Deputy Director of Philanthropy and Major Gifts

DEPARTMENT: Development & Membership 
REPORTS TO: Vice President, Development 
LOCATION: Southeast Region, U.S.

Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization urging U.S. decision makers to do all they can to pursue a world without hunger. Our mission is to educate and equip people to advocate for policies and programs that can help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The Deputy Director for Philanthropy and Major Gifts will provide strategic and operational leadership for Bread for the World’s major gifts program, overseeing the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors giving $5,000 and above.

This role leads the major gifts team in building authentic, mission-centered relationships that grow revenue, deepen donor engagement, and advance Bread’s campaign and organizational priorities. The Deputy Director ensures disciplined portfolio management, strong pipeline development, and a culture of accountability and excellence across the philanthropy team. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:

Major Gifts Strategy and Revenue Leadership

1. Develop and execute a comprehensive major gifts strategy for donors at the $5,000+ level.
2. Set annual and multi-year revenue goals aligned with organizational growth plans and campaign priorities. 
3. Oversee portfolio strategy, ensuring proper segmentation, qualification, and movement of donors through the pipeline. 
4. Monitor progress toward goals, analyze performance metrics, and adjust strategies as needed. 
5. Lead strategy for campaign and special initiative fundraising at the major gift level. 
6. Identify and implement strategies to upgrade donors, secure multi-year commitments, and increase lifetime value.

Donor Relationship Management

1. Maintain a personal portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, with a focus on six- and seven-figure opportunities. 
2. Conduct donor visits, virtual meetings, and cultivation events to deepen engagement and secure commitments. 
3. Develop tailor cultivation and solicitation strategies for top prospects. 
4. Partner with the President & CEO, Vice President, Development & Membership, and board members on strategic donor engagement. 
5. Ensure exceptional stewardship practices, including personalized communication and impact reporting. 

Team Leadership and Performance Management

1. Directly supervise Philanthropy Advisor(s), Special Events Manager, and Church Giving Manager. 
2. Establish clear performance expectations, visit metrics, and revenue benchmarks. 
3. Provide coaching and support to strengthen fundraising skills, donor strategy, and accountability.
4. Lead regular portfolio revenue meetings and pipeline discussions. 
5. Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture grounded in service, discipline, and mission alignment. 
6. Contribute to succession planning and team development.

Cross-Departmental Partnership

1. Partner with Development Operations to ensure accurate portfolio reporting and donor tracking. 
2. Collaborate with Communications on donor messaging and customized proposals. 
3. Coordinate with Advocacy, Organizing and Programs to align donor interests with strategic initiatives.

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:  

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive fundraising experience, including major gifts leadership.
• Demonstrated success securing and closing five- and six-figure gifts. 
• Experience managing portfolios and leading frontline fundraising teams. 
• Strong understanding of pipeline development, donor lifecycle strategy, and revenue forecasting.
• Proven ability to coach and develop high-performing fundraisers. 
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. 
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities. 
• High integrity, discretion, and professionalism. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT ISSUES:   

• Requires up to 50% travel to visit donors and prospects. 
• Position is based within the assigned region and within one hour of a major airport. 
• Valid driver’s license and insurable driving record required (as determined by Bread). 
• Must be responsive to time-sensitive communications, including occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays. 
• Must be able to work productively from a home office and maintain professional availability and communication standards. 

CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS: 

Bread is committed to advancing racial equity externally and internally, all staff members play a vital role. In the course of our work, each staff person should work to apply a racial equity lens to their work and practices; and participate in racial equity on-going training. Bread is also committed to being an equal opportunity employer.

OUR VALUES: 

1. We value our faith. Our faith in Christ is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values, and compels us to love our neighbors near and far.
2. We value human flourishing. We believe that every human being, created in the image of God, has inherent dignity that affords an opportunity to be in right relationship with God, self, neighbor, and the environment, and to freely access enough nutritious food for good health.
3. We value justice. We seek to establish effective systems, structures, and policies that affirm equality and advance equity among all human beings and protect people who experience hunger and poverty from oppression.
4. We value courage and prophetic voice. In a spirit of wisdom and love, we will be bold in articulating and pursuing our vision of a world without hunger.
5. We value nonpartisanship. We believe that effective and sustainable public policies are made when, in good faith, we employ a civil and politically unbiased approach to develop and implement laws and programs to achieve our mission.
6. We value collaboration. We believe in working alongside and building community with diverse churches, institutions, and individuals, including people experiencing hunger, to achieve our mission.
7. We value impact. We strive for excellence in our work and hold ourselves and our nation’s leaders accountable in the pursuit of public policies that render measurable results and meaningful change for those affected by hunger.

DISCLAIMER: 

Background and reference checks will be conducted on all final candidates. The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.