Director, Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy

NetHope is seeking a strategic, collaborative, energetic, and revenue-focused leader to serve as Director, Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy—a key partner to the Chief Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer (CPPO) and an essential driver of our fundraising success. This is a high-impact role that blends strategic thinking with hands-on execution. You’ll personally manage and grow a fundraising portfolio of $1.2M, while leading a talented team of three Senior Managers across corporate partnerships and institutional philanthropy whose collective portfolios contribute significantly to NetHope’s overall revenue goals. You’ll be responsible for growing high-value relationships, securing multi-year investments, and ensuring top-tier funder experiences that reflect NetHope’s values and mission. The ideal candidate is a builder and connector—a proven fundraiser with strong relationship instincts, who can cultivate transformative partnerships, lead with both head and heart, and inspire collaboration across teams. You’ll play a key role in helping NetHope achieve its revenue goals, expand its visibility, and deliver critical programs to our nonprofit Members and the communities they serve.

Specific responsibilities include:

Strategic Fundraising & Revenue Generation (70%)

• Own and actively grow portfolio of corporate and philanthropic partners and personally lead cultivation, solicitation, and closing of 5-to 7-figure gifts from institutional, corporate, and private philanthropy while owning full relationship management cycle: identification, cultivation, proposal development, stewardship, and renewal for assigned portfolio.
• Co-lead fundraising by leading strategy and outreach, seamless deliverables, and stewardship for corporate programs including but not limited to: the Corporate Partner Ecosystem Program, Global Summit Sponsorship Program, NetHope Center for the Digital Nonprofit Program, and other opportunities for strategic corporate investment with two Sr. Managers and in close collaboration with CPPO.
• Collaborate with Sr. Manager, Institutional Philanthropy on proposals, cross-functional cultivation, strategic pipeline development, and long-term funder engagement.
• Serve as lead partner for high-value or complex proposals and renewals and steward key funders in collaboration with CPPO.
• Identify new funding opportunities aligned with NetHope’s strategic priorities, including multi-year, unrestricted, or capacity-building support. Support high-value prospecting and donor strategy development alongside the CPPO.
• Develop and present compelling presentations and proposals for donors and prospects, coordinate prospect and donor meetings, draft and distribute department agendas and notes, and draft communications on behalf of CPPO and other leaders. Support CPPO and Senior Leadership Team in donor outreach and stewardship activities.
• Work collaboratively with NetHope staff to identify specific fundraising needs, create impactful outreach strategies, create donor collateral, and ensure excellent donor stewardship.
• Provide forward-thinking and collaborative leadership inform donors about emerging community needs and funding opportunities NetHope can offer that align with their charitable interests.
• Implement a relationship-based fundraising approach.
• Participate in other philanthropic activities for NetHope as assigned.

Team Management, Development Operations, and Cross-Department Collaboration (20%)

• Develop, manage, and gain approval for a budget and workplan area of responsibility.
• Directly manage and mentor three Senior Managers, fostering a high-performing, collaborative, growing, and accountable team culture.
• Recruit, hire, retain, develop, manage, and evaluate staff and contractors as needed to support NetHope development goals.
• Champion NetHope’s collaborative culture by proactively working across departments, engaging others in fundraising efforts and keeping internal stakeholders informed.
• Assist in the development of donor prospecting and research, gift reporting and data integrity, track proposal opportunities, and support pipeline accountability.
• Monitor and optimize systems and procedures for efficient and effective functioning of the department, effective Moves Management and donor relations, foster a culture of philanthropy.
• Partner with the Director of Communications on aligned messaging, donor storytelling, and develop and maintain key materials as well as communications assets to elevate the visibility NetHope to current supporters and prospects and support donor recognition and visibility.

Development Leadership (10%)

• Partner with CPPO to drive annual comprehensive development strategy, goal setting, and team performance to meet year-over-year goals. Support annual revenue forecasting, department planning and reporting, and pipeline development.
• Run Moves Management Incubators and staff working groups to facilitate high-level of internal team collaboration and innovation.
• Ensure fundraising is aligned with NetHope’s fundraising philosophy and complies with internal policies and procedures.
• Represent NetHope at external events to develop a strong network of contacts amongst potential donors. Attends workshops, conferences, events, as requested.
• Collaborates with Development Coordinator and CPPO to allocate internal resources effectively.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Personal Characteristics

• A passion for NetHope’s mission and for working collaboratively and nimbly in a fast-paced dynamic global environment
• Cultural sensitivity across all aspects of work
• Values and encourages diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives
• Solid judgement including handling of sensitive information
• Integrity/ethics beyond reproach
• Excellent at working in a networked & virtual team environment
• Ability to multi-task while maintaining vigilant attention to detail in a fast-paced working environment
• A collaborative team player who builds strong relationships while working in a small, fast-paced team where everyone rolls up their sleeves.
• Clear communicator who listens well, shares information proactively, and engages with others generously.
• A flexible, solutions-oriented mindset – comfortable navigating change and working through ambiguity.
• A natural problem-solver who takes initiative and follows through.
• Strong project management instincts with a steady hand under pressure
• Curious, thoughtful, and eager to learn and grow within a mission-driven, highly collaborative, and matrixed team

Knowledge and Skills

• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding ambitious fundraising targets across corporate, institutional, and private philanthropy.
• Skilled in managing high-level donor relationships and navigating nuanced conversations with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experienced team leader who builds high-performing, collaborative, and supported teams.
• Strong strategic planning, pipeline development, and revenue forecasting abilities.
• Demonstrated success in designing and scaling fundraising programs that drive significant revenue.
• Ability to work independently; strong organizational and time management skills with ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Relevant work experience in grant writing, leading proposal teams, reporting and partnership development; knowledge of international humanitarian and development sectors a plus.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to toggle between high-level planning and day-to-day execution.

Education and Experience

• Nine to twelve years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership positions with a focus and extensive experience in corporate fundraising, sponsorship development, and institutional philanthropy; experience building successful development programs a plus.
• Proven experience in developing comprehensive development fundraising programs from inception to execution and in bringing a fundraising program to the next level with significant growth in funds raised.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution preferred or equivalent work experience.
• NetHope Member experience highly valued, other NGO experience a plus.
• Experience with Salesforce, Instil, Asana, prospect research, Microsoft Office Suite, preferred.
• Experience managing complex fundraising programs, budgets, and deliverables.
• Superior writing skills, with ability to quickly synthesize detailed program information and professionally prepare funder-facing materials to include fact sheets, concept notes, proposals, grant reports and updates.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with internal and external stakeholders, navigating complex conversations to drive decision-making on funding opportunities.

Reporting and Working Conditions:

• This position is a full-time position that reports to CPPO and works closely with development, communications, engagement, programs, and finance teams.
• NetHope is a virtual organization, so our team, our Members, and our Partners are located around the world. Due to the global nature of the organization, meetings may thus be required at any time of the day to meet with our stakeholders in varying time zones. To meet these needs, NetHope embraces flexible schedules for team members, and we work with each other to be located globally, but still maintain a reasonable work time balance.
• As a global organization, we welcome qualified applicants with diverse backgrounds from various locations, and who may have non-traditional work patterns. US-based preferred; strong preference for candidates able to work Eastern Time Zone hours.
• NetHope is a networked team-oriented environment with staff working across functional areas to produce high-quality programs, services, and connections with our Members. We value open communication and believe that a staff working as a team produces the best outcomes.
• This position is 100% remote and virtual. International or domestic travel may be required for 2-3 NetHope events annually and external events up to 1520
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