Director - Planned Giving - FT - Days - MHS

Memorial Healthcare • Macomb, IL

4d

About The Position

The Director of Gift Planning is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and management of a comprehensive gift planning program. This position works closely with major donors, board members, senior leadership, and other stakeholders to cultivate, secure and steward planned and major gifts that will help advance the organization's mission. The Director plays a key role in identifying new opportunities for gift planning, strengthening relationships with current donors, and ensuring a seamless integration of gift planning strategies across the Foundations’ asset development programs.

Requirements

• Complexity of Work: Requires critical thinking skills, decisive judgment, and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Must be able to work in a stressful environment and take appropriate action.
• Demonstrated success in securing major and planned gifts.
• In-depth knowledge of planned giving vehicles and related tax, legal, and financial regulations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with high-net-worth individuals, advisors, and other stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage a team, provide leadership, and work collaboratively with other departments.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to prioritize multiple projects and tasks in a dynamic environment.
• Familiarity with donor management systems (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce) and experience using data to drive strategy.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in nonprofit fundraising required; focus on planned giving or major gifts preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree required; Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and/or advanced degree such as law degree (JD) strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Marketing and Communications: Develops and implements targeted marketing strategies to promote planned giving opportunities, collaborating with the communications team to create engaging materials that educate prospects, current donors, and the public, while representing the organization at conferences, seminars, and events to increase visibility and awareness of the program.
• Team Leadership and Development: Supervises, mentors, and develops a team of gift planning officers and coordinators, fostering a collaborative, high-performing work environment, while training staff, board members, and volunteers on the importance of gift planning and how to effectively communicate its benefits to potential donors.
• Program Management and Operations: Manages and maintains the organization’s gift planning database and ensures accurate record-keeping, reporting, and tracking of planned gifts and donor interactions. Oversees the execution of planned gift agreements, ensuring compliance with legal and financial regulations, while collaborating with finance and legal teams for proper administration and implementation. Advises on trends in gift planning and ensures Foundations’ policies remain current to maximize fundraising efficiencies.
• Gift Planning Strategy and Expertise: Serves as the subject matter expert (SME) in all aspects of planned giving, including complex assets, bequests, charitable remainder and lead trusts, life insurance, charitable gift annuities, retirement plans, and other creative giving vehicles, while providing expertise to staff, board members, and volunteers in promoting and discussing planned gifts. Advises prospective donors on tax-efficient giving strategies, including developing gift proposals and planned giving illustrations.
• Donor Cultivation and Stewardship: Leads efforts to identify, qualify, and engage prospective donors for principal and planned gifts ($2M+), building and maintaining strong relationships with major donors, prospects, and their advisors to secure long-term support, while collaborating with front-line fundraisers to integrate planned giving into overall strategies and ensure appropriate follow-up and recognition.
• Strategic Leadership and Planning: Develops and implements an innovative, results-driven gift planning program in collaboration with senior leadership to identify key strategic priorities and funding needs, aligning efforts with organizational goals while overseeing the development of donor cultivation and stewardship plans to grow a robust portfolio of gift planning donors.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees