Senior Vice President, Individual Giving

American Cancer Society; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 190,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

The American Cancer Society is seeking a VP, Individual Giving to lead regional fundraising strategies across a major western market footprint. This remote role requires building high-performing donor-centric teams and driving principal and major gift revenue growth while aligning across development channels.

The ideal candidate will manage UHNW/HNW donor portfolios, foster cross-functional collaboration with marketing and operations, and maintain disciplined portfolio management and performance

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership in driving fundraising results across diverse communities.
• Expertise in principal gift strategy, portfolio management, and high-capacity donor engagement.
• Skilled communicator who serves as a key representative to volunteer and staff leadership.
• Strong ability to drive alignment and collaboration across cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in building high-performing, inclusive, and accountable team cultures.
• Adept in relationship building, negotiation, and securing mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills with donors, volunteers, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and performance management capabilities, using data to inform decision‑making and improve outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Drive Regional Individual Giving Execution: Lead implementation of individual giving strategies across the region, translating national priorities into market-level execution to achieve principal and major gift revenue goals.
• Lead and Develop Market Leadership Teams: Recruit, coach, and manage Market Leaders who oversee frontline fundraising teams and are accountable for principal gift portfolios, major gift performance, and full market revenue achievement.
• Lead and Manage Specialized Teams: Lead, coach, and manage a geographically dispersed, national organization of specialized relationship fundraisers. Drive the cultural shift from a generalist coverage model to a highly focused, donor-centric relationship model, ensuring appropriate spans of control and rigorous portfolio management.
• Advance Principal & Major Gift Strategy: Ensure disciplined portfolio management and donor strategy execution across markets, supporting Market Leaders in driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-capacity donors.
• Guide Principal Donor Relations: Directly identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a select, high-level portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) individuals. Act as a senior representative of ACS in front of our most critical individual investors.
• Drive Market Integration & Collaboration: Lead cross-functional alignment across development channels, mission pillars, marketing, communications and operations to ensure a unified, market-based approach to revenue generation and mission impact.
• Oversee Volunteer & Governance Engagement: Guide Market Leaders in leveraging CEOs Against Cancer chapters, Area Boards, and other volunteer leadership structures to advance market priorities, fundraising outcomes, and community influence.
• Ensure Performance Management & Accountability: Establish and monitor KPIs across markets, including revenue attainment, pipeline development, and donor engagement metrics; drive accountability and continuous improvement across teams.

Skills

Leadership

Principal gift strategy

Portfolio management

Donor engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Team development

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

At the American Cancer Society, we're working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Our employees and 1.3 million volunteers are 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 SVP, Individual Giving serves as a senior regional leader responsible for executing individual giving strategies across an assigned geography, leading Market Leaders who oversee principal and major gift portfolios, frontline fundraising teams, and market-level performance. The SVP also maintains a select portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) donors, directly driving identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship while serving as a senior representative of the American Cancer Society to secure transformational investments.

This leader drives market alignment and integration across revenue streams and mission delivery, with success defined by accelerated revenue growth, strengthened principal and major gift pipelines, and the development of high-performing, donor-centric teams.

100% remote role. Ideal candidate will sit in one of our major western market metro areas: San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, or Seattle.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Drive Regional Individual Giving Execution: Lead implementation of individual giving strategies across the region, translating national priorities into market-level execution to achieve principal and major gift revenue goals. 20%
• Lead and Develop Market Leadership Teams: Recruit, coach, and manage Market Leaders who oversee frontline fundraising teams and are accountable for principal gift portfolios, major gift performance, and full market revenue achievement. 20%
• Lead and Manage Specialized Teams: Lead, coach, and manage a geographically dispersed, national organization of specialized relationship fundraisers. Drive the cultural shift from a generalist coverage model to a highly focused, donor-centric relationship model, ensuring appropriate spans of control and rigorous portfolio management. 20%
• Advance Principal & Major Gift Strategy: Ensure disciplined portfolio management and donor strategy execution across markets, supporting Market Leaders in driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-capacity donors. 15%
• Guide Principal Donor Relations: Directly identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a select, high-level portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) individuals. Act as a senior representative of ACS in front of our most critical individual investors. 10%
• Drive Market Integration & Collaboration: Lead cross-functional alignment across development channels, mission pillars, marketing, communications and operations to ensure a unified, market-based approach to revenue generation and mission impact. 15%
• Oversee Volunteer & Governance Engagement: Guide Market Leaders in leveraging CEOs Against Cancer chapters, Area Boards, and other volunteer leadership structures to advance market priorities, fundraising outcomes, and community influence. 10%
• Ensure Performance Management & Accountability: Establish and monitor KPIs across markets, including revenue attainment, pipeline development, and donor engagement metrics; drive accountability and continuous improvement across teams. 10%

EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum Degree Required: Bachelor's Degree
• Years of experience: Minimum of 10-12+ years of fundraising experience
• 8-10 years in a management role

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY

• Demonstrated leadership in driving fundraising results across diverse communities, with strong knowledge of regional mission delivery and income development strategies.
• Expertise in principal gift strategy, portfolio management, and high-capacity donor engagement.
• Skilled communicator who serves as a key representative to volunteer and staff leadership, effectively influencing diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong ability to drive alignment and collaboration across cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals.
• Skilled in building high-performing, inclusive, and accountable team cultures.
• Adept in relationship building, negotiation, and securing mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills with donors, volunteers, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and performance management capabilities, using data to inform decision‑making and improve outcomes.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Frequent travel, including evening and weekend work required

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Work setting is in typical office and/or home-based office

The starting rate is $190,000-$220,000. 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.