Summary of Position 

The Director of Major Gifts will join Women's Lunch Place (WLP) at a transformative moment in the organization's history. Building on WLP's robust foundation of 5,000 donors who collectively contribute over $3 million annually, this leader will partner with the Managing Director of Philanthropy and the Chief Philanthropy Officer to design and lead a major gifts program during an ambitious fundraising campaign. 

The Director will craft innovative strategies to expand the donor base and increase giving levels, with a particular focus on cultivating relationships with prospects capable of gifts at $50,000 and above. They will personally manage a portfolio of high-impact donors while leading and mentoring a dedicated major gifts team to achieve breakthrough results. 

The successful candidate will bring proven success in major gift fundraising or a comparable relationship-based role, along with the strategic vision to identify and seize opportunities for philanthropic growth. They must demonstrate excellence in building authentic, long-term relationships with donors and possess strong leadership abilities to develop and inspire team members. The role requires exceptional organizational and project management capabilities, combined with an entrepreneurial mindset and results-driven approach. Most importantly, the Director must have a deep passion for WLP's mission and the ability to compellingly articulate its impact. 

This position offers the opportunity to significantly shape WLP's future as the organization enters the quiet phase of its most ambitious campaign to date. The Director will work closely with leadership to transform donor relationships into meaningful philanthropic partnerships that advance WLP's vital mission. 

About Women’s Lunch Place 

In the effort to eradicate hunger, homelessness, and poverty among women, WLP is a visionary, collaborative leader and partner in Greater Boston. With a unique, relationship-driven service model, we provide women with a path to self-sufficiency, improved health, housing, and financial stability. 

Women's Lunch Place is a day shelter and advocacy center for anyone who identifies as a woman regardless of her race, immigration status, religious affiliation, criminal background, or sobriety. We are the only women’s shelter in Boston with a full-time housing staff. WLP has no intake barriers that deter women with extensive trauma histories and severe mental illnesses who are unwilling to disclose personal information to access services. Our gender-specific space ensures safety from threats of violence, abuse, and exploitation; our innovative programs empower our guests. Many of our programs were built by and for women of color. WLP has woven clinical layers throughout our programming––including a full-time therapist, part time psychiatrist, and an on-site medical clinic––which we use to address our guests’ urgent and long-term health issues. 

WLP is keenly focused on solutions for the complex needs of women experiencing poverty and homelessness. Our success is driven by bold leadership, best-practice programming, strong collaborative partnerships, a diverse workforce with cultural and lived experience, and active engagement in policy initiatives that elevate the women we serve. These efforts enable us to effectively relieve food insecurity, prevent homelessness, increase economic independence, resolve legal issues, and secure greater access to health care for vulnerable women in Greater Boston. 

We have long served the most marginalized women in our community; invisible to many, we see their grit and resiliency and foster their hope and progress. WLP guests have been severely impacted by racial and gender discrimination, a systemic lack of access to the social determinants of health, and disproportionately prevalent experiences of gender-based violence. Our talented team of staff, volunteers, and partners assist these women with patience, compassion, and expertise in a way that restores their dignity. We recognize that the women we serve have experienced disproportionate trauma, and we tailor individual stabilization plans accordingly to allow each guest to orchestrate her own journey to health and well-being with the help of her care manager and our non-judgmental community. 

Women are respected at Women’s Lunch Place––we elevate our guests’ voices and provide services that improve their lives. As they begin to build hope and contemplate a better future, our guests benefit from our comprehensive suite of programs to become stable and self-sufficient. 

 Key Responsibilities   

1. Portfolio Management: Manages and cultivates major donor relationships, enhancing giving levels and ensuring donor connection to WLP’s mission. Regularly communicates with donors, tailoring engagement based on individual interests. Identifies opportunities to increase gift levels and collaborates with colleagues for integrated donor strategies. Reports on portfolio progress, tracking gift levels, donor retention, and pipeline movement. Aims to retain donors and upgrade them to major donor status.  

2. Major Gift Systems Management: Establishes best practices for major gift operations, including prospect research, moves management, and pipeline architecture. Oversees the maintenance of accurate donor records and portfolio assignments. Develops and monitors key performance indicators for the major gifts program. Creates and manages budgets for major donor cultivation and partners with the Donor Engagement team on stewardship activities. Develops proposals and helps ensure compliance with gift acceptance policies and donor privacy standards.  

3. Strategic Leadership and Team Development: Develops and implements comprehensive major gifts strategies aligned with campaign goals and organizational priorities. Creates annual work plans with measurable objectives for the major gifts program. Provides mentorship and professional development opportunities to major gifts team members. Establishes performance metrics and conducts regular progress reviews. Collaborates with senior leadership to identify and pursue new fundraising opportunities.

 4. Donor Experience and Engagement: In partnership with members of the Philanthropy team, designs and executes personalized cultivation and stewardship plans for major donors and prospects. Orchestrates meaningful donor recognition initiatives and exclusive engagement opportunities. Creates compelling donor communications and impact reports. Partners with program staff to develop funding proposals and identify giving opportunities. Ensures seamless coordination of donor touchpoints across the organization.  

 Acceptable minimum years of experience  

 Minimum of 5-7 years of fundraising experience (or equivalent experience e.g. sales/marketing)  

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree 
• Demonstrated understanding of the relevance of philanthropy and major gift expertise 
• High level of data literacy and technological acumen  
• Experience managing volunteers and/or staff  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, about fundraising support; requires the ability to build rapport in an open, friendly, and accepting way, listen attentively and change the thinking of, or gain acceptance of, others in varied situations 
• Exceptionally strong interpersonal skills and experience interacting with internal and external constituents who are diverse in characteristics such as age, education level, race, gender identity and expression, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a culturally competent and supportive manner 
• Exceptionally strong organizational skills and ability to provide effective project management  
• Exceptionally strong analytical skills and experience working in a metrics-driven environment 
• Orientation as a team player and demonstrated strength at partnering with peers, management, and leadership and collaborating across departments  
• Demonstrated understanding of the responsibility to maintain sensitive information and appreciation of ethics and compliance 
• Openness to travel on behalf of WLP for donor visits or as the WLP representative, including local, regional, and domestic trips
• Commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and advancement
• Proficiency in database technologies and Microsoft Office 

Additional Preferred Qualifications 

• Knowledge of the fundraising profession and its theories, practices, standards, and systems 
• Familiarity with a social service setting and fundraising campaigns 
• Experience with portfolio and volunteer management