Director of Philanthropy

Breakthrough Central Texas • Austin, TX

5d • $81,000 - $102,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Philanthropy is a key member of Breakthrough’s high-functioning Development & Communications team, responsible for leading and growing the major gifts program. This role focuses on building authentic relationships with individuals and families to inspire transformational giving that advances educational equity. With a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, the Director will secure gifts of $5,000 to $1M+, in coordination with the rest of the individual giving team, seniors leaders, and volunteers, driving year-over-year growth and supporting the successful completion of our $30M Pathways to Opportunity Campaign, now in its public phase.

Requirements

• Fundraising Experience: at least 5-7 years of direct fundraising experience, including major gifts (required), multi-million dollar campaigns (preferred), and planned giving (preferred).
• Major Gifts Expertise: Demonstrated aptitude in developing and following through on strategies to engage prospective and current donors in the cycle of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Relationship Building & Activating Others: Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to connect authentically with people in one-on-one and meeting/group settings, identify donor motivations, cultivate trust, and motivate internal and external stakeholders to take action.
• Knowledge of Philanthropy Trends: Strong understanding of current trends and best practices in charitable giving and community-centric fundraising; familiarity with the Central Texas philanthropic landscape preferred.
• Student-Centered Impact Orientation: Commitment to aligning fundraising strategy with measurable outcomes that support student success.
• Inclusive Communication: Ability to craft clear, compelling messages (written and spoken) that communicate Breakthrough’s mission, programs, theory of change, and strategic priorities with strength-based framing and cultural humility.
• Strategic Thinking & Managing Complexity: Sound judgment, adaptability, and a bias toward action in ambiguous situations.
• Continuous Learning & Collaboration: Growth mindset, openness to feedback, and ability to work effectively within and across teams to achieve shared goals.
• Operational Excellence: Strong organizational and project management skills, meticulous attention to detail, follow-through, and resourcefulness in prioritizing time and leveraging networks for impact.
• Tech-Savvy and Adaptable: Proficient with donor databases (Virtuous preferred), prospect research tools, Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; comfortable learning and adopting new technologies to enhance efficiency and donor engagement.

Nice To Haves

• Fundraising Experience: at least 5-7 years of direct fundraising experience, including major gifts (required), multi-million dollar campaigns (preferred), and planned giving (preferred).
• Knowledge of Philanthropy Trends: Strong understanding of current trends and best practices in charitable giving and community-centric fundraising; familiarity with the Central Texas philanthropic landscape preferred.
• Tech-Savvy and Adaptable: Proficient with donor databases (Virtuous preferred)

Responsibilities

• Lead Major Gifts Strategy: Lead development and implementation of comprehensive major giving program that fuels organizational priorities, aligns with community-centric values, embraces innovation, supports continuous growth in giving and donors, and prioritizes retention.
• Build Donor Relationships: Cultivate and steward a portfolio of 150-200 donors and prospects through personalized engagement plans that foster generosity and connection.
• Secure Transformational Gifts: Make direct solicitations and partner with fellow staff, board trustees, and volunteers to close annual and leadership gifts of $5,000-$1M+ in support of a current, annual individual giving goal of $5M with anticipated year-over-year growth.
• Campaign Leadership: Collaborate with senior leaders, campaign committee, and campaign consultants to complete the $30M Pathways to Opportunity Campaign, and provide leadership in the development and execution of future campaigns as needed.
• Volunteer Management: Manage campaign committees, including meeting preparation, follow-up, and support to effectively activate volunteer fundraisers; help identify and recruit future volunteer fundraising leaders.
• Planned Giving: Provide vision and direction for Breakthrough’s emerging planned giving program.
• Donor Experience: Design inspiring experiences, events, recognition, and gratitude that meaningfully connect current and prospective major donors to our mission and impact.
• Content Creation: Develop compelling written content for case statements, proposals, reports, gift agreements, and other key documents to support goals of the major gifts program.
• Data & Reporting: Manage major gift systems, track progress, and report on key metrics with precision and accountability.
• Program Participation: Attend programmatic and student/family-facing events to deepen knowledge, connect across teams, and engage external stakeholders.
• Team Leadership: Collaborate closely with other members of the Individual Giving Team, seeking opportunities for alignment and innovation as a leader on the team.
• Department Leadership: Serve on the Development and Communications leadership team, supporting team strategy development and implementation, fostering a positive department culture, and organizational culture of philanthropy.

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance; Breakthrough pays 100% of employee only premiums
• Life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of annualized PTO
• Generous leave policy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed