Chief of Philanthropy, Animal Welfare Industry

APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is
one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The
organization is the leader in the no-kill movement nationally and
is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA!
locally rescues, treats, and adopts out over 10,000 homeless dogs
and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most
at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city,
while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals.
The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its
grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work. The
organization continues to innovate best practices to save sheltered
lives and teaches its renowned no-kill lifesaving model across the
nation. 

POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW: 

The Chief of Philanthropy is a key member of the executive team
at Austin Pets Alive! and is responsible for fueling a dynamic and
growing non-profit with national renown and revenues now
approaching $20 million annually, about 75% of which is from
philanthropic support. The Chief of Philanthropy is an individual
with demonstrated success in high-level strategic fund planning, a
fearless, scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to think
creatively to solve problems and embrace challenges as they
arise. 

APA!’s operations are somewhat unorthodox as the organization
strives to always be on the leading edge of innovation in animal
welfare and has a powerful commitment to responding to the frequent
crises that threaten animals’ lives. This requires that the Chief
of Philanthropy bring an ability to apply creative, critical
thinking and to step outside traditional fundraising practices to
provide the means for responding to crises and opportunities for
innovation as the norm rather than the exception. APA!’s greatest
source of support is from individual giving, and this role must be
able to activate philanthropic investment and galvanize public
support at all donor levels to meet these challenges. The Chief of
Philanthropy thrives in a collaborative, growth-oriented atmosphere
and will put to use exceptional relationship-building and
communications skills toward creating a better world for animals
and the people who love them.  

APA! values the effect diversity of thought, experience, and
identity has on our organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy and Implementation

Accountable for reaching goals set by
the CEO to fuel an ambitious operational growth strategy
Lead a multi-year capital campaign
for new facilities 
Collaborate with leadership to set
out a funding plan, including the integration of operations and
capital campaign funding
Produce an annual funding strategy
narrative for the CEO and board of directors
Develop a projected annual revenue
budget, and coordinate and track its implementation throughout the
year
Work collaboratively throughout the
year with the Philanthropy and Marketing teams to ensure monthly
and annual revenue goals are met, course-correcting as needed
Strive for a team of organizational
experts, knowledgeably sharing programs, impact and individual
stories across all audiences, and connecting donors to their
individual impact at all levels
Leverage all types of philanthropic
support, from volunteer opportunities for donor families to legacy
giving
Study the strategies of other
nonprofits within and outside of animal welfare that raise more
than APA! to understand  what works and incorporate it into
APA!’s approach
Study and understand what drives the
APA! base to donate time and find parallels in possible programming
to fundraise
Connect animal welfare holistically
to human welfare and strategize giving opportunities
Respond as needed to solve funding
challenges around crisis response 
Use data analytics to drive
decisions, project revenues, set the direction for fundraising, and
oversee the structure and development of the donor management
system
Work with Accounting to reconcile
revenue tracking between the Philanthropy and Accounting Teams
Daily review and analysis of incoming
donations to understand the flow and nature of our revenues
throughout the year

Management

Oversee:
The Deputy Chief of Philanthropy
The Director of Philanthropy,
Individual Giving
The Director of Philanthropy,
Partnerships
The Director of Philanthropy,
Communications

Assess needs for staffing and
fundraising tools
Set performance measures and monitor
results for a team of 15
Monitor the effectiveness of funding
activities and plan implementation
Ensure compliance with all relevant
regulations and laws and maintain accountability standards to
donors; ensure ethical practices in fundraising
Guide the career development of
philanthropy team members 
Have the knowledge to manage and
cultivate complex gifts

Collaboration

Orchestrate the activities of staff
responsible for supporting the cultivation of resources, including
the Senior Director of Strategic Communications, who leads the
Marketing and Communications team and provides an integrated
communications plan for all stakeholders; and of directors
cultivating funders for APA!’s national
activities.  
Work in continuous collaboration with
the organization’s leadership team
Participate in forming and carrying
out the organization’s strategic plan

