Director of Philanthropy

San Diego Organizing Project; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k)

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Paid holidays

Off between Christmas and New Year

Every other Friday off

Job summary

International Relief Teams is seeking a seasoned philanthropy leader to shape and drive our fundraising strategy in San Diego. You will cultivate major gifts, expand corporate partnerships, and collaborate with the CEO and Board to advance mission impact.

You\'ll manage a portfolio of donors, lead grant efforts, and grow foundation funding while building a donor-centered culture across the organization. This role offers visibility with supporters and the opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on

Qualifications

• Proven track record securing major gifts and building donor relationships.
• Experience creating and implementing fundraising strategy, not just maintaining existing programs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with the organization’s plan.
• Diversify revenue through major gifts, foundations, corporate partnerships, grants and events.
• Develop and manage the annual philanthropy budget and evaluate performance against goals.
• Identify new fundraising opportunities and implement innovative strategies.
• Establish KPIs and use data to guide strategy and improve results.
• Prepare fundraising reports and present progress to CEO and Board.

Skills

Major gifts

Fundraising strategy

Donor relationships

Leadership

Communication skills

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Help more people say "yes" to changing lives.

This isn't a role where you'll inherit a large fundraising department and simply keep everything running.

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of an organization with a strong reputation, an engaged Board of Directors, healthy financial reserves, and tremendous room for growth.

You'll work directly alongside our CEO to build the next generation of fundraising at International Relief Teams.

Together, you'll strengthen relationships with current supporters, cultivate new major donors, expand corporate partnerships, grow foundation funding, elevate our community presence, and inspire more people to become part of our mission.

If you've ever wanted the opportunity to leave your fingerprint on an organization—not just manage one—this is that opportunity.

About International Relief Teams

International Relief Teams is a humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives by providing life’s essentials of food, water, shelter, and medicine.

Around the world, our programs help people recover from disasters, access food and life‑saving medicines, and build healthier futures.

Closer to home, we mobilize volunteers to pack meals for families facing food insecurity, build homes in Tijuana, respond to disasters, and create meaningful opportunities for people to serve their communities.

Since our founding in 1988, we've:

Delivered more than $770 million in humanitarian aid
Served people in 78 countries
Mobilized more than 7,500 volunteers
Behind every humanitarian program is a team of people making sure the details are handled with excellence.

That's where you come in.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with International Relief Teams' strategic plan and long-term vision.
• Diversify revenue through annual giving, monthly giving, major gifts, foundations, corporations, grants, planned giving, signature fundraising events, and other philanthropic partnerships.
• Develop and manage the annual philanthropy budget and regularly evaluate fundraising performance against established goals.
• Identify new fundraising opportunities and implement innovative strategies that expand philanthropic support and strengthen long-term sustainability.
• Establish measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), using fundraising metrics, technology, and data to guide strategy and improve results.
• Prepare fundraising reports, dashboards, and strategic recommendations for the CEO and Board of Directors, and present progress toward fundraising goals at Board and committee meetings.
  

Build Meaningful Donor Relationships

• Personally manage a portfolio of major donors and prospective supporters.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational gifts.
• Partner closely with the CEO on donor strategy, relationship management, and major gift solicitations.
• Develop thoughtful stewardship experiences that deepen donor engagement and inspire long-term support.
• Ensure timely, meaningful gift acknowledgments and donor communications that reflect the organization's commitment to gratitude and relationship-building.
  

Grow Strategic Partnerships

• Build and strengthen relationships with corporations, foundations, civic leaders, nonprofit partners, and community organizations.
• Identify partnership opportunities that increase both philanthropic support and awareness of International Relief Teams' mission.
• Represent International Relief Teams at community meetings, networking events, conferences, and donor gatherings.
• Serve as the primary philanthropy liaison to the Board of Directors, helping equip and inspire Board members to become confident ambassadors and fundraising partners.
  

Lead Grant & Institutional Giving

• Oversee the organization's grant strategy, including identifying funding opportunities, developing competitive proposals, coordinating supporting materials, and ensuring timely reporting.
• Collaborate with program staff, consultants, and partners to develop compelling grant applications and communicate program impact to institutional funders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with foundation, corporate, and government funding partners.
  

Create Exceptional Fundraising Events

• Lead the planning, execution, and evaluation of the organization's signature fundraising event(s), ensuring every detail contributes to an outstanding guest experience and meaningful fundraising results.
• Develop event budgets, timelines, sponsorship strategies, volunteer committees, vendor relationships, and logistics to deliver successful fundraising events from start to finish.
• Partner with the CEO, staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and event vendors to create memorable experiences that strengthen donor relationships, inspire generosity, and elevate the International Relief Teams brand.
• Measure event performance, analyze return on investment, and continually improve future fundraising events based on results and participant feedback.
  

Strengthen Our Fundraising Systems

• Partner with the Philanthropy Data Associate to leverage Raiser's Edge as a strategic fundraising tool, ensuring accurate donor information, meaningful stewardship, effective prospect management, and insightful reporting.
• Develop and improve fundraising systems, policies, and procedures that support moves management, stewardship, gift acknowledgments, prospect tracking, and reporting.
• Leverage fundraising technology and analytics to improve decision-making, donor engagement, and operational efficiency.
• Manage outside fundraising consultants, grant writers, event professionals, and other partners as needed to strengthen fundraising efforts.
  

Inspire Others

• Supervise, mentor, and develop members of the philanthropy team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to cultivate an organization-wide culture where philanthropy is understood as a shared responsibility.
• Support and encourage Board members, volunteers, and staff in meaningful donor engagement and fundraising activities.
• Serve as a visible champion for International Relief Teams' mission, values, and commitment to compassionate humanitarian service.

WHO YOU ARE

We're less interested in checking every box than finding the right person.

The strongest candidates will likely bring many of the following:

• A proven track record of securing major gifts and building meaningful donor relationships.
• Experience creating and implementing fundraising strategy—not simply maintaining existing programs.
• Confidence asking for philanthropic investments.
• Strong relationship‑building skills with donors, volunteers, executives, and Board members.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience managing fundraising databases such as Raiser's Edge.
• The ability to think strategically while also rolling up your sleeves and getting things done.
• A collaborative leadership style that brings out the best in others.
• Genuine passion for humanitarian work and serving communities with dignity.

YOU'LL LOVE THIS JOB IF …

• You genuinely enjoy meeting people and building authentic relationships.
• You're energized by building something better than what existed before.
• You enjoy wearing multiple hats and solving new challenges.
• You like having direct access to your CEO and helping shape organizational strategy.
• You're excited by the opportunity to grow an already respected nonprofit into something even greater.

THIS JOB PROBABLY ISN'T FOR YOU IF …

• You prefer maintaining existing systems rather than building new ones.
  You dislike networking or asking for gifts.
  You need highly structured environments where every process already exists.
  You prefer working behind the scenes instead of representing an organization publicly.
  You view fundraising primarily as grant writing or event planning.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary: $150,000-$165,000/year

We offer:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Two weeks of paid vacation
• Paid sick leave
• Nine paid holidays
• The week between Christmas and New Year's Day off (except during emergency disaster response)
• Every other Friday off