Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chief of Philanthropy

🎯 Role Definition

The Chief of Philanthropy is the senior executive responsible for developing and executing the organization's comprehensive philanthropic strategy to secure major gifts, institutional grants, corporate partnerships, and planned giving. This role leads cross-functional fundraising operations, prospect development, stewardship, impact measurement, and donor-facing communications to maximize revenue, deepen stakeholder relationships, and align philanthropic investments with mission-driven outcomes. The Chief of Philanthropy partners closely with the CEO, Board, program leaders, finance, and communications to shape strategy, manage risk and compliance, and scale sustainable philanthropic revenue.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Vice President / Director of Major Gifts
Head of Foundation & Corporate Partnerships
Senior Development Officer or Senior Philanthropy Strategist

Advancement To:

Chief Development / Chief Advancement Officer
Executive Vice President (with development portfolio)
Chief Executive Officer (for mission-driven organizations)

Lateral Moves:

Director of Institutional Giving
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Chief Strategy Officer (for cross-sector organizations)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development and execution of a multi-year philanthropic strategy that integrates major gifts, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, planned giving, and public philanthropy to achieve aggressive revenue and impact goals.
Build, manage, and personally cultivate a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors and prospective major donors, including leading solicitation strategy, face-to-face asks, stewardship, and long-range gift planning.
Design and oversee targeted campaigns (capital, endowment, program expansion) from feasibility assessment through solicitation, closing, and post-campaign stewardship to ensure fundraising targets and timelines are met.
Create and operationalize grantmaking strategies and foundation engagement plans, including proposal development, reporting requirements, stewardship calendars, and renewal strategies to deepen institutional funder relationships.
Lead the philanthropic team — hiring, coaching, setting KPIs, performance management, and professional development — to build a high-performing, donor-centric development operation.
Partner with the CEO and Board development committee to prepare briefing materials, cultivate Board-led fundraising, and coach board members on effective donor engagement and solicitation techniques.
Oversee and refine donor segmentation, prospect research, and pipeline management processes to ensure systematic moves management and accurate forecasting aligned with CRM data.
Collaborate with finance and legal teams to ensure gift agreements, contracts, planned giving instruments, and restricted fund accounting comply with organizational policy and regulatory standards.
Establish metrics, dashboards, and reporting cadence to evaluate fundraising performance, donor retention, lifetime value, and impact outcomes; present results and strategy adjustments to senior leadership and the board.
Lead cross-functional efforts with program and impact teams to translate programmatic outcomes into compelling donor-facing narratives, proposals, and impact reports that drive philanthropic investment.
Develop and implement corporate partnership strategies including cause-related marketing, employee giving, matched gifts, sponsorships, and multi-year strategic collaborations that align corporate CSR objectives with organizational mission.
Oversee prospect identification and qualification activities utilizing internal research, wealth screening, and third-party databases to prioritize high-potential prospects and inform solicitation strategies.
Design and launch stewardship programs and donor recognition strategies that foster long-term loyalty, increase retention, and cultivate legacy and planned giving pipelines.
Manage solicitation calendars and coordinate multi-channel donor communications (digital, events, direct mail, and one-to-one outreach) to maintain timely and personalized engagement across key constituencies.
Direct the development and submission of high-quality grant proposals, concept notes, and reports that reflect compelling need statements, measurable outcomes, budgets, and evaluation plans.
Lead due diligence and risk assessment for large gifts, including naming rights, restricted funds, corporate conflicts of interest, and reputational considerations; propose mitigation strategies to executive leadership.
Drive fundraising innovation by piloting new fundraising models (e.g., giving circles, affinity initiatives, donor-advised fund cultivation, impact investing approaches) to diversify revenue sources.
Serve as the external philanthropic ambassador for the organization, representing the organization at donor events, conferences, and in media opportunities to raise visibility and influence.
Build and maintain strong relationships with philanthropic advisors, wealth managers, legal counsels, and family offices to expand prospect networks and support complex gift structures.
