Director, Donor Relations and Stewardship

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Brookhaven (GA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading children's hospital in Brookhaven is seeking a Director of Philanthropic Initiatives to provide strategic leadership for donor engagement and fund governance. This role requires over 10 years of experience in philanthropy, strong strategic judgment, and the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives. The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree, with an advanced degree preferred. Join us in making a difference in child health and well-being through meaningful donor relationships and stewardship.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in philanthropy or nonprofit leadership.
• Demonstrated success as a trusted advisor to senior leadership.
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on donor engagement.
• Lead the development and refinement of the Foundation's Case for Support.
• Provide executive leadership for donor fund management.

Skills

Strategic judgment

Written communication skills

Relationship-building

Collaborative skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

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Work Shift: Day

Work Day(s): Friday, Monday, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Shift Start Time: 8:00 AM

Shift End Time: 5:00 PM

Worker Sub-Type: Regular

Children’s is one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals. No matter the role, every member of our team is an essential part of our mission to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow. We’re committed to putting you first, and that commitment is at the heart of our company culture: People first. Children always. Find your next career opportunity and make a difference doing what you love at Children’s.

Job Description

The Director, Philanthropic Initiatives provides strategic leadership for donor-engagement, mission alignment, donor fund governance and revenue enablement across Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. This position oversees the development and execution of stewardship plans, donor relations and recognition to enhance donor engagement. The Director ensures comprehensive donor recognition through donor walls, digital recognition, and system-wide recognition initiatives and annual donor lists. Acting as the primary liaison with Marketing, Facilities, PD&C, FinOps, and Accounting, the Director ensures alignment across departments and the execution of donor reporting and engagement strategies. Additionally, this role leads donor fund management, overseeing financial tracking, restricted gift oversight, and process improvements related to gift processing and reporting. The Director manages the Case for Support process, coordinating prioritization, updates, and donor communications. This role requires a strategic, collaborative leader with expertise in donor relations, project management, and cross-functional coordination to enhance donor engagement and advance the Foundation’s philanthropic goals.

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, or a related field
• Demonstrated success serving as a trusted advisor to senior or executive leadership
• Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in matrixed organizations
• Experience influencing outcomes without direct authority
• Experience with donor stewardship, donor fund management, philanthropic governance and proposal development
• Prior people management experience, including coaching and developing teams
• Experience operating in ambiguous environments, requiring judgment, prioritization and decision framing

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred Qualifications

• Advance degree preferred

Certification Summary

• No professional certifications required

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Passion for child health and well-being and commitment to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta mission
• Strong strategic judgment with the ability to prioritize, sequence and frame complex work
• Ability to translate ambiguity into clear options, recommendations and next steps
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level writing and presentations
• Deep understanding of donor intent, stewardship principles and philanthropic best practices
• Ability to balance ideal outcomes with practical, achievable implementation
• Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills across internal and external partners
• Comfort navigating organizational complexity, competing priorities and stakeholder dynamics
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop high-performing teams
• High level of professionalism and accountability

Job Responsibilities

Cross-Functional Planning & Executive Alignment

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on donor engagement, development strategy and mission alignment
• Frame complex issues and recommendations for executive decision-making, including tradeoffs, sequencing and implications
• Translate organizational strategy and clinical priorities into clear, donor-ready philanthropic priorities
• Advance alignment across Development, Finance, Clinical Operations and Marketing partners

Case for Support & Donor Messaging

• Lead the development and ongoing refinement of the Foundation’s Case for Support and donor-facing messaging
• Ensure consistency and clarity across proposals, donor communications and impact reporting
• Partner with Foundation, Marketing and clinical leaders to align messaging with mission priorities and outcomes

Donor Fund Management & Philanthropic Governance

• Provide executive leadership for donor fund management, ensuring donor intent, governance and reporting are clearly defined and consistently applied
• Partner with Finance and Operations to align fund structures, policies and practices with donor expectations and organizational priorities
• Identify and address systemic donor fund management risks, gaps and inefficiencies
• Develop frameworks, guidance and decision pathways that support frontline fundraisers and executive leaders
• Ensure donor fund practices reinforce trust, transparency and long-term donor confidence

Donor Engagement Strategy & Journey Design

• Lead the design and evolution of integrated donor engagement strategies that deepen relationships across portfolios, giving levels and channels
• Develop donor engagement journeys to intentionally connect stewardship, communications, events and personal outreach
• Reduce channel silos by partnering across teams to deliver cohesive, donor-centered experiences
• Use insight and performance data to refine engagement strategies and support donor retention and growth

Revenue Enablement & Campaign Readiness

• Strengthen donor confidence and long-term revenue by ensuring clarity and discipline in donor engagement, fund governance and stewardship practices
• Enable frontline fundraising by providing clear priorities, donor-facing messaging and guidance that support effective solicitation and renewal
• Support organizational readiness for future campaigns by embedding engagement strategy, messaging frameworks and alignment work into ongoing operations with accountability for donor confidence, retention and long-term revenue durability

People & Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a team responsible for donor engagement, stewardship and related functions
• Set clear expectations, foster accountability and support professional growth
• Build a culture grounded in integrity, collaboration and operational excellence

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic covered by applicable law.

Primary Location Address

1575 Northeast Expy NE

Job Family

Director/Senior Director