Director of Philanthropy

Position Title: Director of Philanthropy Position Reports To: Executive Director Location: Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, or Dubuque, Iowa Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000, commensurate with experience Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque is seeking an entrepreneurial Director of Philanthropy to build and shape a philanthropic program. This is an exciting, career-defining opportunity for an experienced philanthropy professional who thrives on creating something new and bringing a vision to life. This position will strengthen the agency's financial sustainability and long-term impact. The Director of Philanthropy will cultivate, retain, and grow relationships with individual donors, prospective donors, foundations, businesses, and community partners. This position is especially focused on re-engaging lapsed and at-risk donors, strengthening relationships with current donors, increasing annual operating support, and increasing long-term assets in the Catholic Charities Foundation. The Director of Philanthropy will help ensure that longtime supporters are meaningfully connected to the mission and have opportunities to consider lasting gifts that strengthen Catholic Charities for future generations. The Director of Philanthropy will work closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, Program Directors, the Archdiocesan Stewardship and Development Office, and CFAD to achieve a sustainable culture of philanthropy. Development activities will be coordinated to advance the shared mission of the Church, complement Archdiocesan and parish initiatives, and avoid competition or duplication of effort. Catholic Charities offers a competitive salary, benefits, and a generous time off policy. Agency Mission, Vision & Values: Catholic Charities is the social service organization of the Archdiocese of Dubuque responding to persons in need according to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. All employees should possess an understanding and commitment to these foundational principles - Catholic Social Teachings | Dubuque, IAWe envision a community that works to strengthen families, reduce poverty and empower communities. The values of service, integrity, dignity, respect, unity, and stewardship are expected to be demonstrated by all employees. Responsibilities Include: Develop and implement a comprehensive donor engagement and retention strategy, with particular attention to lapsed and at-risk donors. Build authentic, long-term relationships with individual donors and prospective donors through personal outreach, meetings, calls, written communication, events, and mission-focused opportunities. Create meaningful stewardship practices that ensure donors are thanked promptly, informed about the impact of their gifts, and invited to remain engaged with Catholic Charities. Develop thoughtful, ongoing appreciation and recognition strategies for existing donors, including donors who have already provided intent of a bequest, so they remain valued, informed, and connected to the future impact of their generosity. Maintain regular contact with the top 10% of donors and longtime supporters (approx. 400-450), as potential planned giving donors. Develop and implement a planned-giving strategy designed to increase long-term assets in the Catholic Charities Foundation. Establish and maintain a legacy society or similar donor recognition program, in collaboration with the Archdiocese and CFAD. Lead annual appeal efforts, develop strategies to increase annual giving in support of operations and mission priorities. Collaborate with Public Relations Director and Program Directors to identify compelling stories, outcomes, and opportunities that demonstrate the impact of Catholic Charities' work. Broaden philanthropic support by building relationships with individuals, businesses, foundations, and community partners across the broader community. Monitor donor retention, donor acquisition and other key development metrics; provide regular reports and recommendations to the Executive Director and Board. Ensure donor records, contact information, giving history, relationship notes, and follow-up plans are accurate and consistently maintained in shared donor database. Represent Catholic Charities at community events, parish events/meetings, donor meetings, and other opportunities that advance the agency's mission and visibility. Develop and maintain a collaborative working relationship with the Archdiocesan Stewardship Development Office, including regular communication about donor engagement, campaigns, planned-giving opportunities, parish relationships, and other activities with potential overlap. Identify opportunities for joint donor education, stewardship, recognition, and planned-giving promotion that strengthen support for Catholic Charities and the Church as a whole. Partner with the Archdiocesan Stewardship Development Office on donor database administration, gift processing, reports, mailing lists, acknowledgments, and other development operations. Coordinate with Grant Writer for grant research, proposal development, reporting, and funder stewardship as appropriate to agency capacity and priorities. Ensure all fundraising efforts reflect Catholic Charities' mission, Catholic social teaching, ethical fundraising practices, and respect for donor intent. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, philanthropy, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field. Relevant work experience in lieu of degree may be considered. At least five years of experience in fundraising, development, donor relations, relationship management, nonprofit leadership, or a related experience. Demonstrated success building and maintaining relationships with donors, clients, community leaders, or other stakeholders. Experience with annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, estate gifts, donor stewardship, or foundation development preferred. Strong understanding of donor cultivation, relationship-based fundraising, and the importance of donor retention. Ability to communicate the mission and impact of Catholic Charities in a compelling, respectful, and authentic manner. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, and presentation skills. Strong organizational and project management skills, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities. Experience using donor database or customer relationship management (CRM) systems preferred. Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office applications. Ability to handle confidential donor and financial information with discretion and sound judgment. Commitment to the mission, values, and Catholic identity of Catholic Charities. Practicing Catholic preferred, but not required. Ability to travel throughout the Archdiocese of Dubuque and work occasional evenings or weekends for donor meetings and/or community events. #J-18808-Ljbffr Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque