Senior Principal, Transformational Initiatives- Remote

American Cancer Society, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 190,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Paid time off

Professional development programs

Job summary

The American Cancer Society, Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal, Transformational Initiatives to lead a portfolio of $5M+ gifts, align donor passions with the ACS mission, and drive transformational philanthropy across the organization.

This remote role, based anywhere in the United States, partners with ACS leadership and volunteers to develop cases for support, craft personalized donor strategies, and manage high-net-worth relations, with focus on securing multi-million commitments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.
• CFRE certification preferred.
• 10+ years of professional fundraising with a track record closing 7–8 figure gifts.
• Experience building donor pipelines and managing high-net-worth relationships.

Responsibilities

• Strategic portfolio management of 15–20 high-net-worth individuals and foundations for $5M+ gifts.
• Collaborate across ACS leadership to align opportunities with mission priorities and donor-centered strategies.
• Develop principal giving materials, cases for support, proposals, and stewardship plans.
• Engage senior leadership, boards, and volunteers to strengthen donor relationships and solicit gifts.
• Utilize CRM systems to track, measure, and analyze performance against KPIs.

Skills

Major gifts

Donor relationships

Portfolio management

Stakeholder engagement

Proposal writing

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

CFRE

Tools

Salesforce

Donor management software

Job description

At the American Cancer Society, we’reworking to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.Our employees and 1.3 million volunteersare raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities.

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

The Senior Principal, Transformational Initiatives serves as a senior fundraiser with a focus on securing gifts at the $5M+ level. This position aligns organizational strengths and donor passions in ways that ignite transformational philanthropy, helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals while advancing the ACS vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Designed to be entrepreneurial and collaborative, this role works with leadership, volunteers, and staff across the organization to create and implement personalized donor strategies that lead to long-term partnerships and deep impact investment.
Senior Principals engage with ACS Inc. and ACS CAN board members, members of the ACS Executive Team and other ACS mission staff and are expected to work with these high-level stakeholders to identify new macro-level prospects, deepen donor engagement and facilitate successful macro-level solicitations. In addition, Senior Principals work with assigned department leaders to develop, expand, and refine cases for support, supporting materials and strategy documents for use by the Principal and Foundation Relations Teams, as well as by other fundraisers in the field. Finally, all Senior Principals are expected to understand and execute upon all phases of the ACS All in Against Cancer Campaign and special initiatives as requested by the CEO, CDO and other ACS senior leaders.

This is a Remote role based anywhere in the United States

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Strategic Portfolio Management and Fundraising(60%)Manage a portfolio of15-20high-net-worthindividuals and private foundations,andselect corporationstoqualify,cultivate,solicit, close, and steward principalgiftsof$5M+.

• Enterprise Alignment and Collaboration(20%)Partner across ACS leadership and enterprise teams to stay aligned on mission priorities and emerging opportunities. Translate organizational strategy into compelling, donor-centered engagement and solicitation strategies.

• Resource Development (5%)Assist in the development of principalgiving materials andresources,including cases for support, funding proposals, and stewardshipstrategiesthat elevate consistency, clarity, and impact of donor engagement.

• ExecutiveEngagement (5%)Engage senior leadership, national boardmembersand key volunteers to strengthen donor relationships and supportcultivation,solicitationand stewardship of transformational gifts.

• Strategy & Metrics : (10%)Utilize donor management systems (e.g.Salesforce) to track, measure, and analyze performance against KPIs.

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum Degree Required:Bachelor’s Degree

• Preferred Degree:Master’s Degree

• Certificate(s) or License(s):Preferred CFRE

• Years of experience:Atleast10 years of professional fundraising experience, with a proventrack recordin successfully closing7 and 8-figure gifts.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY

• Demonstrated success inbuildingadonor pipelineandsecuring major or principal gifts ($1M - $10M+)

• Exceptional ability to build and sustain high-trust relationships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, and institutional partners

• Experience curating personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies for principal giving donors

• Provenexperience workingin highly matrixed environments, with the ability toinfluence acrossteams, functions, and senior leadership withoutdirect authority.

• Exceptionalwritten and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft high-impact proposals, briefings, and donor narratives.

• Excellent interpersonalskillsdiscretion and professionalism with the ability to manage sensitive relationships and confidential information.

• Familiarity with CRM systems and, at times, project management tools.

• Actively seeks opportunities to learn anddemonstratesknowledge of relevant landscapes (social, political, fundraising, etc.) with an ability to apply to this work.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Travel, including evening and weekend workrequired

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Work setting is in typicalofficeand/or home-basedoffice.

The starting rate is $190,000 to $225,000. The final candidate’s relevant experience/skills will be considered before an offer is extended. Actual starting pay will vary based on non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, skills, specialty, and education.

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.