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College Track · 1 day ago

Vice President of Principal Gifts

Oakland, California

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$165K/yr - $225K/yr

10+ years exp

College Track is seeking a Vice President of Principal Gifts, a mission-driven leader responsible for shaping and driving the organization’s individual giving strategy. This role involves strategic oversight of fundraising for major and principal donors, as well as managing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals to ensure the organization’s growth and impact.

EducationTraining

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, multi-year individual philanthropy strategy that advances College Track’s financial sustainability and strategic priorities, demonstrating national scale and local impact

Provide strategic oversight for over $7M principal giving portfolio, ensuring alignment with College Track’s organizational mission, brand, and programmatic goals

Serve as a key external ambassador for the organization, cultivating and stewarding relationships with high-net-worth and principal donors whose partnership fuels transformative investments in educational equity

Partner with the CPO, President & CEO, and National Board to deepen engagement with current supporters and expand College Track’s network of individual investors nationwide

Collaborate with Executive Site Directors and Local Advisory Boards to strengthen regional fundraising capacity and build aligned, market-level engagement strategies

Leverage data, research, and emerging trends to expand the pipeline of high-impact donors and secure multi-year, seven- and eight-figure commitments

Provide thought leadership in major gift philanthropy, advancing best practices and representing College Track as a national leader in donor engagement and stewardship

Represent College Track at external convenings, philanthropic networks, and industry forums to elevate the organization’s visibility and influence

Partner with internal and external stakeholders to advance organization-wide initiatives that strengthen College Track’s position as a leader in equitable education and college access

Lead a high-performing Principal Gifts team—including two Directors of Principal Gifts—by setting vision, standards, and goals that align with College Track’s organization-wide strategy

Foster a culture of accountability, learning, and collaboration, ensuring the team operates as a unified, data-informed, and mission-driven function

Partner with cross-functional leaders across Finance, Education, and Communications to align funding strategies with organizational priorities, impact measurement, and resource planning

Collaborate within the Philanthropy Leadership Team, to optimize systems, infrastructure, and reporting processes that strengthen the organization’s fundraising capacity

Partner with the CPO and the Philanthropy Leadership Team to ensure cohesion and synergy across all philanthropic channels, maintaining best-in-class donor cultivation and stewardship practices

Build leadership capacity within the Principal Gifts team, fostering innovation, professional growth, and strategic execution excellence

Qualification

Fundraising strategyMajor donor engagementTeam leadershipData analysisStrategic communicationCross-functional collaborationEducational equityBusiness acumenPortfolio managementRelationship buildingStorytelling

Required

10+ years of extensive experience in fundraising with major donors, ideally within an educational nonprofit, philanthropic, or mission-driven organization of comparable scale and complexity

5+ years of leadership experience, including management of high-performing teams and multi-departmental initiatives

Proven success in designing and leading individual philanthropy strategies that secure multi-year, seven- and eight-figure investments from individual donors and other sources

Exceptional relationship-building and influence skills, with a demonstrated ability to engage, inspire, and partner effectively with boards, executives, and senior-level funders across sectors

Outstanding strategic communication and storytelling abilities, capable of articulating organizational impact and vision to diverse audiences, including funders, policymakers, and partners

Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional collaboration, aligning philanthropy with program, finance, and data teams to drive mission and sustainability goals

Proficiency in leveraging data and systems (e.g., Salesforce) to inform strategy, forecasting, and performance management, in partnership with operations and analytics teams

Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to translate strategic priorities into clear plans, budgets, and measurable outcomes

Bachelor's degree required