Integrate equity, inclusion, and community voice into philanthropic strategy and donor relationships; ensure funder approaches are respectful, culturally competent, and aligned with community-led priorities.
Manage departmental budgets, forecasting, and resource allocation; ensure cost-effective fundraising operations and alignment with organizational financial objectives.
Lead impact measurement and evaluation partnerships that demonstrate program effectiveness to funders and inform continuous improvement and learning.
Develop policies and procedures for ethical fundraising, gift acceptance, benefits, naming, and donor confidentiality to protect organizational integrity and donor trust.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to inform prospecting, donor segmentation, and campaign targeting.
Oversee CRM data integrity, donor recordkeeping best practices, and collaboration with IT to optimize donor systems (e.g., Salesforce NPSP, Raiser’s Edge).
Liaise with marketing and communications to align storytelling, digital fundraising funnels, and content that supports major gift and institutional fundraising priorities.
Provide strategic input into organizational strategic planning, linking philanthropic opportunities to long-term mission and program priorities.
Participate in leadership meetings, cross-departmental working groups, and external coalitions to position philanthropy within broader sector and policy conversations.
Mentor and support junior development staff through coaching, skills development, and career pathing.
Ensure timely preparation and submission of compliance reports, grant audits, and donor-required documentation.
Advise on gift structure options (pledges, multi-year commitments, gifts-in-kind, donor-advised funds, stock, estate gifts) and work with finance to operationalize acceptance and processing.
Facilitate donor events, site visits, and stewardship experiences that deepen engagement and support relationship-building objectives.
Support crisis communications and donor relations during organizational change or reputational challenges, ensuring donor confidence and continuity.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic philanthropic planning and campaign management (capital, endowment, multi-year campaigns).
Major gifts cultivation, solicitation, and moves management.
Institutional grant writing, proposal development, and foundation stewardship.
CRM and donor database expertise (Salesforce NPSP, Raiser’s Edge, DonorPerfect or similar) and data-driven fundraising.
Prospect research and wealth screening tools (e.g., iWave, WealthEngine, Foundation Directory Pro).
Financial budgeting, grant budgeting, and familiarity with nonprofit accounting practices.
Gift acceptance policies, legal and tax implications for charitable giving, and planned giving vehicles (bequests, charitable trusts).
Impact measurement frameworks, logic models, and reporting to institutional funders.
Contract and agreement review for naming rights, MOUs, and restricted fund terms; risk assessment and mitigation.
Experience with digital fundraising strategies, donor communications, and multi-channel campaign integration.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership and team building: ability to inspire, develop, and retain high-performing development professionals.
Board engagement and relationship coaching: comfortable preparing board members to be effective fundraisers.
Exceptional written and verbal communication; persuasive storytelling for multiple audiences.
High emotional intelligence and cultural competence in donor and community interactions.
Negotiation and influencing skills for complex gift structures and corporate partnerships.
Strategic thinking and systems orientation; able to connect mission goals to fundraising tactics.
Collaborative cross-functional partnership: works effectively with programs, finance, marketing, and legal.
Adaptability and problem-solving in ambiguous or rapidly changing environments.
Integrity, discretion, and commitment to ethical fundraising practices.
Project management and prioritization: able to manage multiple major initiatives concurrently.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, public administration, business, communications, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in nonprofit leadership, public administration (MPA), MBA, or related graduate degree; advanced certifications in fundraising (CFRE) desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nonprofit Management
Public Policy / Public Administration
Business Administration / MBA
Communications / Public Relations
Philanthropic Studies / Social Impact

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

10–15+ years in fundraising, philanthropy, or development with progressive leadership responsibility.

Preferred:

12+ years with demonstrated success closing seven-figure gifts, leading capital/endowment campaigns, and managing institutional funder portfolios; experience working with or as part of an executive leadership/board-level fundraising function and proven track record of revenue growth, team leadership, and cross-sector partnership development.