Director, Leadership Gifts

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Location: Hybrid with 1-day/wk onsite in Easthampton, MA. Preference will be given to candidates within a reasonable commuting distance.

Travel: frequent statewide travel to meet potential donors and partners

Full-time: 40 hours/week

Compensation: 95-105k Annually

Position Summary

The Leadership Gifts Director is a new crucial position in an ambitious fundraising growth strategy. The person is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors, with a focus on securing leadership gifts, starting at $5,000 to support the organization's mission. 

If you are a mission-driven, relationship and results-oriented entrepreneurial professional with a growth mindset, we invite you to join our dynamic development team.In this role, you will collaborate closely with all organizational functions and teams, while actively engaging with external stakeholders. If you take joy in identifying and securing impactful gifts, building deep relationships, and expanding a robust network of donors and partners across MA and beyond, this is the role for you!  

Organization Summary

Our vision: Every child rooted in family and community. For 20 years, Treehouse has worked to transform child welfare. Treehouse is an award-winning, fast-growing nonprofit. We drive innovation at the local, state, and national levels to create better lives for children and youth who have lived in foster care.

We support a national ReEnvisioning Foster Care movement. This work elevates lived-experience leaders and includes a national conference and podcast. Treehouse has gained national recognition for its innovative multigenerational community living model that addresses three critical issues: child welfare, vital aging and affordable housing. Three generations thrive in one intentionally designed neighborhood, supporting each other as community members with the help of on-site staff, programs and services: The needs of children who experienced foster care are met; Their foster, adoptive or kinship families get the support they need, while older adults find a new purpose as “honorary grandparents.” Our first neighborhood opened in Easthampton, MA in 2006. Treehouse at Olmsted Village in Mattapan, Boston will welcome members in 2028. A third affordable multigenerational community is being planned for Worcester, MA while national expansion plans are underway.

The Leadership Gifts Director will be responsible for the following:

• Develop a robust pipeline of donors and prospects across the state by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting leadership gifts, starting at $5,000 with an emphasis on expansion in the Boston and Worcester regions.
• Create engagement strategies and expand stakeholder engagement to build a vibrant and sustainable community of supporters, including generating support for the national ReEnvisioning Movement and Conference.
• Ensure that major donors receive appropriate recognition and appreciation. Maintain ongoing relationships with donors through regular updates on the impact of their contributions. Plan and execute donor stewardship events and activities.
• Work closely with program staff to understand funding needs and priorities. Coordinate with marketing staff and the development team to create compelling donor materials.
• Support the expansion and deepen engagement of the Development Committee to reflect the organization’s geographic expansion across Massachusetts and nationally.
• Represent Treehouse at external functions to promote awareness, cultivate new donors, and build stronger relationships with key stakeholders. 
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of donor interactions in our CRM system (Salesforce). Prepare reports on major gifts, activities and outcomes. Ensure compliance with all relevant fundraising regulations and ethical standards.
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer to create and implement a comprehensive major gifts strategy; set annual and multi-year goals for major gifts and track progress, analyze donor data to identify trends and opportunities for growth.

Essential Qualifications and Skills:

• Commitment to mission.
• Proven track record of securing gifts of $5,000 and above.
• Demonstrated experience with major giving in greater Boston.
• Strong drive and determination to pursue fundraising goals, with the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges, demonstrating the ability to combine “road warrior” mentality with diplomacy.
• Willingness to bring authentic self with professionalism into the workplace.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to quickly produce high quality, professional‐looking written material. Clearly convey information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals and groups in a manner that engages the audience and encourages them to support the mission.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects involving staff, set priorities, manage multiple tasks, meet time-sensitive deadlines, and manage events.
• Strong attention to detail, guidance, and instruction.
• Possesses technical skills and knowledge of fundraising strategies and principles; proficient with donor and data management systems. 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, board members, and key stakeholders to achieve organizational goals.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with the ability to proactively identify challenges and opportunities and develop creative solutions to meet fundraising goals.
• Eager to learn new systems that foster team productivity and collaboration.
• Commitment to advancing anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice, and cultural humility. 

Competencies:

• Demonstrated growth mindset
• Proactive, flexibility and teamwork
• Proactive collaboration and communication

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5-7 years relevant experience, with at least 2 years in leadership giving
• Understanding of the Massachusetts philanthropic market, especially Greater Boston
• People with lived experience in foster care are encouraged to apply

We recognize that strong candidates may not possess all our desired qualifications and skills. We are happy to work with candidates who are a good match for this role even if they do not have some of these qualifications and skills. If you believe you are a good fit for this role, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits & Compensation

This is a full-time exempt, benefited position. The annual pay range is $95,000-105,000, commensurate with experience. This position is hybrid, with 1 day on-site in our Easthampton, Massachusetts, office. Frequent travel is expected as the person has statewide responsibility. Occasional evening and weekend hours for events are required. 

We offer a best in class paid time off package including 12 paid holidays, 3 weeks of vacation plus the last week of December off, and generous sick time and personal time. The position includes a generous benefits package of health, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability insurances, and simple IRA retirement plan with 2% employer contribution. We offer flexible schedules and start and end times where possible. 

EO&D Statement

The Treehouse Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome team members from all backgrounds to join and enrich our team and we are dedicated to creating a culture where everyone can bring their authentic, original, and best selves to the work. We are stronger and better with you on our team! We welcome team members from all races and ethnicities, regions, countries of origin, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages to apply, and encourage BIPOC Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, and people living with disabilities. 

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a resume, including professional references and cover letter to annie@treehousefoundation.net