Director of Major Gifts

Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is a not-for-profit charity serving children, families, and individuals with developmental disabilities across New York City and Long Island. Our staff of over 600 people provide caring and professional services to nearly 2,000 people every year. Since 1930, Little Flower has been committed to improving the lives and well-being of those we serve by providing foster boarding home care, residential treatment care and where appropriate, adoption. Our work focuses on strengthening the family so that they can provide a safe nurturing environment for raising children and to overcome a myriad of obstacles that threaten a child’s safety.

Summary Job Description:

The Director of Major Gifts will lead Little Flower’s fundraising efforts with major-gift donors. This role will manage and grow a portfolio of four-figure-plus donors and prospects who support the mission of Little Flower and its affiliates.

The Director of Major Gifts is responsible for development and execution of annual and multiyear strategies to secure major gifts that help the affiliated organization reach its development goals and actualize its mission to transform caring into action to improve the lives of children, youth and families, and adults with developmental disabilities. This role will focus on cultivating donors on Long Island and in New York City.

The Director of Major Gifts will collaborate with the Development and Communications team, the Senior Executive Committee (SEC), program leadership, board members, current supporters and volunteers to identify and cultivate new donors and manage and deepen relationships with existing donors.

This position will have a particular focus on supporting capital investments, our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategies, and unrestricted funds. The Director of Major Gifts will also support execution of our annual Golf Outing, Gala and other special events. This role reports to the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Development and Communications and works closely with other members of the development and communications team, the finance department, volunteer committee members, vendors, and donors.

This position offers a hybrid work schedule and is based in Wading River, NY. The role requires some local travel to New York City, including the affiliated organization’s locations in Queens and Brooklyn, and other business-related locations.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Lead and expand the major gifts program, identifying, cultivating, soliciting and effectively stewarding four- to seven-figure donors

• Participating in annual development planning, including setting annual revenue targets and managing progress

• Achieve annual revenue goals through major gifts efforts and execution of special events such as the Annual Golf Outing, Casino Night and programmatic giving campaigns

• Use productivity and development tools to track and proactively manage a major gifts portfolio and routinely report on progress toward quarterly, annual and multi-year goals

• Work closely with the development and communications team and volunteer committee members to identify and secure honorees, participants, corporate sponsors and donors for special events • Meet with donors and supporters on a continual basis to cultivate and deepen relationships and increase donor retention rates

• Prepare and send all necessary correspondence, status reports, and records and provide regular updates for board reports and other publications

• Coordinate and lead site visits and donor receptions

• Develop strategies for capital campaigns and other fundraising activities

• Support expansion of the planned giving program, including deferred gift commitments.

• Help build the organization’s reputation and name recognition by proactively identifying speaking engagements and other networking opportunities for the chief executive officer and other SEC members

• Attend networking events and undertake speaking engagements to share information about the organization with the community

• Be available during evenings and weekends as necessary to fulfill development and programmatic commitments

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success developing and managing a major-gifts portfolio in excess of $250,000 annually and stewarding major-gifts donors in a timely and tailored manner

• Familiarity with Suffolk County and other Long Island communities and existing relationships with socially and charitably active community members

• A passion for the mission of Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York and St. John’s Residence for Boys and an understanding of its key programming

• At least five years of relevant educational and/or professional experience

• Proficiency using donor management software to manage fundraising efforts

• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and a willingness to proactively seek to deepen individual understanding of the root causes of oppression

• Strong verbal and written communications skills and exceptional listening skills

• Dependability and strong organization skills with a commitment to transparency

Travel Requirements:

• This position offers a hybrid work schedule and is based in Wading River, NY, and requires some local travel to New York City, including the affiliated organization’s locations in Queens and Brooklyn, and other business-related locations.

*** Salary will commensurate with experience

Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected group status