Director of Philanthropy (Major Gifts)

About Room to Grow

At Room to Grow, we believe that strong starts in childhood lead to strong outcomes in life, and that parents and caregivers are best equipped to nurture their children’s growth and development when they have the support they need to thrive. We partner with families during the critical early years (ages 0-3) through our unique, strengths-based program, working alongside parents to offer consistent, personalized support and resources to meet their child’s needs and goals.

Room to Grow is a non-profit organization operating in New York and Boston with a team of 40+ passionate and dedicated team members. Check out our website to learn more about us!

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director of External Engagement, the Director of Philanthropy, Major Gifts leads the strategy and execution of Room to Grow’s major giving program. This includes building and strengthening a robust pipeline of individual donors across regional markets, driving revenue performance, and deepening long-term donor engagement in support of organizational goals. This role is designed for a strategic, independent fundraiser capable of navigating complex gift discussions and engaging executive leadership to secure transformative support for Room to Grow. This is a front-facing role, well suited for someone who thrives in building relationships and making solicitations in a direct, face-to-face manner. The Director will manage a personal portfolio of key major donors, and support the CEO and Board of Directors’ fundraising initiatives, collaborating closely with senior leadership to achieve and exceed revenue goals.

A successful candidate will be a seasoned fundraiser and leader who brings enterprise-level relationship-building, thinking, strong financial acumen, and a collaborative working style. They will be comfortable operating at both strategic and executional levels, stewarding top-tier relationships, being accountable for results, and navigating complexity with confidence.

Position Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Major Gift Strategy & Execution

• Lead Room to Grow’s major gift ($5K+) strategy and execution in partnership with CEO, currently valued at approximately $1M annually.
• Manage Room to Grow's organization-wide major gifts portfolio of 100 - 125 high-net-worth individuals and family foundations with the capacity to make gifts in the $5K–$100K+ range.
• Exclusively manage a subset of this portfolio, and partner closely with the CEO and Managing Director of Organizational Success (MD) on donor relationships, solicitation strategy, and high-level cultivation and stewardship for their portfolios.
• Own moves-management best practices (identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship).
• Design and execute personalized stewardship plans to ensure donors are informed of the impact of their philanthropy.

New Revenue Acquisition

• Build and implement strategies to grow and diversify the individual donor pipeline across regional markets; identify and close funding opportunities that provide a minimum of $100K in new revenue over the first 12 - 18 months.
• Ensure a robust, continually replenished pipeline of major gift prospects across all markets (Boston, New York, and National).

Board & Leadership Council Engagement

• Serve as an advisor to the CEO on high net worth prospects and board recruitment and engagement, providing insights and recommendations to inform donor strategy.
• Serve as an advisor to the CEO, Board of Directors, and Leadership Councils in individual giving strategy, advancement strategy, and fundraising engagement.
• Support board-level fundraising and peer-to-peer outreach efforts, including leveraging board networks for pipeline development.

External Representation & Partnerships

• Represent Room to Grow internally and externally with professionalism, passion, and a strong understanding of our mission, values, and impact.
• Raise Room to Grow’s profile and impact in NYC through thought leadership, networking, and strategic relationship-building.
• Serve as an external face, spokesperson, and advocate for Room to Grow in the NYC community, ensuring the organization’s story, message, program successes, and positions are well articulated to various stakeholders.

Team Collaboration

• Partner with the Senior Director, External Engagement and Finance to support revenue forecasting, goal setting, and performance tracking for major gifts.
• Carry personal annual revenue and activity goals (visits, solicitations, stewardship touches) and report progress transparently to the Senior Director, External Engagement.
• Collaborate with the Programs and Brand & Communications teams to build a library of donor-facing stewardship materials for the major gift discipline, including proposal templates and outreach materials.
• Collaborate with the Events & Donor Experiences team to ensure major gifts strategy is aligned with mid-level and general giving activities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to align fundraising efforts toward shared revenue priorities; serve as a trusted sounding board across departments.

Qualifications and Experience

• Strong alignment with Room to Grow’s mission, vision, and values.
• Senior-level experience in advancement, development, or revenue roles, with a track record of driving fundraising strategy and results.
• Proven success as a frontline fundraiser, securing and stewarding gifts in the $5K - $100K+ range.
• Experience partnering with executive leaders and supporting Board in fundraising efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate through complexity and drive accountability.
• Strong collaboration skills, including working with staff, board members, volunteers, and constituents in fundraising efforts.
• Deep understanding of advancement operations, including pipeline management, performance tracking, and CRM systems (Salesforce preferred).
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Familiarity with NYC philanthropic market required.
• Familiarity with high net worth individuals' philanthropic vehicles - DAFs, family foundations, private foundations, LLCs, etc. a plus.
• Experience with ambassador, influencer, or celebrity engagement a plus.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment with sound judgment and adaptability.
• Willingness to travel domestically (5–10%) and work occasional evenings/weekends as needed.
• This is a hybrid role requiring at least 2 days/week in our South Bronx, NY office

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with ismael.loera@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We view differences between individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset. We celebrate what makes us unique and strive to create an inclusive environment for all. We are focused on fostering a culture of empowerment in an effort to better understand and serve the multifaceted cultures and identities of all of those within the Room to Grow community. At Room to Grow, our DEI efforts focus on uplifting the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented groups and doing the work that draws out the best in all of us.

Compensation and Benefits

Room to Grow offers a collaborative work environment, support with scheduling and client communications, competitive compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package including:

• 8+ weeks of paid time off per year (holidays, vacation, sick time, personal/self-care time)
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA
• 403(b) retirement savings with matching program
• Wellness reimbursement up to $250 per year
• So much more!

Salary and benefits will be competitive for our field and commensurate with experience. Room to Grow is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.