Director, Major Gifts Partnerships

Stand Together; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6% 401(k) match

Flexible time off

Health and dental plans

Wellness and mental health support

Job summary

Stand Together in Arlington, VA is seeking a Director, Major Gifts Partnerships to lead development of high-value relationships with leading institutional and family foundations and select major individual donors, securing 7-figure+ commitments. You will originate and close seven-figure deals, drive multi-stakeholder engagement, and craft investment cases with financial frameworks and impact narratives.

Travel up to 50% within the United States is expected.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in institutional fundraising, foundation relations, or enterprise sales.
• Proven track record of closing 7-figure+ deals with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience engaging senior decision-makers (foundation executives, family principals, C-suite).

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a focused portfolio of top-tier foundation partners and select major donors.
• Originate and close 7-figure+ commitments through multi-stakeholder engagement.
• Develop strategies aligning foundation priorities with scalable, high-impact initiatives.
• Cultivate long-term partnerships with executives, program officers, and key decision-makers.
• Own lifecycle from prospect identification through close and renewal.
• Collaborate with programs and leadership to shape multi-portfolio gifts across sectors.

Skills

Institutional fundraising

Foundation relations

Enterprise sales

Donor engagement

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Travel readiness

Job description

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society.

The Director, Major Gifts Partnerships (internally known as Partnership Advisor) leads the development of high-value relationships with leading institutional and family foundations and select major individual donors, securing 7-figure+ commitments that advance Stand Together’s most critical priorities.

How You Will Contribute

Institutional & Family Foundation Leadership

• Build and manage a focused portfolio of top-tier institutional and family foundation partners, as well as select major individual donors
• Originate and close 7-figure+ commitments through structured, multi-stakeholder engagement
• Develop tailored strategies that align foundation priorities with scalable, high-impact initiatives
• Cultivate long‑term partnerships with foundation executives, program officers, and family decision‑makers

Strategic Origination & Deal Execution

• Own the full lifecycle from prospect identification through close and renewal
• Navigate complex decision processes, aligning multiple stakeholders and timelines
• Develop clear, compelling investment cases, including proposals, financial frameworks, and impact narratives
• Maintain rigorous pipeline discipline to drive predictable, multi‑year revenue outcomes

Internal Leadership & Integration

• Partner with program and executive teams to shape institutional‑grade opportunities, and complex portfolio level gifts across non‑profit, educational curriculum, for‑profit, policy advocacy, and media amplification
• Translate strategy into fundable initiatives with defined outcomes and measurement frameworks
• Serve as a connector across the organization to ensure alignment between partner expectations, delivery and stewardship to drive deeper donor relationships

What You Will Bring

• Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect
• 7+ years of success in institutional fundraising, foundation relations, OR enterprise sales with complex, consultative sales cycles
• Proven track record of closing 7-figure+ deals involving multiple stakeholders and extended decision timelines
• Experience engaging senior decision-makers (e.g., foundation executives, family principals, C‑suite leaders)
• Demonstrated ability to manage a pipeline, qualify opportunities, and drive deals to close with discipline and precision
• Strategic thinker with the ability to frame large, ambiguous initiatives into clear investment opportunities
• Strong executive presence with exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
• High degree of business acumen, including comfort with financials, structuring, and impact measurement
• Entrepreneurial mindset with urgency, ownership, and resilience
• High humility, integrity, and respect for others
• Ability to travel up to 50% within the United States

What We Offer

• Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace
• A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,300 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges
• Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non‑hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents
• Competitive compensation: Our approach rewards the value you create through competitive salaries and bonus opportunities, allowing you to share in the success you help drive

Our Values:

Working for an organization within the Stand Together philanthropic community is different from many other places. The culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management® (PBM®), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom‑up empowerment. PBM® empowers employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.

We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success. That is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, and respect.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

For this role, the anticipated base salary range is $150,000 – $200,000 per year. In addition to base salary, additional bonus earnings may represent a meaningful portion of total compensation. Total compensation will align with an employee’s overall contribution and the value created for the organization.

Our Principles-Based Management™ (PBM) compensation philosophy is grounded in an individualized approach that rewards the long‑term value each person creates for the organization. Compensation decisions are informed by a variety of factors, including relevant experience, capabilities, demonstrated skills, role responsibilities, and expected contribution. Consistent with this approach, base salary may vary within or outside of the anticipated range based on these considerations.