Director of Strategic Philanthropy

Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan; Taylor (MI); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan seeks a Director of Strategic Philanthropy to lead mid-level giving, corporate partnerships, monthly giving, and community-driven initiatives. This role oversees a team of fundraisers and bridges grassroots support with major gifts through strategic stewardship frameworks.

The position emphasizes donor-centric fundraising, portfolio management, and data-driven decision making, with an expected annual revenue target around $4.5 million.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required; CFRE preferred.
• Minimum 5 years fundraising experience in nonprofit or corporate philanthropy.
• Proven success in cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding four- to five-figure gifts.
• Experience managing donor portfolios and corporate sponsorships across community and mid-level segments.
• Leadership experience managing teams with direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Develop and evaluate annual fundraising plans for mid-level giving, corporate partnerships, monthly giving, and community initiatives.
• Mid-Level Stewardship: Implement qualification and stewardship protocols, deliver high-touch communications, and identify transition opportunities to major gifts.
• Corporate Partner Integration: Collaborate with partners to convert volunteer drives into CSR sponsorships and year-round philanthropy.
• Food & Virtual Drives: Modernize drives and drive revenue via digital giving platforms and engagement with civic groups and schools.
• Monthly Giving Architecture: Supervise team growth of the monthly giving program; drive donor acquisition and upgrades.
• Budgetary Oversight: Set and monitor annual revenue goals (~$4.5M across channels) and forecast revenue for leadership.
• Team Management & Talent Development: Lead Community Giving team and related specialists; foster accountability and professional growth.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with Marketing, Data & Analytics, Volunteer Engagement, and Operations.

Skills

Donor stewardship

Portfolio management

Leadership

CRM systems

Strategic planning

Donor analytics

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

CFRE designation (preferred)

Tools

CRM platforms (Raiser’s Edge NXT)

Job description

The Director of Strategic Philanthropy provides leadership, vision, and operational oversight for Gleaners Community Food Bank's mid-level giving, corporate partnerships, monthly recurring revenue, and community mobilization pipelines. This role manages the Community Giving Team, as well as the Corporate Giving and Stewardship Specialists. The Director will bridge the gap between grassroots community support and mid and major gifts. This role will be expected to execute relationship-based, high-yield stewardship frameworks that convert community support and corporate partnerships into sustained financial investments.

• Strategic Planning: Execute and evaluate an annual comprehensive fundraising plan for mid-level giving ($1,000–$9,999), corporate partnerships, monthly giving, and community-driven initiatives.
• Mid-Level Stewardship and Portfolio Management: Execute structured qualification and stewardship protocols for mid-level donors, delivering high-touch communication, impact reporting, and exclusive engagement opportunities. Identify and transition high-potential mid-level donors and corporate sponsors into major gift or planned giving prospects. Support a team of 5-6 fundraisers managing their own portfolios, guiding with positive leadership and strategic management.
• Corporate Partner Integration: Collaborate with corporate partners to convert traditional volunteer and food and fund drives into integrated corporate social responsibility (CSR) sponsorships, matching gift campaigns, and year-round corporate philanthropy.
• Food & Virtual Drives: Modernize traditional physical and Virtual Food Drives (VFDs). Drive revenue by steering civic groups, schools, and corporations toward high-margin digital giving platforms. Provide direct support to major food campaigns with key community partners, fostering collaboration and impact.
• Monthly Giving Architecture: Supervise the Stewardship Specialist in growing the monthly giving program. Drive acquisition, retention, and donor upgrades across digital, direct mail, and interpersonal channels.
• Budgetary Oversight: Establish, monitor, and meet ambitious annual revenue goals. Responsible for an average annual revenue of $4.5 million across all detailed
• channels (Food & Fund Drives, Events, Monthly recurring giving, etc.). Manage departmental expense budgets. Provide accurate monthly revenue forecasting to executive leadership.

2. Team Management & Talent Development

• Positive & Collaborative Leadership: Model a high level of professional integrity, emotional intelligence, and positive leadership across the Advancement department. Cultivate an inclusive, encouraging, and solutions-oriented team culture rooted in accountability, continuous learning, and high performance.
• Personnel Leadership & Professionalism: Manage, mentor and evaluate the Community Giving Team, Stewardship Specialist, and Corporate Giving Specialist through weekly check-ins. Establish transparent behavioral and performance expectations, ensuring a professional and results-driven team environment.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration & Synergy: Serve as a highly collaborative and constructive partner across internal teams (e.g., Marketing and Communications, Data and Analytics, Volunteer Engagement, and Operations).
• Performance & KPI Management: Define clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for direct reports. Focus on objective donor retention and acquisition metrics, portfolio growth, and data integrity, while providing consistent, constructive, and professional coaching to support staff development.

Required Professional Qualifications

• Education/Experience:
• Bachelor's degree in related field required (Business Administration, Nonprofit Administration & Management, Philanthropy, Communications, Marketing). Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) designation preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of professional fundraising experience in a non-profit or corporate philanthropy environment. Experience within a Feeding America network food bank or large human services non-profit is highly desirable.
• Deep understanding of donor-centric fundraising principles, multi-channel direct response cultivation, and metrics-driven stewardship.
• Demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding four to five figure and higher philanthropic gifts.
• Proven record of managing individual donor portfolios and corporate sponsorships across community and mid-level segments.
• Experience with Planned Giving programming preferred.
• Leadership Experience:
• 3+ years of leadership experience including management of leaders with direct reports.
• Strong supervisory experience, including skills in team building and problem solving.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop a culture fostered in positivity, disciplined execution, professionalism, and strategic collaboration.
• Expert-level mastery of donor databases/CRMs (e.g., Raiser’s Edge NXT, Microsoft Dynamics), virtual fundraising platforms, wealth screening, and data analytics tools.
• Familiarity with virtual meeting platforms (Teams, Zoom, etc.)
• This position accommodates a hybrid work schedule, including both in-office and remote work based on the needs of the team. Strong cultural emphasis on in-person collaboration/relationship development.
• Required Skills/Abilities
• Keen sense of urgency and demonstrated initiative.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent people skills with demonstrated ability to build relationships and partnerships across a wide range of both internal and external stakeholders
• Strong project management abilities with strict adherence to deadlines.
• Strong analytical skills required, with the ability to proactively address and creatively solve problems.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.