Director, Philanthropic Operations

GOD S LOVE WE DELIVER • New York, NY

4d • $115,000 - $125,000

About The Position

The Director of Philanthropic Operations is a newly created role responsible for strengthening the systems, tools, workflows, and cross-functional coordination that support donor engagement, revenue growth, and operational excellence. Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, this role manages a small operations-focused team and serves as a key partner across Philanthropy, Finance, Technology, Marketing & Communications, Volunteer Services, and Events. The ideal candidate is analytical, action-oriented, and highly collaborative, with experience leading people, improving processes, managing complex projects, leveraging technology and automation, and building scalable systems that help teams work smarter. Success in this role means improving the donor and stakeholder experience, increasing visibility into performance, supporting acquisition and engagement strategies, and creating the infrastructure needed to grow philanthropic impact.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in philanthropy operations, nonprofit operations, fundraising systems, CRM management, project management, development operations, or related leadership roles
• Demonstrated success improving operational systems, workflows, and organizational efficiency
• Strong experience with CRM/database strategy, fundraising operations, reporting systems, donor data management, and analytics
• Experience overseeing or partnering closely with development operations, CRM administration, fundraising technology, or donor services functions
• Comfort leveraging technology, automation tools, analytics, and project management systems to improve organizational effectiveness and donor engagement
• Strong project management skills with experience managing complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and follow-through
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across teams and leadership levels
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented approach with strong relationship management skills
• Comfort working closely with senior leadership to execute strategy and organizational priorities

Nice To Haves

• Experience in Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge NXT or similar CRM platforms preferred
• Operationally minded and highly organized
• Experienced in philanthropy operations, CRM strategy, reporting, and systems management
• Tech-savvy and interested in leveraging automation, tools, and innovation to improve efficiency and scalability
• An exceptional project manager and cross-functional collaborator
• Strategic, but deeply execution-oriented
• Comfortable managing complexity and competing priorities
• Curious, proactive, analytical, and solutions-focused
• Able to anticipate needs, identify gaps, and proactively remove obstacles
• Interested in donor experience, engagement strategy, operational excellence, and organizational effectiveness
• Motivated by mission impact, organizational growth, and helping teams work smarter and more collaboratively
• Focused on building scalable systems that strengthen engagement, improve visibility, and maximize philanthropic support and operational effectiveness

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex cross-functional projects from planning through execution
• Translate organizational and departmental priorities into actionable project plans, timelines, deliverables, and measurable outcomes
• Coordinate across departments to ensure alignment, accountability, and strong communication
• Proactively identify operational gaps, obstacles, and risks and recommend solutions
• Support special projects and organizational initiatives, including coordination of internal and external stakeholder requests as needed
• Lead the operational planning, project management, and cross-functional coordination of key fundraising and engagement initiatives, including direct response campaigns, annual appeals, holiday campaigns, donor communications, stewardship efforts, recognition programs, and cultivation activities
• Partner with Philanthropy, Marketing & Communications, Finance, Programs, Volunteer Services, and Events to ensure successful execution of donor-facing campaigns and engagement strategies
• Develop project plans, timelines, workflows, and accountability structures that support timely and effective campaign delivery
• Oversee campaign tracking, reporting, and performance analysis to inform fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and revenue growth
• Support donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, and upgrade strategies through strong operational planning, segmentation, data management, and campaign execution
• Ensure stewardship, recognition, and cultivation programs are coordinated, scalable, and aligned with organizational priorities and donor engagement goals
• Improve processes and systems that strengthen donor communications, acknowledgment workflows, engagement tracking, and relationship management
• Partner with fundraising staff to enhance donor journeys and create a seamless experience across giving, volunteer, event, and engagement touchpoints
• Support the development and implementation of new fundraising initiatives, engagement opportunities, and operational strategies that drive philanthropic growth and deepen donor relationships
• Help strengthen the donor and stakeholder experience by improving coordination, responsiveness, visibility, and operational support across engagement touchpoints
• Support systems and strategies that help bring new people into the mission while deepening relationships with existing donors, volunteers, partners, and supporters
• Partner with teams to improve stewardship tracking, relationship management workflows, and donor engagement coordination
• Help identify opportunities to improve acquisition, retention, re-engagement, and long-term relationship-building strategies through systems and operational support
• Support reporting and analytics that help inform donor engagement and fundraising strategy
• Manage, support, and develop a small team focused on philanthropy operations, CRM, reporting, prospect management, systems, and project coordination
• Serve as a strategic connector across Philanthropy, Marketing & Communications, Volunteer Services, Events, Finance, Programs, and Technology
• Partner closely with Finance to strengthen revenue tracking, reconciliation, forecasting, reporting, gift processing, and operational workflows
• Partner closely with Technology to evaluate, implement, and optimize systems, tools, automations, integrations, and data practices
• Ensure alignment between fundraising activity, financial reporting, CRM data, and operational processes
• Lead operational planning, workflow development, and accountability structures that improve efficiency, transparency, and execution
• Support staff adoption of tools, systems, and processes through training, documentation, and change management
• Lead CRM strategy, database integrity, reporting, and operational visibility across Philanthropy functions
• Oversee reporting systems, dashboards, KPI tracking, donor analytics, and fundraising performance insights
• Support donor pipeline management, portfolio visibility, moves management tracking, and engagement analytics
• Identify and implement technologies and automation opportunities that improve efficiency, collaboration, and donor experience
• Improve data governance, segmentation, reporting consistency, and information-sharing practices across teams
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across philanthropy operations and engagement systems

Benefits

• Lead a critical fundraising function that directly supports our mission and growth.
• Build partnerships that improve the lives of New Yorkers living with serious illness.
• Collaborate with a passionate and mission-driven leadership team.
• Help advance the nationally recognized Food Is Medicine movement.

What This Job Offers

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