Vice President of Philanthropy
Essex County Community Foundation
Essex County Community Foundation stands with our community, sparking generosity and collaboration to address our greatest needs and unlock opportunities for all – today and tomorrow.
Job Description
Position Summary
The Vice President of Philanthropy provides strategic leadership for ECCF’s fundraising and asset development work, with responsibility for growing philanthropic assets, expanding the donor and fundholder pipeline, and strengthening the relationships that fuel ECCF’s long-term growth. The Vice President translates ECCF’s strategic growth goals into an integrated philanthropy strategy spanning major and planned giving, fund development, professional advisor engagement, campaigns, and strategic initiatives. Reporting to the COO & SVP Philanthropy, the Vice President will have significant responsibility coordinating these efforts to support the ambitious growth goals stated in our five-year strategic plan (2026-2030).
The Vice President will directly manage the Director of Development; partner closely with the Director of Philanthropic Services; collaborate with the CEO and the COO & SVP Philanthropy; maintains a portfolio of significant donors, prospects, and fundholders; and serves as a senior resource on major, planned, and complex gifts.
This role requires a sophisticated relationship builder and fundraising strategist who can move comfortably between strategy and execution—building relationships personally while also aligning people, pipelines, and opportunities across ECCF.
Strategy & Growth
• Develop and lead ECCF’s integrated philanthropy and asset-development strategy, translating organizational growth priorities into annual and multi-year goals, strategies, pipelines, and measures of success.
• Establish and monitor performance against fundraising, asset-growth, donor acquisition, retention, upgrade, and pipeline goals.
• Partner with the COO & SVP Philanthropy to assess emerging opportunities and translate promising new channels for growth into executable strategies.
• Maintain a comprehensive view of ECCF’s donor and prospect pipeline, ensuring clear relationship ownership, next steps, and coordinated strategies across fundraising and philanthropic services.
• Use data, donor insight, and market trends to identify opportunities, assess performance, and adjust strategy.
Frontline Fundraising
• Grow ECCF’s charitable assets through donor-advised, endowed, scholarship, designated, and other philanthropic funds, outright gifts, planned gifts, and legacy commitments.
• Lead ECCF’s major and planned giving strategies and manage a portfolio of significant donors, prospects, and fundholders, personally cultivating, solicitating, gift planning, and stewarding relationships.
• Own ECCF’s Nonprofit Fund development strategy and growth goals, working with the Senior Advisor, Philanthropy and other colleagues to build the pipeline, cultivate opportunities, and transition new nonprofit fund relationships into onboarding and ongoing stewardship.
• Partner with the Director of Development to meet annual and multi-year fundraising and asset-growth goals in support of ECCF’s strategic priorities.
• Own ECCF’s professional advisor strategy, cultivating attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors, and other professionals as referral partners and philanthropic planning collaborators. Work with the Senior Advisor Philanthropy and other colleagues to leverage educational programming, thought leadership, and engagement opportunities.
• Partner with the Director of Philanthropic Services to deepen fundholder relationships, identify co-funding opportunities, and help fundholders advance their charitable goals.
• Develop strategies that move relationships across ECCF’s multiple pathways for giving, connecting donors with the opportunities that best align with their interests and philanthropic goals.
Leadership & Collaboration
• Supervise and work collaboratively with the Director of Development to set clear goals and ensure alignment between annual fundraising, corporate and foundation engagement, major giving, campaigns, and broader asset-development strategies.
• Establish clear fundraising priorities, relationship strategies, and accountability across ECCF.
• Serve as a senior strategist on significant prospects, fundholders, campaigns, solicitations, and philanthropic opportunities, helping colleagues determine the strongest path forward.
• Contribute to a culture of coordinated relationship management in which donor knowledge, opportunities, and next steps are shared across teams rather than held within individual functions.
• Champion the use of C-Suite as ECCF’s CRM across fundraising and asset development strategies.
• Lead ECCF’s planned and complex giving strategy and partner with the team to execute.
