Director, Leadership Giving & Partnership

For more than a century, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has worked to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Through a nationwide Movement of local Boys & Girls Club organizations, BGCA reaches millions of young people each year, creating opportunities for them to learn, lead, thrive and build great futures.

Our ability to deliver on that mission is strengthened by philanthropic partners who believe in the potential of young people and invest in solutions that can create meaningful, lasting change at scale.

The Development & Board Relations team builds and stewards philanthropic relationships that advance BGCA's mission, strategic priorities and impact across the Boys & Girls Club Movement.

Working across BGCA and alongside local Clubs, senior leaders, trustees and external partners, the team develops meaningful opportunities for donors to invest in young people and experience the impact their philanthropy makes possible.

The Director, Leadership Giving & Partnerships  manages and advances a national portfolio of high-value philanthropic relationships that fuel Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s mission and create meaningful impact for young people.

Reporting to the SVP, Development & Board Relations, you will help lead the full lifecycle of leadership giving partnerships, from cultivation and solicitation through stewardship, renewal and growth. You’ll manage relationships representing significant strategic and financial value, including $50M+ in existing grant commitments and renewal potential, while contributing to a minimum of $8M in annual direct and/or influenced revenue.

This role sits at the intersection of relationship management, fundraising strategy and execution. You’ll translate donor priorities into compelling opportunities for investment, bring teams together to deliver on complex commitments and create stewardship experiences that help partners see and feel the change their philanthropy makes possible.

Grow & Advance Leadership Giving Partnerships

•            Manage and advance a portfolio of high-value foundation and leadership giving relationships, developing strategies that strengthen engagement, retention, renewal and growth.

•            Contribute to a minimum of $8M in annual direct and/or influenced revenue through renewals, upgrades and new funding opportunities.

•            Advance opportunities across the fundraising lifecycle, including qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and renewal, in partnership with senior fundraising leadership.

•            Develop proposal concepts and funding opportunities that connect donor priorities with BGCA’s mission and strategic initiatives.

•            Maintain disciplined portfolio and pipeline management through Salesforce, supporting accurate forecasting, opportunity tracking and account strategy.

Deliver Exceptional Stewardship & Partnership Management

•            Own customized stewardship and engagement strategies for assigned donors, ensuring an exceptional experience throughout the partnership lifecycle.

•            Lead the execution of complex donor commitments, including programmatic, financial, recognition and impact-reporting deliverables.

•            Translate donor agreements and expectations into clear plans, timelines, milestones and accountability across internal teams.

•            Partner with subject matter experts and writing teams to develop compelling proposals, reports and communications that demonstrate both measurable outcomes and meaningful impact.

•            Anticipate partnership needs, identify risks and opportunities early, and position relationships for renewal and deeper investment.

Connect Strategy Across BGCA & the Movement

•            Lead cross-functional coordination across BGCA and local Boys & Girls Club organizations to successfully execute donor-funded initiatives.

•            Serve as a strategic connector among donors, national teams and local Clubs, creating alignment around priorities, expectations and outcomes.

•            Facilitate account reviews that assess progress, resolve challenges and identify opportunities to strengthen or expand partnerships.

•            Partner with Finance, program teams and other stakeholders to ensure budgets, expenditures, outcomes and deliverables remain aligned with donor intent.

Advance Strategic Philanthropy & Innovation

•            Identify opportunities to expand leadership giving relationships through innovative funding, engagement and stewardship approaches.

•            Contribute to tools, practices and strategies that strengthen BGCA’s approach to donor cultivation, reporting, renewal and growth.

•            Stay informed about philanthropic trends, foundation priorities and evolving donor expectations, bringing relevant insights and ideas to the broader team.

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You’ll know you’re making an impact when:

•            Your portfolio contributes to $8M+ in annual direct and/or influenced revenue and partnerships are positioned for sustained renewal and growth.

•            Donors experience BGCA as a strategic, responsive and trusted partner.

•            Partnership commitments are delivered with excellence, accuracy and timeliness.

•            Donors clearly understand the outcomes their investments make possible and feel connected to BGCA’s mission and impact.

•            Internal partners have clarity around priorities, ownership and deliverables.

•            You proactively identify opportunities to deepen relationships, expand investment and strengthen BGCA’s leadership giving approach.

Leadership giving partnerships can do more than fund programs. They can bring together shared purpose, resources and ideas to create opportunities for young people at extraordinary scale.

As Director, Leadership Partnerships, you’ll help turn that potential into action. You’ll connect donor ambition with BGCA’s mission, build relationships designed to grow over time and ensure partners understand the real-world difference their investment makes possible.

Your work will help strengthen the resources and relationships that enable Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to help young people build great futures.

• You are a strategic relationship builder who understands that transformational philanthropy requires both vision and disciplined execution.
• You know how to listen for what matters to a donor, connect those priorities to organizational strategy and turn ideas into partnerships that deliver meaningful results. You are comfortable navigating sophisticated relationships while also managing the details, timelines and internal coordination necessary to fulfill complex commitments.
• You bring sound judgment, curiosity and a proactive mindset. You anticipate what a partnership needs next, recognize opportunities to deepen engagement and know when to bring the right leaders and partners into the conversation.
• You are equally comfortable building relationships externally and creating alignment internally. You can influence without relying on authority, manage competing priorities and bring structure to work involving multiple stakeholders.
• Most importantly, you are energized by the opportunity to connect philanthropy to meaningful outcomes for young people and communities.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Significant experience in fundraising, foundation relations, institutional giving, major gifts, strategic partnerships, account management or a related field, with experience managing sophisticated donor or partner relationships.
• Demonstrated success supporting or driving significant renewals, upgrades, solicitations or revenue-generating partnerships.
• Experience managing complex grants or partnerships with multiple deliverables, stakeholders, budgets and reporting requirements.
• Strong understanding of donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal and relationship-management practices.
• Ability to develop account and donor strategies that connect relationship goals, organizational priorities and revenue opportunities.
• Strong project-management skills with demonstrated ability to translate complex commitments into clear plans, milestones and accountability.
• Exceptional written, verbal and executive-level communication skills, including the ability to translate data, program outcomes and organizational priorities into compelling donor narratives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional work and influence stakeholders across different functions and levels of an organization.
• Strong business judgment, organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple high-priority relationships and deliverables simultaneously.
• Experience using CRM and pipeline-management systems, preferably Salesforce, to manage donor activity, opportunities, forecasting and reporting.
• Ability to work effectively in a complex, highly collaborative and mission-driven environment.
• Experience within a national nonprofit, foundation, philanthropic organization or federated/networked organization is preferred.

This role requires regular collaboration with colleagues across BGCA, local Boys & Girls Club organizations and external partners. Travel may be required for donor meetings, cultivation and stewardship activities, organizational events, conferences and other business needs and is estimated up to 20%  (can be 3-5 days in a given month- including weekends).