Director of Leadership Giving

Asphalt Green is a nonprofit organization that transforms lives and builds community through sports, fitness, and play for all.

Each year, Asphalt Green serves thousands of New Yorkers through sports, aquatics, fitness, camps, and community programs that promote health, personal growth, and lifelong participation in physical activity. Across three campuses and numerous community partnerships, Asphalt Green is committed to providing high-quality programs that are inclusive, accessible, and rooted in excellence.

Asphalt Green believes that access to movement, sport, and wellness can change lives. Our work helps young people develop confidence, resilience, leadership skills, and healthy habits that extend far beyond the playing field.

About the Role

The Director of Leadership Giving is a frontline fundraising role responsible for building and managing a portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the capacity to make significant philanthropic commitments to Asphalt Green. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this role will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward leadership and major gifts in support of Asphalt Green’s programs, operations, strategic priorities, and campaign-related priorities.

This role focuses on growing Asphalt Green’s pipeline of high-capacity individual donors, including members, families, parents of young athletes, and other prospects with the potential to make commitments of $100,000 to $500,000 or more over time. The Director will work closely with the Chief Development Officer, Principal Giving, Development colleagues, program leaders, Board members, and volunteer partners to deepen donor engagement, diversify Asphalt Green’s funder base, and significantly grow philanthropic revenue over the next several years.

The Director of Leadership Giving plays an important role in the donor pipeline beneath Principal Giving. While the Senior Director of Principal Giving leads strategy for Asphalt Green’s highest-capacity donors and prospects, the Director of Leadership Giving is responsible for building and moving the leadership giving pipeline, securing meaningful commitments, and preparing select donors for future principal gift conversations when appropriate.

This is a strong opportunity for a seasoned frontline fundraiser who is comfortable building relationships from early qualification through solicitation and stewardship, has experience closing six-figure gifts, and can translate Asphalt Green’s mission, programs, and community impact into compelling philanthropic opportunities.

The Director of Leadership Giving manages a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors and prospects with the potential to make leadership, major, multi-year, campaign, and/or blended gifts. The portfolio will include current donors giving at modest levels who have greater philanthropic capacity, as well as prospective donors connected to Asphalt Green through membership, sports and aquatics programs, camps, family engagement, Board and volunteer networks, events, and community relationships.

This role is responsible for developing individualized donor strategies, qualifying prospects, securing donor meetings, preparing solicitations and proposals, closing gifts, stewarding commitments, and documenting all activity in Salesforce/CRM. The Director will be accountable for annual revenue, activity, qualification, solicitation, and pipeline movement goals established in partnership with the Chief Development Officer.

This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports at this time. The role is expected to work with significant independence while partnering closely with the Chief Development Officer, Principal Giving, Development Communications, program leaders, Board members, and volunteer partners.

Why This Role Matters

Asphalt Green is expanding its philanthropic capacity at an important moment in the organization’s growth. Leadership giving is essential to building a stronger individual donor base, diversifying philanthropic revenue, and creating a sustainable pipeline of donors who can support Asphalt Green’s mission, programs, strategic priorities, and long-term community impact.

The Director of Leadership Giving will help Asphalt Green deepen relationships with donors who already have a connection to the organization and identify new supporters who may be inspired by its work. By moving donors from early engagement to meaningful leadership and major gift commitments, this role strengthens Asphalt Green’s ability to provide access to sports, fitness, swim instruction, youth development, wellness, and community-centered programming across New York City.

What You’ll Do

Leadership Giving Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Build and manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the capacity to make significant leadership, major, multi-year, or campaign-related gifts.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward donors with the potential to make commitments of $100,000 to $500,000 or more over time.
• Develop individualized donor strategies that move prospects through discovery, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and upgrade.
• Focus especially on donors and prospects connected to Asphalt Green through membership, sports and aquatics programs, camps, family engagement, events, Board and volunteer networks, and community relationships.
• Partner with the Chief Development Officer and Principal Giving colleagues to build a strong donor pipeline and determine when prospects should be jointly managed, escalated, or transitioned.
• Support a relationship-centered approach to fundraising that strengthens Asphalt Green’s long-term individual giving base.

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship

• Conduct donor meetings, discovery conversations, cultivation visits, solicitations, stewardship follow-up, and site visits.
• Independently solicit and secure leadership and major gifts, including six-figure commitments.
• Prepare donor outreach, letters of inquiry, proposals, briefings, talking points, stewardship materials, and follow-up correspondence.
• Work with donors to align their philanthropic interests with Asphalt Green’s programs, campaign priorities, operating needs, and strategic initiatives.
• Steward donors after commitments are made, ensuring they understand the impact of their giving and remain connected to Asphalt Green’s mission.
• Support donor recognition, acknowledgement language, event follow-up, and personalized stewardship touchpoints.

