About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. 

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. 

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. 

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Location 

California, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Washington

Purpose of the Role

The Director of Principal Gifts, West will drive their region's efforts in cultivating and soliciting a portfolio of prospective supporters at the 10M+ level. You will work closely with select Board members, a Regional Council, and Foundation leadership to build relationships and cultivate/solicit eight and nine-figure gifts. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Development, West, this is an ideal opportunity for a proven, resourceful, and values-driven nonprofit fundraiser who’s highly motivated to work collaboratively in pursuit of big goals.

Core Job Responsibilities

  • Portfolio Strategy & Management: Create and lead the strategy for a portfolio of principal gift prospects (10M+), engaging and briefing senior Foundation leaders as appropriate.
  • Partnership Development: Develop strong partnerships with select board members and members of the Development Committee and provide support for their fundraising efforts in the region.
  • Region Collaboration: Establish supportive and cooperative working relationships with other regional fundraisers, share best practices and new ideas, and collaborate on donor cultivation when needed.
  • Philanthropy Stewardship: Represent the Development team in external settings, such as conferences and gatherings, and partner with other teams across the Foundation to help advance a culture of philanthropy.
  • Operating Effectiveness: Use Salesforce extensively to record and evaluate key activities and metrics, and to operationalize insights and recommendations from institutional reporting.
  • Key Donor Management: Collaborate with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Development Officer on the management of select high-capacity donors, including support for meeting preparation and follow-up. Partner with Regional Directors to manage eight-figure donors across the West region.
  • Volunteer Management: Provide guidance and support for volunteer fundraising efforts and participate in the planning and execution of key fundraising events.
  • Donor & Prospect Engagement: Build and manage relationships with prospects and donors through visits, correspondence, and regular communication. Collaborate with the Development Operations team to identify new prospects and design and execute donor engagement opportunities. Partner with fellow gift officers and Foundation event staff to design and execute high-touch events for key prospects.
  • Fundraising Collateral: Ensure the timely creation and distribution of fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral and briefings, and highly personalized proposals with support from Development’s Donor Relations team.
  • Other duties as assigned

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

  • Meet ambitious fundraising targets.
  • Prospect portfolio strategy.
  • Prospect contact management plans.
  • Prospect stewardship and engagement plans.
  • Fundraising activation plan for assigned board members.
  • Principal gift best practice sharing forums.
  • Consistent Salesforce utilization and basic facility with reporting functions.
  • High capacity donor relationship management plan
  • Fundraising/stewardship materials, collateral and briefings, and highly personalized proposals

Required Qualifications

  • A minimum of eight years of experience in fundraising or donor relations, including a minimum of four years in a leadership position securing funds directly.
  • Track record of building relationships with major and principal gift level donors, ideally directly soliciting and closing principal gifts of at least $1M+. The ideal candidate will have several gift examples to draw upon in which they have closed $5 -10 million investments. Track record of regularly involving Chief Executive, Board, and other principals in sophisticated strategies.
  • Track record of planning and managing complex, long-cycle internal and external relationships toward a goal of philanthropic investment. Experience advising and supporting executive and program team relationships with donors and prospects.
  • Deep understanding of fundraising programs and high-level gift strategies.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence, with an ability to develop and maintain long-term, productive relationships internally and externally.
  • Ability to work at a fast pace and reduce ambiguity in highly nuanced situations. 

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

In the interest of employee health and safety during the pendency of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Obama Foundation is requiring that all prospective employees present proof that they are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, or seek a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons, prior to their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

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