Director, Philanthropy

About WHEN Justice

WHEN Justice is a charitable litigation funder, mobilizing capital to develop and strengthen public-interest environmental cases. By pooling resources behind the strategies, evidence, and expertise that carry weight in the courtroom, WHEN counterbalances corporate power to protect the health of people and planet. Founded by a successful entrepreneur and a former corporate attorney, WHEN connects philanthropic litigation funding with movement-building, broadening participation in corporate accountability and helping make harm expensive.

Increase your chances of an interview by reading the following overview of this role before making an application.

The Opportunity

The Director, Philanthropy leads WHEN's relationship-driven fundraising among high-net-worth individuals and family offices. This role is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of major donors through high-touch engagement, trusted relationships, and meaningful opportunities to support WHEN's mission and impact.

This is a senior, execution-oriented role for an established fundraiser with a proven track record of securing major gifts ($50K+) and an existing network of relationships across high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and the broader philanthropic community. The successful candidate will bring both the relationships and credibility to begin opening doors, securing meetings, and expanding WHEN's donor network from day one, while building a longer-term pipeline of prospective supporters.

The ideal candidate can operate independently and is equally comfortable making an introduction, leading a solicitation, stewarding a significant donor, and executing a high-touch donor event.

Key Responsibilities

Pipeline Development & Prospect Research

• Own and manage a major donor and family office pipeline from prospecting through cultivation, solicitation, and long-term stewardship.
• Activate and expand an existing network of high-net-worth individuals, family offices, philanthropic advisors, and other connectors to generate introductions and secure qualified donor meetings.
• Conduct and coordinate prospect research, including identifying new potential donors, leveraging wealth-screening tools, and building a qualified pipeline of individuals and family offices aligned with WHEN's mission and giving capacity.
• Develop strategies for gaining access to high-value prospects beyond the candidate's existing network, using referrals, events, partnerships, and other relationship-driven channels.
• Develop and articulate a clear major donor value proposition, including access, recognition, and visibility into outcomes and impact.
• Move prospects decisively through the donor journey, with clear cultivation strategies, solicitation plans, and next steps for priority relationships.

Donor Cultivation & Stewardship

• Build and maintain trusted, high-touch relationships with individual donors and family offices aligned with WHEN's mission
• Design, coordinate, and lead donor engagement moments, including private dinners, briefings, and small convenings; represent WHEN in these settings by facilitating thoughtful conversations, answering questions, and helping donors engage meaningfully with the organization's mission, strategy, and impact
• Support leadership in donor engagement by preparing briefing materials, managing follow-ups, and ensuring consistent stewardship
• Produce customized donor communications and updates aligned with donor interests and priorities

Operations, Performance & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Track donor interactions, commitments, and next steps, ensuring disciplined followthrough and relationship continuity
• Own major gifts fundraising revenue goals and track donor pipeline activity, commitments, and revenue performance against targets.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Programs, Executive, and Communications teams to identify key fundraising opportunities, narratives, and high-impact events, and to ensure donor engagement reflects accurate case progress and impact.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of experience in major gifts, individual philanthropy, family office fundraising, or a closely related field, ideally in a mission-driven or advocacy-focused organization.
• Proven track record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing major gifts of $50K+, with demonstrated success securing six-figure gifts strongly preferred.
• An established network of high-net-worth individuals, family offices, philanthropic advisors, and/or other influential connectors, with the ability to generate introductions and donor conversations from the outset.
• Demonstrated ability to build a major-gifts pipeline through both existing relationships and proactive prospect development.
• Demonstrated success managing and growing long-term relationships with high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
• Strong executive presence and comfort representing an organization in high-touch donor settings, including events, briefings, and public-facing moments.
• Experience designing and executing donor events, convenings, or private engagement moments end-to-end.
• Experience with donor CRM systems (e.g., Hubspot, Salesforce, Bloomerang, or similar).
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and emotional intelligence when navigating complex donor dynamics.
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills, with the ability to manage multiple relationships and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to operate independently, anticipate needs, and drive work forward without requiring significant management or oversight.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.
• Experience in litigation or legal-sector fundraising, environmental or climate philanthropy, environmental justice fundraising, and/or litigation funding is strongly preferred.
• Grant-writing experience, particularly for major individual, family foundation, or institutional funders, is a plus. xhyhwjd

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range of $150,000–$195,000, commensurate with experience, fundraising track record, leadership capability, and depth of relationships.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, including family coverage options
• Retirement: Eligibility to participate in a 401(k) retirement savings plan