Donor Engagement

Use a thorough understanding of
APA!’s programs and distinctiveness to maintain fluency in
promoting the organization
Use outstanding writing ability and
verbal communication to inspire a deep sense of engagement among
our many and varied supporters and drive philanthropy
Manage a portfolio of up to 50
top-level major donors
Attend events and actively steward
donors attending
Engage with donors at every
opportunity to understand what is resonating and what is not

Board Engagement

Lead on board engagement, guiding
board members in how they can participate in inspiring financial
support
Provide monthly board reports on
philanthropy 
Participate in the Board Governance
Committee, and act as staff liaison for fundraising-related
committees that may form

Culture of Philanthropy

Lead on instilling a vibrant culture
of philanthropy across the organization for staff and
volunteers

Other

Provide project support to the
CEO 
Mentor/advise philanthropy staff at
other shelters upon request
Other duties as needed

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPECTATIONS:

A love of animals and a passion for
the mission to save them is essential  
At least seven (7) years of
experience in nonprofit philanthropy, with substantial experience
as a senior management executive 
Intellectual agility; the ability to
analyze, think critically, and solve problems
creatively  
A “doer” with a high degree of
initiative and energy; productive and results-oriented
Outstanding communication skills
Confidence, creativity, and maturity
to establish credibility with and influence donors at all
levels
Excellent organizational skills with
a proven ability to prioritize work, manage time and multiple
priorities, and meet deadlines with attention to detail and
accuracy
Deeply relational; a good listener
who is inquisitive, reflective, and interested in developing
meaningful professional relationships with colleagues, donors, and
other stakeholders 
Commitment to open communication,
teamwork and collaboration, accountability and professionalism
Ability to multi-task and work in a
fast-paced environment with tight deadlines while maintaining a
positive and professional attitude
Ability to anticipate problems and
use judgment appropriately to plan solutions and manage obstacles
as they arise
Proven experience in motivating,
leading, setting objectives and managing the performance of a
team
Proven success in major gift
cultivation and stewardship
Broad experience in the solicitation,
stewardship and cultivation of all levels of individual gifts and
the creation of donor pipelines
Familiarity with institutional
funding, especially from corporate sources
Knowledge of complex gifts through
DAFs, qualified charitable deductions, planned giving, stock gifts,
and in-kind donations
Committed to keeping up to date with
new trends and best practices in philanthropy
The highest levels of personal and
professional integrity and confidentiality; a commitment to the
privacy of donors

PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Prolonged periods of sitting at a
desk and working on a computer
Must be able to access and navigate
each department at the organization’s facilities

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

When onsite, may have possible
exposure to potential hazards including animal waste,
disinfectants, high levels of noise, animal bites and scratches and
diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people

TIME COMMITMENT:

This is a full-time, exempt
position

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: 

This position reports directly to the
CEO
This position has four direct
reports: Deputy Chief of Philanthropy, Director of Philanthropy,
Communications; Director of Philanthropy, Individual Giving; and
Director of Philanthropy, Partnerships
This position works in close
collaboration with the Senior Director of Strategic Communications
on the Marketing and Communications Team

LOCATION(S):

Hybrid — may work from home but must
be located in the Austin area and available for in-person meetings
and events
Regular local travel required for
capital campaign site visits and donor tours, events, and Board of
Directors, Executive Team, and Philanthropy Team meetings

BENEFITS:  

Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits
package for full-time employees, including up to 95% subsidy on
employer-sponsored medical coverage, up to 2% match on 401(K)
retirement plan, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary
dental, vision and short term disability options, all effective the
first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and
emergency sick plans, supplemental benefits, subsidized pet
insurance, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage.
Full-time employees receive 6 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid
time off during the first year of employment, with a third week
of  PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of
employment.  Employees will also receive professional
development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance
our animal welfare professionals in our lifesaving work.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS
STATEMENT

Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer,
and we value having staff who come from communities that are most
impacted by the issues we engage in. We especially encourage people
of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender
non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to
apply. 

Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or
applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital
status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other
characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is
committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values
diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus,
and innovation.