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Job Description
Job Id:
1380
# of Openings:
1
POSITION SUMMARY:
Austin Pets Alive! is in search of a highly organized, data-driven professional to serve as the Director of Philanthropy. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, this role focuses on driving operational excellence across the advancement team by managing the day-to-day execution of the fundraising and donor relations strategies, optimizing team workflows, and leveraging data analytics to ensure all KPIs and financial goals are met.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
People Management
Strategy, Data Analysis, and Report
Donor Operations Management and Support
Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager
OTHER FUNCTIONS:
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
TIME COMMITMENT:
LOCATION(S):
BENEFITS:
Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT
Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.
APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected] at least one week in advance of your interview.
Pay Range: $90,000 - $100,000 per year
Director of Philanthropy
APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a No Kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by its large volunteer workforce and grassroots-driven approach to animal welfare.
The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) - an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering. It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both. The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community-based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service.
The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) - an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering. It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both. The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community-based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Austin Pets Alive! is in search of a highly organized, data-driven professional to serve as the Director of Philanthropy. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, this role focuses on driving operational excellence across the advancement team by managing the day-to-day execution of the fundraising and donor relations strategies, optimizing team workflows, and leveraging data analytics to ensure all KPIs and financial goals are met.
The ideal candidate is a tactical "numbers person" and an outstanding manager who excels at data-informed decision-making and precise revenue tracking. The successful candidate values clear communication, champions process innovation, and thrives in an action-oriented environment while overseeing the logistics of diverse revenue streams.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
People Management
- Manage up to five direct reports responsible for executing the organization's personalized donor fundraising, portfolio management, and stewardship initiatives.
- Lead the daily initiatives of full-time donor-relationship professionals to consistently meet or exceed quarterly fundraising goals.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on strategic execution and professional growth.
- Create and manage KPIs while ensuring staff who report to you are meeting monthly activity and financial goals.
- Help monitor the effectiveness of all donor funding activities and adherence to the fundraising plan’s implementation.
- Champion APA!’s commitment to growing the team through volunteers by assisting with hiring, training and cultivating volunteers to perform essential duties involving stewardship, solicitation, data entry, event planning and more.
Strategy, Data Analysis, and Report
- Leverage the organization's donor CRM, Virtuous, to run bi-weekly revenue reports and serve as the organization's expert in utilizing donor data to maximize revenue results and return on investment (ROI).
- Conduct deep-dive analytics, including descriptive (e.g., retention rates), diagnostic (e.g., understanding campaign wins and losses), predictive (e.g., identifying future major donors or attrition risks), and prescriptive analysis (e.g., determining optimal ask amounts).
- Collaborate with colleagues to develop and implement sophisticated donor segmentation strategies, combining basic demographic data (e.g., geographic location) with insights into donor behavior and preferences to tailor communication channels and messaging.
- Assist with prospect research, social network mapping, and the integration of qualitative donor stories to create targeted engagement plans and accurately assess donor lifetime value, drawing from the CRMs, website statistics, and external wealth trackers.
Donor Operations Management and Support
- Collaborate with the Sr. Philanthropy Officer, Major and Planned Gifts, on the operational planning and logistics of major donor fundraising campaigns and donor engagement experiences and events.
- Manage the technical workflows and systems support for high-level donor portfolios.
- Support the execution of revenue-generating activities to meet mid, corporate, and foundation gift targets in the annual budget.
- Develop and implement robust operations for donor retention and upgrading, focusing on data-driven prospecting workflows.
- Optimize donor engagement workflows to build community around the mission and ensure seamless operational support for high-level supporters.
Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager
OTHER FUNCTIONS:
- Work independently, often with little direction, to ensure fundraising goals are met every month
- Take ownership of own professional development, quickly getting up to speed on all relevant philanthropy and animal welfare topics needed to excel in this role
- Work onsite at one APA! location a minimum of one day per week
- Must demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, use of reasoning, and good judgment skills
- Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
- Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
- Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about the volunteer programs and manage volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
- Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
- Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where agility and the ability to manage competing priorities are key to our mission.
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:
- A love of animals and a passion for the no-kill mission
- At least seven years’ experience in fundraising, with at least two years’ experience leading teams, including a minimum of two full-time direct reports
- Proven success in managing fundraising operations and campaign execution for individual, corporate, and grant revenue streams.
- Exceptional managerial and communication skills
- Experienced in tracking revenue numbers; comfortable with spreadsheets and driving success in reaching revenue goals
- Intellectual agility: the ability to analyze, think critically, and solve problems creatively
- A hands-on operational leader who balances strategic oversight with active participation in campaign execution and workflow optimization.
- Confidence and maturity to establish operational credibility and influence strategy across all levels of philanthropy.
- Excellent organizational skills with a proven ability to prioritize work, manage time and multiple priorities, and meet deadlines with attention to detail and accuracy
- Deeply relational; a good listener who is inquisitive, reflective, and interested in developing meaningful professional relationships with colleagues, donors, and other stakeholders
- Commitment to open communication, teamwork and collaboration, accountability and professionalism
- Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines while maintaining a positive and professional attitude
- Ability to anticipate problems and use judgment appropriately to plan solutions and manage obstacles as they arise
- Proven experience in motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing the performance of a team
- Basic understanding of nonprofit financial reports and budgeting
- Committed to keeping up to date with new trends and best practices in philanthropy
- The highest levels of personal and professional integrity and confidentiality; a commitment to the privacy of donors
- Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
- Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
- Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
- Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
- Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
- Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
- Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
- Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
- Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
- Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
- Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
- Standard shared office environment, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
- Uses own transportation to travel and transport
- This role operates within an active animal rescue environment, requiring comfort working in close proximity to animals and adherence to safety protocols regarding animal handling and clinic sanitation.
TIME COMMITMENT:
- This is a full-time, exempt position. While the baseline commitment is 40 hours per week, the operational nature of this leadership role requires flexibility to accommodate seasonal peaks.
- Shift and schedule flexibility is required, as weekly schedule is subject to change
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
LOCATION(S):
- Hybrid (must be located in or willing to relocate to the Austin area)
- APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- APA! Shelter Pet Hospital - 4942 W Hwy 290 Austin, TX 78735
- Tarrytown Corporate Office, 2414 Exposition Blvd, Suite B-100, Austin, TX 78703
- Regular weekly visits to Austin Pets Alive!’s locations, including new properties, is required
- May travel to offsite locations as needed.
BENEFITS:
Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT
Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.
APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected] at least one week in advance of your interview.
Pay Range: $90,000 - $100,000 per year
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