• Partner closely with the senior management and development team on relationships and opportunities with significant philanthropic potential.
• Effectively leverage specialized external advisors and consultants, including Senior Advisor, Philanthropy, to advance priority opportunities, strengthen staff capabilities, and provide expertise when needed.
• Along with the Director of Development, engage with the Board of Trustees and Development Committee to open doors, build relationships, and advance ECCF’s fundraising and asset-development goals.
• Represent ECCF externally as a senior philanthropic leader, strengthening relationships with donors, advisors, foundations, businesses, and community partners.
Leadership Competencies
• Strategic Leadership: Translates ambitious goals into clear, actionable strategies that drive growth.
• Team Building: Lead and collaborate within a high-functioning team that operates collaboratively and not hierarchically.
• Relationship Building: Excels at cultivating trust and long-term partnerships with donors, advisors, and stakeholders.
• Results-Oriented Leadership: Demonstrates accountability for achieving measurable fundraising and asset growth outcomes.
• Strategic Growth: Builds and enhances systems that support scalability and impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Works effectively across teams to align advancement with mission and strategy.
Core Qualifications & Competencies
• Minimum of 8–10 years of senior-level nonprofit fundraising or philanthropic leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising, asset development, donor relationship management, or a related philanthropic leadership role.
• Strong CRM discipline and demonstrated ability to use donor and pipeline data to manage relationships, drive strategy, and ensure accountability and follow-through.
• Working knowledge of charitable and planned giving strategies and complex assets, with credibility among sophisticated donors and professional advisors.
• Strong strategic, relationship-management, and communication skills, including comfort navigating high net-worth family and business dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead staff, coordinate across teams, and translate strategy into measurable results.
• High degree of integrity, discretion, judgment, and emotional intelligence.
Working Conditions & Physical Demands
• Ability to sit or stand at a workstation for extended periods.
• Hybrid workplace, with regular in-office presence and daily availability for meetings throughout the region required.
• Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals.
• Some work after hours will be required.
How to apply
Qualified candidates are required to submit a cover letter and a resume to hr@eccf.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
The Vice President of Philanthropy provides strategic leadership for ECCF’s fundraising and asset development work, with responsibility for growing philanthropic assets, expanding the donor and fundholder pipeline, and strengthening the relationships that fuel ECCF’s long-term growth. The Vice President translates ECCF’s strategic growth goals into an integrated philanthropy strategy spanning major and planned giving, fund development, professional advisor engagement, campaigns, and strategic initiatives. Reporting to the COO & SVP Philanthropy, the Vice President will have significant responsibility coordinating these efforts to support the ambitious growth goals stated in our five-year strategic plan (2026-2030).
The Vice President will directly manage the Director of Development; partner closely with the Director of Philanthropic Services; collaborate with the CEO and the COO & SVP Philanthropy; maintains a portfolio of significant donors, prospects, and fundholders; and serves as a senior resource on major, planned, and complex gifts.
This role requires a sophisticated relationship builder and fundraising strategist who can move comfortably between strategy and execution—building relationships personally while also aligning people, pipelines, and opportunities across ECCF.
Strategy & Growth
• Develop and lead ECCF’s integrated philanthropy and asset-development strategy, translating organizational growth priorities into annual and multi-year goals, strategies, pipelines, and measures of success.
• Establish and monitor performance against fundraising, asset-growth, donor acquisition, retention, upgrade, and pipeline goals.
• Partner with the COO & SVP Philanthropy to assess emerging opportunities and translate promising new channels for growth into executable strategies.
• Maintain a comprehensive view of ECCF’s donor and prospect pipeline, ensuring clear relationship ownership, next steps, and coordinated strategies across fundraising and philanthropic services.
• Use data, donor insight, and market trends to identify opportunities, assess performance, and adjust strategy.
Frontline Fundraising
• Grow ECCF’s charitable assets through donor-advised, endowed, scholarship, designated, and other philanthropic funds, outright gifts, planned gifts, and legacy commitments.
