Valley of the Sun United Way is celebrating 100 years of impact with a bold vision for the future: Mighty Change in health, housing, education, and workforce development. This once-in-a-century milestone is more than a celebration, it’s a call to action. We are harnessing the urgency of now, building on a century of progress, and fueling momentum with transformational leadership that inspires others to step forward. Rooted in community and partnership, we believe leadership is not about going alone, but about bringing others along to multiply impact. As we are launching a historic $100 Million Anniversary Campaign, we invite visionary leaders to join us in shaping the next 100 years for the Valley.

As Valley of the Sun United Way celebrates 100 years of impact, the Principal Giving Director will play a catalytic role in shaping our second century of service. This is not just about securing gifts, it’s about inspiring bold investments that align donor dreams with VSUW’s mission to ignite opportunity, reimagine connection, strengthen our community safety net, create lasting solutions and beyond.  The Principal Giving Director (PGD) will be bringing deep expertise in donor engagement, solicitation, stewardship, and strategic relationship-building and is a key member of the Valley of the Sun United Way’s Donor and Corporate Relations Department. The PGD is a senior leader in principal and transformational giving for the Donor and Corporate Relations Department and entire organization.  This senior level professional will collaborate with the CEO, Executive Leadership team, the Board of Directors, programs team and other VSUW staff as needed. 

This position will lead the efforts for VSUW 100th Anniversary Major Gifts Campaign engaging significant community philanthropist.  

Key areas of responsibility will include: 

• Serve as primary contact with honorary  co-chair committee to support their outreach and engagement to meet the campaign goals. 
• Develop and execute individual and/or family donor identification, cultivation, and proposal development, at a net growth rate in revenue raised and membership consistent with both annual and multi-year strategic planning and goals in conjunction with Donor Experience Team.
• Tailor cultivation strategies to donor values, history, and philanthropic aspirations and align with VSUW’s work. 
• Partner with cross-departmental staff to integrate compelling stories and gather additional insights into donor strategies. 
• Identify and share inspiring stories from impact recipients, donors, and staff to cultivate emotional resonance with donors. 
• Develop a solid and detailed working knowledge of United Way’s funding priorities and products to ensure the successful execution of the strategic plan by working with the CEO, Chief Donor and Corporate Relations Officer and appropriate team members and volunteers.
• Promote a culture of philanthropy by celebrating cross-functional wins and building shared ownership of fundraising outcomes. 
• Success will be measured by the following achievements:

         Develop, implement, and manage a productive, fluid portfolio of 50-80 prospects through best practices.

         Qualify and cultivate an agreed upon number of new individual donors or family foundation portfolio level prospects.

         Exceed all yearly revenue and metric-driven goals.

         Submit a minimum of 15 major gift solicitations per year at the level required by this position.

         Secure annual dollar goal as set by executive leadership.

         Implement 80 approved face-to-face visits per year, no fewer than 8 per month.

         Make all contacts necessary via phone, email, and other, to achieve the above-mentioned results.

  Required Education & Experience:

• Undergraduate degree required. A combination of education or relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.
• Extensive experience with high-net-worth individual donors, family foundations, and foundation program development.
• Ten plus years of progressive individual fundraising experience and planned giving experience, including the demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, and close major gifts.
• Advanced interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Organization skills for a fast-paced work environment.
• Microsoft Office knowledge including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.
• Experience with CRM/database management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree.
• AFP CFRE certification.
• Experience implementing and managing major gifts and planned giving programs and experience with programmatic and capital campaigns.
• Demonstrated fundraising innovation, especially as it relates to portfolio management.
• Effectively raise six-figure plus gifts .