Director of Philanthropy
APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in 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 the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work.
The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and teaches its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, AmPA! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) project, a collaborative movement of more than 10,000 animal welfare professionals working in nearly 1,900 organizations. HASS is the first-of-its-kind collective of shelters and animal welfare professionals coming together to build community-focused animal services that better meet the needs of people and pets by keeping human-animal families together and keeping pets unnecessarily out of shelters.
BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW:
The Director of Philanthropy works under the direction of the Sr. Director of Philanthropy & Communications to help fuel a dynamic and growing non-profit with revenues now approaching $20 million annually and with national renown. This proven leader with experience in raising donations through individual giving at all levels, high-level corporate giving and partnerships, and grant funding is an individual with an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to think creatively to solve problems and embrace challenges as they arise.
The Director of Philanthropy will learn Austin Pets Alive!’s fundraising model, rapidly taking on leadership in overseeing and guiding fundraising activities through the year for local, regional, and national operations. Above all, this powerhouse development professional is an outstanding manager of teams who values communication, collaboration, innovation, and teamwork, and who can pivot on a dime as changes arise.
APA!’s operations are on the leading edge of innovation in animal welfare and has a powerful commitment to responding to the frequent crises that threaten animals’ lives. This requires that the Director of Philanthropy bring an ability to apply creative critical thinking and to step outside traditional fundraising practices to provide the means for responding to crises and opportunities for innovation as the norm rather than the exception. APA!’s greatest source of support is from individual giving, and this role must be able to activate philanthropic investment and galvanize public support at all donor levels to meet these challenges. The Director of Philanthropy thrives in a collaborative, growth-oriented atmosphere and will put to use exceptional relationship-building and communications skills toward creating a better world for animals and the people who love them.
The Director of Philanthropy leads and oversees the strategic direction, growth, and daily operations of APA!’s Philanthropy Team. This role ensures alignment with APA!’s broader mission to increase the live release rate across Texas, while building a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for philanthropy.
The Director of Philanthropy is responsible for managing daily workflows, supervising staff, and setting clear, mission-aligned goals. This includes creating structured plans, tracking progress toward outcomes, and ensuring accountability and follow-through on team priorities. The role uses data to guide decisions and helps keep the team focused on consistent, measurable impact. This is a leadership role rooted in empowerment, facilitation, and values-driven oversight.
Rather than working independently, the Director of Philanthropy sets the tone that APA! is a volunteer-powered organization—every staff member is expected to work collaboratively with volunteers and to help create meaningful opportunities for them to lead and contribute. This includes pairing with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, modeling strong partnership, and developing a culture of shared effort and team accountability.
This position requires a high level of responsiveness and availability. The work is often fast-paced and dynamic, with weekend or shift flexibility expected. While APA! strongly encourages work-life balance, during on-duty shifts, the Director of Philanthropy is expected to be highly present, solutions-oriented, and ready to support the team with real-time problem-solving.
Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Foster and model a volunteer-powered culture across the team by ensuring that every staff member is partnered with volunteers on every shift, with the goal of empowering volunteers to lead and grow within the program.
- Serve as a facilitator and coach to staff and volunteers, ensuring the work is shared, not siloed, and that volunteers are supported in completing daily tasks.
- Ensure active recruitment, onboarding, and engagement of volunteers using volunteer engagement tools and resources
- Support retention by matching volunteers to appropriate tasks, offering guidance, and providing regular check-ins and staff mentorship.
- Identify strong volunteers for deeper roles and seek out customer to volunteer conversion opportunities.
- Recognize volunteer contributions through consistent appreciation and shoutouts.
- Provide clear expectations, hands-on training, and in-the-moment coaching to set volunteers up for success.
Strategy and implementation
- Accountable for reaching team fundraising goals set by the CEO and Sr. Director of Philanthropy and Communications to fuel an ambitious growth strategy
- Explore new revenue streams and opportunities for accelerated growth
- Work with the Director of Philanthropy to learn the annual funding plan, training to take the lead on planning resources for operations while the Chief of Philanthropy focuses on the upcoming capital campaign
- Work collaboratively throughout the year with all members of the Philanthropy and MarCom team to ensure revenue goals are met, course-correcting as needed
- Respond as needed to solve funding challenges around crisis response
- Work with the Director of Philanthropy in using data and communication analytics to drive decisions to increase revenue
- Along with the Director of Philanthropy, daily review and analysis of incoming donations to understand the flow and nature of our revenues throughout the year
- Under the direction of the Chief of Philanthropy, assessing and project managing changes to our fundraising tools, CRMs, internal processes, etc.
- Provide frequent support to the Director of Philanthropy
Management
- Manage a team of Philanthropy professionals who plan and coordinate mass giving campaigns and events, high-level individual giving, and grant partnerships.
- Assess needs for resources and report up to the Director of Philanthropy around upcoming challenges and opportunities
- Lead the Directors of Philanthropy in setting, tracking and reporting team KPIs, SMART goals, and other performance measures
- Help monitor the effectiveness of funding activities and adherence to the fundraising plan’s implementation
- Provide the Chief of Philanthropy and CEO with monthly KPI reporting for philanthropy department
- In most cases, act as primary point of contact for operations teams, responding to their questions and support needs
- Lead and attend meetings both on the Philanthropy and MarCom Team and with other departments, as needed
Donor Engagement and Support
- Gain a thorough understanding of APA!’s programs and distinctiveness to maintain fluency in promoting the organization
- Use outstanding writing ability and verbal communication to inspire a deep sense of engagement among our many and varied supporters and drive philanthropy
- Provide support for the Sr. Director of Philanthropy and Communications and the CEO’s portfolios of top-level major donors through emails, calls, meetings, and stewardship materials
- Assist the philanthropy team in donor prospecting and research
- Assist the all MarCom and Philanthropy team members ensuring the ambitious fundraising goals are met every month
- Attend APA! events and actively steward donors attending
Culture
- Help lead and ensure the success of instilling a vibrant culture of philanthropy across the organization for staff and volunteers
- Positively contribute to and enhance the MarCom & Philanthropy Team’s positive, supportive and collaborative team culture
- Work seamlessly with all members of the team recognizing that each function is vital to success
- Help guide professional development opportunities for team members
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 sheltering topics needed to excel in this role
- 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
- Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:
- A love of animals and a passion for the no-kill mission
- At least seven years’ experience in philanthropy, with at least 3 years’ experience managing teams
- Experience and proven success in cultivating, soliciting and stewarding high-level gifts from individuals, corporations and grantors
- Exceptional managerial and communication skills
- Intellectual agility; the ability to analyze, think critically, and solve problems creatively
- A “doer” with a high degree of initiative and energy; productive and results-oriented
- Confidence, creativity and maturity to establish credibility with and influence donors at all levels
- 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 multi-task 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 office environment, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
- Uses own transportation to travel and transport
- Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises, and possible exposure to bites, scratches, animal waste, and contagious diseases
- Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs
- Work is normally performed inside; some outside work is required
TIME COMMITMENT:
- This is a full-time, exempt position with an average of 40 hours per week.
- Shift and schedule flexibility is required, as weekly schedule is subject to change
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
- This position reports directly to the Sr. Director of Philanthropy
- This position oversees up to seven direct reports
- This position works closely with their counterpart on the MarCom side of the Team
LOCATION(S):
- APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- Hwy 290 Medical Clinic - 4942 W Hwy 290 Austin, TX 78735
- Tarrytown Corporate Office, 2414 Exposition Blvd, Suite B-100, Austin, TX 78703
- Hybrid
- 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 job@austinpetsalive.org at least one week in advance of your interview.