• Lead ECCF’s major and planned giving strategies and manage a portfolio of significant donors, prospects, and fundholders, personally cultivating, solicitating, gift planning, and stewarding relationships.
• Own ECCF’s Nonprofit Fund development strategy and growth goals, working with the Senior Advisor, Philanthropy and other colleagues to build the pipeline, cultivate opportunities, and transition new nonprofit fund relationships into onboarding and ongoing stewardship.
• Partner with the Director of Development to meet annual and multi-year fundraising and asset-growth goals in support of ECCF’s strategic priorities.
• Own ECCF’s professional advisor strategy, cultivating attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors, and other professionals as referral partners and philanthropic planning collaborators. Work with the Senior Advisor Philanthropy and other colleagues to leverage educational programming, thought leadership, and engagement opportunities.
• Partner with the Director of Philanthropic Services to deepen fundholder relationships, identify co-funding opportunities, and help fundholders advance their charitable goals.
• Develop strategies that move relationships across ECCF’s multiple pathways for giving, connecting donors with the opportunities that best align with their interests and philanthropic goals.
Leadership & Collaboration
• Supervise and work collaboratively with the Director of Development to set clear goals and ensure alignment between annual fundraising, corporate and foundation engagement, major giving, campaigns, and broader asset-development strategies.
• Establish clear fundraising priorities, relationship strategies, and accountability across ECCF.
• Serve as a senior strategist on significant prospects, fundholders, campaigns, solicitations, and philanthropic opportunities, helping colleagues determine the strongest path forward.
• Contribute to a culture of coordinated relationship management in which donor knowledge, opportunities, and next steps are shared across teams rather than held within individual functions.
• Champion the use of C-Suite as ECCF’s CRM across fundraising and asset development strategies.
• Lead ECCF’s planned and complex giving strategy and partner with the team to execute.
• Partner closely with the senior management and development team on relationships and opportunities with significant philanthropic potential.
• Effectively leverage specialized external advisors and consultants, including Senior Advisor, Philanthropy, to advance priority opportunities, strengthen staff capabilities, and provide expertise when needed.
• Along with the Director of Development, engage with the Board of Trustees and Development Committee to open doors, build relationships, and advance ECCF’s fundraising and asset-development goals.
• Represent ECCF externally as a senior philanthropic leader, strengthening relationships with donors, advisors, foundations, businesses, and community partners.
Leadership Competencies
• Strategic Leadership: Translates ambitious goals into clear, actionable strategies that drive growth.
• Team Building: Lead and collaborate within a high-functioning team that operates collaboratively and not hierarchically.
• Relationship Building: Excels at cultivating trust and long-term partnerships with donors, advisors, and stakeholders.
• Results-Oriented Leadership: Demonstrates accountability for achieving measurable fundraising and asset growth outcomes.
• Strategic Growth: Builds and enhances systems that support scalability and impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Works effectively across teams to align advancement with mission and strategy.
Core Qualifications & Competencies
• Minimum of 8–10 years of senior-level nonprofit fundraising or philanthropic leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising, asset development, donor relationship management, or a related philanthropic leadership role.
• Strong CRM discipline and demonstrated ability to use donor and pipeline data to manage relationships, drive strategy, and ensure accountability and follow-through.
• Working knowledge of charitable and planned giving strategies and complex assets, with credibility among sophisticated donors and professional advisors.
• Strong strategic, relationship-management, and communication skills, including comfort navigating high net-worth family and business dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead staff, coordinate across teams, and translate strategy into measurable results.
• High degree of integrity, discretion, judgment, and emotional intelligence.
Working Conditions & Physical Demands
• Ability to sit or stand at a workstation for extended periods.
• Hybrid workplace, with regular in-office presence and daily availability for meetings throughout the region required.
• Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals.
• Some work after hours will be required.
How to apply
Qualified candidates are required to submit a cover letter and a resume to hr@eccf.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.