Senior Director of Philanthropy

Lead with expertise and heart during a significant transition. The organization is preparing to welcome its next CEO from a position of stability and trust. This leader will provide continuity, execution, and a valued thought partnership while preserving a culture where dignity, integrity, respect, empathy, kindness, and care are experienced every day. 

Key Responsibilities of the Senior Director of Philanthropy 

Strategic Fundraising and Annual Giving 

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy, including major and mid-level gifts, institutional giving, annual giving, appeals, direct mail, digital fundraising, workplace giving, and new revenue opportunities. 

• Set measurable goals and report return on investment for fundraising activities; analyze acquisition, retention, recapture, direct mail, digital response, and appeal performance to improve results. 

• Identify and pursue new donor markets, partnerships, giving programs, and third-party opportunities that expand and diversify philanthropic revenue. 

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship 

• Manage a personal portfolio of major donors and prospects, leading cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to increase engagement and gift levels. 

• Build a disciplined donor pipeline and moves-management approach that identifies priority relationships for the Chief Advancement Officer, CEO, and senior fundraisers, together with the rationale and next action for each relationship. 

• Create clear pathways from first gift, volunteer involvement, and annual giving to sustained major and lifetime support. 

• Represent the agency at community events, professional associations, and networking opportunities. 

Data, Systems, and Fundraising Intelligence 

• Lead the strategic use of Salesforce and related tools across the donor lifecycle, including definitions, segmentation, portfolios, next actions, dashboards, reporting, and accountability. 

• Translate wealth screening, donor history, engagement data, and institutional knowledge into practical recommendations for donor outreach. 

• Oversee shared data infrastructure and reporting standards for fundraising, institutional giving, volunteer engagement, and faith partnerships. 

Volunteer and Faith Engagement 

• Oversee volunteer strategy, including recruitment, training, retention, and a meaningful experience that creates pathways to deeper mission engagement and philanthropy. 

• Strengthen relationships with congregations and faith communities, connecting partners to giving, volunteer, and advocacy opportunities. 

People Leadership and Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-functional team that includes supervisors through clear goals, consistent communication, professional development, and accountability. 

• Foster a positive, inclusive environment rooted in collaboration, employee well-being, growth, and customer dignity. 

• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications on appeals, donor communications, storytelling, and consistent agency messaging. 

• Partner with housing stability and customer-facing teams so fundraising remains grounded in customer-centered goals and measurable community impact. 

Administrative Excellence 

• Develop and manage the fundraising budget and recommend strategic investments in tools, vendors, staffing, and systems. 

• Oversee vendor relationships supporting direct mail, digital fundraising, printing, and annual giving production. 

• Maintain strong fundraising processes, documented operating practices, and ethical standards aligned with the AFP Code of Ethics and Donor Bill of Rights. 

The Ideal Candidate Profile 

The strongest candidates will combine demonstrated fundraising results, strategic use of donor data, people leadership, and a genuine commitment to Crisis Assistance Ministry’s mission and culture. Through progressively responsible experience, candidates will demonstrate: 

• A record of measurable philanthropic revenue growth within a nonprofit or other mission-driven environment, preferably including social services. 

• Broad command of the donor lifecycle, including annual and digital acquisition, direct mail, retention and recapture, mid-level and major gifts, stewardship, and portfolio management. 

• Direct experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors, with the confidence to make meaningful asks and coach senior leaders in donor engagement. 

• Demonstrated ability to use Salesforce or a comparable donor CRM, segmentation, wealth screening, dashboards, and appeal results to set priorities and improve performance. 

• Experience leading a multi-functional team that includes supervisors, with a record of establishing goals, coaching staff, and developing talent. 

• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the judgment to represent the organization effectively across diverse communities. 

• Strong planning and project-management discipline across multiple campaigns, appeals, deadlines, and stakeholder groups. 

• Knowledge of current fundraising practices and ethical standards; CFRE certification is strongly preferred. 

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience; an advanced degree is welcomed but not required. 

• Experience engaging faith communities, volunteers, or community partners is an added strength. 

 
Personal Attributes 

• Deep commitment to Crisis Assistance Ministry’s mission and to treating people experiencing financial crisis or housing insecurity with dignity, respect, empathy, and care. 

• Strategic and curious, with the ability to move between big-picture opportunity and disciplined execution. 

• Kindhearted, collaborative, and low-ego, with the confidence to bring expertise and the humility to listen and learn. 

• Data-informed without losing sight of the human relationships behind the numbers. 

• Self-motivated, adaptable, and comfortable leading through organizational change and ambiguity. 

• Clear, trustworthy, and consistent in communication, follow-through, and decision-making. 

About Crisis Assistance Ministry 

Founded in 1975, Crisis Assistance Ministry is Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s trusted safety net and a leader in housing stability and financial security. The organization provides emergency rent and utility assistance, free clothing and household essentials, financial empowerment coaching, community education, advocacy, and partnership-building, all grounded in dignity, integrity, compassion, and trust. 

Want to know more? Visit crisisassistance.org. 

How to Apply 
This is an opportunity to join an organization that Charlotte trusts and help ensure that trust translates into greater stability, dignity, and opportunity for families experiencing financial crisis. The next Senior Director of Philanthropy will strengthen the fundraising strategy, systems, and relationships that make this work possible.