable outcomes.
• Lead high-priority fundraising initiatives from concept to execution.
• Develop dashboards and reports to monitor revenue, pipeline, and activity goals.
• Coordinate cross-functional projects across Advancement, Finance, Marketing, Events and leadership.
• Serve as Salesforce subject-matter expert and drive data-driven fundraising decisions.
• Prepare briefing materials, donor profiles, and meetings for senior leadership.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Salesforce

Project management

Donor relations

Data analysis

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Job description

About Us:

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is radically changing the way cancer research is done. Founded in 2016 through a $250 million gift from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker, the San Francisco-based nonprofit is an unprecedented collaboration between the country's leading immunotherapy researchers and cancer centers, including Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Gladstone Institutes.

By forging alliances with academic, industry and nonprofit partners, PICI makes big bets on bold research to fulfill its mission: to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases.

Help us create a world that doesn't fear cancer. Join us. www.parkerici.org

Overview of the Role:

The Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives is a high-impact, cross-functional role designed to increase the effectiveness, accountability, and growth of PICI's fundraising program. Reporting to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer, this position serves as a strategic partner and multiplier across the Advancement team, connecting fundraising strategy, executive priorities, donor engagement, data, moves management, and execution.

The Director will function as a partner to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer and team, providing high-level coordination, preparation, follow-through, project management, and strategic support, while also owning key fundraising initiatives and revenue goals. A central responsibility will be serving as the Advancement team's strategic point person for Salesforce, ensuring that the CRM is an accurate, actionable source of truth for fundraising activity, prospect pipelines, portfolios, goals, moves management, reporting, and performance.

Reporting Structure and Team

The Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives reports to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer.

Essential Job Functions:

Fundraising Strategy & Strategic Initiatives

• Partner with the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer to translate PICI's fundraising priorities into clear work plans, timelines, and measurable outcomes
• Participate in high-priority fundraising initiatives from concept through execution, ensuring accountability and momentum
• Support development and tracking of quarterly and multi-year fundraising goals across individual giving, major gifts, sponsorships, transformational philanthropy, events, and other strategic priorities
• Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress against revenue, pipeline, prospect, and activity goals
• Identify opportunities to improve fundraising effectiveness, eliminate barriers, and accelerate results
• Coordinate cross-functional projects involving Advancement, Finance, Marketing, Communications, Events, Programs, and Executive Leadership
• Serve as a project management resource for priority institutional fundraising initiatives

Salesforce & Fundraising Data Leadership

• Serve as the primary Advancement point person and internal champion for Salesforce
• Establish and maintain best practices for prospect management, moves management, portfolio assignments, contact reports, gift tracking, forecasting, and donor stewardship
• Partner with Finance, Operations, and Salesforce/technology resources to ensure data integrity and accurate reporting
• Develop and maintain fundraising dashboards, reports, and performance metrics for leadership
• Ensure fundraising teams consistently use Salesforce to document activity, manage pipelines, and track progress toward goals
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, automate processes, and make Salesforce more useful as a strategic fundraising tool
• Train, coach, and support Advancement staff in effective Salesforce utilization
• Help translate Salesforce data into actionable intelligence for the Chief Advancement Officer and senior leadership

Executive Partnership

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Chief Advancement Officer, operating with a high degree of discretion, judgment, and independence
• Manage and prioritize the CAO's strategic fundraising priorities and follow-up items
• Prepare the CAO for donor meetings, leadership meetings, board engagements, staff meetings, and other high-priority interactions
• Develop briefing materials, donor profiles, meeting agendas, talking points, presentations, and follow-up plans
• Track commitments, decisions, deadlines, and next steps to ensure consistent execution
• Coordinate complex meetings and communications involving senior executives, donors, board members, and external partners
• Anticipate needs and proactively identify issues requiring leadership attention
• Serve as a central connector between the CAO and Advancement team to ensure priorities are clearly communicated and executed
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding donor information, organizational strategy, personnel matters, and executive communications

Fundraising Performance & Accountability

• Support the development and implementation of individual fundraising goals for Advancement team members
• Monitor progress against annual revenue and activity targets
• Create regular reporting for the CAO and senior leadership that clearly communicates progress, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions
• Help establish a culture of accountability, urgency, and measurable performance across Advancement
• Track major gift pipeline health, prospect movement, solicitation activity, and anticipated revenue
• Identify gaps in the fundraising pipeline and work with fundraising leaders to develop strategies to address them

Special Initiatives & Events

• Support strategic fundraising events and special campaigns, including donor strategy, prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and follow-up
• Coordinate special initiatives tied to PICI's institutional priorities, anniversaries, campaigns, scientific milestones, and other opportunities
• Ensure fundraising opportunities are connected across major gifts, events, corporate partnerships, communications, and leadership engagement
• Develop post-event and post-campaign reporting to measure revenue, donor engagement, and pipeline outcomes

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, advancement operations, development strategy, nonprofit management, executive operations, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience working with Salesforce or another sophisticated fundraising CRM; Salesforce expertise strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of fundraising pipelines, moves management, prospect management, donor data, and fundraising performance metrics
• Proven project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities simultaneously
• Experience supporting a senior executive in a strategic capacity, preferably within fundraising, philanthropy, healthcare, science, or another mission-driven organization
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to turn data into clear insights and actionable recommendations
• High level of discretion, professionalism, and emotional intelligence
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a remote environment
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial organization where priorities can evolve quickly
• Genuine interest in advancing PICI's mission and the future of cancer immunotherapy

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: $160k - $180k per year based on experience and qualifications
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) with company match

Additional Information:

• Must be authorized to work in the United States; we do not sponsor work visas
• This is a hybrid role
• No relocation assistance will be provided