Director, Development & Stewardship

Breast Cancer Research Foundation • New York City, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Development & Stewardship is a senior leadership role in BCRF’s Development & Events department. The position leads a comprehensive, donor-centric stewardship program designed to deepen engagement, inspire continued and increased philanthropy, and support BCRF’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign. Reporting to the Managing Director, Development & Signature Events, the Director develops a strategic framework across donor segments, from annual fund contributors through principal gift and legacy society donors, and partners with philanthropy, gift planning, communications, and research colleagues to deliver high-touch stewardship experiences. The role currently supervises the Associate Director, Development & Stewardship and collaborates with the Associate Director, Development & Donor Relations. Its scope and team are expected to grow as the comprehensive campaign progresses.

The Director leads stewardship strategy for major and principal gift donors, donor societies, legacy society members, campaign donors, and donor recognition and naming opportunities. The role oversees donor-facing impact communications, gift acknowledgments, stewardship systems and reporting, and cross-functional coordination. It also supervises and develops staff and serves as a stewardship resource to the Development & Events department.

The position is based in New York, New York, and staff are currently required to work onsite at least three days per week. Domestic travel is required to support donor cultivation, stewardship, conferences, and professional engagement opportunities. This is a full-time exempt position with a salary range of $150,000–$165,000.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, or stewardship, including success designing and implementing multi-tiered programs for organizations with complex donor portfolios.
• At least five years of experience in a formal stewardship role or department.
• At least four years of experience managing staff in a development or philanthropy role.
• Demonstrated experience stewarding major and principal gift donors at the $100,000+ level, including individualized recognition, impact reporting, and executive-level donor communications.
• Exceptional written communication skills, including the ability to create compelling, personalized stewardship and impact communications appropriate to an organization’s voice and donor relationships.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, including managing a stewardship calendar, meeting deadlines, and maintaining accuracy in a high-volume, high-touch environment.
• Experience working cross-functionally with frontline fundraisers, communications teams, and senior leadership to deliver coordinated donor-centric stewardship.
• Proficiency with Raiser's Edge NXT or a comparable CRM and comfort with data-driven reporting and stewardship tracking systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• High standards of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality when managing sensitive donor information and relationships.
• Currently authorized to work in the United States full-time without employer support or sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

• Experience building or rebuilding a stewardship program from the ground up or significantly scaling stewardship infrastructure in preparation for or during a comprehensive campaign.
• Experience translating scientific or complex programmatic content into donor-facing impact communications.
• Experience in health research, science-focused, or academic medical philanthropy.
• Demonstrated success in a campaign environment, including campaign stewardship planning and pledge-fulfillment stewardship.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a comprehensive, multi-tiered stewardship program aligned with fundraising strategy, donor segmentation, and comprehensive campaign goals.
• Establish donor recognition and acknowledgment standards across giving levels, including annual fund, principal gifts, and the Evelyn H. Lauder Legacy Society.
• Develop and maintain a stewardship calendar with timely, personalized donor touchpoints throughout the donor lifecycle.
• Oversee gift impact reporting that connects donors with the research supported by their philanthropy.
• Establish and track stewardship KPIs, including retention, donor satisfaction indicators, and completion of stewardship touchpoints, and report progress to leadership.
• Lead stewardship strategy for major and principal gift donors in partnership with frontline Philanthropy Officers and department leadership.
• Create and manage donor societies and standardize stewardship strategies, recognition benefits, and scientific updates.
• Develop individualized stewardship plans for principal gift donors, including communications, recognition, and mission-engagement experiences.
• Develop benefits strategies to encourage principal donors at all levels to increase their support.
• Support executive stewardship initiatives, including personalized acknowledgments and gratitude communications on behalf of senior leadership.
• Partner with Gift Planning to create stewardship frameworks for Evelyn H. Lauder Legacy Society members.
• Develop and manage donor recognition opportunities, including named endowments, research fund recognitions, event recognitions, and other naming and credit opportunities.
• Maintain and evolve the donor wall and digital and print recognition materials in partnership with the stewardship and marketing teams.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive campaign stewardship plan, including recognition, impact reporting, and engagement throughout the campaign lifecycle.
• Design stewardship frameworks for campaign gift levels, named funds, and pledge-fulfillment milestones; track activity and address gaps in donor coverage or engagement.
• Collaborate with Development & Events staff on specialized stewardship opportunities for Advisory Board members and potential campaign committees.
• Partner with the Director, Annual Giving to develop the donor pipeline and segmented stewardship opportunities.
• Oversee donor-facing scientific content and ensure stewardship communications are accessible, consistent with BCRF’s voice, and personalized to donors’ giving histories and interests.
• Manage timely, accurate, and personalized gift acknowledgments for major and principal gift donors.
• Create a donor newsletter and ensure principal donors receive breaking updates.
• Partner with Data & Donor Analytics to use Raiser's Edge NXT for stewardship tracking, donor segmentation, and reporting.
• Develop and maintain a system to log stewardship touchpoints and enable data-driven reporting on program effectiveness.
• Support donor retention analytics and stewardship outcome reporting, including gift upgrade and retention rates across donor segments.
• Work with the database team to collect and interpret stewardship data and assess program impact and efficiency.
• Provide resources and guidance to support consistent program implementation and best practices in stewardship, reporting, donor recognition, and naming opportunities.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop the Associate Director, Development & Stewardship and hire, supervise, and develop additional stewardship staff as described in the posting.
• Serve as a stewardship thought partner and resource to the Development & Events department, integrating stewardship into officers’ moves management strategies.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications, Research, Development & Events, and Finance to coordinate stewardship and deliver a cohesive donor experience.
• Represent Development & Events in organizational planning discussions concerning donor engagement, recognition, and campaign communications.
• Prepare agendas and ensure minutes and actionable next steps are circulated after interdepartmental stewardship meetings.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage from the first day of employment.
• Contributions to a health reimbursement account or health savings account with election of certain medical plans.
• Access from the first day of employment to pre-tax commuter transit, flexible spending, health savings, and dependent care accounts.
• 401(k) with up to a 5% match each pay period; employee contributions and match are immediately fully vested.
• Paid parental leave: 18 weeks at 100% pay for a birthing parent and 12 weeks at 100% pay for a non-birthing parent.
• 15 days of annual vacation in the first year, increasing with length of service.
• Seven days of annual paid sick time.
• Paid holidays, BCRF-wide half days, and summer Fridays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director