Pipeline Development and Prospect Engagement

• Review current donor, member, parent, event, Board, volunteer, and community relationships to identify prospects with greater giving capacity.
• Conduct prospect research and use donor data, giving history, relationship insights, and wealth indicators to guide outreach and engagement strategy.
• Develop strategies to move donors from modest giving into leadership giving and from leadership giving toward larger major or principal gift opportunities when appropriate.
• Recommend next steps for donors based on interest, capacity, engagement, giving history, and campaign alignment.
• Suggest potential prospects for Board, volunteer, and campaign engagement.
• Help strengthen the systems and practices that support prospect qualification, portfolio movement, and long-term donor pipeline growth.

Campaign, Program, and Fundraising Support

• Support fundraising efforts connected to Asphalt Green’s programs, community impact, annual priorities, campaign priorities, and strategic initiatives.
• Partner with Development colleagues on campaign messaging, donor lists, cultivation opportunities, event follow-up, and individual donor strategy.
• Help design and execute fundraising proposals around key programs and priority funding needs in close collaboration with organizational partners.
• Attend donor events, cultivation opportunities, program observations, site visits, and community events as needed.
• Serve as an ambassador for Asphalt Green and communicate the organization’s mission, programs, impact, and funding needs in a compelling and donor-centered way.
• Build strong and collaborative relationships with Development, Development Communications, Marketing and Communications, Programs, Community Programs, Sports, Aquatics, Fitness, Camps, Finance, and Operations.
• Gather program updates, impact stories, donor-relevant information, and organizational priorities to support donor engagement.
• Partner with internal teams to connect donors to meaningful examples of Asphalt Green’s work.
• Communicate donor needs, deadlines, and information requests clearly and professionally.
• Coordinate with Finance and Development colleagues to ensure gift information, donor records, recognition details, and reporting needs are accurate.

Data, Reporting, and Donor Systems

• Maintain accurate donor records, portfolio notes, contact reports, proposals, next steps, stewardship activity, and gift information in Salesforce/CRM.
• Track portfolio progress, donor engagement, solicitations, closed gifts, revenue, retention, upgrades, and moves management activity.
• Prepare regular updates for the Chief Development Officer and Development leadership on portfolio activity, donor movement, risks, opportunities, and progress toward goals.
• Use donor data and reporting to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for stronger donor engagement.
• Help improve systems and practices that support leadership giving strategy, prospect management, and donor stewardship.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means Asphalt Green has a stronger, more intentional leadership giving program and a healthier pipeline of individual donors moving toward deeper engagement and larger commitments. A successful Director of Leadership Giving will:

• Build and actively manage a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors and prospects.
• Secure leadership and major gifts, including six-figure commitments.
• Increase donor engagement, retention, renewals, upgrades, and multi-year giving opportunities.
• Move qualified donors from modest giving into leadership giving and from leadership giving toward larger major or principal gift conversations when appropriate.
• Develop clear donor strategies, next steps, proposals, and stewardship plans that are consistently documented and followed through.
• Partner effectively with the Chief Development Officer, Principal Giving, Development Communications, program teams, Board members, and volunteers.
• Strengthen internal systems, reporting, and moves management practices that support individual giving growth.
• Build trust with donors, internal partners, and Development leadership.

Who You’ll Work With

• Chief Development Officer
• Senior Director of Principal Giving
• Development team
• Development Communications
• Marketing and Communications
• Program leaders and staff across Sports, Aquatics, Fitness, Camps, and Community Programs
• Finance and Operations
• Board members and volunteer partners
• Donors, prospects, members, families, parents, and external partners

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• At least 7 years of relevant fundraising, nonprofit development, advancement, or individual giving experience.
• At least 5 years of frontline major gift, leadership giving, or individual donor portfolio experience.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward individual donors.
• Experience securing or materially supporting six-figure gifts, multi-year commitments, campaign gifts, or major individual gifts.
• Experience managing a donor portfolio and using moves management practices to guide donor strategy.
• Strong relationship-building skills with donors, prospects, volunteers, Board members, senior leaders, and internal partners.
• Ability to conceptualize and describe funding needs in a way that is compelling to prospects, donors, and stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare donor emails, proposals, letters of inquiry, briefings, talking points, and stewardship materials.
• Experience using donor data, giving history, research, and relationship insights to guide fundraising strategy.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple donor relationships, deadlines, asks, and follow-up items.
• Ability to work with discretion, confidentiality, professionalism, sound judgment, and a high level of independence.
• Ability to collaborate across departments and translate program information to donor engagement opportunities.
• Proficiency with donor databases, CRM systems, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or similar systems.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a nonprofit, education, sports, fitness, recreation, public health, youth development, community-based, cultural, or mission-driven organization.
• Experience supporting or participating in a capital campaign or comprehensive fundraising campaign.
• Experience working with high‑net‑worth individuals, families, members, parents, volunteers, or Board‑connected prospects.
• Experience partnering with executive leadership, Board members, or volunteer committees on donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Experience using prospect research tools, donor analytics, wealth screening, or portfolio management systems.
• Experience with donor‑advised funds, family giving, recurring giving, blended gifts, naming opportunities, or multi-year gift strategies.
• CFRE, fundraising, nonprofit management, or related professional certification