Major Gifts Director
About Austin Pets Alive! (APA!): APA! is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization rescues, treats, and adopts out some 10,000 dogs and cats at-risk in other shelters each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most vulnerable shelter pets while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. While the organization is still distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, community-based animal rescue work, APA! has a national reputation for excellence in lifesaving programs and is recognized as a thought leader in animal welfare.
General Description: Seeking a skilled people-person with a passion for animal welfare to build engagement around APA!’s lifesaving cause and draw support from our highest-level individual donors. While always keeping in mind that meeting fundraising goals is imperative for APA!’s lifesaving mission, the focus for APA!’s Philanthropy team is on creating great, inspiring relationships with supporters.
The Major Gifts Director will work under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy within a highly collaborative team of 11 staff members, each owning a specialized role. This is a leadership role, lending the opportunity to oversee an already growing major gifts program and take it to the next level. It additionally offers the opportunity to participate in managing a capital campaign as APA! heads into the challenge of raising funds to establish new facilities.
The Director will be responsible for a portfolio of VIP donors and for meeting ambitious and growing funding goals for major gifts. The Director will also lead the overall program for high-level individual donors, by (1) managing donor prospecting, (2) maintaining a donor pipeline, and (3) helping to create a comprehensive stewardship plan for all APA! supporters, collaborating on this with the Deputy Chief of Philanthropy. Last, (4) the Major Gifts Director will oversee team members primarily responsible for the stewardship and cultivation of major and mid-level individual donors. In order to be an effective mentor to these staff members, the Director must have prior experience in philanthropy.
This position requires a self-starter, comfortable with being out in front in improving major gifts fundraising at APA!, motivated to seek out solutions to obstacles in the drive towards meeting funding goals for an organization that has become a national player in its field. The Major Gifts Director must be an effective communicator with the ability to speak to different audiences, and must be firmly committed to our lifesaving cause. This is a full-time position. The Director will work primarily from home, with some time spent at Austin Pets Alive!’s Town Lake Animal Center facility. The role requires living in the Austin area.
APA! values the effect that diversity of thought, experience, and identity has on our organization.
Key Responsibilities:
Portfolio Work
Planning and Process Management
People Management
What kind of qualifications we are seeking:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties.
TIME COMMITMENT: This is a full-time, exempt position and may include weekends and evenings to support program needs.
LOCATION(S):
Primarily remote/work from home (must live in Austin area)
APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
May travel to offsite locations as needed
TO APPLY: Submit an application, cover letter and resume. Materials should arrive no later than September 16, 2022.
Austin Pets Alive! is not your average animal shelter. We pioneer comprehensive, innovative programs designed to save the animals most at risk for euthanasia.
Our story hasn't necessarily been for the faint of heart. Austin Pets Alive! began when vulnerable, homeless pets truly needed us the most. When we were first imagined, Austin had a kill-rate of 87% – today, we have a save-rate of 97%. Through hardships, we have found inspiration; and through this inspiration, we have saved lives.